Facebook marketplace Lexus RX400h SE-L, what could go wrong?

[LincolnLovin]

Depends on your driving and how much you can stick on battery. On a run 31 is possible.

[LincolnLovin]

Gearbox wise it’s fine, it’s never going to be a sports car but it picks up speed well enough. The CVT does not result in a the most sonorous engine note however.

[LincolnLovin]

That's pretty good going, I think the brakes are in decent shape but I guess we'll find out tomorrow what (if any) work is needed.

[LincolnLovin]

Back from the mechanics, oil changed and a sticking O/S front caliper unstuck - I'll keep an eye on it as it may need to be replaced in the near future.

[LincolnLovin]

Success!

[LincolnLovin]

We took the Lexus on a family roadtrip to Devon, where I promptly got a speeding ticket! My first ever, luckily they are offering a Safety course instead of points, but the downside is that its only available in Dorset.

10 hours driving there and back for a 3 hour course.

[LincolnLovin]

There didn't seem to be that option, I did ask

There's a chance I can do it at Bournemouth, which is a little closer at least.

[LincolnLovin]

Certainly a weird one, but not much I can do about it - I certainly don't want the points on my license and it's a good excuse for a roadtrip.

[LincolnLovin]

And so this morning the journey to the Driver Awareness Scheme began, I departed home at a heady 05:30am to drive down to Sunny Bournemouth.
I decided it was better to arrive well ahead of time then risk the M25, M3 etc on the start of a bank holiday weekend.

I've not done a long distance drive on my own for quite sometime, it was quite refreshing to choose my own music and to be able to pick my own rest stops! It also gave me sufficient time to get a bunch of work stuff done ahead of the course.

Speaking of which, sadly this course does not take place at the Tank Museum, instead our training location is a nondescript industrial estate.

3 hours of awareness fun is about to commence!

[LincolnLovin]

Hoofy said:

What a waste of time.

Could you do a test for me on the way home.

With the battery level displaying for the electric motor, put the A/C on and accelerate hard to 60 (obviously this time in a suitable zone! ). How many bars do you lose?

Pretty much, but better than taking the points.

I don’t think I lost any when pulling out of parking areas onto the motorway, but I didn’t measure it.

Managed 30.8 mpg on the journey.

[LincolnLovin]

No, I resisted that temptation

It did feel like a Le Mans start to get out of the car park from the class room.

Edited by LincolnLovin on Monday 26th August 10:45

[LincolnLovin]

The more I use the car, the more I like it - it's such an effortless cruiser. I'm used to the Leaf which has exceptional refinement due to its electric nature, but even for a fossil fueled car the RX is very quiet at motorway speeds.

The sound system is still impressive, though I need to figure out some adjustments for alternate music styles. Unusually for a car in my ownership, there have not been any exciting/disastrous issues that have arisen. That said, the MOT is due in October and I wonder what will crop up.

[LincolnLovin]

It’s ok, some body roll but certainly not as wafty as my Town Car.

No active suspension.

[LincolnLovin]

Same but different I imagine

[LincolnLovin]

For sure, this has coil springs and at this age, I'm happy for that - there's lots of other complex stuff that could go wrong instead

[LincolnLovin]

I am curious as to what will actually break on this car and when, it feels very solid so far.

[LincolnLovin]

Possibly, but even replacing the cells isn't overly difficult.

[LincolnLovin]

It's all modular so once you have access to the battery it's simple to replace the cell. The battery unit itself is under the back seats, so certainly easier to access than the Leaf.

[LincolnLovin]

I'm getting better at 'gas and glide' on local trips, this process requires a very light foot to maximize battery use during normal driving. Although the engine is supposed to cut in above 20 mph, the batteries will happily move the car along at 30 or even 40mph with the right conditions.

It will be interesting to see how this improves the MPG over the longer time.

[LincolnLovin]

I think the bushes came up on the last MOT, will be interesting to see if they need doing for this one.