Ian J. Parsley

Yes, would agree it depends somewhat on the type of commute. I think the CT is a fine commuting car and for an urban commute it’s a good call. But if much of your commute is motorway and an IS is a viable option, I’d go for it over the CT. Take a good extended test drive in both. They are markedly different cars, despite being of the same brand.

It took me a while - like several hundred miles - to get the seat right. In my case I think it was initially because I was trying to sit too high, to take full advantage of the SUV. Then I found myself tipping too far forward and almost pushing myself back into the seat with my legs. But I got there eventually!

I’m just going from memory at the moment (I’m not in the car) but in mine there are three places to enter the password and I see to recall the one that stuck was in “Connected Services” (I think via Setup). The other thing you have to do - and this is easier on your PC - is register your car and your multimedia device. Your multimedia device has a number (sixteen digits) you’ll need to type in while signed in on your PC. And you need to connect the car using a six-digit number (of type ABC12D) from your logbook or the inside of the passenger door. You have maybe done all this - just emphasising in case!

Hi Mark, If you go into your account on a PC (using your email address), you should find you have a username (marked on the right of the “Account” page or similar). This is typically but not always the first part of your email address (ie the bit before the @). That’s the one you use in the car. You can also change it.

I have both in the household and my instinct is the CT would not be ideal but may suffice. There’s no clear-cut way to answer the question but in general the boot is ok on the CT - you can store some basic stuff in the (would-be) spare tyre compartment; I actually have the manuals in there, leaving the glove box entirely free. In general, you can ask yourself another question - could you buy a second-hand CT and then upgrade to an NX later if you found you had to? Nice problem to have!!

Yes, with the seats I too struggled to start with but find them quite comfortable now. No problem on two recent 3-4-hour round trips. I do find the forward visibility a little frustrating due to the size of the pillars.

I don't understand how Infiniti justifies the "premium brand" designation when it is so cheap (i.e. depreciates so quickly). I guess fair play to them if they can get away with it!

Apologies, that should have read "if you *don't* have premium nav"! With premium nav it's much easier.

If you've the premium nav, the DAB is fiddly, but you'll probably find them all eventually. There's this weird "ensemble" system where they are held in different groupings. A bit of a rigmarole but from memory just pressing radio a few times may work through them? Others may know better.

That's a super-looking vehicle! Lexus specs can be very odd but it comes with the territory. The whole brand is based on a "take it or leave it" approach, which actually maximises profitably. A Q5 can be bought in the UK in literally several million combinations (choices of transmission, fuel, interior, huge options list, etc); an NX is available in a few hundred. Choice has served Audi well but the advantage of the latter is you know what you get and it is easier to plan ahead with manufacturing - Audi outsells Lexus 12:1 in the UK but it won't be twelve times as profitable. Anyway, enough of that - enjoy your new vehicle!

I don't know but, from experience, there's an even chance it's a setting on your phone which is the problem. What exact multimedia system have you (i.e. premium nav, regular nav or no nav)?

Yes, I had mine four years with no problem at all. As Bernard notes, there is a "SNOW" mode to help.

Saw a 2005 version yesterday in superb nick. Great buy.

I'd say the white looks superb in F-Sport guise. An excellent used buy no doubt.

Personal opinion but I think you're right to have headed for a darker grey on the Sport. I'm sure it looks good!

Welcome on board, and I have no doubt you'll find you have made the right decision. I too like Honda as a brand but, like you say, recent development seems to have been limited. Do obviously take a look down the NX section. We're quite a friendly bunch so do put any questions you have on there. I do think Multimedia is an area where the Japanese brands in general struggle and Lexus is no different. That said, when you get used to it it's fine, and I think you really benefit from the location high on the centre console. You'll soon get used to the CVT. My own advice is use Eco in town and Normal otherwise, switching to Sport for overtaking. But each to their own! I think you do get the clear display on the Sport of how the electric motor is influencing the drive. With all round protection I don't think you'll need to worry too much about visibility or storage. When do you collect?

I've never come to a satisfactory decision on whether it's best to speed up quickly and then coast! My instinct is it depends on the length and type of the journey - ultimately it's about whether it's worth having the battery charged (useful if you are driving on, maybe less so if you are about to park for a while). But yes, the first thing I noticed on going hybrid was actually the "brake". When you're not used to it, especially on a more powerful car, it causes the car to "shudder" to a halt as the actual brakes kick in right at the end. A lot of reviews report this as a negative, but you soon get used to it and it does have the long-term advantage of not wearing down the pads.

Apologies if I'm covering what you already know, but I should emphasise the CVT does not have gears (or, put in "normal" terms, it has the effect of being a single-gear gearbox). I should add also that the braking system is different too: when you hit the "brake" pedal, all that happens is in effect that the cogs turn and go the other way to decelerate rather than accelerate; the actual brake is only applied from about 5mph down to zero (the good news here is you'll never need to change the brake pads unless you do a couple of round-the-World trips!) The trick really is not to press the accelerator any more than you have to - partly because doing so means you are all engine and no electric (bad for consumption), and partly because you'll get a long growl! For what it's worth, if I really have to pick up speed, I switch briefly into sport mode to get it over with! I am sorry I know very little about the A-class so I cannot compare directly, but I suspect you'll find the Sport trim a wise choice having moved over.

To save to preset you find the channel you want and then go to the space on the preset and press and hold. Could I just ask, was your previous car also a CT?

Hasn't quite got the right interior mats yet, but it's finally here! It did take almost a full month from date of offer and nearly three weeks from date of agreement, as they managed to send the wrong set of cars over the Irish Sea. Anyway, there it is - the outgoing Mark II CT in the Sport Plus trim (thus sunroof, beepers, reverse camera and half-tahara/leather on the all-sport outline including black alloys and front grille). The sunroof is nice - makes the whole car feel airier.

Dan, Thanks for that review - all very encouraging up to and including news that the seats are tahara (I've no doubt the wife will prefer that and I'll not mind at all). The wait goes on, mind...!

Yes, it can be switched off. You can also stop the movement by pressing the relevant switch again to stop it going too high. (Btw, the power tailgate is only available on the higher trims, and in some cases as an option rather than standard.)

Yes, likewise I find a gain in power in the NX over the CT (although this is more pronounced over long journeys) but a loss versus my previous IS. It's all relative.

I share that cynicism and certainly I see nothing in the law that would stop them sending you over a stock car (one held by the UK operation with a fairly popular colour/spec) instead of a specific factory order if it were close. Indeed, when my wife switched her colour preference on her current car suddenly the deal became a lot easier because they knew they had a stock car in line with what she wanted (they were open about this as it cut the waiting time). That said, in the battle between conspiracy and *****-up, it's still usually the latter! In this particular case, that clearly isn't what happened, although I am still mystified what did!

Steve, That's a good question. I prefer the NX because it has adaptive cruise. If it didn't, it may well be a close call, though I think I would just still go for the NX. That said, it really depends. If I am popping to the corner shop in the rain I actually usually take the CT - it's a bit more manoeuvrable around car parks and I like the variety. On longer trips, of course it's the NX every time because of the higher comfort levels. The outgoing CT also has an annoying rattle - here's hoping the incoming one hasn't! (And here's hoping it's actually incoming - see another thread re that!)