Thought I'd Cracked It.

[stevolt]

Had nothing but Mercs for years, C320 diesel sport, C350's, E320CDI's, E280's, E350's, SLK350 etc. then I retired. Thought I'd get something more economical and so I went for a Lexus RX450, roomy but bad decision. Soon sold it privately and bought an Infiniti 3.5 litre Petrol/Electric Hybrid.
Big car, luxurious, roomy, fast - very, quicker than any Merc I'd owned, handled better too and more economical, lots of gadgets including safety ones like blind spot monitoring, radar and distance cruise, lane return with warnings etc etc. Then at the end of March 2020 Nissan/Infiniti ceased production in Western Europe! They sold like hot cakes in the States and the Far East before lockdown. You can’t win them all though. Hmm I suppose it’s back to Mercedes but I really do love this car.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Welcome back...in the future tense then?

 

[Blobcat]

Hello and welcome

You're retired, buy a V8

 

[A.J.]

Hi and welcome to the forum

 

[Kev555]

Welcome

 

[Srdl]

Hi and welcome back. Try one of the AMG43s if you want a fast V6. I’m retired and I love mine!

 

[jp williams]

Had nothing but Mercs for years, C320 diesel sport, C350's, E320CDI's, E280's, E350's, SLK350 etc. then I retired. Thought I'd get something more economical and so I went for a Lexus RX450, roomy but bad decision. Soon sold it privately and bought an Infiniti 3.5 litre Petrol/Electric Hybrid.
Big car, luxurious, roomy, fast - very, quicker than any Merc I'd owned, handled better too and more economical, lots of gadgets including safety ones like blind spot monitoring, radar and distance cruise, lane return with warnings etc etc. Then at the end of March 2020 Nissan/Infiniti ceased production in Western Europe! They sold like hot cakes in the States and the Far East before lockdown. You can’t win them all though. Hmm I suppose it’s back to Mercedes but I really do love this car.

So, what was wrong with the RX450H then ?

 

[John Laidlaw]

So, what was wrong with the RX450H then ?

not as good as a GS450H, that's what John

 

[jp williams]

not as good as a GS450H, that's what John

I remember that you dabbled with Lexus briefly some time ago John and was not impressed by the fact that it could not approach Warp Factor 1 and on its way to .5 WF it put out an awful lot of noise.
I was merely asking Stevolt for his view of the RX as I`m genuinely interested to know why he thought it a bad decision.

I still run both my cars side by side and had it not been for the CV-19 virus would have been emailing you from Spain having run the old W210 past the 1/4 million miles.
The GS has been exemplary throughout the last 6 years,notwithstanding that it has been responsible for me bagging a large fine and 3 points in Glenrothes. The only blemish in what was formerly a proud record!
Fortunately the old W210 has no such speeding capacities.
Take care.

 

[John Laidlaw]

I remember that you dabbled with Lexus briefly some time ago John and was not impressed by the fact that it could not approach Warp Factor 1 and on its way to .5 WF it put out an awful lot of noise.
I was merely asking Stevolt for his view of the RX as I`m genuinely interested to know why he thought it a bad decision.

I still run both my cars side by side and had it not been for the CV-19 virus would have been emailing you from Spain having run the old W210 past the 1/4 million miles.
The GS has been exemplary throughout the last 6 years,notwithstanding that it has been responsible for me bagging a large fine and 3 points in Glenrothes. The only blemish in what was formerly a proud record!
Fortunately the old W210 has no such speeding capacities.
Take care.

The first 'trial' I had was the NX John, I took it back from the test drive and declared it 'tiresome', due in the main to the Auto CVT type box which just felt the need to change constantly whilst the engine whined away....
Fast forward a couple of years and I tried again the ES (300h I think?), much better in almost every way.
These were to be company cars and alternatives were chosen, although I'm sure the ES would have done a good job.
Haven't tried an RX or a GS , both are rated highly on here (Yourself and Daveenty)

 

[stevolt]

Hi again,
The Lexus even with all its Heads Up display etc still had a auto gearbox that I could not get used to. Climbing into and out of a car is also not for me (although my friend has a Merc GLS and I am ok getting in and our of that). it also seemed slow and noisy but I'm sure there are plenty of people that like them, they appear to be fashionable. I do think a GS would be more my style though.
The AMG43 is a little quicker than an Infiniti but it still is somewhat less economical but it does have the 4wd that a standard Infiniti Q50 comes with (mine is the model up but 2wd). The AMG43 is a lot more expensive though but albeit thats the Mercedes I may go for in the end.

 

[V6Matty]

I know @daveenty likes his RX450h but it’s a tool to save the scoupe, I think he said it was a good car just forgettable

 

[daveenty]

I know @daveenty likes his RX450h but it’s a tool to save the scoupe, I think he said it was a good car just forgettable

Wouldn't buy another but it was a good buy at the time, which was nearly 2 years ago now. Mine's a 2014 model which makes it a 3rd generation facelift and I can only agree with what most on here say about them. A good comfortable car albeit a bit on the big side and tedious to drive in that typically Japanese way. The CVT is something which takes some getting used to but, once you've amended you driving style to compensate, it's nowhere near as bad as people make out. The ideal way to drive these things is very gently on all the pedals which makes for a smooth and practically silent ride and is also better for the economical side of things. Mine is a second car and, as such, doesn't get a lot of use but it's good for the usual pottering about type of stuff as it gets nearly 30mpg around the houses, more so on a good run. Not bad for a big 2t lump I suppose.


TL;DR: Big, comfortable, good on fuel and reliable. Bland interior.

 

[V6Matty]

Wouldn't buy another but it was a good buy at the time, which was nearly 2 years ago now. Mine's a 2014 model which makes it a 3rd generation facelift and I can only agree with what most on here say about them. A good comfortable car albeit a bit on the big side and tedious to drive in that typically Japanese way. The CVT is something which takes some getting used to but, once you've amended you driving style to compensate, it's nowhere near as bad as people make out. The ideal way to drive these things is very gently on all the pedals which makes for a smooth and practically silent ride and is also better for the economical side of things. Mine is a second car and, as such, doesn't get a lot of use but it's good for the usual pottering about type of stuff as it gets nearly 30mpg around the houses, more so on a good run. Not bad for a big 2t lump I suppose.


TL;DR: Big, comfortable, good on fuel and reliable. Bland interior.

What would you buy now then Dave, which trim level is yours?

 

[daveenty]

What would you buy now then Dave, which trim level is yours?

Mine's the Advance with sunroof Matt, so around mid-range I reckon. As for it's replacement, no idea really but I still have liking for Jeeps, not the stupid SRT version this time though, that hurt my back.

Having said that, I'm in no rush at the moment and the Lexus has still only got 33,000 miles on it so I'll probably keep it a bit longer.