First_Lexus

I remember a relative had a VW Golf diesel Mark 2. That thing was so solid it was unreal, especially compared to the competition. They stayed with VW for a few years afterwards, mainly I think because of the perception of quality that one car had built. However, as quality and reliability declined they eventually left the VAG stable in the late 2000s. They bought a Hyundai, and they’ve had them ever since apart from a brief dalliance with a Skoda Octavia that had all sorts of DSG gearbox problems. They bought their first KIA last year, a Nero EV.

That’s bizarre! On a similar note, I did see a review on YouTube noting that the new Skodas now have some of the best interiors in the VAG stable…which for a ‘value’ brand seems crackers. The new VW id3 has a truly awful, bargain basement, interior imho. I see a few BMW 3-Series through work, and the interiors really are pretty cheap and wear quite fast…with rattles aplenty. Haven’t seen the same with company owned Audi or Mercedes yet but I do know the owners of those vehicles are mightily impressed when they see Lexus quality…

Even that hasn’t been the case across the piece over the last decade. Audi still make a beautiful interior, but both BMW and VW have been cost cutting a lot, and it shows. Mercedes learned their lesson in the 90s and early 2000s and, as with Audi, their interiors are lovely and high quality again now imho. Even so, the RX stands up very well against all of them.

Mine is MM20 - one of the last before the changes to the trim line up - arrived in UK and delivered to me in November 2021. No software 🐜 🐛 bugs…so far. No rattles either - you must have been really unlucky!

@dutchie01 was that the new NX350h or 450h, or the previous model? I may be wrong, but I thought @mitadocwas comparing the current RX with the new NX.

Indeed. I’ve read a few reports on different EVs where the reviewers have specifically made the point that the absence of any engine noise makes tyre or wind noise much more noticeable.

I watch Hubnut on YouTube, finding him both entertaining and eccentric. He has recorded a short video about the changes. Members may find it useful and interesting or of course they may not…but I’ll leave it here for anybody who wants to watch.

^^ TBH I think most ceramic coatings from known brands will be fine as long as they’re correctly applied by a professional who knows what they’re doing. As with many things, the end result often depends on how thorough the preparation is…

They can be done at any time during the life of the car, as long as the paintwork is corrected and prepared properly first. The real benefit of having it done when new is that there (should be) less correction needed, and thus a lower price. The dealer preparation of my NX when new added in a lot of swirls and imperfections which needed to be corrected so it isn’t always the case! RX paintwork was far better - based on the previous experience I told the dealer to do the minimum as I was having the car coated. I don’t think anything you add to the paintwork will cause a detailer any issues as they strip everything off as part of the process. I guess the only exception would be another ceramic coating which I assume would be more difficult to remove. ^^ As long as you maintain it and don’t do anything daft, such as using something abrasive on the finish, it should be effective for at least five years. There are longer lasting options too, albeit they cost more. I think the GTechniq is a good compromise between price and performance, but the truth is different detailers are often ‘accredited’ to use one specific brand. Gyeon is another very good brand to consider.

@Andy Bmy last NX had the GTechniq Crystal Serum Light ceramic coating, and my new RX has the (slightly harder wearing) GTechniq C1 coating. Both were applied by Summit Detailing in Weston-Super-Mare. Chris does a fabulous job. I also had the leather interior protected. Personal view, they are massively worth it simply because of how easy they make cleaning the vehicle with great results. Cost is anywhere between £500 - £1000 depending on where you go. I was willing to travel based on experience and stayed in an hotel while it was being done! https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/131355-2021-rx-450h-gtechniq-c1-crystal-ceramic-coating/ I don’t know about DIY ceramic coatings tbh. Even on a new car, the correction needed prior to application and the expertise to get it right was way beyond my capabilities. The ‘non-ceramic’ option is simply to use a good wax or sealant regularly to maintain the finish as we all used to do. There are so many options I won’t even try to recommend - it’s all about personal preference!

My last three Lexus - two NX and and RX - have been from Swindon. They’re very VERY good, and nice people too. I’d say £7.5k discount on a factory order is excellent. Tbh I’d have rather had the darker brown leather interior (I have black) but the car available on the vessel that was due had black and I couldn’t turn down the deal on offer. Congratualtions - now all you’ve got to do is wait… 😬

Weirdly, at the moment, that option would have actually been more expensive for me! Prices for a one year old RX were sky high, discounts small, trade-in price lower…and then the interest rate on a PCP was 4.9% vs 1.9%, no deposit contribution (£2k) and no loyalty bonus (£1k). I know the current car market is a bit bonkers, but I couldn’t really work out how they could discount a new RX so heavily when we know new cars are in such short supply and used prices high as a result. Bigger margins to play with and bonuses from Lexus UK I assume? NX or RX?

Suggest you give Lexus Swindon a try too. Also, watch out for certain dealers advertising new cars on AutoTrader that they haven’t actually got! Had that with a couple of Lexus dealers when I bought my RX - the cars advertised with large discounts had “just sold.” Funny thing - both of those dealers are still running the exact same adverts now as they were in October. Poor behaviour imho, and just trying to get a sale on a factory order at a vastly increased price.

I’d ask the dealer what they have that is built - either in stock in the UK or on a vessel en route. They’ll be able to do a strong deal and reserve a car for you based on my experience. Cars built to order will, I imagine, attract a lower discount. Also, be willing to travel - whether you buy a new Lexus from London, Manchester, Swindon or Exeter doesn’t really matter beyond the initial collection.

When I was a child, we were never allowed to eat or drink in the car - it simply wasn’t done. Then again, we always carried a picnic in a wicker basket for longer journeys and stopped in a farmer’s field somewhere to eat. Different times. Warm smoked salmon…mmm, childhood memories! 😆 We were also always dressed up to visit relatives, or for any trip out. Garters on socks to keep them up, proper shirts (or dresses for my Sisters) with a tie or bow-tie. Life was so much more formal then. ^^ Agree. My first NX had Tahara, and my second had leather. I actually found the Tahara slightly more comfortable as it was softer, and it seemed to be just as durable albeit I didn’t keep the cars past 2-4 years so that may change with age and mileage. The only thing I didn’t like about the Tahara was the plasticky smell in hot Summer weather!

Not sure if this will really help - as others have noted there are a LOT of variables at play here - but here goes… I owned two NX from new, changing to a new RX in November. Clearly, this was the previous generation NX, but for comparison purposes; - my insurance cost (fully comp, multiple years of NCD, c8k miles per annum) increased marginally by £45 annually; - fuel economy in the NX was 38-42mpg. On the same journeys, driven the same way by the same driver I’m getting 28-32mpg in the RX. Note, both mpg figures are from the in-car computer. @mitadoc There we’re two things that swung the decision for me, as I did consider the new NX. First, I was offered an amazing trade in price for my previous NX, and a very large discount on the RX - larger than the £7.5k you mentioned so haggle hard and be willing to buy colour and spec available on a ship in transit. As a 42 month PCP, the RX was almost £100 per month CHEAPER than a new NX. That’s because the new NX wasn’t discounted much, the interest rate was higher and there weren’t Lexus deposit contributions on top at that stage (Oct 2021). Worth checking now, obviously. The second reason was simply that I fancied an RX with that big V6 engine, and I personally prefer to buy a car later in its lifecycle (better deals) as well as any gremlins should have been ironed out by ‘early adopters.’ With Lexus I think any risk is actually minuscule, but it is still a factor for me. Hope that helps. I love the RX by the way - but then I loved my NX too!

Not a moan as such, but I’d just like to say to the driver in the white van who was hassling me through a local 30mph zone this afternoon, even pulling into the middle of the road to imply I should be going faster… …when we came around the corner, and the police mobile camera van was there…I’d like to say to you Sir - “You’re welcome.”

As expected, this is in the news this morning…inevitable really, and probably the only solution to maintain revenue lost. https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/108123/uk-road-pricing-plans-gps-tracking-and-pay-you-go-could-replace-fuel-duty-and-ved

Today I offer, unreliable technology. My Philips Hue bulbs have - seemingly without any reason - stopped responding to my Google Home devices. That sort of thing is so infuriating. I can’t help feeling that as automation continues to gather pace, one day I’ll be in an automatically operated aeroplane, and the last thing I’ll hear is a voice calmly stating; ”I’m sorry, this aeroplane has stopped responding. You’ll now plummet to a fiery death.” 😡😬

Love the reference to the BMW trim designations being easier to understand - surely they’re just different! 😆

Absolutely. Any time I hear somebody say they’re ‘entitled’ to something it rings alarm bells. People should do something because it’s sensible or right, not just because they can. From my perspective, and as I’ve said before, these debates don’t really represent the situation ‘on the ground.’ Bad behaviour from either side is pretty limited (in my experience anyway). Reading some threads and media opinion pieces you’d think that the roads had ground to a halt because of cyclists, and that isn’t the case at all. Government bears some responsibility for the furore over these new requirements as there hasn’t been much of an awareness campaign and there should have been. One is planned for February, but the stable door is open and banging In the wind! The lack of a clear advertising campaign has left a vacuum for scaremongering. I’d hope that no car driver would ever want to cause injury to another human being through their actions. Is waiting for a couple of minutes in order to overtake safely really such a big deal in the grand scheme of things? I’m reminded of a Post Office survey completed back in the day, asking people how long they’d been queuing for. Most estimated 8-10 minutes at busy times, but the reality was actually 2-3 minutes (from memory). I think waiting to pass a cyclist, or any slow moving vehicle, is likely to fall into the same situation - perception vs reality. Equally, I’d like to think (and we know) that 90% of cyclists don’t want to cause inconvenience to anybody. I can’t ride a bicycle because of my disability so I have no first hand knowledge, but I’d wager none of them want to put themselves in danger because of the way they ride. Why would they? Militancy and entitlement from a minority generally makes a lot of noise but doesn’t imho represent the majority view or approach.

Ah, the good old days…

It’s funny. As I’ve got older, I’ve remembered things my Father, teachers, lecturers and bosses have told me over the years. No internet. Most of the advice based on experience and common sense. Much of it sticks with me, but youngsters today seem less receptive to those wise words than my generation was. To be fair, it isn’t just the younger generation - lots of people think they know best these days. My personal favourite advice was from (what I then considered to be) the ‘elderly’ CEO of a big organisation I worked for as a new graduate. I’m sure I thought I knew the answer to everything. I was debating (disagreeing!) with him about something. He was sitting at my desk, which was quite exciting given his position and the 2500 staff that worked in that London headquarters. He gave me this advice. If you’re going to argue a point with somebody, ask yourself these two questions. First, is it it an argument you can win? Second, is it an argument worth winning? If you can’t answer ‘yes’ to both questions, then don’t bother. He then pointed out that he was the CEO and that I couldn’t win the argument (although he had enjoyed it)… Funny thing. During the pandemic, maybe 20 years after I last saw him, he sent me a message on LinkedIn remembering that exact discussion. I guess he’s now in his eighties, but he remembered me and congratulated me on my career and wished me all the best. Lovely man. They just don’t make them like that any more.

When I was at University, one of my lecturers told us (I was studying political history) the following. Whatever your political or ethical position is on a subject, seek out those papers or articles written by the ‘other side.’ Try to understand why they believe what they do. Then try to understand your own position better. If nothing else, you’ll know what your enemies are thinking - but you might also discover that they aren’t your enemies after all. Wise words, which I remember as if it were yesterday rather than over thirty years ago…

This is worth a watch. Always found Johnny Smith entertaining, and I think this - although not a review as such - sums up the ES and Lexus in general. Mmmm, comfy!