IS 300h - difference in ride quality between SE and other models

[tanimbar]

Hello,

I'm a prospective purchaser of an IS 300h. Live in the west country, roads are rough, potholes etc. and I spend a lot of time on poor B roads.

Had a few hours test run in an IS 300h F Sport (only demonstrator available) with  F Sport - 225/40R18 88Y (front), 255/35R18 91Y (rear). Great car except that ride quality was unacceptable. I expected this result.

But, how much better is the SE with regard to ride quality on its  205/55R16 91W tyres and 16 inch wheels?

I know a test drive would answer the question but that would be a 150 mile round trip for me.

Depending on the answers here I will take the test drive or simply knock the IS 300H SE off my list of possible purchases. Hopefully not the latter because the IS 300 H makes a lot of sense otherwise (well, excluding the service costs and possibly the seat!).

Thank you, Tanimbar

 

[rayaans]

Hmm I find the IS F-Sport to ride very well - not harsh at all and smoother than my previous Merc with "comfort" suspension

But to answer your question - the SE is very smooth - sublime in fact due to its smaller wheels, bigger tyre profiles and more compliant suspension.

[tanimbar]

Rayaans thank you for replying.

I now think I should have clarified my question and observations about ride quality - I'll try below.

On A roads and motorways, i.e. smooth, well maintained surfaces, the ride quality for my test in the IS 300H F sport was acceptable. It was firm and with a lot of 'feedback' from the surface - I could feel ridges, patch work and changes in road surface. No complaint from me because it was an F Sport.

On country B roads and poorly maintained town/village roads the F sport was at times harsh, clattery and uncomfortable. The handling was generally fine, but at times bordered on the unsettled; however the steering was positive and I knew what was happening.

So, it is the ride quality of the IS 300H SE on B roads and other poorly maintained surfaces that interest me the most. That is where I spend a lot of my time.

Would I be right in assuming that your description of the ride of the SE as 'very smooth' and 'sublime' relates to A roads and motorways? If so, I would not be surprised.

Can you now describe your experience of the ride quality of the SE on B roads etc?

Thanks in advance.

 

 

[rayaans]

11 minutes ago, tanimbar said:

Rayaans thank you for replying.

I now think I should have clarified my question and observations about ride quality - I'll try below.

On A roads and motorways, i.e. smooth, well maintained surfaces, the ride quality for my test in the IS 300H F sport was acceptable. It was firm and with a lot of 'feedback' from the surface - I could feel ridges, patch work and changes in road surface. No complaint from me because it was an F Sport.

On country B roads and poorly maintained town/village roads the F sport was at times harsh, clattery and uncomfortable. The handling was generally fine, but at times bordered on the unsettled; however the steering was positive and I knew what was happening.

So, it is the ride quality of the IS 300H SE on B roads and other poorly maintained surfaces that interest me the most. That is where I spend a lot of my time.

Would I be right in assuming that your description of the ride of the SE as 'very smooth' and 'sublime' relates to A roads and motorways? If so, I would not be surprised.

Can you now describe your experience of the ride quality of the SE on B roads etc?

Thanks in advance.

 

 

I was referring to the ride quality of the SE on normal, broken roads in town. It is very good due to smaller wheels, greater tyre profile and non stiffened suspension

However, the handling is not as good because of the above and the limits of grip are reached quicker due to the smaller tyres. 

[wh05apk]

I've got the premier, on "rubber bands" and find the ride is quite poor, I think if ride quality is important, then 16's will probably be preferable, I can't compare with anything similar as for the last 8 years I have driven a 4x4 with 235/60/18's and the ride comfort is far better.

[michaelH]

Choosing a mid range model with 17" wheels might be a good compromise in terms of ride quality, cost and noise levels vs grip and appearance.  I have no complaints about the ride on my Exec model and found it easy to get winter tyres in the same size.  I would like to consider a sport or Premier model but would be a little concerned about higher noise levels, inferior ride quality and the greater risk of kerbing damage. I have also heard of some owners complaining of excessive wear on the rear 18s, which are expensive tyres. It was once possible to specify the premier model with 17s, but that option seems to have disappeared for new cars. A pity. 

[ColinBarber]

I have an F Sport, the 17" model loan vehicles I've had where definitely more compliant on poor road surfaces. Never driven an IS300h with 16" wheels so cannot comment.

[rayaans]

I think my F Sport has the best balance TBH. The premier felt no different to the F Sport which is odd too. 

The exec felt a bit too soft.

Generally we all have different tastes so the best thing would defo be to try them out. 

[ColinBarber]

It is certainly personal preference. I find my F Sport too hard at times.

[tanimbar]

Thank you to everyone.

Interesting, if slightly confusing, set of reported experiences. But what I can take from the replies is that it is worth my trundling the 150 miles or so for a test in a SE model.

I'll report back.

Thanks again.

 

[rayaans]

2 hours ago, tanimbar said:

Thank you to everyone.

Interesting, if slightly confusing, set of reported experiences. But what I can take from the replies is that it is worth my trundling the 150 miles or so for a test in a SE model.

I'll report back.

Thanks again.

 

Yes definitely - 150 miles is nothing compared to the thousands of miles you'll do in a car which you dont like the ride of!!

[ganzoom]

If you order new you can spec the premier with smaller 17inch wheels.  Which is what we did, have no complaints about ride quality,  infact the ride quality is one of the best parts of the car. 

[Zotto]

A different tyres pressure could make the difference too, sometimes hybrid cars have overinflated tyres to spare mpg. Also tyres brand is important.

 

[michaelH]

19 hours ago, ganzoom said:

If you order new you can spec the premier with smaller 17inch wheels.  Which is what we did, have no complaints about ride quality,  infact the ride quality is one of the best parts of the car. 

As far as I can see, that option has disappeared. Perhaps too few buyers took advantage of it? 

 

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, michaelH said:

As far as I can see, that option has disappeared. Perhaps too few buyers took advantage of it? 

 

Dealers are generally accommodating on the wheels though so will most likely change them over anyway

[dutchie01]

i drove a base model 300h for 3 weeks until my 300h f-sport was delivered and found the 2 cars very different. the ride quality of the base 300 was definately better, softer damping more relaxing and comfort. the f sport has bigger wheels low tyres, stiffer springs and you definately notice, the car can be bumpy and stiff at b roads. another thing is that the steering in the base model feels lighter propably due to the smaller wheels. you also feel a difference between eco/normal and sport in the steering it gives more resistance. in the 300h fsport i dont feel that maybe because of the bigger wheels with the low tyres. to sum up i find the base model the better - and more silent, less roll noise - drive of the 2. only thing is that the f-sport looks so much better thatś why i made that choice. Not sure if i would do it again though.   

[tanimbar]

Dutchie01 - excellent reporting. Thank you.

I had hoped the SE (your base model) would be more compliant and better suited to rough roads than the F Sport (or Sport?) - you confirm that. It also seems that the Premier, possibly all variants on 17 inch wheels, ride less well on rough surfaces than the SE on 16 inch wheels. Not really a great surprise.

Now all I need to do is find a SE test car - the one I hoped to drive has been sold by the dealer.

There are more used SE cars available up north (Birmingham northwards) compared to the south-west. Patience required.

Tanimbar

 

 

[rayaans]

56 minutes ago, tanimbar said:

Dutchie01 - excellent reporting. Thank you.

I had hoped the SE (your base model) would be more compliant and better suited to rough roads than the F Sport (or Sport?) - you confirm that. It also seems that the Premier, possibly all variants on 17 inch wheels, ride less well on rough surfaces than the SE on 16 inch wheels. Not really a great surprise.

Now all I need to do is find a SE test car - the one I hoped to drive has been sold by the dealer.

There are more used SE cars available up north (Birmingham northwards) compared to the south-west. Patience required.

Tanimbar

 

 

Take a look on Autotrader. Just go test drive an SE at an independent dealer if you can and if its closer.

[tanimbar]

Moving slightly off topic - just made enquiry about a 2013/63 plate, IS 300 h Luxury, 17,000 miles. Being sold by an independent dealer, not Lexus franchises.

I was/am thinking of testing it so that I have a personal reference point regarding the ride quality of a Luxury and SE model. The price/mileage ratio is attractive too.

Salesman claims it has not been serviced yet - not needed; has no service book for stamping (he claims all records are stored digitally by Toyota/Lexus) and that Lexus warranty is intact.

I've read some posts here when people talk of their service books being stamped - do all Lexus cars/owners have a service book?

As I understand it the new car warranty is for 3 years at 10,000 (or 12,500) or annually, whichever comes first, and that the warranty is invalidated if this is not carried out. Is this correct?

Apparently the car has been returned early from a lease contract.

The asking price is £16,995 which is why I was interested - but - ................... seems to be some oddities in what the salesman claims. Am I being paranoid?

Thanks Tanimbar

 

[rayaans]

26 minutes ago, tanimbar said:

Moving slightly off topic - just made enquiry about a 2013/63 plate, IS 300 h Luxury, 17,000 miles. Being sold by an independent dealer, not Lexus franchises.

I was/am thinking of testing it so that I have a personal reference point regarding the ride quality of a Luxury and SE model. The price/mileage ratio is attractive too.

Salesman claims it has not been serviced yet - not needed; has no service book for stamping (he claims all records are stored digitally by Toyota/Lexus) and that Lexus warranty is intact.

I've read some posts here when people talk of their service books being stamped - do all Lexus cars/owners have a service book?

As I understand it the new car warranty is for 3 years at 10,000 (or 12,500) or annually, whichever comes first, and that the warranty is invalidated if this is not carried out. Is this correct?

Apparently the car has been returned early from a lease contract.

The asking price is £16,995 which is why I was interested - but - ................... seems to be some oddities in what the salesman claims. Am I being paranoid?

Thanks Tanimbar

 

Dealer is having you for a fool

IS300h has service intervals of 10k miles/1 year for private buyers and 12k miles/1 year for business users.

Therefore, that IS is missing 2 services and warranty will be affected. However, having said that the warranty is set to run out this year regardless. The warranty is 3 year/60k miles.

All Lexus vehicles have a service book, Lexus stores information on their system but its not readily available by each dealer.

Its cheap because it doesn't have a service history.

[tanimbar]

I thought I wasn't being paranoid. He was out to get me! No sale, no test drive either.

 

 

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, tanimbar said:

I thought I wasn't being paranoid. He was out to get me! No sale, no test drive either.

 

 

I probably would have driven it just to check the ride though! No need to buy afterwards ha!

[pobrown]

I've owned an SE model since mid March.  Yesterday I took it to the dealer for some warranty work to be done and I now have a '65' plate 'Sport' model with 18" wheels for a few days.  

I noticed a difference in the ride quality instantly - I really don't like the 18" wheels. I can feel every bump in the road on my usual drive to work.  I much prefer my normal car with the 16" wheels.  Note, this loan car is a 'Sport' not 'F-Sport' so I don't think it has any different suspension settings like the F-Sport does.

Although I initially wanted a 'Premier' model when shopping around for all the extra toys inc ML Audio, I'm really happy with my SE.

For comparison I would be interested to try a model with 17" wheels but the 18" would be a no-no for me on any future purchase of this range.

[tanimbar]

Yesterday I had a back-to-back test of an IS 300H SE and a Luxury, 16 and 17 inch wheels, respectively. So this is a report on the ride quality of both.

Unfortunately the roads available were quite well maintained but I did hit as many drain covers, potholes and rough tarmac as possible. Sadly, didn't get onto a quick road, e.g. motorway, or a rough B road.

On well maintained surfaces the two cars are very similar - I think you would be pushed to tell the difference if blindfolded as a passenger. On these surfaces the ride of the two is essentially smooth and well controlled, while at the same time supplying sufficient feel for normal driving. Neither car exhibits the longer wavelength damping of cars such as a Mondeo; the damping and spring rates seem to be 'tuned' more towards vehicle control and sharper steering. I would not describe it as plush or luxurious but instead a firm, supple ride with more vehicular stability.

Previously I had tested a Sport (18 inch wheels) on a motorway and that ride was acceptably smooth and controlled, but also fed back knowledge of the road surface and imperfections to the steering wheel, i.e. just as you would expect for 18 inch wheels and sports suspension. I would expect both SE and Luxury to have very good motorway ride quality - not sublime wafting, not soft wallowing either, but instead a well-controlled, supple acceptance of road imperfections; you would probably feel and hear imperfections but not be disturbed by them.

The surprise for me was that the 16 inch SE was not very much better than the 17 inch Luxury at dealing with potholes, drains and rough tarmac. However, I didn't have a chance to test either car on a long length of damaged or poorly maintained road, i.e. a typical west country B road. That lack aside, the SE does deal marginally better with drains etc. than the Luxury. Neither car's suspension crashes, excessively thumps, or gives that disconcerting wheel-twisting feel of poor suspension and damper systems. For comparison the Sport does crash and thump over ridges and drains etc. - that's the nature of that beast.

So, there you have my personal opinion. Before the back-to-back test I was expecting to have to write about a large contrast between the SE and Luxury rides but it's not there. They are surprisingly similar. A greater contrast may exist if driving on B roads - possibly/probably a more forgiving, compliant, smoother ride in the SE than the Luxury - but if the difference between the two on A roads and well-maintained B roads is indicative, then the difference on poor surfaces is probably not great.

That last point is the most important thing I've learnt: I can now consider purchasing not only a 16 inch SE but also a 17 inch Luxury (and possibly the Executive).

Thanks again for the feed-back on your experiences.

regards, Tanimbar

[rayaans]

Interesting read there.

Where did you manage to test the cars?

Also, something to consider are the tyre pressures. If it was at a dealer, very likely that the tyre pressures are somewhere beyond what they should be - The CT200h I had recently was on 40PSI!!