Rabbers

I believe, based on my own disappointment when I went from a 2016 to a 2019 RC, that the software update that changed the display functions to a 10.3” configuration on most and maybe all models in the Lexus range during that period did not include the reverse camera image, which remained 7”.

Out of curiosity, Peter, why did you do that?

I don’t know about the “baby” shark bit, Lucky - presumably as distinct from an adult one - but who am I to argue? I have spotted only three or four ESs on the road since launch but it is precisely the grille that makes you first suspect that a car you are seeing in the distance might be an ES. And it is again the grille, gradually recognizable as “big” and “smiling”, that confirms the suspicion as the car comes closer. Were I to buy an ES I would go for the F-Sport, as I have with other models, but I must admit I prefer the vertical bars of the grille of the normal version to the honeycomb F-Sport design.

Sure, the figures you quote are the primary means of formally judging the dimensional differences that could lead one to choose any given car over another, at least from an armchair. What I find the figures don't necessarily express, however, are the differences in physical and optical impressions a driver - by which I mean me - might have in negotiating the sort of tight and winding route briefly described in my last post. For example, 2cm greater width in a 90° turn from one narrow alley into another even narrower one might not in itself greatly affect the timing of when exactly to aim and straighten the car, but the awareness of significantly greater length during the process of completing the manoeuvre with even a slight suspicion of having made a misjudgment can make one fairly nervous - and downright sweaty if for any reason one needs to abort the manoeuvre and reverse out. Or so I find even though I am aware that it is largely a question of familiarity with a car and confidence in one's own skills. In short, if in many circumstances I consider the electronic aids in the RC to be important, I am guessing I would find them well-nigh indispensable in the ES. Incidentally, while on the subject of width, the first ES I drove was fitted with the digital side-view monitors, and I must say that I generally liked them. On the other hand, even without knowing if and by how much they add to the ES' overall width, they certainly give the impression of doing so, thereby adding a further element of possible nervousness (not least because of the potential replacement cost).

My problem with the bulk of the ES has less to do with the car’s manoeuvrability, which is fine - indeed surprisingly so - than with the location of my home. This requires me whenever I come and go to negotiate a series of tight bends and turns in a medieval village and its surrounds. I am accustomed to doing it easily enough in my RC (just as I previously did in the IS) but the thought of getting a scrape from a side wall or an uneven high kerb before getting out onto the open road is nevertheless always somewhere in my mind. So you’ll understand that despite my objective enthusiasm for the ES the extra length and width are factors I need to ponder more than other prospective owners normally might.

James, your enthusiasm for the ES is infectious, and having driven one several times now I understand you completely. The main - perhaps the only - thing preventing me from going for one next time I change car is its size. Don’t you think it could have been maybe 10cm shorter and proportionately narrower with no great loss of space for occupants and bags etc.? Although I reckon it offers among the smoothest and most comfortable rides I have ever had, and is impressively agile for its bulk, I would dread having to frequently manoeuvre it, as I would frequently need to do, through narrow lanes and town alleys. Do you and Betsy have any words of wisdom to offer me?

No doubt Socrates knew of what he spoke, but in his case I would tend to sympathise with the kids he habitually accosted in the street expecting answers to his funny questions.

You are right about that, Phil. Apparently a Babylonian clay vase from 3000 B.C. bears an inscription to the effect that “Youths of today are rotten to the soul. They are evil and lazy and cannot compare with the youths of the past. They are incapable of keeping up the standards of our civilization”. I reckon the thought might be worth reproducing on a coffee mug.

I‘ve noticed this more and more, and I reckon that they are consciously trying to broadcast their green credentials to other road users as much as attempting to conserve enough range to get home or wherever else they are going.

The same thing happened to a fellow Lexus owner I recently chatted with at our dealership here in Italy when our cars were being serviced, with the difference that the message that he had had an accident was received, much to her distress, by his daughter at school. Apparently the message resulted from his reversing into a wall when parking, he said not particularly hard and with only a slight scratch to his bumper. He also deleted the app but not before angrily consulting a lawyer who advised him that taking the matter further was not worth the hassle.

The practice of contracting private mercenaries to spy on prospective speed offenders is socially obnoxious. Of course the broad aim of improving road safety is morally defensible but a de-funding of French institutional police forces may well have something to do with it. Still, the tactic of paying citizens to spy on fellow citizens is probably preferable to the Italian practice, supposedly now less common than it was until quite recently, whereby manufacturers of speed cameras consigned their wares to badly-funded local municipalities in return for a commission on the number and amount of the fines levied. This not unexpectedly led, in some proven cases, to the cameras being calibrated in a municipality’s favour, with a consequent further reduction in the citizenry’s already low level of faith in authority.

I change the cabin filter myself once a year, instructing my dealer not to do it at service time because (a) it is a simple operation I can do myself whenever I think it necessary, and (b) the active charcoal type sold by MANN-FILTER, which is a specialist German manufacturer of filters, is at least half the price of the Toyota/Lexus one and is not detectably different in physical quality and performance. I usually inspect the filter if there have been unusual amounts of seasonal pollen, and after any long periods of rain or, especially, wet fog, when the filter can get quite damp or even soggy. I must admit I find the throwing out of a dirty filter to be rather pleasurable.

I’ve just looked more closely at the link you provided for the Optimum No Rinse, and was shocked by the high price asked on that site. I see that Amazon’s prices in some other countries are also generally high, but quite variable, the lowest by far for the 32oz bottle being €29.50 in Germany. I don’t remember how much I paid six or seven years ago (I think it was in a motorway shop in France) but I can’t imagine it would have been more than €20. All I can say is that although a little of the product goes a long way, it would be a good idea to shop around before buying on Amazon.

Yes, that’s the one. I rarely use it as a rinseless wash, which is the purpose for which it’s marketed, but adding a small amount to the rinse water after normal shampooing makes water spots a thing of the past.

Good idea, no doubt, but I think that despite the apparent contradiction in terms you’ll find a capful of Optimum No Rinse in your rinse bucket maybe easier and just as effective.

I should perhaps be posting this under Jokes with a warning about off-colour content but decided to stay in this thread since it is where I first heard about the auto seat ventilation feature (see NemesisUK’s OP). Chatting with my dealer when I took my RC for service yesterday, I mentioned in passing that it is a pity it doesn’t have the aforementioned feature. He agreed that it is by common consent a nice addition to cabin comfort, with the cooling mode having been particularly appreciated during this past exceptionally hot summer. He added that although long experience has taught him to keep a straight face on hearing unusually outlandish comments and opinions from customers, he admitted to recently almost collapsing with mirth when one very satisfied but untypically vulgar customer couldn’t stop enthusing about how the system allows him to quickly revert to manual mode and so change the nature and reverse the direction of wind at times of physical need.

Only in the evening, surely?

Glad you are enjoying the RX, Peter, especially the extra comfort, which is never a bad thing. I particularly like the thought of automatic ventilated seats, which is a feature of which I had not previously heard. I wish you hadn’t mentioned black-tie events. When I pulled my dinner-jacket out of a decade-long hibernation a couple of years ago, I not only felt I looked like a Swing-Era bandleader but was forced to have the seams let out after a button popped.

Perhaps not, but the figure is not entirely without logic. The recommended pressures for my RC are 2.5 BAR on all four corners. My TPMS readings after overnight parking can vary but, except for occasional bigger drops because of serious frost, they rarely fall below 2.3-2.4 after being set at 2.7 in winter, thus matching what I see with the recommended setting of 2.5 in the warmer months. So the extra 0.2 seems about right. While on the subject I am reminded of a story about Alain Prost, the F1 driver. Legend has it that he was so sensitive to his cars’ setup that he could immediately tell when he got in whether one of the tyres was under- or over-inflated by as little as 0.1 BAR. This was less impressive when you consider that the pressure on F1 tyres is usually no more than 1.0-1.1 BAR, but it was impressive nevertheless.

As a general rule I exactly follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for my summer tyres but add 0.2 BAR on changing to winters in anticipation of the colder ambient temperatures and consequent decreases in pressure to be expected, for example, after overnight parking. I used to do the same during the colder months even when living in places where seasonal tyre changes were unnecessary.

Wishing you all the best - and please stay in touch.

I also find a damp microfibre cloth - the bigger the better - best for giving the bodywork a final dry because it also allows you to clean any small areas you might have missed.

Truly the end of an era.

I’ve seen an RC with roof bars for skis, so, although I don’t know the brand or specifications, I confirm that they can be fitted. Therefore I suggest you keep looking.

That’s a fair comment. And yet, now you mention it, I’ve never seen the owning of a big dog listed among the reasons for buying a SUV, oddly enough.