NHS doctor, Balaji Badrinarayan, bought his low-mileage Lexus NX 300h almost eighteen months ago. You’d be forgiven for thinking the ICU consultant only had plans to nurse his car on gentle commutes to work. Perhaps he’d use his oh-so-refined hybrid for the occasional waft to the supermarket – where obviously he’d park far away from other cars to reduce the chances of his blue paint being chipped by careless car door opening. Maybe sometimes he would take his son to nursery or perhaps his wife to a fancy city centre restaurant.
But Balaji’s first-ever Lexus was not destined for an easy life in his hands. Before long, a bike rack, roof box, GB sticker – now covered-up with the updated UK version, headlight beam correctors and all-season tyres were fitted. Balaji and his wife Tejashree, both 37-year-olds, like to travel. They like to travel a lot!
Since picking it up from the Lexus dealership in Leicester, the NX has clocked-up 28,000 miles travelling the length and breadth of Europe and the UK. “I’ve owned other premium brands before but they’re not so reliable these days.
“Reliability is everything. We go to a lot of odd places. Not serious off-road places but to places, where, at times, we wouldn’t want to break down.
“We’ve just returned from a fantastic 21-day, 3,200-mile holiday to Austria and Slovenia – across five countries. Road trips are the best way to explore new places and in these times the safest as well.
“We drove through the stunning Black Forest region in Germany. I’d fitted winter certified tyres but we did manage to get stuck in the middle of the forest in snow and had to use snow chains for the first time. I had practised putting on the snow chains at home but it is much more difficult when putting them to use in reality, especially in -5C.
“Austria in winter is breathtaking, it truly is a winter wonderland. And Slovenia was a pleasant surprise – raw, unspoilt natural beauty with picturesque landscapes. We made it up the Vršič Pass, one of the most difficult mountain passes in Europe with over 50 hairpin bends and sharp downturns. It is usually closed between November and March in view of avalanche risk but we were lucky to drive through it. It is an absolute driver’s delight.” said Balaji.
The couple live in Sutton Coldfield, in the West Midlands with their three-year-old son, Ivaan. They have also taken the NX on trips to Devon, Northern Ireland – where they drove it on the beach – Luxembourg, France, Scotland and Wales. Tejashree, also a doctor is a keen blogger and Instagrammer. She uses their road-trip locations as backdrops for her Instagram photographs – often posing with the car too. https://www.instagram.com/tejashree_balaji/
“This is just the start” – added Bajaji, “Driving the car has been a good experience so far. I’ll probably keep it for five years, but in that time I’m hoping to drive it to South Africa and maybe to India too. But with lots more places in between. We’re making memories that will last a lifetime”.
Dear Balaji & Teju ,
Both of you are really doing great road trips through exotic locations in your Lexus car .It is nice to drive to several countries especially in Europe and that’s best way to explore newer places.
Wish you a very safe motoring wherever you go.
Great going! keep it up! 😊
Omg!! Love the car and your travelling adventures with it ❤️
Wow..Amazing! Keep going miles and exploring places!!!
Congratulations Balaji & Tejashree , keep inspiring us with your travel journey
I have bought new cars with my own money most of my life (And lost money each time I sold on, young and daft). Mostly Japanese cars with long warranties and mostly they never let me down. Since I purchased my used Lexus CT 200 a year ago I will admit l it’s like living in a different world cos you feel good just getting into the car and it has the wow factor. And as for taking it in for servicing you get treated like Royalty and you become part of the family and you get a years free warranty each time it is serviced.
I would like to go up a model but my wife being small can only just get into the CT200 and at 91 years old her word is law.
My alternative is to divorce my wife and get a higher model, I am still considering this alternative
stay safe
Brian
I too love my 300h, now six years old, which I take to the South of France twice a year, unless Covid intervenes I have twice been to Vienna in it as well. Naturally it has never let me down. Keep trucking on.
Hi Balaji and Tejashree,
Your journeys remind me of our own travels, in a Morris Minor, in the early sixties from the Nordkapp to Istanbul.
You will have wonderful memories that will last a lifetime.
Great to hear of your adventures to Slovenia etc. We did that trip in a Fiat back in 1976, camping wild, when Czechoslovakia was still behind the Iron Curtain. Now a more sedate life, commuting every month from Orkney to Glasgow in our NX 300h. Great reliability and safety: previous Lexus was in a direct hit round a bend with a driver on wrong side of road and we walked out of A & E unscathed two hours later, thanks to Lexus. Can’t say more than that for customer satisfaction.
I too have an NX premier it’s one of the best cars you could ever own, yes treated like royalty at the service station, a video documentary about about the service from the person who serviced the car, never had this kind of service before! . I use to own a Chrysler grand voyager and when I sit in my NX I feel like I’m back there space tech comfort I use to go to Italy, Spain , France with the family . I can’t wait to do it in my NX. My only regret is I can’t bring back goodies from my travels! But the memories of travelling through Switzerland makes up for that!