My driving is quite smooth. A second dirt-road test proved that Shield is no match for small pebbles. The car is really fun to sneek up on people in the supermarket parking lot, I call it stelth mode. Back to the Lexus, drive it gently 60-65 mph and you'll see 28-29 mpg in warm weather 65 degrees and up. While coasting down a hill we suddenly nailed the throttle, not a move the car seemed to expect, and there was a momentary lag before the power kicked in. Lexus increased the rigidity of the chassis to manage the additional mass. The idea is to spray it on before a road trip and then wash it off after.
The Harrier was fitted either a 2. The driver can also monitor the gas-electric power distribution on the multi-information display or on the optional navigation system's seven-inch touch panel display. There's a folding center armrest with cup holders and storage. The optional Mark Levinson audio system features 11 speakers and 210 watts. Three months ago, I bought one. With our award-winning 5 star technical staff available to you, you can be rest assured that we're to help with any questions that you may have. Also, the trip odometer is hard to read.
It's smooth and sophisticated, powerful and responsive. It had great power for passing, lots of bins for stowing things, and luggage space that seemed uncompromised by the extra batteries housed under the rear seat for the hybrid system. As others have written, it's very quiet, and just about silent when operating on the electric power alone. All the components work in concert most of the time. We found this interesting and enjoyable.
If you're interested in a used model, be sure to visit our overviews of the and. New cabin technologies include conversational speech system, the first of its kind in the U. New Car Test Drive editor Mitch McCullough filed this report from the Kohala Coast, Hawaii. Many also felt a lurch and heard a clunking sound when the gas engine kicked in when the vehicle was at a complete stop. Foldable armrests on both front seats provide additional comfort on longer trips. In December 1995, the final design directed under designer Makoto Oshima was approved for production, and prototypes later went into testing in 1996.
My only disappointment is its demand for premium fuel which to me, compromises the whole point of fuel economy. The brakes and the abrupt engine drag just take a little getting used to. Lexus could have improved fuel efficiency further with hard, low-grip tires, but chose to enhance handling instead. The radio has big knobs for volume and tuning, that are easy to use. The Lexus dealerships that I have gone to have helped me out and have been very helpful and extremely polite. Some transistors were poorly soldered to the control board, and….
Also, the instruments have evolved: In place of a traditional tachometer, there's an illuminated meter on the left that displays the level of power generated by the hybrid powertrain. Can I install it myself? They have been attentive and helpful. Instead, we combine the findings of professional test drivers with data such as reliability ratings and safety scores to give you a complete overview of every vehicle we rank. Chief engineer Takayuki Katsuda headed development, with design being conducted from 2005. It was worth the wait. Folding the rear seats down reveals 83.
So i guess what ever works for you. Archived from on 7 July 2011. Archived from on 10 March 2009. The equivalent Harrier Hybrid debuted in Japan on 22 March 2005, the same day as the. An battery was responsible for powering the motors, and charged by generators during deceleration or sharp cornering. Getting in is easy, with no need to either climb up or duck down.
The center dash area is framed in metallic-looking plastic topped with a pair of air vents. In 2005, a gasoline-electric version of the 3. It's also used by the optional navigation system and rear-view camera. We don't recommend driving with your head buried in the navigation screen, but we really like this product because if we had a passenger, he could enter a destination on the fly. The camera is automatically activated when the transmission is shifted into reverse. Audio controls are at the bottom of the center stack. Archived from on 29 July 2012.
The concept's overall design intent was to be commonly used for suburban driving. But the difference in price is not something I am willing to pay. It rides smoothly, fares well in the city and on the highway, and gets better fuel economy than most class rivals. With our award-winning 5 star technical staff available to you, you can be rest assured that we're to help with any questions that you may have. Inside, it looks great, feels upscale, and provides plenty of standard features and passenger space. The front seats are positioned off the floor at a comfortable chair height and are snug and supportive. This is not at all intuitive at first because we're all accustomed to hearing and feeling an engine running before shifting into drive.