Jim Clark

You guys in the great white north really do need winter tires. In VA we rarely get significant snowfall and it usually warms up fairly quickly and melts. We'll leave the stock Michelin A/S tires on for the winter. I'll take the 400 out and test it the first time we get some slippery stuff this year. With AWD and traction control, it should be just fine. Although, our cars are "primarily" FWD. The Lexus AWD system can not compare to the likes of the Audi Quattro (traded for the 400) or my Jeep Grand Cherokee. If we get some serious stuff, my Jeep with "real" AWD and excellent Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo's can go through anything.

Don't all 400h rear hatches lock automaticly? As soon as we begin pulling it down ... it finishes the trip all by itself, if we haven't shut it all the way by hand . . . then, the auto latch can be heard engaging. Perhaps if the auto door open/close function is out of whack, you have an issue ... but otherwise? Well, I haven't closed it manually myself, always just push the button, and then I hear/see the automatic system close/lock it. She apparently closed it manually, but not all the way, and the automatic system didn't finish the job. I'll have to verify this can be done but I think it can as she did it. In any event, it appears we have to be diligent about making sure all the doors are closed all the way.

katzjamr: Good point, you may be right. But I thought the battery system would shut down if you ran out of gas. There are warnings in the manual that you should immediately pull the car over and not drive it if you run out of gas. I agree that it's pretty easy to calculate miles to empty when the idiot light comes on, it's basically saying "get some gas now dopey".

Of course, A/S tires are a trade-off. If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, dedicated winter tires are recommended. It also depends on how good your AWD system is. The Audi Quattro system is the gold standard. As much as I love our new 400h, I have no misconceptions that its AWD system will be anywhere close to the Quattro system. We'll go into winter with the A/S Michelins that came stock, hopefully they'll be OK, we don't get a lot of snow in VA. But, I'd rather have ContiExtremes on there as they are the best A/S tire for snow and ice and are darn good in all conditions. As far as the original poster and his question, it depends on where he lives. My only experience with Goodyear tires (OEM on my Jeep) was not good.

It IS a surprise they don't have this simple function. My '94 Jeep Grand Cherokee has it and I've driven it right down to zero as I entered the gas station. It took all of the tank capacity to fill it (within a 10th) so it must be very accurate.

I noticed the interior lights were on in our new 400 the other night. I waited a while to see if they'd go out, they didn't. I finally figured out the rear hatch wasn't closed completely by the wife when she got home. If they had stayed on all night, I'm sure they would have drained the 12 volt battery which is apparently a real PITA. Guess it's up to us to make SURE all doors are completely closed or risk draining that battery overnight.

No, I haven't tested them all. BUT, I can tell you that I drove our Audi S6 in conditions that had other AWD cars off the road and/or unable to get up hills. I'm sure the excellent Quattro AWD system in the Audi had a lot to do with that but I was impressed how well the ContiExtremes did in VERY slippery conditions. I never had them in really deep snow (the Audi S6 doesn't have enough ground clearance for the really deep stuff), but had them in moderate levels and they did just fine. Doesn't siping relate to tread pattern? All A/S tires must be made from rubber compounds that can handle the cold. Take a look at the tread pattern similarities between the Extremes and the very popular Dunlop Winter Sport M3: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...Winter+Sport+M3 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...iExtremeContact Here's the ratings for the Ultra High Performance A/S category: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresult....jsp?type=UHPAS The Bridgestone's were rated slightly better on ice but I can tell you the Extremes performed extremely well when I had them in sheet ice conditions.

Are you kidding? Feds have a minimum requirement in the 40's per gallon. So, NO, in CA ... (and what I thought was ALL states & Fed jurisdictions) you can't ride solo in the HOV lanes unless you have the stickers, which you can't get unless your car qualifies. Basically, that's the Prius, the Civic, and the (no longer in production) Insight. Yep, states CAN set their own reg's ... but they loose matching Fed funds if they don't abide by Fed rules (remember the 70's ?? and the 55mph speed limit? ... that's why all states went along with it) . I can't imaging any state or Fed jurisdiction legislators willing to give up those 10's of millions in matching funds for road creation, maintenance, & developement. Your avatar says N. VA but you're speeking of driving in DC . . . so which area are you saying permits HOV stickers for a car (400h) that averages (I think the new EPA is) what ... maybe 27mpg average between HWY and City? I would seriously doubt VA would give up fed funds but they DO allow most hybrids (including the 400h) in the HOV lanes with solo drivers. Are you sure there's a mileage requirement? I thought it was an emissions requirement, that the vehicles must be certified as Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (SULEV's). I believe the HOV lanes are regulated by the states, even if it's an interstate highway. I suppose it's possible VA "may" have been granted some sort of waiver due to our difficult traffic conditions and the fact that many congresscritters live in VA.

The best A/S tire for snow, by far, is the Continental ContiExtreme Contact. Their tread pattern is very similar to the popular Dunlop M3 winter tires.

Can you use the 400h in HOV lanes (driving alone) in CA? We can here in the DC area and demand for them is strong. Good low mileage used ones hold their prices really well, too well actually, which is why we bought new. Good used ones will not be on the lot for more than a week. The only competition is the Toyota Highlander. We considered the Highlander but it didn't have the driver memory functions and a loaded Highlander Limited is only $3-4k less than the 400h. Since we started considering an RX, I began to notice how many RX's of all types there are in this area. They outnumber BMW's and MB's BIG time. We've only had it a little over a week and love it so far. It's not as powerful and doesn't handle as well as the Audi S6 it replaced but the comfort and ride are way better. We'll probably keep this car a long time.

Didn't get much off in the DC area but they treated me OK on the trade. There's strong demand here for 400h's, you can use them in the HOV lanes even if alone. Good low mileage used ones are holding their prices extremely well, too well actually, that's why we bought new.

im having the same problem, their email response sucks! i just called them and they claimed they would call me back, we'll see how long this takes. Never called me back. Not a good sign. No e-mail response either. I attended the San Fransisco auto show this w/e and was informed by a sales guy that the Nav unit does respond to commands by voice while in motion. I specifically asked if I could enter addresses verbally and was told yes. Anyone know it that is true? I am close to pulling the trigger on a purchase. /Steve The Nav on our '08 does respond to voice commands while driving. I haven't actually tried it yet but it will do it.

Trying to do some research on a car for my sister-in-law. After her VW broke down again, she was so fed up she had it fixed and drove it to Carmax and told them to cut her a check. She's been looking at new cars in the $20-25k range. The Mazda 3 is her favorite choice so far. She's also looked at Toyotas (thought it was to cheap feeling) and Subarus (headrest bothered her). I suggested she look at used CPO Lexus's as an option. I think she could get a LOT more car and still be in her price range. Reliability is a primary concern and Lexus has an outstanding reputation in that area. Other important considerations are seating postion and visibility. She's petite, about 5'0"-5'1". The seat will need to go high enough for good visibility and have reasonable reach to the pedals without putting her to close to the steering wheel. My wife is similar in size and the best fit we found for her was an Audi A6 Avant, we're now on our third one, a 2002 S6. Audis are great but don't have Lexus reliability. There are plenty of ES's available a dealerships local to her but no IS's. I'm afraid the ES might be too big for her. How much is the size difference between the two? Is it like a 3 series vs. a 5 series BMW? I haven't seen the two side by side and I can't really tell from the pics in internet ads. Do either of them come with telescoping steering wheels or adjustable pedals? Is there a significant difference in fit and finish, options (convenience gadgets), and interior appointments between the two? What are the differences in driveability and ride? I know the IS is rear wheel drive and is advertised as being sportier. Any help or advice is appreciated.

Trying to do some research on a car for my sister-in-law. After her VW broke down again, she was so fed up she had it fixed and drove it to Carmax and told them to cut her a check. She's been looking at new cars in the $20-25k range. The Mazda 3 is her favorite choice so far. She's also looked at Toyotas (thought it was to cheap feeling) and Subarus (headrest bothered her). I suggested she look at used CPO Lexus's as an option. I think she could get a LOT more car and still be in her price range. Reliability is a primary concern and Lexus has an outstanding reputation in that area. Other important considerations are seating postion and visibility. She's petite, about 5'0"-5'1". The seat will need to go high enough for good visibility and have reasonable reach to the pedals without putting her to close to the steering wheel. My wife is similar in size and the best fit we found for her was an Audi A6 Avant, we're now on our third one, a 2002 S6. Audis are great but don't have Lexus reliability. There are plenty of ES's available a dealerships local to her but no IS's. I'm afraid the ES might be too big for her. How much is the size difference between the two? Is it like a 3 series vs. a 5 series BMW? I haven't seen the two side by side and I can't really tell from the pics in internet ads. Do either of them come with telescoping steering wheels or adjustable pedals? Is there a significant difference in fit and finish, options (convenience gadgets), and interior appointments between the two? What are the differences in driveability and ride? I know the IS is rear wheel drive and is advertised as being sportier. Any help or advice is appreciated.