First_Lexus

From my perspective, there is a serious point here in terms of Government policy.

If we (in the U.K.) really do want to be seen as an international leader in terms of emissions reduction then surely - regardless of whether an EV would work for us personally at the moment or whether we can afford one - Government should be incentivising the switch.

Accepting the ‘revenue gap’ the country currently has, but from a pure policy perspective the move to road tax for EVs combined with the gradual reduction and removal of purchase price subsidy feels a bit odd at this exact moment. Perhaps in 5-10 years when more EVs are on the roads, but now? I’m not sure the message it sends is positive or useful.

30 minutes ago, Boxbrownie said:

Maybe they are, are your people business users primarily?

One is, but only one. The rest are normal private motorists - not car enthusiasts of any description - who simply bought EVs because they do mileages where the range isn’t an issue for them. Actually, one bought an iPace and then went back to petrol as the range and charging were pretty hopeless for what he wanted.

As with the EY articles and surveys, ‘driving experience’ simply isn’t mentioned by any of them. All they wanted was cheaper charging than petrol/diesel, no road tax and some environmental concerns thrown in.

As with this forum and Lexus - let’s be honest here - any forum is likely to feature significant confirmation bias. 

Couple of articles that members may find interesting.

https://www.ey.com/en_gl/automotive-transportation/mobility-consumer-index-wave-3

https://www.ey.com/en_gl/news/2021/07/four-in-ten-consumers-plan-electric-vehicle-purchase-as-market-moves-into-high-gear

I’ve noted previously that I now know a few people with EVs and not one of them has stated ‘driving experience’ or similar as the reason for their choice. Members on EV forums are clearly different to my personal experience.

I always quite liked the Chrysler Crossfire. A bit of an underdog, old Mercedes underpinnings but with American styling. Good value too.

That was the key take away from the article, right?

😇

On 11/3/2022 at 11:09 AM, talaipwros said:

Some reassuring bZ4x tests started appearing , fingers crossed. 

All of a sudden there are a few bZ4x for sale with Toyota dealers for immediate delivery…I quite like the look of it.

Toyota Guildford are advertising a ‘long range’ version quoting 312 mile range. That’s pretty good. Assume the Lexus will have a similar option?

CarWow liked it…

12 hours ago, toffee_pie said:

Gov's lied about Covid, Lied about Electric Cars - lied about evey friggin thing but some cannot accept it

How did they lie about covid? they never said we would need 1,2,3,4,5 jabs - they never said we would need all then jabs to travel to a country for a vacation - its became pretty obvious as time went on it was a bit odd - Pfizer have openly said vaccines do not prevent tranmission or prevent you from getting covid - they are still in trial phase also until January '23. Thousands of monthly excess deaths on the ONS not dicsussed - post mass vaccination programme

** (Illegal Parties during lockdown, forgot about these but lets keep it quiet, it will all be forgotten)

From my perspective, there is a big difference between ‘a lie’ and decisions that are made because of changing information, or policy decisions made in order to change behaviour.  A ‘lie’ implies knowing deception, and I think to believe that about the pandemic is fanciful (at best, and being charitable).

‘COVID’ was a new variant of an existing Coronavirus. My understanding (and I’m not a virologist) is that part of the reason a vaccine was available so quickly was the simple fact that there were existing vaccines that could act as a base for it. Governments didn’t know that multiple boosters would be needed, because the vaccine effectiveness and how long protection would last wasn’t known. I think any rational person would be able to see that without characterising it as ‘a lie.’

Moving to the lockdown parties at Westminster, yes, they were clearly unwise. However, to make a link that says (in essence) that they were holding those parties because the whole pandemic was ‘a lie’ or that restrictions weren’t needed seems to me similarly irrational.

Excess deaths? Nobody, to my knowledge, has ever said a vaccine would prevent some people from dying from COVID (or any other disease). Rather the communication to population has been very clear - getting the vaccine, “…reduces your chance of severe disease or death.” Again, that seems clear to me.

I’ve said many times on this forum that an EV is not for me currently, but what exactly characterises them as ‘a lie?’ Unless you are a total climate change sceptic and deny it exists, it (again) seems clear to me that we need to move away from burning fossil fuels. We aren’t there yet, and yes there is environmental damage cause by the production of EVs, and indeed caused by ALL manufacturing of anything and everything. But - and it’s a big but - we do need to move in a direction that reduces carbon emissions. EVs may be a small part of that and  wider use of renewable energy will be a bigger part. EVs may not be the final answer, but they are a step in the right direction, certainly in terms of air quality. Are they ‘a lie’ though? I can’t see how. Governments are enacting policy, as they always have, in order to encourage people to make different choices for the good of all based on the beliefs of those currently in Government. 

In terms of VED for EVs, yes that’s coming. It’s inevitable. Again, I can’t see how that is ‘a lie.’ As revenue from fossil fuel powered vehicles declines, Government needs to replace that lost revenue. To my knowledge they never said EVs would be VED free forever. 

15 hours ago, Shahpor said:

Having said that, it would have been nice if it's 'replacement' wasn't a SUV, like Phil says.

I remember having a similar discussion with Honda when I came to replace my Accord in 2015. At the time they’d decided not to import the new Accord, and have never replaced it in the UK. 

That said, all manufacturers need to sell cars in order to continue existing, and SUVs are what (many of) the people want to buy. Ford have just announced the end of both the Fiesta and Focus, and the EV replacements will be SUV in style.

4 hours ago, Spock66 said:

Great choice, just remember you can't drive the RX through a swamp like a Range Rover 🙂

Back in the 1980s I believe the common saying in Australia was along the lines of;

”If you want to drive into the outback, take a Land Rover. If you want to drive back out again, buy a Toyota…”

10 minutes ago, dutchie01 said:

Its the polarisation of the country, you are with us or against us. Its killing the debate and fuelling the hate.

Not US only just go country by country in Europe and youĺl find thesame sentiment.

Totally agree. It’s isn’t that many years ago that, after an election, the majority of people would get behind the winning candidate (or decision) or at the very least wish them well as success is good for everybody.

Things have changed, and not for the better. Now, the ‘losing’ side (in an election or almost any subject or question) seem to actively want the ‘winner’ to fail in order to prove they were right all along. The ‘winners’ can never accept things aren’t as brilliant as they hoped, and they become similarly entrenched.

Disagree and debate by all means, but this deliberate antagonism and hate has to stop. It won’t of course, as the internet age has made it almost the default position. Sigh.

Hard not to love the RX - I certainly love mine. They’re epic cars, and slightly unusual too which is nice.

I’m sure you’ll be as happy with your choice as nearly all RX owners are. Congratulations…and welcome to a very exclusive club!

We should also bear in mind just how unpopular Biden is, as is Kamala Harris. 

America is divided. If they get to a Trump - Harris choice (for example) it will be totally polarised, even more than previously. I actually think the experience of the last election would mean higher Republican turn out but we’ll see. Trump’s base is loyal (and fanatical) but how many Republicans who don’t like him would vote for Kamala Harris? Who knows, but I fear they’d swallow hard and choose Trump if that was their choice.

Either way none of the options look good from here…

Thanks for all the replies. I’ve booked with Reading for my first service towards the end of this month and will report back.

2 hours ago, Sybaris said:

It took a bit of getting used to.  I still like the conventional auto transmission but with the V6 the car does pick up speed nicely.  I think if it was on a smaller engine it would be noticeably worse.

The eCVT does require a different style of driving to a conventional automatic. I’m now on my third Lexus with eCVT (two NX and my current RX) and ‘wafting’ describes it well. You need to be much more progressive with the right foot - initially I was trying to ‘kick down’ and all that happens is the revs rise.

With awareness of how it works, and driving to get the best out of it, I can safely say I’d be loathed to go back to either;

- a traditional torque converter automatic with four or five gears where you need to kick down (with associated jerkiness and noise), or;

- one of those hateful DSG gearboxes with the relentless ‘hunting’ for the right gear, delays and power loss when slowing down and then needing to speed up (as when approaching a roundabout)…and I certainly don’t miss the frequent repairs and inconvenience  when the stupid thing went wrong!

They’re now live streaming the carnage…😆

13 hours ago, dutchie01 said:

Just dont see that happening Malc, we are too far in already. Hamburg port just sold 25% to China, German government currently visiting China with billions in orders for airbus as return. When i was a kid all food was grown local, first supermarkets ( cash/carry ) were not there yet. Textile and furniture industry was local as was radio/tv, even cars. Shoes? local production. Soaps? you get it. Currently typing on a chinese laptop on a chinese table wearing jeans made in india shoes from morocco tv china and so on. Steak from the supermarket? cow from argentina, processed in mexico, repacked in poland and on your plate after 4000 km travelling. Iphone? China. the entire world economy is heavily depending on the chinese manufacturing and this will not change.

On the topic of the new religion of climate change it seems to me this is mainly highjacked by white upperclass 16/18 year olds with purple hair, naive idealistic worldviews, i want it now attitude and an urge to be in the center of attention. 

Oh last thing, coal stations? India, Pakistan, China and .... Germany and The Netherlands as there is not enough oil/gas from the F..ing russians so coal to the rescue!

As I see it, ‘we’ want to save the planet, but we also want to buy the consumer goods to which we’ve become accustomed. The two are, in my opinion, incompatible.

If we really want to save the planet, we need either a return to greater localism - which comes with sacrifice compared to the experience of the past century (or more) - or we find ways to decarbonise international trade, which will be difficult if not impossible.

I find that too many people, especially youngsters, expect Governments to solve every problem. That’s not entirely unreasonable, but - and it’s a big but - each individual also needs to make choices that support their beliefs and aspirations. So called ‘fast fashion’ is a great example, as is the perceived need to be able to buy any foodstuff at any time of year. Both have massive impacts in terms of carbon emissions but, based on what I see and hear, aren’t targets for change. Instead protestors blame car drivers without looking at themselves and the impacts of their own choices.

I can’t see a solution while nations and their peoples continue to chase economic growth and conspicuous consumption. Perhaps easy for somebody of my generation to say, as no doubt I’ve seen the benefits during my lifetime. Those who come next will have to accept that things need to be different and that isn’t palatable...

Imagine if at COP27 the nations of the world agreed that new clothing would be rationed, that avocados and strawberries won’t be allowed to be shipped around the world and that manufacturing of plastics for consumer goods would also be rationed by nation. How about limiting the number of flights each person is allowed to take, or even the number of children people can bring into the world?

I know there would be a huge economic impact, unemployment and hardship, but that isn’t my point here. Can you imagine the public outcry and protests if such agreements were made in order to ‘save the world’ for the future? I’d wager that many who would protest strongly also claim to want to save the world. Difficult choices. Difficult decisions. Unfortunately politicians want to be popular and people want easy answers that don’t impact on them.

Worth a watch. The cost side of things isn’t a surprise. However, the RANGE side of things when on the motorway…well, let’s just say it confirms what I’ve been told by dealers and why I haven’t made the switch with a regular 200 mile motorway journey.

Meanwhile…

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/electriccars/article-11375653/Energy-bills-putting-drivers-going-electric.html

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/electriccars/article-11373037/Electric-car-owners-face-taxation-2025.html

Despite the slightly sensationalist headline, the article does note that charging at home is (currently) about half the price of petrol for a standard car. Charging at a public charger on the other hand is about the same cost now.

https://news.sky.com/story/the-future-of-energy-may-lie-with-hydrogen-but-the-journey-to-get-there-wont-be-easy-12732319

Posting this as I found it quite interesting. Given the thread has already gone down this particular rabbit hole, it seems relevant.

25 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Have you asked them ?

They wouldn’t come earlier in the year when I asked for them to support a wheel refurb (I kerbed one!). They actually put me in touch with a specialist in…Reading.

On 10/19/2022 at 9:32 AM, Mincey said:

I would always spec a car with a heated steering wheel from now on. I thought they were a gimmick. Not so.

Very true. My RX is my first car with a heated steering wheel. It’s great. Not something I’d ever have considered before, but now I’ve got it down as a proper First World essential! 🙃

2 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Can`t Swindon come to you Ed ?

Too far - it’s a good thirty miles. I’ll still go there if the reviews of Reading are worrying as I can work it so it’s booked when I’m travelling down to the South-West - it’s just a bit more of a faff tbh.

A colleague bought his Range Rover Sport from Cinch and couldn’t speak highly enough of how simple the process was, with the car exactly as described and usefully cheaper than a similar vehicle from Land Rover themselves.

I think their finance rates are quite high though.

Asking for some advice based on experience for Lexus Reading. My RX is due it’s first service in November, and I’d like to hear from members with recent experience of Lexus Reading for servicing - good and bad.

I’ve bought all three of my Lexus from Swindon, and always had them serviced there too. I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about them. But, I now live near Reading and the chance of spending ten minutes to get to a servicing dealer rather than forty minutes appeals. 

So, the question is - are Reading good or not? 

On 10/28/2022 at 12:24 AM, ALAW said:

my mate is considering a kia sportage looked at one he said very nice car.

I was a passenger for a test drive in the new Sportage. Perfectly pleasant, lots of tech but iffy build quality for the price and not at all practical compared with the competition if you need to carry passengers - it just isn’t wide enough across the back seats for three grandchildren aged under twelve!

The biggest issue though was the price. It can’t be sensible for a £40k KIA Sportage to cost more than a £50k Volvo XC60 (which felt as though it was from several leagues above) but that was the case once discounts, trade in prices and PCP interest rates were considered. Unsurprisingly my Sister has her new XC60 on order…