Rabbers

I know what you mean but no, my allusion was specifically to suppositories of the bullet-shaped variety, and the comparison was with a particularly cheap and malodorous form of Italian cheroot called “Toscani”, manufactured and marketed by the State Tobacco Monopoly, I suspect without scrupulous quality controls. I smoked these for a brief period in the hope that their disgusting flavour and aroma would help to make me give up smoking altogether. The comparison with camel suppositories was made by a colleague of mine who had been stationed in various Middle Eastern countries and therefore claimed some expertise on the subject. He said my office smelled like a camel farm, a claim I was unable to contradict.

I looked at a second-hand SC430 here in Italy in 2008 or 2009 and, if I remember right, it was a 2006 model. My recollections are vague but I am sure of the following: * It had an automatic gearbox * It did not have run-flats, which were an optional not recommended by the dealer because they gave a bad ride * Nor did it have a spare tyre, but only a repair kit housed together with other tools in a dedicated compartment under the boot mat. I think it was the same as in Lexiguy’s photos * It certainly had SatNav

I have heard that the thighs in question are more likely to be so tough and wrinkled that you can strike a match for your cigar on them.

Without knowing how accurate the analogy might be, I once heard the odour of a popular brand of cheroots described as resembling that of camel suppositories, and I have imagined ever since that a remedy for tobacco-related smells in cars could well be found among tent-dwellers such as the Bedouin.

Sounds like an exceptionally quaint place with considerable tourist appeal. PS. Still not sure of the relevance of this thread in a car forum. Something to do with the absence of cigar lighters on modern cars?

If you want a Che Guevara image, go for cigars, if Bogart is your man, go for cigarettes. If you want the latter to stick to your lower lip, roll your own.

The 2022 NX will be unveiled in both the 350 hybrid and 450 plug-in versions at Italian dealerships on Saturday 30/Sunday 31 October, and probably made available for test drives the following week or the next. The event is by invitation, though I can't imagine walk-in prospective customers being turned away.

Lest they be considered malfunctions, Lexus provides a list of "Sounds and vibrations specific to a hybrid vehicle" in its owners' manuals (see, for example, pp.64-5, Hybrid system features, of the 2019 English-language RC300h manual). The only sound I immediately recognised from the list and still find vaguely disturbing when I remain in the car or its vicinity after switching off is what Lexus calls "a soft clunk from the hybrid battery under the rear seats". As for the others, I have either so thoroughly assimilated them as to no longer notice or maybe never heard them in the first place. As far as I am concerned, silence is one of the main virtues of a Lexus, so much so that I unselfishly share my bliss with third parties (not that they know it) by going into EV stealth mode in order not to disturb their slumber in the night or early morning, or offend their auditory sensibilities in underground car-parks. On the other hand, my admiration is somewhat lessened by Lexus' manifest belief that excessive silence either dangerously anaesthetises the driver or generally makes for too tame a driving experience. That Lexus should consequently seek to remedy these perceived shortcomings by equipping cars with a piece of acoustic bling like the ASC is, in my view, something of a let-down. Fortunately, though, it can be turned off.

That’s exactly right. Also in Switzerland, possibly Germany itself, and Denmark, the latter in my own direct experience.

I changed to winter tyres on 13 October, a little earlier than usual this year. This was because I like to get the change over and done with, winter tyres being mandatory by law here in Italy from 15 October to 15 April, with sanctions for non-compliance waived until 15 November, thus creating a one-month window for motorists to come in line. Although I have always chosen to fit winters around this time of year even before they became mandatory, I am starting to believe it would be better to wait a while longer in future. In the twelve days since the change, mid-morning/afternoon temperatures have crept up from around 8-9°C/13-15°C to 10-12°C/17-20°C yesterday, with the result that the ride on my Pirelli SottoZero's feels decidedly "stickier", acceleration is slower, and the car feels generally heavier. My fuel consumption is up, and presumably the tyres have been wearing faster than they should. While I don't doubt that the mandatory dates were established with the best interests of the motoring population at heart and objectively based on historical weather records, I really can't remember when I last saw snow or ice in October and April. I think that the dates should probably be extended by a month into November and shortened to March at the other end, and I'll probably do that next year.

I have had similar punctures close to the sidewall plugged, with the plugs claimed to be permanent. Even so I preferred to consider the repairs to be provisional pending the availability of a new tyre (or pair thereof). But, as others have said, you seriously need to change the tyre in any case.

Interesting name. More likely inspired, I think, by Naples, Florida (💰🏖) than Napoli, Italia (🗻) …

Congratulations. That’s a rare colour, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.

Substitute “not been driven like a maniac” for “driven like an old man” and I would agree. Was the 364 miles you saw in the ES your first tankful? If it was, I think you’ll see a much higher figure with the next, assuming it will be a full brim-to-brim comparison and not a partial topping up.

Fair enough. Personally I find such figures boring only if I can’t influence them.

Today I actually left my car alone, and I suspect it was grateful.

You are far likelier to see the reflected glow in wet or damp or murky conditions than in normal daylight - or so has been my experience in the IS and the RC.

Rather than simply looking at mpg (or kml) averages, and assuming your driving mix doesn't vary so much that the figures from one tankful to the next are not comparable, it is more fun to monitor your fuel consumption by noting increases or decreases in your full-tank range forecasts in respect of the last, perhaps with a view to setting yourself new targets. On longer drives, in particular, I enjoy comparing decreases in my remaining range with the actual distances travelled between signposts. If the latter are higher than the former I know I am driving economically without particularly trying. After a lot of attempts when I drove an IS300h, I finally managed, without becoming too obsessive about it, to regularly see the magic figure of 1000km mentioned by Thackeray as my forecast full-tank range, and I would thereafter aim, usually successfully, to keep the total of the km Travelled + km Remaining Range within that figure as the tank gradually emptied (see IS300h Forum, Tank Range Targets, Feb 8, 2015, and Tank Range-Congratulations to Myself, May 22, 2015). When I got my first RC300h in 2016, I was therefore disappointed (and have remained so ever since) at being unable to get a better forecast range than 950km, which I have managed only once, 870-900km being my usual. The RC's shortfall in respect of the IS is almost directly proportionate to the cars' weights. I thought the full-range forecasts recorded by NX owners in this thread surprisingly low until I looked up the tank capacity, which is substantially smaller at 56 litres v. the IS and RC's 66 litres.

You don’t necessarily have to believe advertising claims, Malc. Personally, I‘ve always been a sucker for good advertising and promotional copy, so much so that I’ll buy one product instead of another for no other reason. Of course, I speak not of purchases that require a bit of in-depth analysis like car insurance but mainly of products you pick off a shelf.

Ultrasonic Blue Mica?

I don’t live in the U.K. and am not familiar with Messrs Adrian Flux but, after reading this thread, I thought I’d take a quick peep at their ad on the LOC. Objectively, one cannot disagree with Ala Larj. By alluding to an “owner’s club” the ad aims to give the impression that the LOC is making a formal and specific recommendation to its members whereas the copy is clearly written to suit similar platforms for any or all other car marques and their customers. This is - or could be considered - misleading advertising or even an insult to people’s intelligence, but surely not many targeted customers are fooled by it? The charitable view would be that both advertisers and the sellers of advertising need to make a living.

Yes, I know that. But I have noticed that the authorisation of repairs under manufacturer’s warranty can nowadays involve a degree of indecisiveness that was once not at all typical of Lexus.

Great news. Patience rewarded. Looks like Lexus is looking more closely than formerly at its warranty costs.

Of course any attempt by a mid-range Lexus to outpace its German direct counterparts on the autobahn would end in humiliation. However, with the ACC set at 160kmh (= approx. 150kmh actual), which is a speed at which I feel safe and consider more than adequate to get me to planned destinations, I would back the RC300h to compare favourably with the best of them. At that speed I can converse with my passenger and make phone calls without raising my voice, satisfactorily listen to music, and generally enjoy the passing scenery. I can also brake hard with the car staying level, and easily remain perfectly centred in my lane without needing to wrestle with the steering during changes of camber and gradients and buffeting by side-winds. Above all, I can end a long day's drive without feeling knackered (which was not always the case with the IS300h, the IS200, and still less the IS200, though it must be said that the evolution in comfort and stability over the years has been constant and very noticeable and mainly due to chassis improvements). Occasionally, during a long autobahn drive when conditions permit it, I will increase the speed and try to nudge the maximum, but I do this not with pleasure in mind but out of simple boredom. Given that the practical importance of noise suppression and stability increases in proportion to speed, I thought to mention Germany in the first of my above posts because it is the only European country where, despite frustrations from seemingly never-ending roadworks and terrible rush hour traffic around large towns, drivers are not prevented (at least not yet) from enjoying the benefits of good aerodynamics and any evolving enhancements thereof. Of course enjoyment is itself enhanced if those benefits are identified and, if possible, even minimally understood by non-technical persons such as myself - and this is where I have found this thread to be helpful. With specific regard to the 2019 RC300h I would say that it corners and takes slow curves better and quicker than its 2016 predecessor in everyday driving on normal roads as the result of improved rear suspensions but, more importantly, is also noticeably quieter at motorway speeds. This latter improvement mainly derives, I think, from a series of aerodynamic tweaks that include an added horizontal splitter below the radiator grille, completely redesigned headlight and DRL housings, revamped side-mirrors and rear lights, and redesigned rear flanks.

Same here, but I must say that my relationship with the mudflaps on the 2016 RC was one of love/hate. Love because they were fairly effective in reducing accumulations of dirt on the car's rear, Hate because they objectively worsened the car's appearance. I have learned to live without them on the 2019 RC and, all in all, I don't miss them.