Zaros

Probably the latter as politeness seems to be intrinsic to the Japanese way of life.

Definitely neutral.

The handbook suggests that hybrids shouldn't be put into neutral whilst waiting at lights, etc but when I was on holiday in Japan earlier this year I noticed that every taxi (they were all hybrids) was put into neutral at the lights from a Toyota Crown to a Prius. Maybe transmission servicing is cheaper in Tokyo.

My 2018 Premier gives a true 42mpg but generally the computer shows a 4% error so it'll show 46mpg. It's ranged from 40-46mpg and is generally worse in the winter. Very comfortable car and shows what can be done with good suspension.

I agree with Linas about the BMW 5GT, it is a truly ugly car, but if you're driving it, you're not having to look at it (although I'd be deflated walking up to it)! I'm not convinced looks have much to do with this sort of vehicle unless its a private purchase, maybe it should be viewd more as a commercial vehicle. The client is looking for something that'll take them and their luggage somewhere in comfort, that's why they've paid a premium over using an uber. The driver wants something that they can use all day. The owner of the vehicle wants it to earn money therefore it needs to be reliable and in use as much as possible. There'll be people who want the kudos of a premium brand badge (Mercedes?) but as with any vehicle which has to earn its living (such as a delivery van) it'll be down to reliability and satisfying client expectations at the end of the day. When using these vehicles I never saw the front, I give my luggage to the driver at the rear of the vehicle and then sit in the car via the sliding door which is already opened, if I wasn't so interested in the vehicle I wouldn't have noticed what it was and what it looked like form the front. Maybe its better to view this as a commercial vehicle and not something that the 'man on the street' is likely to purchase.

I was in the Toyota Alphard version of this in Tokyo last week as part of an airport transfer and I must say that they are super comfortable and very effective at what they do, especially when being driven about. Although I think I'd prefer a Kei car which look interesting but may not be suitable for my 6 ft 2 inch frame. There were also a lot of the Alphards and their variants around the city so they seem to have a purpose. I think they may not be so suitable for the UK apart from in London where some people may wish for comfort as a passenger whilst sitting in traffic.

Yes, I think you're right about that, steveledzep. https://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/advice/wrong-fuel-advice#:~:text=The diesel pump nozzle is,usually not as much damage.

I've had a sniff and its definitely petrol. I'm generally quite paranoid about filling with petrol (see photo) as I've used diesel vehicles for the last 20 years. As you say, probably an invoicing error, especially as I followed someone in who then dithered at the Costa machine, I expect he was pump 6 and the attendant had already punched the details into the till. Thanks all.

On Saturday I filled up with fuel at a Shell garage in Southampton, since then I've driven around 150 miles and all has been ok. Today I noticed that the receipt I was given shows £1.889/l whilst the sign at the garage stated £1.489 for unleaded. The receipt shows Pump 6 'V-Power DSL' which I assume is diesel. The receipt also shows 30.58 litres of fuel which is correct as I remember it being almost half of 62 litres which is what I thought the tank capacity is (it isn't, I've checked, its 66l). Anyway, have I filled up with diesel or has the garage mixed me up with someone else at the forecourt or have I been conned? Having a look at the forecourt of Streetview I notice that I was at pump 5 (not pump 6 as the receipt shows) and definitely used the unleaded nozzle as I remember not going for E5 but going for E10. The only thing I can assume is that the nozzles have been switched and I filled with E5 and not E10 but this doesn't correlate with the 'DSL' on the receipt, this may explain a very high £/l charge (although £1.889 doesn't correlate to what superunleaded should cost). If I have filled up with half a tank of diesel I would have expected the car to have noticed and also let me know either by lots of dashboard lights, poor running, large amounts of smoke or breaking down. I remember a TV program once filled several petrol cars with diesel and only the really old ones could take it, I doubt if thats true for a 2018 GS Hybrid. Any thoughts would be appreciated. As an aside, I usually don't use Shell garages as once they charged my credit card a second time (in my absence) after they charged me for the wrong pump. Maybe this is what has happened this time.

Every air conditioned car I have been in leaves a trail of water, whilst every non air conditioned car I have been in doesn't.... except a Renault 19 which I had that kept overheating but that is a different storey.

Lexus seem to recommend 5% solution of wool detergent to water in their manual

I've never liked sticking things to the dashboard so I use the vent fixings. The dashboard fixings certainly give a better phone location though. I'd probably look for one with as few joints as possible to minimise vibration.

I'm considering putting a small dab of glue from a gluegun onto the auto function button so that it's easier to find. Similiar to the little dot we used to get on the 5 button of phones when they used to have physical button.

I had a hire car in the USA that would on long downhill sections change automatically down gear when in CC. I'm not sure if the CVT would do that. I do wonder how the adaptive CC works when someone pulls out in front of me, the car seems to slow down quickly but I never see any red glow from the raised brake light that sits on the rear window.

I used them once but I haven't since. I may use them for engine breaking in the winter but, that is all I would use them for.