Dongfeng has been cropping up recently. Linas mentioned it in a recent post.

After initial scepticism their cars actually look quite nice. But an article in the Daily Express Paranoid edition this morning made me think twice.

China unleashes terrifying WW3 superweapon invisible to US defences

"The new device is described as a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile and is part of the Dongfeng series - a group of missiles readymade to deliver nuclear warheads.

According to the leaked report, the weapon "possesses a high probability of penetrating" US ballistic missile defences."

It would seem that tensions in the far East are leading to China potentially chucking Dongfeng cars at infidels.

These are the latest missiles models

• 3.1 Voyah.
• 3.2 Aeolus (Fengshen)
• 3.3 Dongfeng EV.
• 3.4 Fengxing (Forthing)
• 3.5 Venucia (under Dongfeng-Nissan)
• 3.6 Fengdu (under Dongfeng-Nissan)
• 3.7 Junfeng (under DFAC)

The A9 looks good:

I wonder how much P/X I would get for my 200t against this beauty. Looks a bit Volvo/Passat-ish

I like the sound of the Dongfeng Rich 6.

I can hear it now: "I'll just nip to the shops in the Dongfeng". Sounds ultra cool to me. Even better than the Lucid Air or the Build your dreams Yangwang U9  Yes Really!

Zeeker or Xpeng anyone?

2 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

I believe only MB X-Class is Renault (it is literally Renault with MB stickers) and I believe Renault supplies 2.3L diesel engine for MB, which they mark as 250d.

But I mean Toyota is guilty of that as well... anyone wants Zupra?

Well at least Toyota found a good engine. Renault diesel engines are pretty good but not really in the same league

Been googling again and found this:

The following Mercedes models have a Renault engine:

• A-Class – A 160 (d), A 180 (d), A 200, A 220e, and A 250
• B-Class – B 160 (d), B 180 (d), B 200, and B 250e
• CLA-Class – CLA 180 (d), CLA 200, and CLA 250e
• C-Class – C 180 d and C 200 d
• GLA-Class – GLA 180 d and GLA 200
• GLB-Class – GLB 180 d and GLB 200
• Citan – 108 CDI, 109 CDI, 110 (CDI), 111 CDI, 112 CDI, and 113
• Vito – 109 CDI and 111 CDI

8 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

Yes this is purely dumb american thing... there must be a way "programme it out". 

If you find out Linas please let me know!

1 hour ago, IS300FSPORT said:

@Kam_Lexus_IS_200t "Whatever case may be with power I still believe it’s enough to be fun and I enjoy it to be fair and far better than a CVT 300h"

That statement is subjective but as an owner of an IS300H let me assure you it has its own advantages. (Maybe I am biased)

The IS300H has far more advantages over the 200T & this is based on facts: 

- Better on Fuel MPG

- Road tax is cheaper

- Demand/Resale value (People want Hybrids or EV) trending

- Brakes last a long time as with most Lexus Hybrids

- Naturally aspirated engine long term reliability less to go wrong. I.e No turbo, yes there is the Hybrid system but proven to go on for mega miles.

& to add the in gear acceleration of an IS300H has never let me down in comparison to rivals in sport mode. 

Of course the 2.0T may well be a good engine but the power is restricted due to it being paired to an old drivetrain (automatic) gearbox & leaves owners disatisfied due to lack of power. With respect most owners of the IS200T who usually join this forum are always asking the usual question "How Do I increase the power? " have a browse on here its the same theme. With Linas always stepping in & giving his wisdom. 

If I was in the market for a 2.0T I'd just go out & buy a Golf R or S3 etc with the added bonus of 4wd. There are far more capable machines out there with turbo charged engines with modern tech yes reliability is questionable but maintenance is key. Even the  330d is a contender when it comes to economy & performance.

Ultimatley from the last decade the GS450H or the RX450H from the Hybrids takes the crown the IS300H is just an average car that ticks alot of boxes. 

I tried a couple of 300h cars and found them boring. Sorry! But the CVT gearing and the way the engine revs highly on brisk acceleration does not float my boat at all. One man's meat etc etc.

I had a brand new VW for a year. Got rid of it after it broke down a couple of times.

If you want performance..... Nissan GtR, 370Z, need I go on. Just avoid the German makes after they started making them in tax subsidised countries instead of Germany. BTW Mercedes are now made of Renault bits I am told?

1 minute ago, Kam_Lexus_IS_200t said:

In a lot of city driving and some motorway between 23-27 mpg is a optimistic view. Heavy city driving will for sure bring it below 20-18 mpg.

If you are driving around town in lower gears then 22 mpg is normal. You can get lower if you have a heavy right foot. The worst I saw was 17mpg after the car had been in for a service. I think the mechanic must have been called Evel Knievel.

Whether it is relevant I do not know but the car always has Shell V power or Tesco Momentum 99 octane in it.

Following Linas' comments I looked up unintended acceleration and found this interesting article:

Toyota is reportedly planning to roll out a new feature to prevent accidents caused by pressing the accelerator instead of the brake pedal, resulting in unintended acceleration. The safety function will suppress engine output if the gas pedal is mistakenly pressed when there is a person in front of the vehicle, thereby preventing the vehicle from accelerating towards the pedestrian. The introduction of the new function comes following a spate of high-profile accidents involving elderly people who made mistakes using the gas and brake pedals. In early July, the country’s land, infrastructure, transport and tourism ministry asked Toyota and seven other major domestic automakers to take urgent action regarding sudden acceleration caused by mistakenly pressing the accelerator.

Sounds like a stupid idea to me. It defeats the object when you want to burn off the git in the mini cooper.

Many years ago I had a sports car with twin SU carbs. The throttle return spring ( attached to the heat shield ) snapped on the M1 at 70 mph and the car was accelerating with no return. The only way to stop was to turn off the ignition and NOT turn the steering wheel. Problem solved with an elastic band and still living to tell the tale.

Hello Kam

Here's my experience with the 200t. I have had it just under 2 yrs and it has been rock solid reliable. The best mpg I ever got was a momentary 40mpg on a long ( a bit downhill ) stretch of the M6 near Kendal doing about 65mph in 8th gear. Normally 27mpg around town and country, driving carefully. The car is not a traffic lights racer, in fact most sporty cars will leave you for dead up to about 45mph, but take off from 60 plus is indeed rapid and well over 100 is quickly achieved. Not in the UK I might add😚.

Once you get used to the quirky nature of the car I found that it is nice to drive, as long as you let the car do what it wants to do with the engine and gearbox peculiarities. It is fast, quiet and very comfortable and is at its best on long fast roads, not so good around town with the lag and lethargic take-offs.

If I want to go faster I take the IsF, not that you can get away with fast driving and keep your licence for long in this country. But that is being SORNed soon due to the recent excessive tax and Insurance costs. Government - 1:  Me - Nil.

I think you will grow to love it if you give it a chance.

BTW it is the only car that I have ever had that has attracted compliments about the way it looks by some passers-by.😕

You could always go upmarket and go for the Wartburg ES 300h.

It's a bit like a fatberg but not as greasy.

18 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

So what does £40k get you?

Top of the range mini is now >£40k, the price of new cars has seemed to outpace inflation over the past 10-20 years.

Here's a bargain at under £40K

1987 Trabant 601S 2 door wagon. This is a very interesting car. manufactured by Veb Sachsenring, this car is most commonly seen in East Germany. It was produced from 1964 to 1990. It has 594CC two stroke 2cyl engine with a 4 speed manual transmission...with a column shift. It boasts a good body and paint. The interior is original. It runs and drives.

Guaranteed ULEZ Euro 6 compliant🤣.  About £12K plus shipping. Comes with free gas mask and gloves for pushing it.

Or you can even get a NEW one but I do not know the price.

The "newTrabi" idea becomes the "Trabant nT" concept car

Sorry Malcolm Did not mean to be rude. It seems like this is the way it has always been. As this old US cartoon depicts.

Yes Malcolm, that is all we do - moan about our exploitation. We should follow the French example and do something about it. Or do what you suggest Look on the bright side and just be a mug instead.

15 hours ago, cdmaskell said:

How dare I buy an ES Premium pack! 
I realised I would be stung for VED. (£510)  Even though, with discount it was well below the 40k threshold.  Next March it will be £570!  “I cannot bloody believe it.” As Victor would say. Where is money going.  Certainly not on the potholes In Surrey.

 

 

Mine is £695, and don't even mention the insurance increases. We all know where the money is going - The Tories rich mates at the expense of ordinary decent folk being hammered by the increases in tax and the cost of living. 

I don't know what we can do about it apart from stopping spending on cars, holidays etc. Then, no consumer spending  = no VAT revenue or punitive taxation = Gov't rethink maybe?  I really think that this government wants us all to live in some kind of post war East German economy. How much is the tax on a Trabant?

12 hours ago, Sybaris said:

The solution is simple, just park between a couple of Range Rovers

Good idea, but it will be parked on its own after 20 minutes😕

16 hours ago, Linas.P said:

I think it is the case of child-eating evil socialism:

Step 1 - neglect the roads, Step 2 - tax until it hurts so that nobody could drive, Step 3 - make it impossible to dive anywhere because of ridiculous fines and traffic, Step 4 - force everyone to cycle or use public transport...

I am not saying that conservatism or liberalism is better, because in UK we seem to have either left leaning populism, or right leaning populism... there aren't any real values or democratic checks an balances... just populist trying to get into government to enrich themselves and their friends. 

Well the gov'ts strategy is working on me. For the first time I am SORNing the IsF this coming winter. With road tax at £695 and insurance going up and up, I am admitting defeat. We also avoid hire cars and motoring holidays due to all the tricks and traps on UK and foreign roads. At least I have the satisfaction of not feeding money to the robbing bar stewards.

I get the feeling that we are all being driven to poverty and subservience by this gov'ts recent policies. Everything is getting much more expensive and even the modest pension increase is eroded by tax thus making the alleged 10% equate to 8% when private pensions are taken into account. Oh well, at least the sun is shining today😎

I asked about this at the Lexus dealer a while ago. "What do you do if the Battery in the remote key fails?"

I was told that you simply put the remote key right next to the start button and it will work.

Does anyone else know if this is correct or not. I have not tried it myself.

Thanks I will mention it next time I visit.

They must be the Lexus ones because the Lexus garage fitted them and they were not cheap. The boot now just stays in whatever position you leave it. i.e. half way open or whatever. These struts will not lift the boot by itself.

I replaced the boot struts on the isF because the boot was so heavy. I thought they had failed. The new ones make the operation just not quite as heavy, just a bit better. An expensive small improvement. Shouldn't have bothered really.

Hello Herbs, as you probably already suspected regarding insurance statistics:

We have some friends who have lived in Fulwood at the same address for 40 years. The quality of life has gone down a bit recently we are told. The big issue seems to be bad parking , bad driving and inconsiderate/agressive drivers. This is (allegedly) mostly related to parking issues at the (not so) nearby hospital. Parked cars have been damaged by careless, or worse, drivers.

It is still one of the better places to live in Preston. To be safe just keep away from Bolton.🤕

We had a brand new VW Up Gti. It broke down within the first year - Battery gone flat!

It also had almost no suspension travel , on very low profile tyres which got wrecked over potholes.

Not suitable for UK roads but it was a hoot to drive, but had to go.

Hi Dave

I got this one. The "monitor" seemed to be the best value and they were doing free fitting and including the first year's subs in the price. A very good job done at home too. They were also fairly local to me.

The renewal is £179 per year. There are lots of other companies and prices but this one is professional and accepted by the Insurance companies.

I only fitted a tracker because Direct Line refused to insure me without one. Since then I have had quotes from other companies that do not insist on a tracker and are only about £40+ cheaper if you have one installed.

Personally, I would not want the car back if it was stolen and probably trashed, thrashed, wrecked and abused by some idiot thief.

Personal Vehicle Tracking Solution Selector | Tracker

https://www.tracker.co.uk/products/tracker-tool-individual

My tracker subs is due and I am not bothering to renew it. £40 difference in insurance prices with or without tracker.

Premiums up 16 - 20% despite extra no claims.  I just get the impression that we are all being fleeced as mugs.

The insurance companies just put the price up every year because they can.  They are in business to make money from you just like the banks do. I learned many years ago that they are not your friends or business partners, they just see you as a source of income.

Don't get me started about the government - tax rises, cuts in resources etc etc. As you quite rightly say. "Basically we're on our own".

Nurse - get me my tranquilisers please.🤡

Aluminium foil works just as well. Very cheap at Aldi. You can also use it as a heat shield or even for cooking if necessary.

I do not work for Aldi but their pizzas are nice. I don't like the Marks and Spencer ones......   Nurse!

Yes I was concerned that they told me it was optional.

There is an existing thread on this  ISF - 100K Service Schedule   https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/profile/63452-charliecloud/

Everyone seemed to have a different opinion depending on the model of Lexus. Even though it was documented as an included job in the major service  ( 60K - the big one which became a 100K service due to being 10 yrs old )  it was not done as the garage said it was not "necessary". I had to pay extra to get it done at the next visit.

There seems to be a lot of confusion. I am still not sure what the correct advice is. However, the garage now tells me that it is now done "for life" and will not need to be done again. True or what?🤔