Is300H-First Thoughts And Impressions

[Rabbers]

Last week I traded in my IS250 for a 300h "Luxury", this being the name of the top spec in Italy (corresponding, confusingly and with some slight differences , to "Premier" in the U.K, "Executive" and "Executive Line" in France and Germany respectively, and "Plus" in Spain). The 250 was the second I have owned, the first having originally replaced a 200 which was itself the second of two. Thus, the new third-generation is my fifth since the series was launched. Considering that the three generations bear little or no technological resemblance to each other, my loyalty to the brand firmly rests on what Lexus has continued to offer through the years, namely, high quality and proven reliability, good dealer service, and the choice, within the given segment, of not owning a German car. This latter factor does not mean that I begrudge the Germans their commercial success. It merely reflects the feeling of exclusivity synonymous with being one of a small number, and this, in its turn, reflects my own personal vanity rather than any conscious wish to inspire envy or curiosity. However, now that Lexus is way ahead of the Germans in hybrid technology in the saloon segment, there is finally one more reason to prefer the brand.

Having been attracted by the prospect of a good deal and immediate delivery, I bought my 300h

straight out of the showroom, and while the pairing of an Arctic Pearl exterior with Ivory leather

would not have been my first choice, it is elegant enough. It will brighten up the murky winter days

before coming into its own in the summer.

Reviews of the 300h in the Italian specialist press have generally been very good, with opinions

differing little from those I have read from the U.K. and elsewhere. The main criticism concerns

the unresponsiveness of the CVT gearbox, although this, for those of us who rarely hurl their car

along deserted country roads, is compensated by its graduality and smoothness. Almost all

reviews have been based on the F-Sport as the result of Lexus' somewhat unsubtle targeting of

younger drivers in order to widen its customer base. While I understand the need for this, I feel

that commercials featuring Jarno Trulli driving around the inside of an aircraft hangar in the guise

of a videogame character, not to mention excitedly enthusiastic utterances from another retired F1 driver like Olivier Panis, are less likely to attract new customers than alienate old ones. Be this as it

may, I admit that I would probably have preferred an F-Sport at parity of equipment had there been one in the showroom. My decision, however, would have been almost entirely based on aesthetics

since, during a test-drive, the claimed virtues of the Sport+ mode and adaptive suspensions were

not readily apparent to me. The F-Sport in full-frontal view is undoubtedly sexy (though the splendid

design of the grille cannot help being marred by a numberplate), and the LFA-inspired instrument-

panel is a remarkable technical feat (though its novelty value is probably destined to wear off).

The black roof-lining is also a nice touch, and although the sporty seats may not be to everybody's

taste, they are perhaps the most comfortable in the entire Lexus range (and there can be no higher

praise than this).

There are a few surprising blemishes and omissions in what is otherwise a superb cabin (or should

we call it a "cockpit" as the Lexus marketing people would prefer?). The door-pockets do not open

outwards as in the 250 and are flimsier to the touch. Storage space for small objects towards the

front is practically non-existent. Strangely, the front door-sills in my car are plain satin-finish metal

strips and lack the back-lit logo to which I have become accustomed. The dealer was as surprised

at this as I was, and has asked for an explanation that has so far not been forthcoming. My own

suspicion is that the proper components were not in stock on the day the batch of cars including

mine came off the assembly line. Another conspicuous absence (that will discourage prospective

purchasers of the exorbitantly priced Cool Box in the Accessories list) is that of a 12V socket in

the boot. And, speaking of the boot, the swan-neck lid-hinges are downright ugly and do not hide

away upon the lid being lowered as in the 250. They may also prevent the lid from shutting properly when the boot is loaded right up to the top.

The Mark Levinson sound system is so good I wish I could take it into the house with me. It gets

scant mention in the promotional brochures and none at all in the handbooks, which means that

anyone wishing to know more needs to research it online. If I understand it right, the system's 15 speakers deliver twice the intensity of sound of normal ones without increasing the consumption

of energy. Can this mean that the previous-generation 14-speaker ML system equipping my 250s

was constantly causing me to pollute the planet while squandering money? The ASC synthetic-

sound device, of which I fail to see the usefulness, is no more than a piece of acoustic bling, and

I have switched it off. Some journalists with an over-fertile imagination have suggested that it could

be made to provide a choice of supercar snarls and howls at the driver's whim, but I cannot imagine

that Lexus would ever inflict this idea on its customers unless the company's quest for younger

buyers extends to the juvenile market.

I have yet to come to grips with the Navi system, which I am at this stage eyeing in much the same

way as a mountaineer gazes at an unconquered peak. I certainly miss the user-friendly touch-

screen of the previous system, and the 400+ pages of the handbook are more than a little daunting. The only audio problem I have so far encountered was a blockage of my iPod Classic a few minutes

into its first use, and, after a moment of panic, a simple resetting of the iPod resolved the issue.

Fuel consumption is looking remarkably good (not surprisingly compared with the 250) even though I have not yet done enough kilometers to precisely quantify it. Generally speaking, the almost dutiful aim of keeping the needle within the ECO limit has had the effect of disciplining my style of driving, which, the 300h has made me realize, was occasionally somewhat lacking in dignity. Indeed, the car is so extremely well-mannered and unruffled in any situation I as to have made me a better road user - and therefore a happier one.

[DJP]

Welcome to the club Rabbers, and you certainly have a Lexus pedigree behind you!

I agree with pretty much everything you have said, the boot hinges do cause grief when fully loaded and the omissions from inside the cabin like the opening door pockets are a surprise to ex 250 owners.

Like you, I enjoy wafting around with half an eye on the mpg readout, very happy reading compared to the 250!

The mouse LED navi sys is pretty intuitive, although remembering how you got to various settings can be a challenge.

Enjoy in good health!

[Simon99]

Hi Rabbers,

I enjoyed reading your review of your is300h. My only Lexus experience is 4 days with an F Sport demonstrator! However, that was enought to convince me to move away from one of the 'German brands'. The overwhelming thought that I was left with after 4 days of driving the F sport was that it is a car that 'feels special' and has great appeal - for many reasons - exclusivity, comfort, technology, performance, handling, refinement, low emissions, economy and low BIK price for company car drivers, I placed my order this week for 1st March 2014 delivery and I'm really looking forward to driving it every day.

I don't know if you have seen the review in the 'Mai-lonline' by Chris Evans - it's quite interesting. See link below

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2474928/Lexus-IS300h-reviewed-Chris-Evans-At-Hybrid-Lex-appeal-Usually-I-hate-Hybrids-ones-different.html

[Zotto]

Ciao Renato, un altro italiano nel forum. :-)

[Roger Bill]

Hi Renate

Many thanks for an excellent contribution. Like David I agree with pretty much everything you said.

I'm hoping to order an IS in January with Ivory interior mainly because I feel in need of a change from the black interiors of all my recent cars. Although I guess it'll need a more diligent cleaning regime, I think it looks good and I'm surprised Lexus publicity material only has photos of black and red interiors.