Having driven a BMW X3 Diesel for the past 2 years and 114,000 miles, I decided that it was about time for a change. I live in the middle of nowhere in Hertfordshire, England, and especially during the winter months, find a 4x4 useful for getting in and out of the house. Most my driving is on the M1, between London and Leeds, and I decided that it would be worth finding out why everyone's on about the eco-driving. Top of my list was the Lexus RX450H, which for a top of the range ex-demo, I'm looking about £54,000 from a dealer, £20,000 more than another X3 with the same specifications. Yes, that could save me £8 a few times a week, but I'm still skeptical as to how well it was going to work.
The day for me to try it had arrived, and despite it being the British summer, it was raining. I had to go to Heathrow Airport then into Central London with a well known American singer. When I picked her up, she loved the shape of the car and wanted to know more. Celebrities in America are well known for owning Toyota Prius', but just not so good at actually driving them. I am so far really happy with the technology, the air conditioning is ice cold, the car drives well at 80mph and it's got 2 suitcases in the boot with a celebrity talking. The only downside is the amount of fuel the car uses on faster roads, with about 28mpg being the norm. I'd normally be getting about 35-40 depending on my driving in the X3.
As we got into the inner city, the car seemed a lot better. It was easy to park, the steering was tight and responsive and the MPG shot up to around 50, which was partly due to the engine stopping whilst in heave traffic and partly due to me going nowhere fast! Bearing in mind that by this point, I'd normally have about 13mpg from the X3, I think it's doing well. It was on the back roads home that it really started to come into its own, with the country lanes being no problem, however it's still not a 'real' off roader. I wouldn't dare take it anywhere really muddy. It looks great on my drive, too.
In comparison, I prefer the way that the Lexus drives, and it's perfect for anyone who spends most their time in the city. I'm just a bit skeptical of whether I'd pay an extra £20,000 when I spend most of my time on the motorway. The cruise control was fiddly and the Sat Nav couldn't keep up with 80mph. I'd recommend one to a friend, but it's just not for me