rayaans

Except it gets annoying when the conversation goes a little like this - "Im looking for an RX450h F Sport" "what colour are you interested in" "I like the White" "Well we have a white RX450h SE-L outside that I can give you a £7k discount on" "Im looking for an F Sport, not an SE-L" "We cant do that kind of a deal on the F Sport, we have another SE-L in black if you want" "Im not interested in the SE-L, I want an F Sport" "we currently have a £2k towards your deposit offer on the SE-L outside" "im paying with cash and I want an F Sport" "You'll get a better deal overall if you take out the PCP with £2k deposit contribution on the SE-L" He almost sounded like a BMW dealer

Car looks fantastic! However, im not a fan of Autobrite. They are overpriced and people like Autosmart do similiar products at sometimes more than half the price!

Disappointing to read about your story, Wallace. As it turns out - you didn't even buy the Mesa Red after all, which leaves me baffled as to why you were only offered the white. Yes - Lexus Stoke may have a white one they want to get rid of due to age or other factors, but if money can't help the colour i'm baffled as to why they didn't at least explore other options than simply white if a Mesa Red won't arrive till September. Their loss it appears! Trade in price should never be massively different between dealers, as they all work from the same guides. However, one thing I would say is it always amazed me (back in the days when I sold cars) how people were almost insulted that a scuff, alloy curb or dent etc would affect the value of their car. For example - the Lexus Approved Used programme dictates that all cars should be prepared to a high standard. A customer simply won't accept a car with 4 curbed wheels, a dent or scuff or any other major marks beyond "fair wear & tear"... if there are marks on used cars, the dealers are the first ones to be told "I won't buy that unless its paited / repaired", so why should a dealer ignore damage to a car when valuing it? From my point of view, it is simple logic. A curbed wheel refurbished to Lexus standards is not cheap. Neither is other bodywork generally - so if I were to visit a dealer with a car that required some work to bring it up to Dealer standards (which, lets face it, nearly all cars do), I'd find it pretty normal that they take off an amount to allow for the refurbishment. In the end - you got a car you are happy with and service to match, which is all that matters. The IS300h is a fantastic car, i'm certain you'll enjoy it. Should have seen my experience with Lexus Bradford! It was in 2012 just before they became a part of the RRG Group, when the RX F Sport had just come out. They kept pushing me towards their pre-facelift RX450h SE-L on 12 plates going on about the massive discount they were willing to give. I was adamant I wanted an RX F-Sport, the sales staff were pretty good but then the Manager came and tried to get me to buy a RX450h SE-L. I had enough and cracked, told him he's unworthy of his job and his attitude sucks. Walked straight out and bought the car from Stockport who were much better in every way. The sales staff at Lexus Bradford wouldn't even ring me back, if I was getting £54k worth of business, Id be jumping about trying to close the deal. Also, they offered me £4700 part exchange on my 54 plate RX300 SE with 55k miles on it. This was an 8 year old car so it was low mileage and very well looked after! 3 months later, Lexus Stockport gave me £5300!! Talk about lowballing on Bradford's part!

In terms of "Lexus" as in - Lexus the global company, who knows what they'll make behind the scenes. As far as the dealers are concerned - the margin structure and percentage will be exactly the same whether it be a 200t or 300h. They work off a set percentage which, despite what some may think - is lower than you'd expect! The hybrid will undoubtably be the "volume" seller, whereas the 200t will be a great option for those interested in more performance. The fact the 200t will only be offered in the F-Sport variant I think shows they don't expect to sell great volumes, but having now driven both versions of the car - I can confirm they're a fantastic option for anyone Vs the key rivals. The 200t is ultra refined and shifts well - the 300h is what you'd expect from a hybrid and should deliver on the economy front. Emissions on the 200t should come in around 199g/km. 199g/km? Thats the same as the IS250, are you having a laugh? And OK, so what you are saying is, that the NX300h is slow? Correct me if I am wrong.

Im not saying the IS300h is a bad car, its not. But for me, the IS250 is a better bet. Id rather spend the extra money just for the V6 and its not exactly slow either. Its perfectly adequate for normal driving and if needed, is pretty good at joy riding too!

They've cut the cost of their hybrids now. The 200t is going to be the halo model in the NX range so will command a premium. Plus, it has greater performance. Its like the BMW 320i and 328i using the exact same engine but one is more costly because it has more power. They have no reason to charge extra for the same engine but its all weighted on the performance ranking. The higher performing models always cost more.

It all depends on what you want really. The V6 is smooth and makes a great noise on the F Sport. The 300h feels sterile in comparison and it feels slow despite having better in gear acceleration. The 6 Speed Auto is from the Toyota GT86 apparently, so its pretty nice too. Carmagazine also rated the IS250 F Sport higher than the IS300h F Sport saying its more fun to drive. Very fair review in my opinion. If you are a private buyer, id say stick to the IS250. Its slightly faster and loves to rev its guts out! Definitely walk out of the showroom if they're unwilling to give you atleast a £3k discount on these models. I calculated that with my wife's 3k a year mileage, itd take atleast 8 years to get the extra £3k from the premium of the IS300h. And discounts will be greater on the IS250 as they want to get rid of them. Overall, there is literally no difference in residuals for the the hybrid or non hybrid versions. Look at the GS250, you can buy it for £22k. But then, you can also buy the same aged GS450h for £32k. I have driven both the IS250 and IS300h and I would choose the iS250 F Sport every time. Its got more character. Im not really a fan of CVT's and four pot engines, I prefer V6's with a CVT like the RX450h or GS450h

Should have seen my reaction coming from an RX450h!

The 200t will be £1500 more than the Hybrid version i've been told. 0-60 times I think you're pretty much on the money... £40k it is then. £37k for the hybrid F Sport + £1500 + £1000 or £2000 for nav and £600+ for paint. I doubt many would be sold without at least the basic nav option. I have a feeling that some of the interior materials won't be what you would expect on a £40k car, as with the IS300h, but hopefully I'm wrong. I'll let you know - as i'll be seeing & driving the NX this week (both the 300h and the 200t version). Personally I think the IS is a well put together car - especially when you compare it directly to its rivals. All down to opinion, but I couldn't accuse it of feeling cheap. Same here, it felt pretty top notch to me considering rivals like the BMW are still using that cheap interior since the past 10 odd years. Now the Mercedes C Class is a different story....... I reckon with the NX the 200t is the only way to go. Why they didn't just keep the 300h engine from the IS is beyond me. I thought they may have even tuned it to get more power out considering its probably going to be heavier! I think ill need to wait till the new RX is out - hopefully itll have the 340hp engine from the GS!

The loaner I had was an Advance with the yokohama tyres on it and I thought that was loud. I think it must be the car to be honest. Its just noisy. Next service im asking for an IS or GS

Congrats, I had one as a loaner and it was loud inside. The CT200h seems to be running on rather large tyres for the amount of power it puts out. Changing out the tyres for quieter ones seems a good option.

Go via insurance. I was in a collision in my wife's Mercedes C Class on a roundabout 3 years ago. Very slow speed, about 10mph as I was merging into another lane. Only paint was scratched slightly on the front fender and the mirror but the peugeot had a scratch all the way down because of my mirror. Personally, I dont think it was my fault anyway, the guy came way too fast round and pushed me onto the side. He claimed for £1000!! to get a bloody scratch sorted on a car with a value of less than £5k and for a courtesy car for the full 3 days it was in the shop. I had full NCD protected and my premium went up £20 the next year.

If the battery is flat, it could be that the battery is faulty. Get them to change it under warranty. It may also be that something has been kept on in the car overnight.

Dont worry, arctic pearl looks better than F Sport white imo anyway. Much more elegant compared to the plain F Sport white. Doesnt shine as well even though its got glass flakes in it. Mine need a good polish - nothing in terms of defects, just minor swirls. Going to do a full decontamination, polish with DA and protection in the summer! Are you sure your looking at the right colour... my is300h in Fsport white is pearlescent and in the sunlight looks fantastic.. its by no means a plain white.. Yes mate F Sport white is the one. I havent seen it shine as well as the Arctic pearl, even in the showroom, the arctic pearl seems to have more depth. And a DA is a Dual Action polisher, decontamination means removing tar spots, iron particles and using a clay bar to remove tree sap and the like. Protection is the stage where you slap on a wax/sealant to protect the paint.

Dont worry, arctic pearl looks better than F Sport white imo anyway. Much more elegant compared to the plain F Sport white. Doesnt shine as well even though its got glass flakes in it. Mine need a good polish - nothing in terms of defects, just minor swirls. Going to do a full decontamination, polish with DA and protection in the summer!

Intertesting comment, Chris. Lexus entering a car into a gap that doesn't exist? Funnily enough, that segment of the market is growing quicker than any other area at the moment and has seen a 1000% increase in the last 3 years alone. Advantages over IS / GS = more space, more practical, not too big to be intimidating or hard to park, efficient engines, low running costs Vs rivals... the list goes on. The F-Sport 200t will be roughly £37-38k in standard form. If you want it with the full nav system, metallic paint etc - you might touch £40k. 0-60 will be in the low 7's, 0-60 for the 300h will be low 9's. Hope this helps - the car will surely be a great seller for Lexus - which will help them appeal to a band of customers they previously couldn't. Also offers Rav4 customers wanting to make the step up into the Premium segment a genuine option that keeps them with the Toyota/Lexus brand. The 200t will be available in March 2015 in ONLY the F Sport variant. Im expecting pricing to be close to £40k as its the performance model in the lineup. As for performance figures - i reckon 7.3s for the 200t and 9.3s for the 300h.

I phoned the dealer about the beeping, it can be set to beep only once when placed in reverse but the dealer has to set this! The one I have atm is an advance and has no parking sensors, no camera, no electric seats, its basically a stripped out version with satnav. I havent seen the alternating black and blue screen, probably because I switch it straight to sport mode after I turn it on! Good news, my car is ready! So off to Lexus Stockport to collect my beast tomorrow evening!

The RX450h wasnt available in F Sport white last year. Yours is most likely the same colour as mine - Arctic pearl!

I agree with many of your points. Im also used to the ML in mine so was underwhelmed with the stereo but cant complain since its only got like 6 speakers. The dash on mine does not seem to flash, it beeps which is even more annoying!

I think the spec for spec argument is one of the reasons for choosing Lexus across all the models in the range! Its cheaper spec for spec, no arguments there. Same with all Lexus models. I seem to have become used to the ride now, its not too bad but on my RX F Sport the suspension is stiff but softer than the CT Advance which got me confused slightly. Hmm as for interior, the new Audi A3 is rather hard to beat to be honest.

Do not quite understand that dealer comment as I am still using my touch up kit from my IS250. Same shade of white. F Sport white is different to the arctic pearl. Looks whiter compared to the elegant ivory look of the arctic pearl in sunlight! And BTW, the F Sport white touch up pen is available over in the states. I think I might have a word with the dealer saying £120 for both wheels doing. One wheel has no damage on it at all so paying £85 + VAT for that wheel is stupid.

Unfortunately I suffer with this on the RX400h, especially on the rear doors. I had one, never did it fall off the roof and onto the car. Someone please tell me how to turn this bing and boing noises from the satnav off and how to stop it beeping continuously when in reverse. Its driving me mad! Its not a truck! The drip issue is easy to put to bed: old fashioned cars had vertical side windows and so the rain didnt fall onto the interior from the door frame. Modern cars have doors which incorporate window which slope inwards and are more inclined ( pun) to drop water directly onto the upholstery. All of my cars have done it at some stage from around 1999 onwards. My mini and my stag and all of my old jags never did that but the mini and the stag used to allow the water to flow through the car in other areas though! Its coming from the roof though. It drips straight from the roof onto the seat and its not even the edge of the seat, its slap bang in the middle. I probably wouldnt mind with a leather interior but on beige fabric its noticeable!

Ugh. YES! I am so f**king careful when parking... yet somehow, last week, I managed to practically "fall down" the kerb with my passenger front wheel. Wasn't your typical reverse into kerb jobby, so I've forgiven myself a little... but it still left me with 3 or 4 of these odd little scratch/chunks missing. They're anodised alloys, right? Apparently theyre powder coated. Im so bloody careful when going onto or off of a kerb. BTW just to let you know, I had a quote from my dealer - £85 + VAT per wheel. And if you do one wheel, you have to do both on that side because they cant match the colour exactly. Service manager told me this himself.

Broke down as in how? Engine failed or battery gone? Back pain means one of two things, either there is something wrong with the seat or the seat position has not been set properly for your partner. I recently had the same feeling in a CT200h which has "too much" lumbar support. I changed the position of the seat and no more back pain. If you provide more details on how old your car is, what trim and options you have on the car we may be able to help you further. All cars tend to do less MPG than the dealers quote, simply because when tested, the cars are taped up at the seams and have overinflated tyres. A couple of methods you could try is to inflate the tyres, swap tyres out for better fuel efficiency rated tyres and try braking slower and earlier and accelerating slower. It should help somewhat. It can be done as whatcar got 56mpg on their F Sport after a session with a fleet trainer.

Dont use that on tinted windows btw!