3 Month Update

October 9, 2010

Dear all,

Firstly apologies to previous posters who asked questions on a thread I started a while back. I travel quite frequently so may post but then not have the opportunity to reply. In fact I arrived from an overseas trip on thursday and am only posting now as my latest travel was postponed, I should be in the air now in fact.

Anyway I thought I would give a quick update on my 3 month's ownership of a main dealer purchased T Spirit 07 plate mk 2. Following on from recent posts I have now had a new set of Bridgestone E300 Turanza tyres fitted. The fronts were getting marginal at 32.6k and then a puncture in a rear tyre made the decision for me to have new rubber all round for the coming winter. The price was somewhat eyewatering at £407 for the set fitted, at Kwik Fit in fact who were excellent. Costco wanted £132 (yes, thats right) for each tyre, Michelin Energys, but as they didnt have their 20% off for 4 deal that was a non starter. So i have replaced manufacturer originals with like for like and hope not to affect mpg. Talking of mpg over the 7252 miles which I have recorded fuel usage this has averaged out at 55.56 mpg. I am pleased with this as my figures were calculated at 55 mpg and on this basis the car makes economic sense. My driving is a mix of country lanes and fast A and M roads for my commute of 114 miles there and back when in the UK.

Overall I like the ease of motoring, the effortless gearchange and overall quiteness. I found it took a while to get the seat adjusted properly but now I find it fits me well and I am comfortable even for long journeys. An important issue for me as I am 6' 3". Everything works as it should and I find the air con and sound system vey good. In fact i have yet to turn off the air con and wonder if it might be worth a mpg or two? I dont find the shallow boot the problem I thought it might be and the dog is happy too. So it just an effortless and easy to drive car that does all i want without any fuss or drama. I have taken it over to the continent twice now and the satnav works well although it is needlessly complicated. The bluetooth phone is a great asset, I dont use it a lot but it is great when needed.

So what's not to like? Well i am irked that it is obviously set up for Americans and Toyota have not been bothered to change the spec for the UK. The rear window wiper is a pain, it works well on parts of the rear screen that are not necessary to wipe and ignores the bits that are. The seats are obviously designed for fat-ubikd americans, a bit too wide and sofa like and a bit more support would be good. My biggest gripe is the non-heated door mirrors. How Toyota can charge such as large sum as this car cost new and loaded with sat nav, audio system etc and not have heated mirrors is beyond me. I find this very tedious and it will become more so as the autumn/winter sets in. I wonder if it is possible to retro-fit this but I doubt it very much. This is such a stupid oversight in an otherwise excellent car and it would be a reason for me not purchasing another. Not that I dont like the car but just wonder at the arrogance of a manufacturer who can ignore such an extra in a climate such as ours and yet still charge such a price. OK, off my soapbox now. Also I find the trim and in particular the plastics rather cheap and cheerful, some of the interior trim is the type of plastic that shows the scratches. I have leather upholstery and that is good, but might be a bit chilly in the winter and no heated seats either. The carpets are really poor and interior mats are a necessity.

So overall I am very pleased with the car. Reliability, economy and safety are equally important to me and Badge appeal and car park presence bottom of the list. I have done Merc, BM, Volvo, Jag etc and just want something that does what it says on the tin. My plan is to keep the car to 100k and i have a service package with my local dealer so hopefully there will be minimal stress involved. Even my younger daughter tells me that the car is "cool", supporting my eco-credentials apparently and giving me more street cred than my previous diesel octavia. With this experience so far would I do it again? Yes, definitely.

Cheers, Velocette.

October 10, 2010

Nice post and thanks for the update! It's always interesting to read what more experienced owners have encountered.

Heated rear mirrors appear to be standard on all Gen3 cars, so if you get a new / replacement car make it a Gen3. I suspect the bigger engine would be better for your kind of journeys as well. bluetooth is standard on T4 and above.

Re the seat, you've inspired me to keep trying to achieve the optimum position! :driving: