New is300h owner .

gnoxmindeater · August 4, 2018

So, took a bit of a gamble and bought a 15 is300h in UK from a trader auction.

Amazing price, even with VRT costs to ireland, and wasn't sure of all the options in it.

FSH, 32k miles - Luxury trim - celestial black.

Collected in Grimsby and drove back to Cork via holyhead- dublin.

Moving from a 14 Mazda 6 2.2D Sport Nav

First impressions:

Good:

1) love the handling. This was a strenght of the Mazda, but IS is just as tight, and a little better into the corners I feel. Breaking very sharp too.

2) cabin is a really nice place to be - quality feel off all the trim and controls. I have to say I really like the infotainment UI- with the mouse controller. Find it easy to use while driving.

3) Advanced Sat Nav was intuitive, connected services worked well for traffic alerts etc. Additional display on Speedo console for upcoming turns is cool

4) averaged 5.3 l/100k from Grimsby to Holyhead with very congested traffic on m56 past Manchester. Really happy with those numbers. Drove on hard from dublin-cork and got 6.4 l/100k. That's ok too.

5) acceleration is great, even in normal, and really good in sport mode.

6) Reversing camera is really clear and easy to use, the 3 guide sections are all you need.

Bad

1) Boot space a little tight for golf clubs etc, but workable.

2) lot of options I hoped luxury would have are not there. No power seats, no lane assist, no blind spot monitoring, no adaptive cruise control.

Minor disappointment that these gadgets are not there, especially power seats, but overall, that's the only quibble.

Overall - really happy with the car and looking forward to living with it [emoji3]

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NemesisUK · August 4, 2018

Yes, in Lexus world Luxury is the base level model, with next F-Sport and then Premier the most optioned.

What are your impressions of the e-CVT transmission?

gnoxmindeater · August 4, 2018

Yes, in Lexus world Luxury is the base level model, with next F-Sport and then Premier the most optioned.
What are your impressions of the e-CVT transmission?

I was pleasantly surprised at the response tbh. One you ignore the 'rev' counter jumping all over the place.
I found the lag on acceleration only a tiny bit longer then a turbo diesel lag, and once acceleration does kick it, there's loads of it - even in Normal mode.

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NemesisUK · August 4, 2018

I don't view the rev counter in Normal mode and can't really hear what the engine is doing but in Sport mode love the instant PlayStation gear changes. Much more responsive than the AMG manual mode in my CLS55. The RC always seems to be in the correct 'gear', loving the e-CVT and believe it's the transmission of the future!

gnoxmindeater · August 4, 2018

I presume retro fitting power seats would cost and exorbitant amount - if the wiring looms was even present?

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NemesisUK · August 4, 2018

If Lexus follow other major marques then the looms for options not fitted at the factory will not be present.

gnoxmindeater · August 5, 2018

After some driving on familiar roads today, I have to say, the acceleration from 30 to 70 is really good. Fantastic zip to overtake.
Really impressed. All the power you need to get past quickly.

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Ala Larj · August 5, 2018

On 8/4/2018 at 12:03 PM, gnoxmindeater said:

2) cabin is a really nice place to be - quality feel off all the trim and controls. I have to say I really like the infotainment UI- with the mouse controller. Find it easy to use while driving.

It's really refreshing to hear a positive comment about the mouse. I came from an IS with touchscreen to my GS with mouse and much prefer the mouse. Easier to use and less distracting. And now I've got use to the menus can do most things without taking my eyes off the road.

On 8/4/2018 at 12:03 PM, gnoxmindeater said:

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route66 · August 14, 2018

On 8/4/2018 at 12:03 PM, gnoxmindeater said:

So, took a bit of a gamble and bought a 15 is300h in UK from a trader auction.

Amazing price, even with VRT costs to ireland, and wasn't sure of all the options in it.

FSH, 32k miles - Luxury trim - celestial black.

Collected in Grimsby and drove back to Cork via holyhead- dublin.

Moving from a 14 Mazda 6 2.2D Sport Nav

First impressions:

Good:

1) love the handling. This was a strenght of the Mazda, but IS is just as tight, and a little better into the corners I feel. Breaking very sharp too.

2) cabin is a really nice place to be - quality feel off all the trim and controls. I have to say I really like the infotainment UI- with the mouse controller. Find it easy to use while driving.

3) Advanced Sat Nav was intuitive, connected services worked well for traffic alerts etc. Additional display on Speedo console for upcoming turns is cool

4) averaged 5.3 l/100k from Grimsby to Holyhead with very congested traffic on m56 past Manchester. Really happy with those numbers. Drove on hard from dublin-cork and got 6.4 l/100k. That's ok too.

5) acceleration is great, even in normal, and really good in sport mode.

6) Reversing camera is really clear and easy to use, the 3 guide sections are all you need.

Bad

1) Boot space a little tight for golf clubs etc, but workable.

2) lot of options I hoped luxury would have are not there. No power seats, no lane assist, no blind spot monitoring, no adaptive cruise control.

Minor disappointment that these gadgets are not there, especially power seats, but overall, that's the only quibble.

Overall - really happy with the car and looking forward to living with it

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A belated welcome to the forum!

I am also from Ireland and purchased an IS300H last year - a 2014 (142) Executive model. I posted my own experiences here soon after.

rayaans · August 14, 2018

On 8/4/2018 at 2:34 PM, gnoxmindeater said:

I presume retro fitting power seats would cost and exorbitant amount - if the wiring looms was even present?

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Probably.

They were available on the Luxury in the UK and if I remember correctly, were a £2k option

IRLLexus300 · August 16, 2018

On 8/4/2018 at 12:03 PM, gnoxmindeater said:

So, took a bit of a gamble and bought a 15 is300h in UK from a trader auction.

Amazing price, even with VRT costs to ireland, and wasn't sure of all the options in it.

FSH, 32k miles - Luxury trim - celestial black.

Collected in Grimsby and drove back to Cork via holyhead- dublin.

Moving from a 14 Mazda 6 2.2D Sport Nav

First impressions:

Good:

1) love the handling. This was a strenght of the Mazda, but IS is just as tight, and a little better into the corners I feel. Breaking very sharp too.

2) cabin is a really nice place to be - quality feel off all the trim and controls. I have to say I really like the infotainment UI- with the mouse controller. Find it easy to use while driving.

3) Advanced Sat Nav was intuitive, connected services worked well for traffic alerts etc. Additional display on Speedo console for upcoming turns is cool

4) averaged 5.3 l/100k from Grimsby to Holyhead with very congested traffic on m56 past Manchester. Really happy with those numbers. Drove on hard from dublin-cork and got 6.4 l/100k. That's ok too.

5) acceleration is great, even in normal, and really good in sport mode.

6) Reversing camera is really clear and easy to use, the 3 guide sections are all you need.

Bad

1) Boot space a little tight for golf clubs etc, but workable.

2) lot of options I hoped luxury would have are not there. No power seats, no lane assist, no blind spot monitoring, no adaptive cruise control.

Minor disappointment that these gadgets are not there, especially power seats, but overall, that's the only quibble.

Overall - really happy with the car and looking forward to living with it

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Congrats sir! Seems there is a collection of us in Cork importing from the UK!

gnoxmindeater · August 16, 2018

Congrats sir! Seems there is a collection of us in Cork importing from the UK!

Thanks!
I have it in with Alphasud in Blarney today for a polish and ceramic coating. Can't wait to see what the final result is.

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IRLLexus300 · August 16, 2018

35 minutes ago, gnoxmindeater said:

Thanks!
I have it in with Alphasud in Blarney today for a polish and ceramic coating. Can't wait to see what the final result is.

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What do they charge for the ceramic coating? How long do they say it lasts?

gnoxmindeater · August 16, 2018

What do they charge for the ceramic coating? How long do they say it lasts?

2 options -a 5year one that takes 2 days to do @650 And a 1year coating that takes 6 hours @250. I went with the 1 year option

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IRLLexus300 · August 16, 2018

4 hours ago, gnoxmindeater said:

2 options -a 5year one that takes 2 days to do @650 And a 1year coating that takes 6 hours @250. I went with the 1 year option

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Big money but I'm sure it's worth it. Given the colour of my car I may consider treating it to this. Red can fade very badly............

gnoxmindeater · August 16, 2018

Big money but I'm sure it's worth it. Given the colour of my car I may consider treating it to this. Red can fade very badly............

I'll post some pics in the morning- they're still working on it at 10pm 🤤

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Jayw13702 · August 16, 2018

Probably.
They were available on the Luxury in the UK and if I remember correctly, were a £2k option

Yes it was as was the premium nav, that was a £2k option as well

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gnoxmindeater · August 17, 2018

Got it back last night at 12 midnight - 10 hours of polishing and cutting!
Of course it rained overnight- but it is gleaming. Can't see a single swirl mark, and even a few scratches are way lighter.
Would highly recommend Alphasud for any cork owners.

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IRLLexus300 · August 17, 2018

Looks a fabulous job. Doing the VRT today so once I've absorbed that financial hit I may treat myself to this Alphasud ceramic coating.......

gnoxmindeater · August 17, 2018

Looks a fabulous job. Doing the VRT today so once I've absorbed that financial hit I may treat myself to this Alphasud ceramic coating.......

Bit of advice - bring a good few proof or address docs. They will only accept something actually posted to your house.
I used a P60 that was emailed and printed. They wouldn't accept it - had to drive from blarney to youghal to grab a credit card statement!
It's getting hard to actually get a bill that's not electronic these days!

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IRLLexus300 · August 17, 2018

2 hours ago, gnoxmindeater said:

Bit of advice - bring a good few proof or address docs. They will only accept something actually posted to your house.
I used a P60 that was emailed and printed. They wouldn't accept it - had to drive from blarney to youghal to grab a credit card statement!
It's getting hard to actually get a bill that's not electronic these days!

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I have a P60, a bank statement, a credit union statement and a phone bill so hopefully wont run into any issues. One quick question - did you fill out section 11 of the V5C and send to the DVLA? Or do I hand over the entire V5C at the VRT appointment?

gnoxmindeater · August 17, 2018

I have a P60, a bank statement, a credit union statement and a phone bill so hopefully wont run into any issues. One quick question - did you fill out section 11 of the V5C and send to the DVLA? Or do I hand over the entire V5C at the VRT appointment?

You just hand the whole v5c to them. No need to do anything with it at all.

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