F Sport

Best car I ever owned

I bought it second hand in great shape (40k. miles) and looking very sharp. It's been several months now and I will try and provide objective view. Note that I haven't owned that many cars in my life and nothing similar of shape, size and price range (e.g. BMW X series, Merc G series etc.) that I can compare with, but I would say this is by far the best car I have ever been driven in and also owned by far.

I generally hate SUVs and was more in a market for a large sedan or estate from Toyota/Lexus/Honda range (Camry, Corolla, IS300h, new Civic hatch) - but my missus hates estates and sedans felt a bit impractical from boot space point of view - ergo where RX450h came in. NX300h was also a thought but I appreciate 3.5L V6 a lot more than that 2.5l 4-pot in 300h series.

Good points: big in size, lots of space, economical and fast (when needed), great comfort (even in F sport trim - which looks prettier), drives well and does not have this floaty SUV feeling (it is quite sorted suspension), great luxury with generally simple tech compared to latest cars (e.g. infotainment, driver aids etc.) which was a big plus for me (I'm a bit old school). V6 engine is great (love the sound) with hybrid system amazing me every day. I expect it to super-reliable with regular maintenance with Lexus dealers (5k-6k oil change, filters etc.) + DIY battery filter cleaning and the rest. Hybrid system repairs - I'm not worried at all for the future given that Lexus offers this perpetual 1y hybrid system warranty if you do free hybrid checks with them for up to 15 years since the vehicle is made. They do something similar for non-hybrid components up to 10 years. That is no brainer - nothing to worry about if say HV battery or inverter dies. Cleaning battery filters - apparently is single most common reason for them to overheat and die. Fix is easy, check Youtube. Fuel consumption is good: 33-37 mpg. lot of city driving in colder conditions. When it warms up - it's closer to 36-37. On motorway runs - approaches 40mpg, which for 2.2t car is pretty good.

Bad points: maintenance cost (Lexus ownership), insurance etc. Then again - Lexus servicing is very comprehensive so there is your good peace of mind (also given that warranty). Also, given the weight - it burns tyres. Infotainment is clunky - but I got used to it and appreciate it, as I don't want distractions and touch screens.

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