No longer own a Mercedes

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Ted

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 26, 2004
Messages
7,046
Location
Bourton on Dunsmore
Car
Lexus RC300h F-Sport, Yamaha XVS 1100, Toyota C-HR GR sport
So today we sold the SLC, and for the first time in over twenty years there is no Mercedes in the Ted family.
There were a few reasons for selling. It really wasn’t getting the use that it should. Mrs Ted doesn’t like long journeys in it and we generally do a couple of trips to Scotland, and a few trips to Kent/essex every year. There (obviously) isn’t room now for the grandkids as daughter no3 has had another.
That, and the impending £800 service/mot cost - 1,000 miles done in the last year made us look at some thing much more sensible.
Bestcarbuyer made a good offer - much more than I was expecting and were as good as their word on not messing us about on the price.
So today, we decided on the sensible car and put a deposit down on this.
 

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Great colour combo. It was my first choice for our second RC but Mrs WN wanted Azure Blue with the red leather..
 
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Great colour combo. It was my first choice for our second RC but Mrs WN wanted Azure Blue with the red leather..
Yes, I agree. I’ve looked at a few and thought this was the best combo.
black with red interior and red with ivory interior might have tempted us, but in truth, I really fell for this one.
 
I am sure you will enjoy the car,and of course whitenemesis has owned one before,now Lexus are a little coy about it but you have the 8 speed Aisen box in that car,they are great boxes a CVT with a a torque converter,but get the ATF changed when the car has done around 30 grand, do that and you will love every minute of owning and driving the car
 
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Our first RC was Sonic Red with cream leather but they didn't do that combo in the face-lifted version. Well they did but reduced the amount of coloured surfaces massively.
I think the Sonic Titanium with the orange calipers of the face-lift would really look :thumb:
 
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I am sure you will enjoy the car,and of course whitenemesis has owned one before,now Lexus are a little coy about it but you have the 8 speed Aisen box in that car,they are great boxes a CVT with a a torque converter,but get the ATF changed when the car has done around 30 grand, do that and you will love every minute of owning and driving the car
No 8 speed in the RC300h it's a pure e-CVT, no torque converter.
Perhaps you're thinking of the LC? That is an 8 speed coupled with the e-CVT
 
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Yep - cvt box. My rev happy days are a bit of a memory so I’m hoping the cvt will be ok.
It’s an F-sport, so the flappy paddles on the cvt should be interesting :)
I think you can get the facelift orange covers for prefacelift (proper ones) but tbh I’m not convinced by them.
 
It’s an F-sport, so the flappy paddles on the cvt should be interesting :)
Put the transmission into S mode and the paddles give instantaneous "PlayStation" like changes. Very realistic, a masterpiece of programming!
 
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Thought I would update the thread after two weeks of ownership.
The good
The whole experience. The memory seats are infinitely adjustable. Along with the steering wheel and mirrors this is far and away the most comfortable car I’ve ever been in. Along with the almost silent engine and transmission, it’s like driving a limo that goes and handles well.
at times there is a distant hum from the engine or transmission, but not enough to intrude and is usually drowned out by tyre noise.
The interior is beautifully trimmed in soft red leather - not too bright and very classy. A lovely place to be in.
Driving in ‘normal’mode is a decidedly ordinary experience. Fine around town and great on a leisurely drive but hardly inspiring. ‘Sport’ mode sorts that out and adds some real fun to the mix, but on the open road ‘Sport+’ is really where it’s at. Steering and suspension firm up, ‘gear changes’ are much better and allow the engine to rev more freely, and the car really feels like a proper sporting coupé with abilities clearly well in excess of mine. It’s all very predictable in a good way. Add the instant ‘change’ on the flappy paddles and the fake engine sounds piped into the cabin and the grin factor is really increased - just like a computer racing game! I know this is fake, but when you want it, it really is fun!
The stop/start system works really well too. As you roll to a stop the engine has already stopped and the forward momentum is being used to charge the hybrid battery. Pull away and it is in complete silence. The engine kicks in seamlessly and quietly at around 25mph. You can’t even detect it.
The toys. Lots of toys. The main screen which slides to one side to reveal an extra information screen if required, it also changes from an energy dial to a rev counter in sport mode and goes red with a peak pointer at higher revs. Gimmicky I know but fun and cool to show off.
Heated and ventilated seats that really work. You can really feel the air coming out. Cools your tackle a real treat. 😁😁
Lots of other toys, too many to mention. Some useful, some very much less so (e.g. the g force meter)
The bad
The infotainment system. It’s great, but how could anyone design something so user unfriendly? It took long enough to work out how to set a route. I still haven’t worked out how to cancel/end it by voice. It’s three mouse clicks away using the ‘remote commander’, all while taking your eyes off the road. You want to turn the satnav volume up/down sir? Four menus and some clicking around and there you are, sorted.
I’ve read that you get used to it and I’m sure I will but it’s more confusing than using vi as a text editor (which I happen to love 🤭)
All of the other infotainment functions seem to have their own particular quirks too, but I do like the split screen function.
The random scattering of minor switches around and under the steering wheel. I’ve seen this before on Japanese cars and I just don’t get it. Some, like the boot switch are out of sight and the others seem to be pretty haphazardly located where you just have to guess where they are or take your eyes off the road (not that you really need them under normal driving)
As previously, the interior is just sublime, with lots of lovely soft leather, soft touch plastic and gorgeous aluminium trims. But the centr console is a mass of black textured plastic. It would have been much nicer if at least some of this were covered in (say) the lovely aluminium trim to add that special feel.
The ugly
Nothing. I think it is a stunning car both in looks and to drive. The contours are beautifully picked out by the Sonic Platinum paintwork which changes colour according to the light. The wheels look fantastic and are totally free of blemishes unlike AMG wheels I’ve had in the past which corrode badly on the machined surfaces after 18 months. The interior is a lovely place to be. I’m really looking forward to my next long drive.
To sum up
Both myself and Mrs Ted really love - I liked the SLC but never really gelled with it and I suspect that neither did Mrs Ted. The Lexus relax scheme which gives full warranty for up to ten years (including the hybrid battery) and then the hybrid battery for another five if serviced at Lexus means that this will probably be a keeper for a fee years yet.
I’ll miss the fresh air, the lovely torquey diesel engine on the SLC, and the gearbox and handling were excellent too, but the Lexus really does feel like a different class of vehicle.
 

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I still haven’t worked out how to cancel/end it by voice.
You can't ... :(
Agree 100% regarding the infotainment system. Even now I can take an age to set the route guidance and on the facelifted model it's marginally better but still a complete faff...🤪
Glad you're enjoying the car. If one were to believe the motoring press it would be a dog, drive it few a bit and you realise it's the dog's bollocks! :thumb:
 
What’s not to like , looks very impressive 👍
 
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Two years on so time for an update.
Just had its five year service at 20,000 miles (bought at 3 years/8,000 miles.)
No issues at all. Not a squeak or a rattle.
Rear tyres at 3.6mm across their width.
Paintwork is pristine apart from a couple of chips and the wheels come up like new with no lacquer peel or milkiness - the slc ones needed a refurb at four years old.
I take back the previous comment about comfort mode. It is better than I first thought and I use it 95% of the time - having said that, on a dry road with Mrs Ted not in the passenger seat, sport+, flappy paddles and with the sound generator on it really brings a smile to my face - even laughing, and I haven’t done that since the Corrado days.
I don’t take back the comments about the satnav UI. It’s crap. And being prefacelift I can’t retrofit carplay without expense and faff.
I really do look forward to every drive in this car - it’s that good. It’s a keeper. I love it. IMG_7471.jpegIMG_7442.jpegIMG_7434.jpegIMG_7435.jpegIMG_7426.jpegIMG_7427.jpeg

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Two years on so time for an update.
Just had its five year service at 20,000 miles (bought at 3 years/8,000 miles.)
No issues at all. Not a squeak or a rattle.
Rear tyres at 3.6mm across their width.
Paintwork is pristine apart from a couple of chips and the wheels come up like new with no lacquer peel or milkiness - the slc ones needed a refurb at four years old.
I take back the previous comment about comfort mode. It is better than I first thought and I use it 95% of the time - having said that, on a dry road with Mrs Ted not in the passenger seat, sport+, flappy paddles and with the sound generator on it really brings a smile to my face - even laughing, and I haven’t done that since the Corrado days.
I don’t take back the comments about the satnav UI. It’s crap. And being prefacelift I can’t retrofit carplay without expense and faff.
I really do look forward to every drive in this car - it’s that good. It’s a keeper. I love it. View attachment 145207View attachment 145208View attachment 145209View attachment 145210View attachment 145211View attachment 145212
Handsome car. I do like a red interior 👌🏻
 
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Really great cars, much misunderstood by the motoring press. Loved our two, the facelift perhaps a little better sorted suspension and drivetrain. The multimedia system was still appalling.
The RX we now have is even better put together, interior finish is remarkable plus the addition of acoustic glass in the windows the silence inside only just broken when the 3.5ltr V6 really starts pulling. It's noticeably quicker than the RC, very easy to drive quickly, just not round corners! That said it does change direction remarkably nimbly in Sport and Sport+ but it's no sports car and really excels at effortless, relaxed and comfortable journeys
 
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That does look really nice!
I was an 'early adopter' to Lexus in the early 90's with a GS300 followed by an LS400. My wife kept the big Lexus for six years, as long as she has kept any car. I guess it was also 'on brand' as I worked for Toyota from 92 thru 97....that and the fact that the Norfolk Lexus dealers were friends of mine called Brundle....
I confess I have not tried one since 2007 when I had one on demo for a couple of days, but decided to go for an S Class Mercedes. If only the gearbox in the Lexus had been more responsive, it could well have been different.
I doubt there is anyone who questions the quality of Lexus, they fastidiously made by real engineers.
 

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