5Hrs Of Rush Hour Traffic, 250 Miles, Rain Or Sun, The Is300H Was Faul

[ganzoom]

Had a meeting to attend some 130 miles away yesterday. Left the house at 545am, go the the venue on time, spent the day in meetings, left at 430pm, and got back home at 7pm.

The IS300H performed flawlessly, I love the adaptive cruise control - makes busy M-way driving so much easier, and not having to put up with a rattling diesel engine when in jams just makes life so much more relaxed, especially when spending nearly 1/4 of the day in the car!! The seats were also superb, not a hint of back ache or discomfort. Passed a few XEs on the M-ways, really glad we went with the IS300H rather than the XE...which just looks like another BMW/Audi.

To cap it all off, despite keeping pace with traffic (60-70mph best you can do in rush hour around the M5/6 etc), it appears the car had only been sipping fuel. Apparently good for another 340 miles!!!

So despite some various 'negative' themes that can come up on the forums, we should all remember just how good the IS300H is at getting you from A to B in comfort...oh no hint at any kind of 'vibrations' at any speeds/revs, no rattles or excessive wind noise, and definitely no sudden popping up of the bonnet :)

[capese21]

It what the IS is designed to do get you from a to B in comfort & style using the public roads. It is why I bought one. (The lack of diesel clatter blocked up DPF etc)

Not for driving around like a failed Top Gear presenter then moaning because it isnt a "drivers car". A BMW M3 may be very fast but in all honesty where can you use 4 seconds 0 to 60 and 160 mph?

I didn't buy it to do circuits on the test track or ever have any intention of doing so. Its what most motoring journalists fail to grasp.

No rattles or wind noise or pop up hoods on my fsport either!!

Ed

[ganzoom]

^^ I still don't think its a 'drivers car' close but spoilt by the hybrid engine. What's the point of a 'F-sport' when its not really 'sporty'.

For me the 'ultimate' car is one that combines the performance of a M3/M5 etc, but with the luxury/comfort of a big comfy sofa, and also economy of a 3 cylinder Nissan Micra....For all intents and purposes those three things are usually contradictors.

My wife loves our IS300H, she paid for it after all and for the purpose of getting from A to B its fab, but my money will be going towards an all electric alternative ;).

[capese21]

What's the point of a 'F-sport' when its not really 'sporty'.

Style.

What is "sporty" though? To me how it looks & how fast off the line and handling of which my fsport delivers as much as any "drivers" car. I prefer the look of any IS to a 3 series even the M3.

Our next door neighbour has an Evoque looks great with that go anywhere ruggedness & cool & modern, he has the 2wd version though as he likes the style but doesn't actually want to go off roading. He takes his kids to school and shopping trips.

Style counts. I know I dont need or want 4 seconds 0 to 60 or 160mph, 30 years ago now maybe!!

A girl friend of mine only ever wears jeans & a sweatshirt no matter what the occasion. She is nice looking but clothes dont interest her in the slightest. To be honest she has no style, doesn't bother with her hair either it is clean & neat as are her jeans & sweatshirts but that is as far as it goes.

Ed

[ganzoom]

I'm the opposite when it comes to 'style'. Personally I couldn't careless what a car looks like along as it deliver the performance....I still wear shirts to work that I first bought 15 years ago, when I was a student. Indeed most students these days are better dressed than me, and my wife has had to force me to give away some of my old cloths :).

Quite understand why people go for style though.

[dutchie01]

i am with you Ganzoom. am driving an IS300H Fsport fuji white red leather etc. i like it. very much. It is by no means perfect and even in the NVH department it is not as good as my IS250 2nd gen. That was a smooooth car this has its vibrations now and then. but i love it. i like the styling inside and out, it polarises unlike most of the germans that are bland. drove a 4 series gran coupe which i think is one of the bst lloking bmś out there but the interior is so conservative compared to my IS. I like looking at the IS and it takes along time to really discover it, to understand how the hybrid system works, performs. i like the instant torque from standstill. the IS feels special unlike most german cars. it is not perfect but good enough for me

[baxlin]

Folks who get into my IS300h Advance cannot get over how quiet and smooth it is - but it's spoilt, IMO, by the lower profile tyres - 45s - so much tyre noise on just about all but the newest/smoothest roads. I think part of it though could be the car is so quiet in every other respect!

And on the subject of performance/chuckability, we did a 300 mile round trip over the last couple of days, and Mrs Baxlin remarked at one point that my driving style had changed since I've had the Lexus, so much less hurried, more relaxed. I put it down to the Eco meter thingy, I try to avoid the white "power" area of the gauge altogether.

[golfgtidude]

Had a meeting to attend some 130 miles away yesterday. Left the house at 545am, go the the venue on time, spent the day in meetings, left at 430pm, and got back home at 7pm.

The IS300H performed flawlessly, I love the adaptive cruise control - makes busy M-way driving so much easier, and not having to put up with a rattling diesel engine when in jams just makes life so much more relaxed, especially when spending nearly 1/4 of the day in the car!! The seats were also superb, not a hint of back ache or discomfort. Passed a few XEs on the M-ways, really glad we went with the IS300H rather than the XE...which just looks like another BMW/Audi.

To cap it all off, despite keeping pace with traffic (60-70mph best you can do in rush hour around the M5/6 etc), it appears the car had only been sipping fuel. Apparently good for another 340 miles!!!

So despite some various 'negative' themes that can come up on the forums, we should all remember just how good the IS300H is at getting you from A to B in comfort...oh no hint at any kind of 'vibrations' at any speeds/revs, no rattles or excessive wind noise, and definitely no sudden popping up of the bonnet :)

What sort of speed does the electric motor run to. Says in brochure 40mph

Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[ganzoom]

The electric motor provides assistance at higher speeds than 40mph, but it cannot power the car alone at that speeds. The electric motor on the IS300H is really there to allow the atkins cycle combustion, and recruit energy lost during braking in start-stop traffic.

Electric motors are more efficient than any petrol motor but laws of physics still apply, air resistance doubles as speed increases. The main problem with electric cars is relative small 'fuel' a Battery can store compared to a petrol tank. So as you increase speed you use up your fuel much quicker.

One litre of petrol has about 9 kWh of energy. So a IS300H with 66 litres of fuel has over 590 kWh of potential energy, yet at best it'll cover 600 miles, so roughly 1 kWh per mile.

My Nissan Leaf only has 20kWh of usable Battery, a Tesla about 80kWh. Yet the Leaf will cover 80-90 miles, 4 miles per kWh, and a Tesla 3.5 miles per kWh, so an equivalent petrol car has to reach 150-200mpg before coming close to achieving the same energy efficiency.

This is before you factor in the energy required to extract, refine, and transport petrol. Where as it now becoming increasingly obvious renewable electric generation can contribute significantly to the electrical grid without using fossil fuels. What the German government has invested in renewables makes England look rather third world (Scotland is a different story).

http://ecowatch.com/2015/07/30/germany-breaks-renewable-energy-record/

The IS300H only has a tiny <2kWh Battery, and there is certainly much more Lexus/Toyota can do to increase electrication of their entire car range.