Ian M

"LEXUS has ditched traditional pedals in favour of steering wheel mounted hand controls on its latest luxury SUV." That certainly qualifies as revolutionary! Years and years of learned reactions would need to be un-learned!

There was a promotion on, which required a claim to be made via the Michelin web site, with a scanned copy of the invoice. All very straightforward. But I can't find the offer now, so I guess it was time limited. The cash back came as a pre-loaded VISA card, so I did 2 £50 fuel stops which seemed the simplest way of spending exactly £100.

No, the price hasn't gone down! I had 4 fitted in mid-November by Extragrip in Nottingham (at your recommendation) and they were £192 per corner (although I did get £100 cashback from Michelin through an offer). I am impressed with the Cross Climates in the wet and greasy which is normal at this time of year.

Mine behaves similarly, but the thing I really don't understand on this thread is why nobody has commented on those fluffy dice. So '70s...........!!

Spot on. I hope the Cross Climates will mean getting out of my dad's place is no problem when it snows. He lives at the bottom of a long but gentle hill which gradually steepens towards the top. It defeats almost anything on ordinary tyres unless it's got next to no power, front wheel drive and super skinny wheels.

Are you sure yours are 20"? My 2013 model RX has just had Cross Climates fitted this afternoon, 235 55 R 19 is the size on my car.

Thanks for the recommendation. I was at Extra Grip Tyres this afternoon to get 4 Cross Climates fitted. As you say, very good pricing and it was nice to deal with an old fashioned local firm. My only slight reservation was that they didn't seem too impressed by my request to refit the wheel nuts with a torque wrench rather than the windy gun. But to be fair, they did do as I asked. As to the tyres, well I have only done the trip back to Derby via the A52 and they certainly seem quieter than the Dunlops which were on before.

I had an old shape IS300 Sportcross and then a short spell in the wilderness (Audi) before coming back to Lexus with the 3RX (see here for details). Yes, the RX feels bigger than either, but in terms of overall footprint it is no longer and only slightly wider than the Audi. I think the height adds to the feeling that it is bigger but once you're on teh move it's just a superb and comfortabe driving position. It does need a bit of care in car parks though.

Absolutely true! It took me a few weeks and a few trips away to find a car with the right spec and colour. But it's 3 months (and 2.5k miles) yesterday since I picked up my 62 plate RX450h and it's brilliant.

The only thing i would add is to check your house and/or car insurance - you may be covered for lost keys.

I agree. I have had my 3RX a couple of months now and done about 2,000 miles. My longest day was 560 miles, almost all of which was on motorway or dual carriageway in the rain. I am very very happy with it. The car has done everything brilliantly, including a lot of motorway miles in pretty dreadful weather and I have never found it lacking in pace or grip on country A and B roads either. It's no sports car, but I didn't expect it to be. What it has done is blend into family life and just do what it says on the tin! Average in my ownership is 31.7mpg so far.

Hi, nice car! Yes, you can switch on the move. But, the High setting is not available above about 25mph and if you have it set to High and increase your speed above 25ish, the car will automatically reset itself to Normal. On my 2013 model, the dash indicator stays at N, even when cruising at speed. Whether the air suspension actually goes to Low is a mystery to me, I certainly cannot detect a change. This is my "lady in red".

Yesterday, the RX and I had a long day, roughly 550 miles from my dad's in North Yorkshire to Loch Lomond and then back to my home in Derby. Apart from the first 15 miles out to the A1 & some bits of the A66 which are single carriageway, the trip was all motorway or dual carriageway and the weather was pretty horrible. But the trip was great, the RX is perfect with the cruise control set and took the wind and rain in its stride. I am so pleased with this car! Given that a steady cruise on the motorway is not ideal hybrid territory, I don't think 28.9mpg brim to brim on 2 tankfuls is bad at all. The on board computer measured a slightly pessimistic 28.4 but an average speed of 61 shows that I had a pretty good run despite the miles and miles of 50 limit roadworks on the M6 in Cheshire.

Welcome. 28k on a 2005 IS300 sounds like a dream car.

I think, and I may be somewhat cynical here, that Essential Care is aimed at private owners who might possibly be a bit more budget conscious than the company car drivers. Or in other words, the dealer make reasonable profit instead of super profit.

5 or so weeks in, I am loving the RX. Today, it's in the office car park between and black X5 and a white Q5. It's definitely the best looking car!

As I understand it, the gen 4 RX doesn't have air suspension. I have had an NX courtesy car recently and although I have not driven it far, I did do a mix of town, country roads and motorway. I would go for the RX. I find it more comfortable (ride and seats are both better) and quieter. The NX didn't feel a lot smaller on the road but somehow felt a good bit smaller inside. But there is no doubt the NX is still a nice car. You need to have a drive of each and make your own decision.

We need a full report! Coffee ok? Proper biscuits or just the wafer thin individually wrapped ones?

I stayed in Helensburgh and worked in Glasgow for enough years to know what's what so I shall pack waterproofs and suncream!

I haven't tried ECO mode yet. Will it automatically select itself as I cross the border heading northwards on holiday at the start of October?

Only 2 tank fills so far for me, and I have been exploring its performance when appropriate, but average is 30.7 which is pretty similar to Steve for everyday driving. It is a lot more ecconomical than either of my previous cars, the old IS300 and an Audi S4. Road tax is a lot less too!

If I might add my thoughts: my spec was a 2012 onwards facelift model with black lather and a sunroof in any colour except grey or silver. Somewhat surprisingly, that became a combination I had to hunt for and in effect meant an Advance, F-Sport or a Premier. In the end I got a Premier, fully aware that the major difference and potential future cost problem is the air suspension. Time will tell, but the next 3 years at least are under warranty. About 5 weeks in, I am very pleased with the car I bought, a late 2012 model. It really does everything I wanted it to, although being such a low mileage (22.5k) and from a Lexus main dealer, its screen price was over your budget. The colour is gorgeous, when it's clean it really sparkles in the sunshine.

It does no more than allow you to move the vehicle from "Park" to "Neutral" without the engine running. My little Toyota IQ has the same feature and it's not something which gets used!

Hello from another Derby based member!

I have just had an NX (300h Luxury, 17 reg with 6,000 miles on the clock) for 3 days whilst my RX went back for the dealer to sort out the dent in the rear nearside passenger door which should have been sorted before I took delivery of the car. So, from a brief encounter, here are my 3 likes and dislikes: Likes · The way the second dial changes from the eco meter to a tacho when you select sport mode. That’s really cool! · Proper control for the heat/vent/air con – much more intuitive than the RX. · It came with a full tank of fuel but didn’t have quite so much when it went back! Dislikes · Surprisingly noisy compared to my RX and it certainly doesn’t have a silky smooth V6 engine. · The reflection from the metallic surround to the sat nav in the windscreen is just annoying · The pale sand coloured seats are not my choice, the colour doesn’t appeal and whilst they were comfortable enough, the armchairs in the RX are better.