Swapped one Japanese car for another

[daveenty]

I've never had, or even thought about, a hybrid before but I've been looking at them for a while now and the self charging ones seemed to suit my needs the best as opposed to plug-in.

I was initially drawn to the Outlander plug-in but knew that it would never get charged on a regular basis so decided that the Lexus, whilst being a bit bigger, would be ideal for what I want. It will be replacing my old T30 Nissan X Trail which has been a good little car but as it's a 2005 model it's going to want a bit spending on it soon, so it's time to let it go.

All I normally use it for is going to the shop in the morning early doors to get a newspaper, which is a 4 mile round trip, and picking bits up during the week, normally another 10 miles maximum. A purely electric car would probably have been fine for this, but at least once a month it will also get a trip to Nottingham or N Wales visiting friends, hence the need for an engine as well. It will also have to contend with the odd tip-run but I'll try to minimise these.

The car is a 2014 RX400h with 30,000 miles and a full Lexus service history. I believe that this makes it the third generation facelift. I've had a couple of test drives and must admit to being impressed with it, though it's going to take a bit of getting used to as it puts the power down in a very different way than I'm used to. It has a 3.5 litre V6 to charge the battery and take over when necessary, giving around 295bhp in total whilst, theoretically at least, averaging over 40mpg

It gets picked up on Friday morning though that's the only chance I'll get to drive it. I'm away at Yorkshire Air Museum at the weekend for an AMG meet, so can't really take it there, even though it may create a bit of interest...

I'll hopefully report back on my findings with it late next week when I've had the chance to have a proper play with it.

 

[AMGeed]

Good move Dave. That Lexus looks a fine car.

 

[JBell]

Interesting choice, my partners dad has a new Rav 4 hybrid and loves it as it is self charging but does drive everywhere at 28mph so it uses elec only, the Mitsub is not but a good friend is a dealer and can't get enough of them mainly for the BIK tax on business use.

I have driven a PHEV a few times and they are odd at first but you soon get used to them.

Enjoy the Lexus

 

[LostKiwi]

I'd be interested to hear how you get on Dave. I've always viewed these large engined Lexus hybrids as something of a marketing ploy as the battery capacity is so small so it would be good to see how you get on.

 

[EmilysDad]

.... as the battery capacity is so small so it would be good to see how you get on.

Didn't someone here say that the hybrid E Class has an electric range of about 20-odd miles

 

[LostKiwi]

Didn't someone here say that the hybrid E Class has an electric range of about 20-odd miles

I don't think the big Lexii are any better!

 

[EmilysDad]

I don't think the big Lexii are any better!

Probably not

 

[JBell]

I don't think the big Lexii are any better!

But the Lexus self charges, the Merc IIRC doesn't so it charges on all down hill and braking

 

[Craiglxviii]

I don't think the big Lexii are any better!

They aren't, friend has the '10 version of this and his electric-only range is about 17 miles.

 

[Frontstep]

There is a retro car that has it all its an oldsmobile run on powdered coal,

https://drivemag.com/news/gm-made-a-coal-powered-car-in-the-80s

 

[daveenty]

There seems to be a misconception that I've bought this car for economy or something.

To be fair, this was very low down the list as people who know me will testify. before the X Trail which I've now part exchanged, I ran a succession of silly things, including 2 x Jeep Grand Cherokees (one an SRT-8 with the 6.1 Hemi) and a Range Rover 5.0 supercharged. I've had a winter shed/4WD for the last few years now, mainly as I don't like using the E Class in bad weather, even though it is 4 wheel drive.

My main criteria this time, indeed most times of changing, are: -

1. Comfort. As an old git my back hurts. A lot.
2. Space. My benchmark is that a fridge/freezer should fit in the back.
3. A decent amount of power. Oh, and petrol. I don't do diesel.
4. All wheel drive, for the very few occasions we get bad weather.

Number 1 is vital, and the only reason I got rid of the SRT-8. I do miss the Range Rover for this bit.
Number 2 is not essential but it's easier to dispose of my own stuff than pay someone with a van to do it. The fridge example I use normally covers anything I need to move.
Number 3 just because really, this lets the X Trail down as it can get embarrassing at times.
Number 4 is not absolutely essential but is a bonus.

The Lexus can theoretically run on battery alone though only up to a certain speed and distance. The engine then comes into play, not so much to power the car but to charge the batteries which provide power to the electric motors. I would imagine that the engine will be running a lot with my driving...

If I get more mileage out of it than the Nissan I'll be happy, this has averaged 21.7mpg in my tenure, mainly due to the stop/start driving it's been subjected to. I'm sure the Lexus could beat that but, even if not, it's an awful lot cheaper to tax and insure.

 

[V6Matty]

I think you will average about 32/33 with that Dave, very nice choice te Lexus and something I looked at when selling the pug, as you know the hybrid pug was actually a good car apart from the mechanical bits that went wrong.
I actually seriously looked at an ls600h but it sold while I was test driving it, very good bit of kit and felt so solid even with 90k on it, I see them for sale on AT with daft miles on them for strong prices so they certainly are doing something right

 

[Larkone]

Having had a Lexus GS300 (2002 run till 210K) and the wife still runs an IS300 Sportcross (2001, 130K), the one thing that always impressed me was the sure quality of the engineering. Nothing wears out, except suspension components as the rubber degrades over time. My old GS is with friends and recently passed its MOT with no advisories at 215K. Not the most exciting cars but never once let me down, or even hiccuped in six years and 100K miles.

 

[daveenty]

I've not forgotten about this thread, just not really used the thing yet as I was away at weekend and busy at work playing catch up at the moment.

All I've done with it so far is the newsagents in the mornings, an obligatory tip run and a couple of odd bits picking stuff up. It seems OK but, as there are that many menus to go through, I'm not sure what everything does yet so I'm just playing with things and seeing what happens.

It's either that or read the manual, and that's not going to happen till I break something.

I'll agree with Larkone that it's certainly not an exciting car, though it's practicalities will hopefully outweigh that bit. I also happen to have a couple of other cars for that, so something I can live with I suppose...

 

[Brizzle]

Didn't someone here say that the hybrid E Class has an electric range of about 20-odd miles

That's certainly all my son gets out of his - not even enough to get to work in the mornings

 

[Frontstep]

Having had a Lexus GS300 (2002 run till 210K) and the wife still runs an IS300 Sportcross (2001, 130K), the one thing that always impressed me was the sure quality of the engineering. Nothing wears out, except suspension components as the rubber degrades over time. My old GS is with friends and recently passed its MOT with no advisories at 215K. Not the most exciting cars but never once let me down, or even hiccuped in six years and 100K miles.

Whereas my "it will do a million mile" E class is called triggers brush at half that mileage.

It has had though only a couple of non starts, both CPS failures.

 

[daveenty]

I'm still trying to do an update on this thread but, due to real life getting in the way, I've hardly had the chance to try anything out on the car yet.

All I can say is that it needs the engine most mornings on my newspaper run, though anything further, and when it's warmed up properly, it tends to switch to electric power, constantly charging the battery when my foot is off the throttle and, in particular, when braking. I did a tip run the other day and it hardly used the engine at all. I managed to find a graph thing in the display that tells me what is using what, though have since forgotten where it was, so more playing with buttons.

It's averaged just over 30mpg so far which I consider reasonable considering that it's a big heavy lump, though it's only been round town so far with no trips of any distance

 

[snipez999]

Would it not have been cheaper to get your paper delivered instead?

 

[daveenty]

A quick update as I've had the car a week now and been experimenting with it on my various little day to day trips.

The first thing I've noticed is that I'm probably being over aware of the fact that it's hybrid, so keeping my foot away from the accelerator a lot more than usual instead of just driving it. My daily newspaper run is early morning which means little or no traffic, so I've been trying to maximise the EV mode though not very successfully as it's uphill. The return trip is better as it's mainly downhill so it's either on battery or charging for a couple of miles. I've been playing with the dashboard settings which have given me the picture of what's using what for power, but I think I'll change this as it seems to be making me paranoid to the point that I can't decide if I want a full battery or to use a bit of fuel...

I've done a couple of tip runs in it as well just trying to get my garage a bit cleaner and getting rid of old engine and transmission oils. The recycling centre I use is around a 12 mile return trip, due to the fact that the nearest one is a nightmare lately with the roads in and out being in a disgusting state. It's also been used for a couple of little jobs such as picking bits up from various local places but again nothing too far away and the only time it's been on a motorway so far with me was when I brought it home last Friday.

So far it's averaged just over 31mpg, according to the car's trip computer, which I must admit has impressed me for a large car weighing a fair amount. The weight doesn't seem to affect the handling capabilities, though again, I've not done enough with it yet to find any limitations. It's never going to be a quick car but it can certainly hold it's own against most traffic, and does so in a nice level of comfort and quietness.
It's primary purpose is going to be exactly what I've been using it for so far, with occasional trips out. It will hopefully come into it's own in the Winter when I don't like using the other cars, one of which has turned into a bit of a garage queen. The other, whilst benefiting from 4 wheel drive, has ridiculously wide tyres which are not too clever in the snow we tend to get around here. I could have bought something a lot cheaper but decided that I wanted a bit of comfort having reached "a certain age" and it certainly delivers in that respect. I mentioned earlier that it's replaced a T30 Nissan which, whilst being a good little car, was getting on in years and miles and needed bits doing to it. The Nissan was initially only bought as a stop-gap, replacing an L322 Range Rover 5.0 which I loved nearly as much as it loved fuel.

Summing up, the Lexus seems to be a solid and well put together car and has already halved my running costs as it benefits from cheap tax and insurance with both coming in at under £500. I filled the tank when I picked it up and this should now hopefully last me till at least the end of September, mainly due to the fact that my next couple of weekends away will be done in other cars. I was going to be taking it out this weekend as I'm going to see a couple of mates but, as I'm in a bit of pain with my back today, I probably won't bother.


I'll update again when I've put a few miles on it, I've not done 100 yet and that includes bring it home from the dealership.

Would it not have been cheaper to get your paper delivered instead?

Probably, but not half as much fun.

 

[EmilysDad]

I just wonder where you're driving to for your paper when there's a newsagent next to Woodbank school

Have you tried the tip at Radcliffe? Far nicer access road & layout.