JohnRX400h

Want Lexus, want petrol, want power. Merc? aye that i'll be right. [walks back to RX400h and purrs] :winky:

lol no no no no no, although I could start a fab discussion if I had! No it is my TT which has been remapped. APR to be precise. I can switch it between stock, optimax and valet mode. Sorry!

Another one!!!!! Pulling into lay-by down in Yorkshire this weekend and family strolling up the middle of the road. Got to about 3 feet before they noticed. Looked round and ran in opposite ways like the parting of the seas! Note to self..... must grow up!

Cheeky question I know but what sort of cash is a 1999 model like that? Either tell me to mind my own business, Pm if you would rather or to hell with it and post here! Just I have been looking at all sorts to replace the TT and have been going though so many options from 911 Cs to Mini with all the toys and I am currently first on the list at my Audi dealer for the R9, but that is ages away. Had a nory for a GS450h too, but two hybrid cars? That would just be silly!

lol - glad you took my response as tongue in cheek. Have fun with the wee one. I am sure the kids will love the Nissan. My two are always saying 'faster daddy faster' in my TT. Granted, you would leave me for dust in the Skyline but I have had a remap and it is now about 280bhp. Only 220hp to catch you up.

Sorry if this sounds novel but did you ask her?

Off road! - Of Course I go off road in the RX - just not mine! That is what the annual Lexus open road event is for! Taking my own car off road, sheesh, some folks and their cranky ideas! :winky:

Oh yes - pints of the stuff - lovley and cool inside however!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/4674433.stm

Is that not because you drive an IS? (Flame suit on) :winky: :winky: :winky: :winky: :winky:

Since 2002 RX300 RX300Mk2 RX400h So, erm, yes! This is however a car forum - full of problems as always. How many folks every time they have a perfect journey write a thread about it.

Come on then hybrid owners tell us your stories..... Mine today in Marks and Spencer’s car park in Edinburgh. Car park stealth mode engaged as always, crept up behind two ladies walking in the middle of road. And 'surprise'. One looked round, got both feet off the ground, clutched heart on landing and then said oh my G*d. So any more stories..... I think we should work towards the first hybrid wetting gate affair. “men never grow up, their toys just get more expensive” :winky:

See original report for Handling comments http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...showtopic=23430 John

Best advice for selling a RX300 SE-L, trade in for a RX400h. Ok not the best financially but what the hell!

Just bathed the kids. Normally one of the best bits of my day. Imagine how many parents are going to have to explain to their kids why Mummy or Daddy is never going to be able to do bath time again. Can we leave the ID cards and all that to another thread and spare a thought for those who have lost loved ones. Lets put others first today perhaps........

Glad you had fun - I'll post a 'after a couple of months' in a month or so with driving experience so far if that helps - when is your delivery date exactly or do you only know September sometime? I'll get it in before that. John

Yip - great for the whole country - Even up here in Scotland

Some 'real life' MPGs to add to the debate....... Just returned from a week down south - fab weather and now I am as brown as I would have been if we had been abroad.... we do live in a great country if only the weather was more consistent, anyhoo.. Edinburgh to Chester towing the 'van' 17mpg (used to get 15 in the RX300) Chester and around Sat to Wed 150 miles - 34.6MPG Chester to Yorkshire towing again 19 MPG Yorkshire and around Wed to Today 34MPG Yorkshire back to Edinburgh without van going at about (ahem) 70mph all the way with air con on 30MPG Oh and managed to get the battery full for the first time going down Sutton Bank (1 in 4 gradient), the bars in the display go very green.

I bought a Twix at lunch time and with in 2 minutes it had a nasty chunk taken out the side of it. :winky:

Ok ok ok for the man who really doesn't care about MPG I had a quick look at the story so far.... 403 miles on the clock so far................ 28.6MPG .............used to get about 19MPG in the RX300 Seems good to me.

Ok, another thought, extra performance for extra cost. £4,700 how does that compare in so far as performance price hikes go.... Cost to upgrade from - X5 3.0 to 4.4 £10920 + you have to admit to driving a BMW Cayenne 3.0 to 'S' £6390 + it's a 911 on stilts and looks ML350 to 500 £9960 + and just where do we start with the Merc These all show a similar improvement in performance as the 300 to 400h but all have a higher fuel consumption not lower. Thoughts?

Ok some rough calculations 20 mpg – RX300 /4.5l per gallon= 4.44 mpl, litre @ 85p = 19p per mile (rounded) 30 mpg – RX400h /4.5l per gallon = 6.66 mpl, litre @85p = 13p per mile (rounded) 6p per mile saving £4,700 difference =Difference pays for itself in about 78,000 miles. Hrmmmm glad I bought it for the power! :D So let’s stop the MPG debate – it’s better, but if you want to save money on fuel we should all cycle. Or buy a 1.2, 3 cylinder tin box from Malaysia – erm, no, rather not. Nuff said!

Can't really comment on the bike rack however the tow bar......... We did a fairly extensive search for tow bars when we wanted to get one fitted and the 'normal' price was about £400-£500 fitted. Warning however, the RX uses special wiring and it can be tricky getting the electrics to work. Do a search on here but some have had problems. We bit the bullet and just got the OEM tow bar fitted. Was about £750 however double electric works perfectly and doesn’t potentially knacker car. Hope this helps your search if not your wallet. John

This happened to my RX300 SE-L and TBH I am happy that I am now back onto springs with the 400h. Just something else to go wrong. We had a rattle coming from the rear which was meant to be fixed but I am sure it was still there in certain conditions, can't be sure. I did feel it was an Air Suspension gremlin coming back.

Ahh, it had to happen........ the first thing I have to say about the RX400h which it not absolutely glowing! I finally managed to prise my wife’s fingers off the wheel long enough at the weekend to have a shot of our new car and said whilst pulling out to overtake another car I said 'oh torque steer'. There was then a five minute conversation about what torque steer was and how it happened. Every day my wife has to suffer a little bit more of being married to a petrol head!!!! So yes I have felt the torque steer. I used to have a Golf GT TDi many years ago and it was the same. Just too much power going through the front wheels. (Yeh - like you can ever have too much power!) I would say however that in my experience torque steer when you are used to it is better then the alternative - wheel spin, which usually leads to understeer. Basically as I see it the front wheels are at an angle and the power wants to pull them straight again. @ Great Dane - what you experienced is exactly right - when accelerating in a straight line the wheel will stay that way as the power tries to pull them straight. Torque stear occurs when you have a certain amount of lock on and are accelerating and the wheel wants to pull the wheels straight. IMHO if you have a predominately front wheel drive car with shed loads of torque you will get torque steer. Solution? I guess when on a certain degree of lock the car could put more power to the rear wheels but for me the speed of the overtaking manoeuvre I was performing outweighed any dissatisfaction. Another 2 cents (am I at a 400h Dollar yet?)