Lexus, Mazda, Toyota And A Bit Of Lotus In This Months Letter From Europe

Letter From Europe
By Andrew Frankl
European Bureau Chief
The Auto Channel

Dear Reader, it was quite scary for a few minutes...

The car-a Lexus UX300 h F sport did something no other car or truck has ever done in my 50 year career as an automotive journalist. Incredible as it may sound it took me to higher ground quickly and efficiently when I got a tsunami warning. You have probably seen the damage in Humbolt County in Northern California, this was no joke.

I’ve never had a tsunami warning in my life. The computer started flashing, there was a call to my phone from my daughter and two cousins within minutes. Go to the nearest high elevation said daughter Annabelle and I didn’t need persuasion. Within a minute I was in the little Lexus which being compact was able to negotiate the very narrow road to the top of Belvedere where the enclosed photo was taken.

By the time I got there people were arriving with binoculars and phones at the ready. There were two dredgers below us in the Bay and both were towed out in case of the tsunami. Had it happened these two huge metal contraptions would have demolished all the houses on the Bay.

As we all know the tsunami warning was canceled, but there was nothing very funny about the potential consequences. So I was able get back into the UX and carried on with my test.

The UX is more powerful than it used to be and the Lexus' Tried and True hybrid powertrain worked very well. The fuel consumption was exceptional, it was just below 40 mpg. The seats were comfortable and the instruments were visible and easy to use.

I felt totally at home and had I needed a car the UX300 would certainly be at the top off my shopping list. The handling is excellent and the compact size and engineering - helped get to the top of the mountain -very maneuverable.

Would I like a bigger engine-yes. Was hard acceleration a noisy affair-certainly. For regular trips to the Sierras I would probably buy the UX’s bigger brother like the RX.

The paint and finish throughout was first class and for me the little UX will always be remembered as my getaway car.

The Mazda CX-90 is a very fine automobile.

Moving up from the previous CX 9 it seems to have improved in every department except one. One which is truly silly, would cost pennies to fix. Namely the puny, barely visible warning light in the mirror.

Mazda are wonderful engineers, their MX 5, Miata - whatever it is called these days is a classic example. I have several friends who are very satisfied owners of the Mazda 3. So all I would ask one off the engineers to do is spend one morning in other car lots.

Please have a look at Volvo where the red strip is unmissable or Subaru who have the warning light in the cowling, again unmissable.

Now you could say that if that is my biggest problem then the CX-90 must be fine and yes it is. But in some ways the warning light is far more important than the positioning of the starter button.

Having that off my chest when I first got into the Mazda I thought it was a Mercedes. The interior has been seriously upgraded and the 3.3 liter engine is also a gem.

The CX-90 is up against some tough competition in the shape of Kia’s Telluride and Toyota’s Grand Highlander and for me it stands its ground very well. The second row seats are supremely comfortable and third-which I did not try is essentially for the school run. Of course the intro price is 40 grand is not what I would recommend chances are you would prefer all the bells and whistles at around 55K.

For this you get a first class Bose speaker system. I am very lucky because old friend Marco always arrives with a smile and the radio set on 067 which is the jazz station. So it would be difficult not to like this very comfortable CX-90 with Dizzy Gillespie and his friends providing supreme entertainment.

0-60 is a respectable 6.3 seconds, not something I had a chance to try in the middle of the Biblical storms we had here in California. More important the CX-90 coped admirably with whatever nature threw at it!

Fuel economy worked out at a perfectly reasonable 25 mpg, on a long run I am sure it would have been 29. The goods news is that all CX-90s come with lots of driver assistance features (ADAS) such as automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control.

Question: would I buy one? If I had a large family I certainly would but first would make sure that the engineers will have fixed the faint, yellow warning light, invisible in the California sun.

I don’t normally go on about an engine which was discontinued but I am sad to see Toyota’s V6 disappearing.

Visiting the Lotus car factory in Hethel, England I was amazed to see huge wooden crates with Toyota written on them. Found out that these were for the Lotus Evora. 301hp 3.5 liter 24 valve DOHC V6-truly wonderful.

I hope my good friends at Toyota will forgive me if I suggest that people fond of that engine should try and buy one in something as excellent as last year’s Highlander.

We went skiing at Northstar and the Toyota was completely full with skis, boots, you name it. At the time I sent a note to Toyota suggesting that the Highlander should be sold as a separate brand, a bit like Hyundai are doing with the Genesis.

Anyway, the new, four cylinder engine is just fine but there is such a thing as nostalgia. The Camry looks great and I am happy that it is made in Georgetown, Kentucky giving secure jobs for tens of thousands of American workers.

I say secure because the Camry is the benchmark for reliability. Middle class people save for it, Uber drives make money for it, It comes with various options-two wheel drive, 4 wheel drive and of course with or without options.

According to all my colleagues and based on my own experience the Camry and the Honda Accord are level pegging in desirability. At just under 30 thousand dollars for the basic model the Camry is a very good buy. Of course if you can afford some luxuries you can go as high as 40 thousand with all the bells and whistles.

The 0-60 figures are not too exciting, 6.8 seconds is respectable as opposed remarkable. What is remarkable is the Camry's fuel consumption at 53 mpg for the LE front wheel drive. The XSE is less efficient at 44mpg but still very good indeed. The interior is vast and some of the details are amazing. There is a warning for instance-when you are Approaching a school!

In terms of comfort there is lots of attractive red trimming, auto dimming rear view mirror, heated steering wheel, you name it. I loved the fact that instead of long white wires I was able to charge my iPhone on the pad just under the dash. In fact most car companies are adopting this feature, very useful indeed.

Any dislikes?

Not really.

Would I be happy to have it as my everyday car?

Certainly.

Am I still missing the V6?

Yes.

That's It For This Month's Letter From Europe
Happy Holidays
Andrew Frankl