If you enjoy spirited driving and haven't pushed your IS300h yet...

[mtDrews]

...then you're missing out!!

I bought my IS300h 7 or so months ago, because I wanted a compact, comfortable, RWD car that would be cheaper to run than the older BMW's I've owned previously.

With that said, I've never driven the IS in a 'sporty fashion' until today since that's what my motorcycle is for anyway. But today, after having put the bike in for winter storage I figured I'd give it a shot just to see. Unloaded everything I didn't need from the IS and went to a favorite windy bike route. 

 

I put the car in sport mode, 'manual' paddle mode, ASC 50% on. Man, was that fun! The IS handled beautifully and there was plenty enough power. Great steering feedback too. I didn't even care if it was silly with the ASC sound or the flappy paddle CVT because it was so much fun 🙂 

 

I was pleasantly surprised and I'm happier than ever with the IS - the car that does both. So just wanted to share and encourage those who want to try as long as it can be done risk free of course 🤪

[Mincey]

I was pleasantly surprised at how it takes off in sport mode.

[Linas.P]

eCVT is actually surprisingly good for this type of thing, sometimes almost feels like computer game - the only issue is that it won't hold the certain selected ratio (fake gear). Active suspension in 300h is quite good as well and engine is best used at speeds ~40MPH-70MPH - surprisingly good range for driving on the country roads. Sadly for anything below or above this range the performance is marginal. 

I would just say that as anything "how good is the car for spirited driving" is relative thing and should not be considered in isolation. If IS300h would be the only car in the world, would it be good for this type of thing - I guess yes... but it isn't the only car in the world and there are much better cars for same money and in the same class to do it. In summary I feel the performance is acceptable. But I would not say it is good car for spirited driving overall, or that somebody looking for more agile car and good driving dynamics should consider it.

There are plenty areas where this cars shines, but spirited driving isn't one of them (in case of any doubt, this is just my opinion 😁).

[mtDrews]

28 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

eCVT is actually surprisingly good for this type of thing, sometimes almost feels like computer game - the only issue is that it won't hold the certain selected ratio (fake gear). Active suspension in 300h is quite good as well and engine is best used at speeds ~40MPH-70MPH - surprisingly good range for driving on the country roads. Sadly for anything below or above this range the performance is marginal. 

I would just say that as anything "how good is the car for spirited driving" is relative thing and should not be considered in isolation. If IS300h would be the only car in the world, would it be good for this type of thing - I guess yes... but it isn't the only car in the world and there are much better cars for same money and in the same class to do it. In summary I feel the performance is acceptable. But I would not say it is good car for spirited driving overall, or that somebody looking for more agile car and good driving dynamics should consider it.

There are plenty areas where this cars shines, but spirited driving isn't one of them.

I agree with you fully. In fact probably ever other car I've owned was better at this sort of thing as they've been higher power bimmers - but I was just as impressed nonetheless by the IS simply because I wasn't expecting it from this "highly sensible" car 🙂 

Also, I'm kind of differentiating between performance and fun.

[Linas.P]

I mean looking just at the numbers, it isn't actually looking that bad - car theoretically has 223HP and 300NM going to RWD. Suspension is quite advanced and electronically dampened, body is stiff. ECVT does not sound that good, but in my experience is surprisingly suitable for a blast, especially if you know the limitations of it and can work around it. 

After saying above, then it actually makes sense - car has sufficient power and good enough suspension for nice drive. I guess Lexus is never really focused on making good for that thing in particular, but it does not mean is totally bad either. I guess the only reason comes from the fact that if you ever wanted to step-up there isn't really any choice within Lexus range. 

 

[Subtronics]

I think the IS300 has an amazingly balanced chassis, I had two mk1 IS200's a long time ago, and forgot just how great they were. They had just the right amount of everything, and the mk3 carries on that theme. I am kind of sad I never got an IS250 now, I think I would have really enjoyed it. 

I can't wait till spring/summer next year and take my IS300h out on some really good runs in North Yorkshire.

 

[LexIS200Sport]

I had the privilege of looking after this beauty for two months. It's an IS250 Premier and what a car it was.

Took it up and down snakes pass with so much grin on my face. A very well composed car 🥰

[mtDrews]

3 hours ago, LexIS200Sport said:

I had the privilege of looking after this beauty for two months. It's an IS250 Premier and what a car it was.

Took it up and down snakes pass with so much grin on my face. A very well composed car 🥰

They are beautiful indeed! Wouldn't be able to distinguish it from the 300h at first sight 😅 I imagine the non-CT in the is250 makes it all the more rewarding to drive, at the cost of economy of course.. 

 

[mtDrews]

19 hours ago, Subtronics said:

I think the IS300 has an amazingly balanced chassis, I had two mk1 IS200's a long time ago, and forgot just how great they were. They had just the right amount of everything, and the mk3 carries on that theme. I am kind of sad I never got an IS250 now, I think I would have really enjoyed it. 

I can't wait till spring/summer next year and take my IS300h out on some really good runs in North Yorkshire.

 

Is yours just not used in winter or did you aquire it just now? 😁👍  There is fun to be had on an empty parking lot with some fresh snow and an RWD car for sure...

[LexIS200Sport]

13 hours ago, mtDrews said:

Is yours just not used in winter or did you aquire it just now? 😁👍  There is fun to be had on an empty parking lot with some fresh snow and an RWD car for sure...

Oh absolutely 😁👍

[LexIS200Sport]

13 hours ago, mtDrews said:

I imagine the non-CVT in the is250 makes it all the more rewarding to drive, at the cost of economy of course.. 

It was fantastic - combination of V6 roar and quick-shifting 6-speed auto 

Can't recall the fuel consumption after all that lol... probably just under 30mpg?

I do miss it.

[route66]

On 11/3/2020 at 11:10 AM, mtDrews said:

...then you're missing out!!

I bought my IS300h 7 or so months ago, because I wanted a compact, comfortable, RWD car that would be cheaper to run than the older BMW's I've owned previously.

With that said, I've never driven the IS in a 'sporty fashion' until today since that's what my motorcycle is for anyway. But today, after having put the bike in for winter storage I figured I'd give it a shot just to see. Unloaded everything I didn't need from the IS and went to a favorite windy bike route. 

 

I put the car in sport mode, 'manual' paddle mode, ASC 50% on. Man, was that fun! The IS handled beautifully and there was plenty enough power. Great steering feedback too. I didn't even care if it was silly with the ASC sound or the flappy paddle CVT because it was so much fun 🙂 

 

I was pleasantly surprised and I'm happier than ever with the IS - the car that does both. So just wanted to share and encourage those who want to try as long as it can be done risk free of course 🤪

I don't agree.

More specifically, everything is great except the transmission which ruins the experience. This is what I said in a recent post elsewhere in this forum:

Quote

the most annoying thing about the IS300H is the very unresponsive transmission. I drove a new Toyota Corolla recently with the latest gen eCVT and the difference is night and day. I'm not talking about speed or even acceleration here, just responsiveness. I guess (but haven't driven one) the Lexus ES with its newer generation drive train would also be much better than the IS300H in this respect.

The IS300H will be a very frustrating car if you want to drive it "nimbly" in cut and thrust traffic; by the time it winds itself up, the opportunity will be gone. My last car has a naturally aspirated 2.0 litre petrol engine with a manual gearbox and I do admit, I miss its responsiveness sometimes. The IS300H suffers from the eCVT equivalent of Turbo lag.

But I don't care 99% of the time. Driving it is a relaxing experience and I find that I arrive at my destination much more calm and chilled. Mind you, if I had the money, I'd invest in something like a Caterham for weekend thrills 😉

 

and:

Quote

My experience is that the lag is there all the time. Over time, you can predict the lag, and accelerate before you need to (e.g. slow for a speed ramp, when the front wheels touch the ramp, accelerate. When the back wheels have come off the ramp, acceleration commences).

You can reduce the effects of the lag by going in to sports mode and moving the "gear" lever to the right for manual "gear" selection mode (or use the flappy paddle), but at the end of the day, there is no getting around the fact that it takes time for the eCVT system gubbins to align before acceleration can begin. The only real solution - and not a very practical one - is to get a Lexus with the latest gen of eCVT. As mentioned above, there is a night and day difference - I guess there are both enhanced mechanical and electronic improvements involved. From what I understand, the newest cars have 4th generation systems (Wiki link)

 

[Linas.P]

33 minutes ago, route66 said:

the most annoying thing about the IS300H is the very unresponsive transmission.

Have you actually tried it in manual mode? I know there are no gears, just set "ratios" and indeed it will change up/down if you fall below effective power-band for the engine - so no engine braking and no redlining. That said if you stay between ~2000-5000 RPM, the ratio change is "instant" both up and down, better than any dual-clutch. So if you know the limitations of gearbox and work around them, then it isn't that bad.

Cutting between traffic - yes it does not work for that. But blasting on empty country road ... I personally didn't expect it, but I found it surprisingly good.

[route66]

4 hours ago, Linas.P said:

So if you know the limitations of gearbox and work around them, then it isn't that bad

Agreed - but I'd prefer not to have to work around them.

But no biggie. As I already said - "I don't care 99% of the time. Driving it is a relaxing experience and I find that I arrive at my destination much more calm and chilled"

[LexIS200Sport]

7 hours ago, route66 said:

The IS300H will be a very frustrating car if you want to drive it "nimbly" in cut and thrust traffic; by the time it winds itself up, the opportunity will be gone.

Does setting it to "Sport" or "Sport+" mode not make a difference at all?

 

[mtDrews]

17 minutes ago, LexIS200Sport said:

Does setting it to "Sport" or "Sport+" mode not make a difference at all?

 

In my opinion it certainly helps, especially if you select a low ratio with the paddles. But as Route66 said there'll still be a split second "lag" for the eCVT to engage with the right rpm. I'm really not bothered by it personally but could see why some are. 

[route66]

10 minutes ago, LexIS200Sport said:

Does setting it to "Sport" or "Sport+" mode not make a difference at all?

 

Moving to sport mode (no sport +) does help but moving the "gear" lever to the right for manual "gear" mode is significantly better.

Still not very responsive bla, bla, drone on and on, bla, bla etc 😉

[LexIS200Sport]

Right, so when you stomp the accelerator, the car lurches forward after a slight (<1 sec) delay. Is this not comparable to the delay you get from kick-down in an auto transmission?

Also, is this only noticeable when the car goes from electric-only to electric + engine? If the engine was already running and you floor it, is there the same delay?

Only asking because of genuine curiosity 🙂

My GS, which I'm guessing has an older-style eCVT (2nd gen?), exhibits this delay but only if it was first running in EV mode. At higher speeds, or with "Sport" mode switched on, the engine normally runs anyway and the car takes off as soon as you floor it.

Also, at the moment, I'm driving a CT200h courtesy car and I've certainly not noticed any delay in response to the accelerator pedal. And that car seems ever so eager to revert to "EV" mode.

[Linas.P]

There is delay in kick-down no matter what, it is not about engine not running, even if engine is running there will still be delay on 300h. This is not comparable to 450h which pulls almost right away (well at least the mk4 does). 

Now again, I found that in spirited driving on the winding roads, with no other cars around and in manual mode this does not matter. Not only manual mode is more responsive, but you can change ratios quite instantly. In any case you can get car into right ratio for the corners and it feels quite good.

This does not work in traffic though.. I would point out that this is not best practice on the road, but if you noticed the gap and in different lane and just thought "I will jump in there", this won't work in 300h - you going to press accelerator and there is going to be delay significant enough for that opportunity to pass. 300h must be the worse car to drive "aggressively" in traffic.

As well in traffic you cant actually use manual mode... it kind of disengages after a minute or so. On winding road where you keep pushing the car and keep changing ratios, the gearbox will keep your ratios for some time. But in traffic even if you go into manual mode and then slowdown and accelerate with traffic, it still going to go back to automatic after some time - so when opportunity comes there is just delay again until it goes back to manual mode. Keeping it in manual mode is little bit finicky - even when I did my driving on some more twisty roads, sometimes if there is straighter section you just going to notice the car no longer cares about your selection and although your dash still says "gear 4" the gearbox has long shifted-up.

As I said in the begging - if you know limitation of gearbox, you can work around them (especially on thirsty country roads), but it does not mean there are no limitations.

[Subtronics]

On 11/4/2020 at 3:36 PM, mtDrews said:

Is yours just not used in winter or did you aquire it just now? 😁👍  There is fun to be had on an empty parking lot with some fresh snow and an RWD car for sure...

No mate, I have just bought it and it gets used all year around. But I organise some runs out with mates through North Yorkshire. They are good fun, family friendly. 

[Alan64]

Recently bought an is300h but wasnt expecting much in performance aspect, as any reviews you read downplay that part of the cars abilities, but i have been impressed bye the handling and the power delivery and find it quite fun on a windy road, so happy with the car when u combine it with the economy and reliability its a tidy package

[Linas.P]

9 hours ago, Alan64 said:

as any reviews you read downplay that part of the cars abilities

That is because you need very special circumstances for it to really shine... most owners never mind reviewer never discovers those rare moments.

As well as I mentioned it is relative, could any other car do it better and for less - surely. Reviewer job is to compare and contrast, so that is what they do and 300h does not score in this aspect, because there are better cars for it, that does not make 300h bad car - just not the best for this type of activity.