Newbie question - recommendations for IS300h trim level

[Donray]

Total newbie here. Looking to buy a 2016/17 IS300h in the next few months and starting the research.

I'd be grateful for any recommendations on trim options. Leather a must. Thanks in advance.

[royoftherovers]

23 minutes ago, Donray said:

Total newbie here. Looking to buy a 2016/17 IS300h in the next few months and starting the research.

I'd be grateful for any recommendations on trim options. Leather a must. Thanks in advance.

Hi Donray and welcome to L.O.C.

I do not have an IS300h myself ,but plenty of Members will help you out in due course.

Be aware that "Leather" is not real "Leather" in most cases, so do ask Members for their views on which "Leather" covering they have.

[Zotto]

Semi-aniline leather  IS leather...

 

https://www.signatureleather.com/blog/21-aniline-leather-semi-aniline-leather

[royoftherovers]

8 minutes ago, Zotto said:

Semi-aniline leather  IS leather...

 

https://www.signatureleather.com/blog/21-aniline-leather-semi-aniline-leather

Thanks Luigi. I did not say it wasn`t.

[Thackeray]

1 hour ago, Donray said:

Total newbie here. Looking to buy a 2016/17 IS300h in the next few months and starting the research.

I'd be grateful for any recommendations on trim options. Leather a must. Thanks in advance.

Lexus call the imitation leather "Tahara" and it tends to be used for the bolsters with a fabric seat base. They call leather "Leather" as far as I know.

Some Californians like to avoid leather for environmental reasons and apparently the Japanese don't like the smell.

But for those who do like leather, in the earlier cars the leather seats have fewer rows of stitching across the base of the seat, three rows including a parallel double row in the middle of the three.The Tahara versions have about seven rows of stitching across the whole surface of the seat.

I think I've read somewhere that Lexus keep their own cows so that they can keep them away from barbed wire - it damages the appearance of the hides.

Here's a link to a novel use for what Lexus call Leather. If there's any evidence that this isn't leather I'm sure someone can find it on the internet.

 

[Jayw13702]

To my knowledge leather could be on any car at any spec.
However some came with it as standard and for some it was a cost option of about £1200.
The seats and material would be the same irrespective.

The SE was the base model, that came with half leather seats with non electric adjustment but could be specced with leather.

Luxury has leather as an option

You then had Premier and Advanced, I believe these had leather as standard

And also the F sport, but those seats were different from standard seats.


Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[royoftherovers]

55 minutes ago, Thackeray said:

Lexus call the imitation leather "Tahara" and it tends to be used for the bolsters with a fabric seat base. They call leather "Leather" as far as I know.

Some Californians like to avoid leather for environmental reasons and apparently the Japanese don't like the smell.

But for those who do like leather, in the earlier cars the leather seats have fewer rows of stitching across the base of the seat, three rows including a parallel double row in the middle of the three.The Tahara versions have about seven rows of stitching across the whole surface of the seat.

I think I've read somewhere that Lexus keep their own cows so that they can keep them away from barbed wire - it damages the appearance of the hides.

Here's a link to a novel use for what Lexus call Leather. If there's any evidence that this isn't leather I'm sure someone can find it on the internet.

 

Given the link was attached to an advert for the LC500 William, it does beg the bigger question as to its application to ALL Lexus models?

[wharfhouse]

1 hour ago, Jayw13702 said:

To my knowledge leather could be on any car at any spec.
However some came with it as standard and for some it was a cost option of about £1200.
The seats and material would be the same irrespective.

The SE was the base model, that came with half leather seats with non electric adjustment but could be specced with leather.

Luxury has leather as an option

You then had Premier and Advanced, I believe these had leather as standard

And also the F sport, but those seats were different from standard seats.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There is also an Executive trim (which I have) which had leather as standard (only pre-facelift but not post-facelift) but was with manually adjustable seats (leather otherwise I think always came with electrically adjustable seats). As above, I found when buying mine that leather was one thing that you have to double check on a car by car basis as if it wasn't standard it was I believe optional on all trims. 

[Thackeray]

3 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Given the link was attached to an advert for the LC500 William, it does beg the bigger question as to its application to ALL Lexus models?

You're right John, the article doesn't say this is the leather for all models - just the CT. Though I don't suppose they use cheaper leather on more expensive model ranges.

(Incidentally, when I display the page I don't see an advert for the LC500 - I only see a link to the previous blog page which is an article about the LC500. If you're seeing an advert, that will be the fault of cookies on your computer! Maybe you've been checking out LC500s for sale and the cookies have generated adverts! )

[royoftherovers]

8 minutes ago, Thackeray said:

You're right John, the article doesn't say this is the leather for all models - just the CT. Though I don't suppose they use cheaper leather on more expensive model ranges.

(Incidentally, when I display the page I don't see an advert for the LC500 - I only see a link to the previous blog page which is an article about the LC500. If you're seeing an advert, that will be the fault of cookies on your computer! Maybe you've been checking out LC500s for sale and the cookies have generated adverts! )

William, I read a similar--perhaps the same- article a week ago and the text followed the article, relating to the LC-- a really expensive motor.

The art of selling these days is now a pit and words are chosen carefully to mislead the reader. One has to be really, really careful---"a bit like wot I fink I ave just been" with a scam email purporting to have come from DVLA !

 

Regards

[Zotto]

21 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Thanks Luigi. I did not say it wasn`t.

AFAIK, Lexus offer 2 kind of leather seats, the "standard" ones and "semi-anylin", that is a bit more refined leather type.

My answer was because sometimes I read that leather is not really leather, because  some other manufacturers 😇  with ecology excuses use synthetic leather or other phantasy definitions to confuse buyers about what they use; when Lexus says "leather" it is leather.

[westo3]

To address Donray’s original question I would always go for the highest spec especially on a secondhand car. My premier GS was only about £1500 to £2000 more expensive than far lower specs on the market after two years whereas the difference when new was several thousand

[Donray]

Wow - thank you all for your feedback and comments.

[Donray]

1 hour ago, westo3 said:

To address Donray’s original question I would always go for the highest spec especially on a secondhand car. My premier GS was only about £1500 to £2000 more expensive than far lower specs on the market after two years whereas the difference when new was several thousand

Yes, agree on going for as high a spec as possible. Broadly speaking, is the GS a larger IS? And a suggestion on an engine size/model? 
Many thanks

 

 

[westo3]

Scroll down this forum to “leaving IS Forum” members views on GS. A larger car with the same engine but to my mind feels far more refined, especially if you can pick up a Premier model

 

[Ala Larj]

I have a 2014 GS premier. The leather on the seats is beautiful and soft. However, I am not sure if the leather on the door cards and armrests are real. They feel lovely but different from the seats. It's definitely not alcantara but not sure what it is!

[Donray]

22 hours ago, westo3 said:

Scroll down this forum to “leaving IS Forum” members views on GS. A larger car with the same engine but to my mind feels far more refined, especially if you can pick up a Premier model

 

Will do. I'm not under time pressure to purchase so can wait for a Premier spec to come up for sale.

Thanks again for all replies.