Markee

Just to clarify, iPhones cannot send ANYTHING via Bluetooth - it's just used for hands free audio only. It's an iPhone limitation, not a Lexus (or BMW, or Audi etc) one.

My IS220d was in for a service last week and they gave me an RX450h as a courtesy car. Now, this car has auto folding mirrors - but they dont follow the engine, they follow the locking - when you lock the car they fold in, when you unlock the car they fold out. I think this is much better than folding in/out when you stop/start the engine. It's possibly easier to implement in line with the central locking?

I have pretty much the exact same spec car (Black / Black Leather / SE / Multimedia Pack) on an 07 plate which is on a company car lease due to end in April 2010. I am tempted to go the other way, to a BMW diesel for the better engines and more dynamic ride. It's not that I dont like the Lexus, it's just that I know there is better out there. My only complaints are with the engine and gearbox though - the engine power band is way too narrow (between 2000 and 3000 revs) and the gears are too high. However.... The level of service you get with Lexus is so much better than you get with pretty much any other marque, it really makes me reluctant to move away, even though I know there are better cars to drive out there. A dealer did tell me that the IS diesel is being phased out over the next couple of years (its Lexus' only diesel) with hybrid technology moving down to the smaller models...

Congrats on the new car, and dont want to be a kill joy - but you really want to blank out your reg. number if your posting pics of your car on t'internet!

I have used Vodafone V1615 (HTC Kaiser) and iPhone 3G/3GS All worked fine for me, except you cant use the iPhone to transfer phone book entries to the cars phone book (this is an iPhone limitation, though).

Doesn't the RX400h have a tape deck? Surely it could be used for something..... Tape adapters also give a lot better quality sound than an FM transmitter, and much cheaper too! £12.99 from Argos (I am sure you can get them much cheaper than this, though).

My local dealer reckon they will have the RX450h sometime in July. They have also just got back from a trip to Barcelona where they have driven the new car.

Sorry, but I do not agree with that. You can buy a much better all round vehicle in a diesel BMW X5 (even in 'twin turbo' guise) that gives you both economy and power - and I would wager this is superior to the RX Hybrid. The only case for the hybrid that I can see is the London Congestion Charge or for business users, BIK - even on the BIK the X5 pushes the Hybrid close. I was not saying that the RX hybrid is more economical or better than other vehicles in the class, the point I was making is that people who buy the RX hybrid are not buying it for economy (or they are very misinformed if they are!) but for ticking the green credentials of it being a hybrid. Maybe the X5 is a better, more economical vehicle as a package, but my own personal preference would be an RX - I prefer the styling, I'm not saying it is any better, I just prefer it.

I agree with everything you say about the vehicle, but I think the bigger picture needs to be considered here. We all know that the RX400H / RX450H are not going to break any records for fuel economy. If you want an ecomonical car, you get a Prius, an Insight or a frugal small petrol or diesel (VW Bluemotion for example) The market the RX4xxH models are aimed at are people who need / want an SUV (4x4) type vehicle, but want to tick the 'green' boxes - but not necessarily being green, but being seen to be green! The reason for the 600h flop is that generally, people who are buying this class of car do not give a s**t about ticking green boxes and their money is better spent on BMW 7 series and Merc S class anyway.

I can can concur with that. Kind of makes you want to only ever have a Lexus. But I guess that's the idea, right?

I think its worth pointing out that in reality all the Lexus Hybrid cars are that way for performance rather than economy. GS450H - V8 power from a V6 engine. How do they do that? With help from electric motors. RX400h - V8 power from a V6 engine. How do they do that? Yep, you guessed it, with help from electric motors. If they had big V8 engines, no one would buy them (well, ok, less people anyway) and it's a clever marketing ploy to give you a performance car, with acceptable economy that also 'ticks some boxes' for the green brigade. Lexus don't make or market economical cars - they are branded as a luxury car maker and are trying to soften the blow of running a large, comfortable fast car by using hybrid technology. Customers who want economy buy a small car with a small engine - and the most economical for local short runs is a modern small petrol engine.

I live about 3 miles from Lexus Oxford and have used them for servicing for my IS220d I have always been please with their level of service, pricing and flexibility with loan cars

Don't forget to post some pics once she's arrived! :winky:

I have an iPhone 3G and am pretty sure it cannot do any form of file transfer whatsoever (whether that be files, photos, contacts or whatever). As far as I know, the Bluetooth implementation on the iPhone only supports handsfree - ie use your car as the biggest bluetooth head set in the world! Thats why the first guy had to type his in manually. The Toyota / Lexus Bluetooth does support transfer of contacts as I have used my Windows Mobile HTC phone to transfer my phone contacts. Hope this clarifies the situation.

Just to clarify, this article is an overview of the car that has been on the Autocar site for a while and NOT the road test article from the magazine published this week,