Is300h

Spacewagon52 · August 5, 2021

3 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

Well... this is always never ending discussion. I hate to remind people how slow IS300h is, but I only have to do it because people continuously claim it is "fast enough" as if this is objective truth and not personal experience/perspective.

If you have personal question to me, then you are always welcome to drop me personal message and I will be more than happy to answer it. As well my name is Linas.

Why are you reluctant to answer my questions publicly? Confuseds.com

Linas.P · August 5, 2021

Because it has no relevance for the topic we are discussing and I am just sensing some hidden agenda i.e. to use my personal car choice and circumstances to justify some point which doesn't have relevance here.

As I said if you truly interested of why I am driving then you can always drop me a message. As well, it is not any sort of secret, there are several posts in the past where I have stated what it is (one even in this thread).

DBIZO · August 5, 2021

On 8/4/2021 at 9:32 AM, Mincey said:

This thread has gone very quiet. Have all the IS300h owners dashed to their nearest Lexus dealer to trade their stallions of the highway in for something faster? I'm just waiting for an important Zoom meeting to end, and I'm off to Leicester, make no mistake!

Well, just got back from Lexus Hedge End from a service. As I expected, I did not like any of the cars on display, except the F coupés, which are fortunately are out of my budget. There was a Takumi trim ES on display, nice features for most part, but surprsiningly long, and I don't like either the front nor the drivetrain and front-wheel drive. I saw another owners' GS, its classical beauty stood out next the newer Lexi. It's a real shame for me that both the IS and the GS line have fallen victim to the SUV trend. I truly did not like or enjoy the loaner NX '21. The best thing I could say about it is good all round visibility, and you could say the seats are comfy, very soft touch. Easy to get out of. In every other respect, but most importantly, how the car makes me feel in the cabin, I consider my 2015 IS300h way superior, including the old Lexus Navigation, which (brace yourselves) is classy compared to these ugly new onbard systems of late, despite the outdated graphics/features/small low-res display. Not meant to offend anyone, I know some here switched from IS to NX/RX/UX whatever, it's just really not to my taste.

On the topic of performance, I see Linas' point, although I feel he is slightly too harsh on the actual performance of the car - not the marketing, that's for a bonfire. Clearly, the IS300h is not a high-performance saloon comparable to how BMW, Audi and Mercedes do high performance saloons. Essentially, the IS300h is as quick as the entry level saloons from the Germans, which are equipped with 2 litre turbo-charged engines. Of course, Lexus' naming convention only makes sense, if at all, for within brand comparison of performance, and I can accept that a 2.5 litre engine plus electric assistance gives you the dynamism of a 3.0 litre engine, particularly at low speeds. Yes, it should pull a bit stronger, should offer more direct/responsive gearing settings (it's all in software) but then again, I also agree with the view that for UK roads it's plenty fast. I would probably feel diminished in Germany and some other Continental countries where they do actually go quite fast, and generally the traffic is much more dynamic.

It's clear that Lexus did not prioritize performance with the IS 300h and focussed on fuel economy and long-term reliability. There is more performance in the hardware (possibly with some modification of the engine configuration and the gearing system, granted) than extracted by the computer, which I'm sure operates way too much within the margins of the car. Lexus could have offered more aggressive software settings in S mode as standard, and F-Sport should have been about more than looks. Coulda-woulda-shoulda, there is no IS no more, problem solved...

Linas.P · August 5, 2021

40 minutes ago, DBIZO said:

Well, just got back from Lexus Hedge End from a service. As I expected, I did not like any of the cars on display, except the F coupés, which are fortunately are out of my budget. There was a Takumi trim ES on display, nice features for most part, but surprsiningly long, and I don't like either the front nor the drivetrain and front-wheel drive. I saw another owners' GS, its classical beauty stood out next the newer Lexi. It's a real shame for me that both the IS and the GS line has fallen victim to the SUV trend. I truly did not like or enjoy the loaner NX '21. The best thing I could say about it is good all round visibility, and you could say the seats are comfy, very soft touch. Easy to get out of. In every other respect, but most importantly, how the car makes me feel in the cabin, I consider my 2015 IS300h way superior, including the old Lexus Navigation, which (brace yourselves) is classy compared to these ugly new onbard systems of late, despite the outdated graphics/features/small low-res display. Not meant to offend anyone, I know some here switched from IS to NX/RX/UX whatever, it's just really not to my taste.

On the topic of performance, I see Linas' point, although I feel he is slightly too harsh on the actual performance of the car - not the marketing, that's for a bonfire. Clearly, the IS300h is not a high-performance saloon comparable to how BMW, Audi and Mercedes do high performance saloons. Essentially, the IS300h is as quick as the entry level saloons from the Germans, which are equipped with 2 litre turbo-charged engines. Of course, Lexus' naming convention only makes sense, if at all, for within brand comparison of performance, and I can accept that a 2.5 litre engine plus electric assistance gives you the dynamism of a 3.0 litre engine, particularly at low speeds. Yes, it should pull a bit stronger, should offer more direct/responsive gearing settings (it's all in software) but then again, I also agree with the view that for UK roads its plenty fast. I would probably feel diminished in Germany and some other continental countries where they do go fast, and generally the traffic is much more dynamic.

It's clear that Lexus did not prioritize performance with the IS 300h and focussed on fuel economy and long-term reliability. There is more performance in the hardware (possibly with some modification of the engine configuration and the gearing system, granted) than extracted by the computer, which I'm sure operates way too much within the margins of the car. Lexus could have offered more aggressive software settings in S mode as standard, and F-Sport should have been about more than looks. Coulda-woulda-shoulda, there is no IS no more, problem solved...

Great post - honest and down to earth experience and I can't disagree. 👍

Spacewagon52 · August 5, 2021

1 hour ago, Linas.P said:

Because it has no relevance for the topic we are discussing and I am just sensing some hidden agenda i.e. to use my personal car choice and circumstances to justify some point which doesn't have relevance here.

As I said if you truly interested of why I am driving then you can always drop me a message. As well, it is not any sort of secret, there are several posts in the past where I have stated what it is (one even in this thread).

Actually it does have relevance but we will pass on that one. But you are correct Linus! I was being an Agent Provocateur!

Bounce75 · August 5, 2021

2 hours ago, Linas.P said:

Well that is called ignorance and ignorance is never good argument. I would as well point out that IS300h was priced above similarly powered cars and instead priced closer to the cars with comparable performance to 3L petrol (or diesel cars) i.e. BMW320i was cheaper, whereas BMW330i was closer to Lexus IS300h in terms of starting price. It is fair to say that Lexus was better equipped for each trim level, making it somewhere in between, but closer to 330, than 320...

Well Linas, I think you live in a dream world my friend.😃

Look at the Merc C class AMG line, Audi A4 S line tiptronic & BMW 320i they are all very similar prices when specced upto IS300h spec. Here is the BMW 320i SE Pro with the bits my Is300h has.

YOUR CONFIGURATION IS COMPLETE.

£38,055

How is that not comparable to the IS300h??????? I can get you more from Audi & Mercedes if you require, I know because I was testing them before I bought my IS300h & I was speccing them to an equivalent standard.

I knew the IS300h was a 2.5ltr engine, I just didn't realise that it was supposed to represent 3ltr with the electric motor. I didn't really matter because I was happy with the power output from the engine, to me it was never ever sold a racing car!!!! The same as the 320i is not sold the same as the 330i!!!!

Lets just agree that you have your view & I have mine & we will never agree.👍

Linas.P · August 5, 2021

16 minutes ago, Bounce75 said:

Well Linas, I think you live in a dream world my friend.😃

Look at the Merc C class AMG line, Audi A4 S line tiptronic & BMW 320i they are all very similar prices when specced upto IS300h spec. Here is the BMW 320i SE Pro with the bits my Is300h has.

YOUR CONFIGURATION IS COMPLETE.

£38,055

How is that not comparable to the IS300h??????? I can get you more from Audi & Mercedes if you require, I know because I was testing them before I bought my IS300h & I was speccing them to an equivalent standard.

I knew the IS300h was a 2.5ltr engine, I just didn't realise that it was supposed to represent 3ltr with the electric motor. I didn't really matter because I was happy with the power output from the engine, to me it was never ever sold a racing car!!!! The same as the 320i is not sold the same as the 330i!!!!

Lets just agree that you have your view & I have mine & we will never agree.👍

You are comparing 2013 model car with 2021 model car. Don't you see any issues with that? Yes sure new generation of BMW, Audi or MB will cost more, than old generation EOL Lexus IS.

Not sure what marketing you read about Lexus, but everywhere it was advertised as "radical, sporty, dynamic car". Sure I came from IS250 with some expectations and that is what heavily impacts my view, but to say "Lexus never promoted this car as sporty" is just ignoring the obvious facts. That is even before we consider that IS250 I had was previous generation car and already borderline obsolete and slow. Sure IS250 did it better due to having very responsive and good sounding engine, but it wasn't fast car either. In short I came from IS250 expecting more performance, not less and I got less. This obviously, just my personal experience and needs, but that changes nothing about the fact that Lexus marketed IS300h as an "upgrade" to IS250 which it wasn't by any stretch of the imagination.

Bounce75 · August 5, 2021

11 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

You are comparing 2013 model car with 2021 model car. Don't you see any issues with that? Yes sure new generation of BMW, Audi or MB will cost more, than old generation EOL Lexus IS.

Not sure what marketing you read about Lexus, but everywhere it was advertised as "radical, sporty, dynamic car". Sure I came from IS250 with some expectations and that is what heavily impacts my view, but to say "Lexus never promoted this car as sporty" is just ignoring the obvious facts. That is even before we consider that IS250 I had was previous generation car and already borderline obsolete and slow. Sure IS250 did it better due to having very responsive and good sounding engine, but it wasn't fast car either. In short I came from IS250 expecting more performance, not less and I got less. This obviously, just my personal experience and needs, but that changes nothing about the fact that Lexus marketed IS300h as an "upgrade" to IS250 which it wasn't by any stretch of the imagination.

I was comparing a car I bought this year with its equivalent rivals at the time, not 2013 to 2021 models, just what was on sale at the time.

Yes the the IS is intelligent sport the same a BMW is the Ultimate Driving Machine, but not all BWM's are that Ultimate.😀

I have never owned a Lexus before this one, so I cannot compare, but what I can do is compare with what I was looking for this year price & power wise & the IS300h holds its own, trust me.

Have an enjoyable afternoon & I hope I haven't offended you in any way.

Linas.P · August 5, 2021

2 minutes ago, Bounce75 said:

I was comparing a car I bought this year with its equivalent rivals at the time, not 2013 to 2021 models, just what was on sale at the time.

Yes the the IS is intelligent sport the same a BMW is the Ultimate Driving Machine, but not all BWM's are that Ultimate.😀

I have never owned a Lexus before this one, so I cannot compare, but what I can do is compare with what I was looking for this year price & power wise & the IS300h holds its own, trust me.

I understand that - what I am saying is that you can't compare 2021 Lexus with 2021 BMW, because Lexus IS mk3 has been released in 2013 and it was competitor for BMW F30 (2011-2019). What you comparing it against is new BMW G20 model which came out in 2018. By the time you made your comparison IS was already end-of-life model which was in production for over 7 years, so comparison with brand new BMW platform just doesn't make sense. If you want to compare apples to apples, you would have to compare Lexus mk3.5 which debuted in US last year (sadly we don't get it here). Even then It is just heavy facelift and not technically new car, but the changes are severe enough to consider it comparable to current BMW.

I think G20 came at around £3-5k more expensive compared to F30 like for like, so if you would have made your comparison in 2018 the outgoing 320i would have costed probably £34-35k, whereas similarly equipped Lexus would have been £37-38k, same as 330i.

Yes BMW slogan is ultimate driving machine and I agree not all BMW are ultimate, but this is not the same thing. Again look at what Lexus UK has to say about specifically IS300h, not Lexus brand in general, not IS as a model, but IS300h in particular... it is absolutely embarrassing to read and it hurts my intelligence:

https://www.lexus.co.uk/car-models/is/#hero

"Exhilarating performance (where?!)
The new IS Hybrid is stunning and delivers an irresistible performance (really?). A more rigid chassis that improves driving precision, and a new adaptive variable suspension that gives greater grip and better handling. Perfected at aerodynamic facility in Japan, Lexus self-charging IS hybrid is an exceptional sports saloon (compared to what?) engineered to deliver an effortless, heart-racing performance (surely not?!)."

As for offending me ... not sure how could you have offended me, so surely don't need to apologise for that...

Bounce75 · August 5, 2021

19 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

I understand that - what I am saying is that you can't compare 2021 Lexus with 2021 BMW, because Lexus IS mk3 has been released in 2013 and it was competitor for BMW F30 (2011-2019). What you comparing it against is new BMW G20 model which came out in 2018. By the time you made your comparison IS was already end-of-life model which was in production for over 7 years, so comparison with brand new BMW platform just doesn't make sense. If you want to compare apples to apples, you would have to compare Lexus mk3.5 which debuted in US last year (sadly we don't get it here). Even then It is just heavy facelift and not technically new car, but the changes are severe enough to consider it comparable to current BMW.

I think G20 came at around £3-5k more expensive compared to F30 like for like, so if you would have made your comparison in 2018 the outgoing 320i would have costed probably £34-35k, whereas similarly equipped Lexus would have been £37-38k, same as 330i.

Yes BMW slogan is ultimate driving machine and I agree not all BMW are ultimate, but this is not the same thing. Again look at what Lexus UK has to say about specifically IS300h, not Lexus brand in general, not IS as a model, but IS300h in particular... it is absolutely embarrassing to read and it hurts my intelligence:

https://www.lexus.co.uk/car-models/is/#hero

"Exhilarating performance (where?!)
The new IS Hybrid is stunning and delivers an irresistible performance (really?). A more rigid chassis that improves driving precision, and a new adaptive variable suspension that gives greater grip and better handling. Perfected at aerodynamic facility in Japan, Lexus self-charging IS hybrid is an exceptional sports saloon (compared to what?) engineered to deliver an effortless, heart-racing performance (surely not?!)."

As for offending me ... not sure how could you have offended me, so surely don't need to apologise for that...

Great, glad no offence taken.😀

I bought in 2021 not 2018 so I compared apples to apples.

A new IS300h with a new C Class Merc, a new A4 & a new BMW 3 series.

I don't know what years they started or finished, all I know is that they were 2021 models & were all a similar price.

You seem to keep moving the goal posts & comparing to a model that wasn't available new when I was looking i.e 2018 BMW 3 series.

So from my point of view & that is what matters to me when buying, the new BMW was comparable in 320i spec!!!!

As for the IS Exhilarating performance, if I take the IS300h around some roads where I live it puts a smile on my face. See meaning of Exhilarating. To me that is not misinterpretation, perhaps your expectations are different from mine? That doesn't make it a false statement!!! 😃

exhilarating

/ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ,ɛɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ/

Learn to pronounce

adjective

making one feel very happy, animated, or elated; thrilling.

johnno · August 5, 2021

4 hours ago, Linas.P said:

"fast", "ordinary driver", "irrelevant", "real world driving" are all subjective terms. You have opinion and that is fine, but you project your opinion onto everyone as a fact, and that is not ok.

IS300h is slow car in comparison with other cars and by using Lexus own terminology, definitions and nomenclature. That is fact. There are cars slower than IS300h and there are cars faster than IS300h and people manage to safely drive them, so it shows that different levels of performance are sufficient for different people. But to say "it is fast enough" unless you are "brainless idiot", implies that nobody should ever need car faster than IS300h and I don't think you are entitled to imply this.

For God's sake Linas stop putting words into my mouth. And by the way I have read the Highway Code and don't need any lessons from yourself, thank you. As you always have to have the last word I will not be commenting any further, you ruin this Forum sometimes.

Linas.P · August 5, 2021

3 hours ago, Bounce75 said:

Great, glad no offence taken.😀

I bought in 2021 not 2018 so I compared apples to apples.

A new IS300h with a new C Class Merc, a new A4 & a new BMW 3 series.

I don't know what years they started or finished, all I know is that they were 2021 models & were all a similar price.

You seem to keep moving the goal posts & comparing to a model that wasn't available new when I was looking i.e 2018 BMW 3 series.

So from my point of view & that is what matters to me when buying, the new BMW was comparable in 320i spec!!!!

As for the IS Exhilarating performance, if I take the IS300h around some roads where I live it puts a smile on my face. See meaning of Exhilarating. To me that is not misinterpretation, perhaps your expectations are different from mine? That doesn't make it a false statement!!! 😃

exhilarating

/ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ,ɛɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ/

Learn to pronounce

adjective

making one feel very happy, animated, or elated; thrilling.

End of life model which is obsolete and was in the market for long time will b cheaper than brand new model which was just announced. At the time of purchase you IS was very end of production model and thus depreciated, but you comparing it with very latest BMW car which was just released. That is just simply irrelevant comparison.

Lexus clearly have not checked what "exhilarating" as it is anything but those things. At best I can call it relaxing...

3 hours ago, johnno said:

For God's sake Linas stop putting words into my mouth. And by the way I have read the Highway Code and don't need any lessons from yourself, thank you. As you always have to have the last word I will not be commenting any further, you ruin this Forum sometimes.

And how exactly is that?!. perhaps you should read your post before submitting it, because I have just quoted what you have said. As well despite reading highway code you clearly have not understood the rules. I just can't see how can anyone can push you out of outside lane if you correctly move over after overtaking, or if you correctly check your mirror before starting to overtake to ensure you not cutting anyone off.

wharfhouse · August 5, 2021

12 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

And how exactly is that?!. perhaps you should read your post before submitting it, because I have just quoted what you have said. As well despite reading highway code you clearly have not understood the rules. I just can't see how can anyone can push you out of outside lane if you correctly move over after overtaking, or if you correctly check your mirror before starting to overtake to ensure you not cutting anyone off.

Because some idiots decide to drive right up in one's boot despite the fact that one has a car directly in front that one cannot overtake until that car (and maybe others in front of that one) pull in - in order to avoid an accident one sometimes let's the idiots through as one wants a quiet and relaxing drive... so being pushed out of the outside lane.

August 5, 2021

8 hours ago, Linas.P said:

Fuel economy is definitely good in town, that is where hybrids are strongest, but absolutely unimpressive on motorway at any speed past 70MPH

Have you actually owned an IS300h?, your first post stated you could expect 32-38mpg from one, you only have to read actual owners posts in this thread to see that is wrong, I get about 50mpg over all sorts of roads, it doesn’t disappoint on motorways either….and it’s performance is fine

Linas.P · August 5, 2021

6 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Because some idiots decide to drive right up in one's boot despite the fact that one has a car directly in front that one cannot overtake until that car (and maybe others in front of that one) pull in - in order to avoid an accident one sometimes let's the idiots through as one wants a quiet and relaxing drive... so being pushed out of the outside lane.

The only reason for that is some idiot in the front (maybe 10 cars ahead) who refuses to move over and 9 other cars which just sits and chills behind that idiot. As well it does not matter that you have car in front of you - what highway code asks you to do is to move over after overtaking. So you finish overtaking and especially if you have car behind you, then you move over. But people just decides to stay in this "idiot train" forever and exacerbates the problem... very british problem by the way.

5 minutes ago, Derant said:

Have you actually owned an IS300h?, your first post stated you could expect 32-38mpg from one, you only have to read actual owners posts in this thread to see that is wrong, I get about 50mpg over all sorts of roads, it doesn’t disappoint on motorways either….and it’s performance is fine

I have as well said is that OP can expect ~10MPG improvement in 300h over 200t in like for like driving conditions, which is true. I have not owned any 300h car, but I have done more miles in them than some cars I have actually owned... anyway enough to know what one could expect. Long term and many owner reviews suggest one can expect closer to 40MPG https://www.fuelly.com/car/lexus/is300h/all and I said it is hard to get the car below 32MPG. As well I said it is possible to get cars up-to 55MPG. And yes it is true - driving the way I do I get 32-38MPG in IS300h F-sport, iIf you want to point out that some owners get's ~2MPG more than I do then it is fine I accept that.

August 5, 2021

7 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

Long term and many owner reviews suggest one can expect closer to 40MPG

I am a long term owner and I get closer to 50mpg, did you not read what actual owners on this thread are stating?
you haven’t owned one but know you would get 32-38….hmmmm

August 5, 2021

On 8/3/2021 at 8:46 AM, paulrnx said:

I’ve owned four 3rd generation IS. Two 300h (2014 & 2019), a 2015 200t and a 2014 250.

I never got great economy from the 200t. From memory this ranged, over a full tank and measured from the trip computer, from 30 to 34. Occasionally I saw high 30’s but never anything starting with a 4.

The 2014 IS300H usually gave between 40 and 44 over a tankful again measured using the trip computer. Occasionally I saw 50+ on journeys where speeds were 30-50. I remember one 25 mile journey where I got 70+. Always ended up in the range 40 to 44 over a full tank though.

The 2019 300h was about 2 mpg better per tankful than the 2014 version I had. Some of this may be my driving but there is no doubt that the facelift IS300H cars have better power delivery with more assistance from the battery/motor. I’m sure outright power and torque is no different but the delivery is better which in my experience led to better economy. Improvements made to the steering and suspension are also worthwhile with a bit more comfort but no loss of handling.

The IS250 economy was pants and almost always averaged no better than 30.

I’d reckon on you getting a good 10mpg better with an IS300H in like for like driving compared to your 200t. Possibly a bit more with a facelift car.

You will notice quite a big performance in performance so you’ll need to drive a few and determine whether this is a price worth paying for better economy.

Is better economy your #1 priority or does performance rank above this? I suspect from what you say that performance ranks high in what you want from a car.

They are great cars though. To be honest, I only swapped my 2019 IS because I’d had two bird strikes which cost a bit to replace various front grilles (front is very low), and a buckled 18” alloy wheel (many water filled potholes where I live) and catching the underside of the car on some raised ironworks on a new housing development. I came to the conclusion it was the wrong type of car for what I need given where I live and what I use the car for. Otherwise I’d have kept it.

I’ve gone on a bit, sorry, I reckon you’ll see a good 10mpg improvement and likely a bit more from a facelift car. You’ll lose some performance though. That said, there isn’t much wrong with an IS300H in Sport, especially a facelift version. Best way to tell a facelift version is they have no front fog lights. I think 😉

Thanks all for your feedback, I think I am still going to look for an is300h (despite some people’s negativity about it), I’m not after performance I am just after better fuel economy. I have seen that there are lots of these for sale with 90k+ miles on them, should I be weary about buying a 300h with this sort of mileage on it?
Regarding the power of the vehicles I think that they are partially under powered compared to other vehicle ie bmw/Audi but the variant of the Lexus models I feel doesn’t mean that they compare to that power ratio (ie 250 as these cars are based on the engine size hence the is250-2.5 litre, is200-2 litre, gen 1 is300-3litre, unfortunately Lexus cars are heavy vehicles so give a poor power to weight ratio hence the reason they are slower than their competitors, but I guess they are well equipped with leather/sound deadening which compromises this problem.

Linas.P · August 5, 2021

17 minutes ago, Derant said:

I am a long term owner and I get closer to 50mpg, did you not read what actual owners on this thread are stating?
you haven’t owned one but know you would get 32-38….hmmmm

I have driven IS300h in particular for thousands of miles, I have as well driven RC300h, NX300h and ES300h for extended period of time. Check the link I provided where actual owners tracks their real long term fuel economy, instead of sharing sensational tank figure they get once in a while. As well note that although average consumption for IS300h works out at around 41MPG, this includes all trims. If you filter by F-Sport and Premier (models with 18 inch wheels) then you will see figure around 37-38MPG. Now... I have only ever driven F-Sport IS300h and several of them, because any trim below it does not interest me, but 38MPG per tank was pretty much average what I would get. I would say in total I have driven 5 different cars for over 6000 miles and they all been the same.

How many miles one has to do in the car to figure-out fuel economy?

DBIZO · August 5, 2021

51 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Because some idiots decide to drive right up in one's boot despite the fact that one has a car directly in front that one cannot overtake until that car (and maybe others in front of that one) pull in - in order to avoid an accident one sometimes let's the idiots through as one wants a quiet and relaxing drive... so being pushed out of the outside lane.

I'm enjoying the heat in the argument, and because I've got some strong views, I will share them unsolicited.

I think you are both right. Linas is right that people by and large have no theory how to drive on dual carriageways and motorways, effectively rendering them city roads. Most drivers practice no self-awareness and give zero consideration to their role in the traffic. After all these years it sometimes gets under my skin how people overtake in the fast lane by going 1 mph faster, or simply cruising wherever with empty lanes to their left. I'm not the best driver, I can do stupid stuff, but I always pay attention to the traffic around me, not just in my lane ahead. And when the fast lane is full, and there is no point in staying there anymore, I pull out of it to the left, precisely to ease the overcrowding there. If everybody were a just a little more considerate, the flow of traffic would improve massively, including speed and capacity. I find it immensely frustrating that people drive slow on motorways and way too fast on country roads doing 60 come what may in narrow blind corners - often the very same people. It does not make any sense, just to keep it gentlemanly, because I don't have many polite words.

And you are right, too. Those basically free-falling into the back of another car are just nasty, although I do sometimes purposefully invite them to take over and then enjoy their bulldozing ahead, with me following closely, because I'm unwilling to do the dirty work. A bigger problem is that these types contribute massively to motorway congestion when traffic is heavy, as computer modelling has demonstrated. Basically, sudden breakings and acceleration in heavy traffic build a kind of wave, propagating backwards in ever increasing amplitude, ultimately grinding the motorway to a halt, then building up sometimes miles of queues. No accident, no lane closure. All spontaneous.

To sum it up, your are both right. People really ought to keep left whenever they reasonably can, and they should keep more distance, regardless how big a tit the driver in front of them is.

But my favourite thing is roundabouts. Most have no idea what it's for and how to use it. For another thread.

Linas.P · August 5, 2021

5 minutes ago, Steve vialls said:

I have seen that there are lots of these for sale with 90k+ miles on them, should I be weary about buying a 300h with this sort of mileage on it?

unfortunately Lexus cars are heavy vehicles so give a poor power to weight ratio hence the reason they are slower than their competitors

No... if car is serviced it will be fine. There are people even on this forum who have done close to 200k miles without any issues (maybe even over 200k), there cars are used on the taxis etc. As well 90k miles would be about normal for 2013 car now, so depends on the year you looking after.

Not exactly true - BMW 330i weights 1470kg and does 0-60 in 5.8s, IS300h weights 1620k and does 0-60 in 8.2s... sure IS is heavier, but 150kg cannot be the reason for 2.4s difference. Maybe 0.5s at most. What so it is purely underpowered... 181hp vs 258hp and more torque as well.

ColinBarber · August 5, 2021

I averaged about 47 mpg over 3 years and 20k miles. This was an F Sport which had the 18" wheels, which do impact the mpg, as does the less aerodynamic front bumper of the F Sport. My journeys to/from work were very consistent from one journey to another - if I had a loan vehicle, which was typically a grade with 17" wheels, then I would see about 5 mpg improvement over my own vehicle.

You can click on the IS300 pic on my signature to see the fuelly stats (make sure you set the units to UK).

You need to adapt your driving to get the best economy out of a hybrid - an obviously statement for any type of vehicle but especially so for a hybrid, so your economy improves over time as your adapt. Winter has a bigger impact than you would expect to see with a normal petrol vehicle.

August 5, 2021

1 hour ago, Linas.P said:

How many miles one has to do in the car to figure-out fuel economy?

Well I have done about 24000 so pretty confident in my figures, please just look back to what actual owners are saying in this thread regarding Mpg, in the link you posted there are very few entries after 2014, maybe actual owners on this forum carry more weight regarding economy.

you are also wrong with your statement on power, IS300h engine does indeed produce 181bhp, you just forgot to add the electric motor, combined power is about 220

Bluesman · August 5, 2021

8 hours ago, Spacewagon52 said:

Actually it does have relevance but we will pass on that one. But you are correct Linus! I was being an Agent Provocateur!

We can do without that sort of wind up. Its not clever.

Agent Provocateur! type of: bad hat, mischief-maker, trouble maker, troublemaker, troubler. someone who deliberately stirs up trouble. a person who initiates a course of action. synonyms: initiator.

Linas.P · August 5, 2021

I am pretty confident with my figures as well, besides I don't live in Northamptonshire so perhaps we simply are doing different driving. I doubt that driving more miles would result in any revelation from what I already know, nor I agree that owners on this forum carry more weight than owners using the page I have provided. In fact several owners here are on that page as well.

I have not forgotten to include the electric motor and as well you can't simply just add figures together and claim total number. The number (181hp) quoted are peak power and electric motor does not actually add anything to peak power, where it add something is low down torque. Most importantly it does not matter what electric motor adds, because the actual performance is what is lacking. In short what matters is how car performs, not what figures are on the paper and IS300h is slow regardless of which figure of engine power you will claim.