Spottedlaurel

Mine takes a while to first display the map, especially with the disclaimer message. I usually have it on the trip info screen so I don't notice it as much. Camera isn't too bad, not immediate but not so slow that I'd consider there to be a problem.

Do you know if the rear motor came into play at all? Just wondering how effective the 4wd is.

I don't use cruise very often, but I had to pop out in the RX just now so I gave it a try. The centre of dash display did go blank (I think it just said "set"), and to get the MPG back I pressed the up/down arrow button on the steering wheel. So, sounds like it's normal but you have to wonder why......

Having never driven another Lexus hybrid other than gen 3 RXs, I was surprised to see the EV light come on and off when I had an NX courtesy car recently. And a rev counter in sport mode! I usually have mine set to MPG after refueling in the small dashboard display and the car info bar graph on the main screen - if the bar on the right is up to the top then it's in EV mode. I find the energy monitor in either display a bit distracting.

Stop talking about them so favourably Les! I was quite happy with my 2014 model, now I keep finding myself looking at ad's for the next-gen model......

Interesting to read your observations after you'd had a good few miles in the previous-gen model. Pleasing to hear that the ride is better, I don't think my gen 3 is particularly good in this regard. Being quicker, quieter and more economical all sounds good too. How does the boot space and general practicality compare? Unless I decide to buy my current one at the end of the PCP, I can see the 4th gen model being my next choice in a couple of years' time. At present I can't see anything that suits what I would like any better. The choice of big Japanese estates, SUV or not, is far too small. Can this be adjusted on the gen 3 model? I keep looking but haven't yet found anything......

Ouch, sorry to see that Alex. A strange thing to fail, fingers crossed you get it sorted without any hassle.

Thanks Les. It'll be interesting to see how that compares with the new one. Have you been running with the AC on for much of the time?

Local police held a cat marking event last Saturday. I turned up towards the end of it, expecting it to have been busy, and found that they'd finished early as so few people had turned up. Seems that it's not taken very seriously out here in the sticks. They weren't able to apply it for me but did give me a kit so I could sort it myself. I doubt it'll be much of a deterrent, but it's worth a try.

Sorry to hear this tale of woe. Fingers crossed no damage has been caused. Even 'professionals' can misfuel cars. When I bought an Avensis petrol last year the salesman sent his driver off to put some fuel in it for me, unfortunately he put diesel in it. Mum and stepdad use a small village garage where they have attendant service. He put petrol into their diesel Focus.

I got my 2014 Luxury with one owner and just under 24k miles back in February this year. I hadn't necessarily wanted something with such low mileage, 30-40k would have been fine, but it's what came up after I had a bad experience with the previous RX I bought and had to exchange. That first one wasn't particularly high mileage either, but it looked to have been treated as an off-roader with damage to the exhaust and undertray. I'm sure it's equally possible to find a relatively high mileage example that's been well looked-after. I think decent service history and evidence of a caring owner is probably more important.

I was like you and nervous about air suspension, so didn't want to to go for a Premier. I had a test drive of an F Sport before I bought my Luxury and don't recall the ride being significantly different/worse. I think I've read on here that there is more of a contrast with the 4th gen model, but that's not applicable to you. I don't think the ride in my Luxury is its best feature, so don't go thinking you're missing some magic carpet experience by opting for an F Sport. Tyre choice and pressure might be more of a factor in any difference between one model and another? I briefly had an Advance before my current RX - suspension is the same but the Luxury definitely felt better. Good luck!

No Camry at my local dealership, and no suggestion as to when they'd be getting one. No ES in the neighbouring (small) Lexus showroom, but they did have one out on the forecourt (I think saying it was sold). Due to the similar front end styling I didn't realise it was an LS alongside it. A little bit cheaper than its big brother though....

I'm certainly interested in the new Camry, if there was an estate version like they used to do in the '90s (and I still own an example of) it'd be a no-brainer. As it stands I think it offers a bit more utility than the ES due its fold-down rear seat, that's more important to me than ultimate boot capacity. I could have got one on a PCP for not much more than I'm paying on my 2014 RX, and it'd get better economy. I'm down at my local Lexus/Toyota dealership tomorrow for an service and MoT. I doubt I'll get a chance for a drive in either of them but I certainly hope to compare them both in the showroom. Saw my first Camry in the metal in London last weekend, it looked good. I suspect there'll be a few in use on the Uber circuit there in years to come, and that may hurt its image with some buyers? Probably less of an issue for me out in the sticks. Still not yet seen an ES300 on the road.

Turned out it was on eBay as well, ending yesterday PM, and unfortunately the time I could have gone for a quick viewing didn't work out with the seller. Auction ended at £1300, I shall send him a message and find out whether the sale looks to be going through. I'd rather sell one or two of my other cars first than buy something and not be able to get shot of them.

Thanks Malc. As luck would have it I'm going to London tomorrow and could view it if still available. MoT history shows a sensible increase of the mileage and no worrying MoT failures/advisories, with just a six-month gap this year.

Currently for sale on C&C in London. Looks OK for the money, is it a known one on here? https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1153012 This one might not work out, but I'm contemplating selling a couple of my other cars and getting back into LS400 ownership. My RX is nice, but it's not an LS.....

Nice one, welcome to the world of RX ownership! Also a good idea to keep the RAV4 and sell it yourself, £250 sounds rather derisory.

That sounds rather poor service, hope it all gets sorted OK for you. You'd think selling cars and dealing with the paperwork that goes with it would a fairly normal process for Lexus UK and the dealer.......

I don't believe that's relevant to RX hybrids though? Because there's no transfer box, centre diff or the like, there's a just a separate motor for the back end.

You would hope so, but probably worth asking the question before the test drive. It sounds as if the RX will be quite different to your current car (it certainly was for me when I bought mine earlier this year) and it can be difficult to take everything in on the test drive. Hopefully the salesperson will shut up and let you get on with it. Ask if they'll let you take a route that replicates the roads you'll be using it on? I see that they have a slightly newer example with 82k, perhaps you could be cheeky and ask for a drive in that too? Would be an interesting comparison before you definitely go for the silver one. Also see if they have a 30-day exchange policy, I got mine from Tunbridge Wells and they did - I had to use it in my case due to issues with the first one I bought. If you find things after purchase that you don't like then that is the ultimate way of getting it sorted.

Looks very nice, enjoy it! I imagine you don't need to take out the additional 2yr warranty now, it could be done near to the end of the one year you get when buying it? Did you also have to sit through the usual gap insurance, Supagard etc sales thing? Do Sidcup charge an admin fee?

Don't assume a Lexus approved used car is going to mean you don't have to give it a proper lookover. I had to exchange the first RX I bought as there were things I wasn't happy about and they wouldn't fix it.

Thanks for the further comments. If an RX didn't do well on this sort of trip then Lexus have failed miserably! Interesting to see the additional thoughts people have about rearward visibility, luggage space, etc. I was thinking about this yesterday, as we used the RX for a family trip out with an additional passenger on board, so I had an extra head to look past in the mirror. As I'm not an HGV driver (nor a professional chauffeur) then I do use the interior mirror in addition to the others, and I wouldn't want to be without it when I'm driving on the opposite/unfamiliar side of the road in a stream of traffic doing 80+ mph. The RX isn't small, another car would have to be a bit of a distance back to be visible in the door mirrors and a motorbike could easily be lost. As much as the safety of not having stuff piled-up in the back, it is the security aspect as Herbie mentions. I don't particularly want to look like I'm a holidaymaker with a load of pilferable stuff on board - some people we know had their car broken into in Paris this summer and just clothes were taken. I don't think the luggage cover is one of the best bits of design. Maybe I'm missing something on mine, but I think the fact that it doesn't cover the full bootspace when the seats are slid/reclined forwards is a bit of a shortcoming. When I looked at a Mazda 6 estate that had what looked like quite a neat feature, in that the rear edge of the blind was fixed to the tailgate, which meant it lifted up and out of the way when the boot was opened. Maybe other cars do this too? Would be easier than repeatedly unclipping the cover then pulling it back again. The RX's boot is just about big enough for what I need, but it certainly isn't massive. Be nice if it was a bit deeper, but I guess there's the battery etc under there. Lack of bootspace was one of the reasons I didn't go for an NX, but if any forthcoming model gets closer in that regard then it will be something I will look at again, especially when the children are older and less of a consideration.

Thanks all. I was really looking forward to getting the RX out to France and letting it stretch its legs, something it's not doing with me back home. If any of you are thinking about doing something similar I would thoroughly recommend it, whether it's a day-long blast to a final destination for a couple of weeks like we did this year, or a more gentle cruise around the countryside, stopping somewhere different each night. To make it a full-on driving holiday would be a little selfish, having consideration to the rest of my family, so I try to make the journey as much a part of the holiday as I can. Having something capable and enjoyable to drive adds a lot to the experience and RX was just what I wanted it to be in that regard. It's a shame how disappointing I found the petrol Avensis that I took to France last year. I'd taken our previous diesel one there four years on the trot and it was fine, and I had no issue with previous trips in the Accord and Primera. Going back to pre-children days in the '90s and early '00s I used all sorts of stuff like Datsun Sunny, Violet and Skyline and Triumph Acclaim for European road trips, going as far afield as Norway via Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden and down to the South of France over the years. The 12v fridge is a useful addition. I wouldn't say the one we got is brilliant, and it does take up a bit of space, but packing it with pre-chilled drinks and maybe an ice block or two does help keep things cool on a long journey. It's good to have a degree of self-sufficiency, whether it's to avoid high prices at motorway/autoroute services, in case of queues or delays, or to take advantage of the plentiful rest and picnic areas they have in France. I would quite happily have turned around done the same trip again the day after returning home.....