Considering An Is 300H, But Have A Few Questions

Northern_Si · March 9, 2015

Afternoon,

I've been looking around the forum for a little while now while I've been considering buying a Lexus and thought it was about time to ask a few questions.

The first question is that I'm a big guy of about 6ft3 tall. The previous IS was a total no no as my head touched the roof and I couldn't see out of the wind screen. I've paid a brief visit to my local dealer to have a quick look and still seem to be having the same problem with the new version. Does the base of the seat tilt? I've found measurements on some websites and these suggest I should fit. I do fit in a GS but I don't think I need the extra size and 9+ seconds 0-60 is getting a little slow.

I've read numerous reviews online and quite a few mention the drivetrain and some describe overtaking as 'dangerous' due to the delay in the power delivery caused by the CVT. How bad is this? I currently drive a MB E350CDI which is pretty rapid but I rarely use the full capabilities of the car.

Again most reviews talking about disappointing MPG. My driving style is such that I can get 52+MPG out of my V6 diesel on a good run (and 60K miles out of a set of front discs and pads). Is the fuel consumption really that bad or just motoring journalists driving them like you stole them? What would I expect on a 200 mile motorway run, e.g. Manchester to London?

Another point made is the Sat Nav graphics are really poor ... are they that bad?

Thanks in advance,

Simon

capese21 · March 9, 2015

I am 6ft tall and find my IS F Sport very comfortable and easy to get in and out of. The seat base on my car is electric & does tilt and move every way you would expect it to. You really would have to sit in one and try the adjustment to know for sure if you are comfortable though.

My Car has loads of power in standard drive and it is pretty fast in Sport mode. It is not a track racing car, more suited to driving on public roads!! I have not noticed any delay?? The 30 to 70 mph is among the best in class. It is rapid away from line which I like for nipping into gaps.

My MPG averages 40 to 45 mixed normal style driving.

Nothing wrong with the Sat Nav. The graphics are clear and easy to read. I found the menu a little odd at first as only ever used a TomTom but I am used to it now.

I was very close to buying a Jag XF. I like you thought the CVT would feel slow and unresponsive. After a test drive I canceled the XF and bought the Lexus. Delighted with it to.

Motoring hacks know nothing other than their opinion. Some said it had delay & some said it was fast!! They seem to be more influenced by how fast it can go round a test track. I didnt buy mine to do that!

The refinement and lack of diesel clatter particularly in slow traffic is superb. No DPF to clog up & overall reliability are an added bonus to imho.

I also love the look of it.

Lexus are or were offering 24 hour test drives.

Ed

I wanted a White F Sport but glad I went for Mesa Red which now has a lovely deep shine thanks to a polish glaze and a wax.

splatty · March 9, 2015

I'm almost 6'4 mate and I have no problem with my F-Sport.

Only had it a few days so can't really comment on performance as such, but as stated above, the rolling acceleration is the important figure. You do also think the car isn't that quick until you look at the speedo.

Refinement compared to any 4-pot diesel is a million times better.

It's a comfort cruiser, not a racetrack stormer and that's why journos slate it at times, but then again they rate the cars whose manufacturer gives them the biggest back hander anyway

Rabbers · March 9, 2015

Ed:

Nice pic but it made me nervous. Were you trying to see how close you could get to the kerb without scraping your

front undercarriage or what??!! :eerrrmm:

capese21 · March 9, 2015

Were you trying to see how close you could get to the kerb without scraping your

front undercarriage or what??!! :eerrrmm:

It does look close but not scraped it yet and sometimes park closer!! I did though kerb the alloy a bit last week

Ed :ooh-ducky:

ganzoom · March 9, 2015

The magazine are very bias to German cars for some reason.

The IS300H shares the drive way with our other car, a BMW 335i, tuned to roughly 380bhp, imported Sports catalytic converters, larger intercooler, Bespoke Bilstein suspension, Quaife LSD, and whole load of other performance parts thrown on.

I do like to go on some B road blasts and when given the opportunity make full use of the BMWs power and if I'm really honest it could do with a bit more, and the throttle response could be a bit sharper.....I really wanted a M3 (but wife said no) hence I had to waste stupid £££ turning my 335i into a mini M3.

But since the IS300H arrived last week, guess which car has been pretty much sat on the driveway un-moved .

Though the IS300H cannot compete with the 335i for out-right pace/fun for 95% of the trips I do the IS300H is in a different league from the BMW. It's unbelievably quite...even at motorway speeds the engine is hardly audible, and the whole interior feels much higher quality and better put together.

The IS300H doesn't have a CVT gear box, its a far more complex system of planetary gears which I suspect most car reviewers have no idea about. It is absolutely seamless in terms of 'gear changes' because there aren't any normal 'gears'. It takes you a little while to get use to, but once you've learnt it's nature its amazingly smooth.

Interms of power...humm, the IS rated at 220bhp and weighs barely more than a 3 series, so how anyone can find overtaking in it 'dangerous' is beyond me, maybe it says more about their inability to survey the road ahead. Yes there is a small delay between mashing the accelerator and power deliver kicking in, but it's hardly dangerous, and if razor sharp throttle response if what your after than your need to be looking at something that has a NA V8 (like the old M3), because actually even my turbocharged BMW has throttle lag despite all the tuning bits(ie Turbo lag) :(.

MPG wise, ours is too new to tell, currently averaging 43mpg for mainly city driving, the demo car we had managed a easy 50mpg over 24hrs of M-way and city routes. It's not better than a turbocharged diesel but the driving experience is leagues more refined than our old Honda diesel that use to drive me mad from it's clattering engine at idle.

Don't believe the reviews, the only real criticism for the Lexus is the sat nav interface...The iDrive system in the BMW is much better...BUT all the FUNCTIONALITY is there, infact you get more as standard, it's only the actual user interface which takes getting use to. Again once you use it for a few days it becomes second nature.

We had the Jag XF, Jag XE, and the Merc C class on our shopping list....The moment I was won over by the IS300H was when during a 24hr test drive we went to the local Jag dealership, and whilst looking at a XF another IS300H glided in total silence....a few minutes later a £60K XJ pulled up...clattering away like a tractor :eerrrmm:...why spend your hard earned cash on technology that belongs on a farm when you can have something that's pointing the way to the future

DJP · March 9, 2015

^{Hi Simon,}

^{Welcome to the forum. I've never had a diesel and never will so can't comment on comparisons but would endorse and echo all the positive things that the have already been said. Obviously you need to try it yourself for comfort but I'm sure you won't be disappointed by the driving experience in Normal, and put it into Sport and it's as quick as you'll ever need. It handles well and extremely refined.}

^{The Sat Nav and UI is a bit of a challenge and counter intuitive for sure but as has been said, once you get used to it it's fine. The voice control is a bit hit and miss but aren't they all, and the Nav can often have curious routes. Again, not unusual.}

^{Have a go and let us know what you think!}

Steve44 · March 9, 2015

Simon, did Leicester to London today, 120 miles via Coventry and the M40, wasn't in a hurry so put cruise on and sat at 70mph. Mpg on computer was 47mpg. For a 2.5ltr petrol auto with big fat tyres, that's pretty damn good.

Seat all the way to the floor and a 6ft plus person should fit easily. I'm 5'11 and with seat all the way down and back, my feet can't touch the pedals!

I came from a diesel, power delivery is different, but it is just as quick, sport mode from a standing start at the traffic lights is rapid, in gear on the motorway is very good too. Plus its so quiet!

Get a 24hr test and don't look back.

Northern_Si · March 10, 2015

Thanks everyone for your responses.

I've spoken to be nearest dealer and organised a test drive in early May as I'm out of the country for most of April. Would be interesting to see how a 300H deals with the drive from the UK to Spain.

I've just watched Ganzoom's videos (I think it was his) on the performance of the IS300H and it seems sufficient.

If Lexus want to do me a good trade in on my E-Class (sufficient to pay off the finance), I could be very tempted with one. I believe Lexus is offering 2% APR on AUC at the moment which is better than the 9% i'm currently paying. Also looks like extended warranty costs with Lexus are half the price of Mercedes. Do Lexus do Service plans? I currently pay about £38 a month for 4 services over 3 years. My Mercedes requires a service every 15K miles.

Simon

DJP · March 10, 2015

Lexus do indeed do service plans. Worth getting a couple of quotes (assuming you've more than one you can get to) as the prices do seem to vary a bit.

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

DJP · March 10, 2015

Lexus do indeed do service plans. Worth getting a couple of quotes (assuming you've more than one you can get to) as the prices do seem to vary a bit.

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

ganzoom · March 10, 2015

Lexus servicing seems to be overpriced, I'm taking our car to my local independent garage. As for warranty, none of my pervious Japanese cars have had extended warranties, and one of the main attraction about the Lexus brand is reliability, we wouldn't be bothering to extend the warranty on ours :)

Good luck with your test drive, am sure your love it!!

Macscrooge · March 18, 2015

I have just ordered an IS300H following an extended test. Coming from a series of turbocharged cars - most recently A Saab 95- Aero (250BHP) and a 9-3 TTiD (180BHP) diesel Aero I was concerned about overtaking and hills but it actually drove in quite a similar manner - but with rather less drama - then the Saabs. There is power available whenever you prod the accelerator and if in a hurry you can use the 'Sport' mode.

No problem with space - I am 6ft2 and always lower the seat as far as possible in every car I drive. Very comfy and as you can see above I'm used to excellent seats.

MPG on my 150-mile test was just shy of 50. I didn't get fully to grips with the satnav graphics, but it all seems endlessly adjustable.

Roll on April when my IS arrives!

DJP · March 18, 2015

Congrats and welcome to the club!

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

Macscrooge · March 19, 2015

I should add that I initially thought the speed limit display on the nav screen was a bit fuzzy. But then I realised that because it is about 4 inches lower than the satnav (iPhone) in the Saab and that I was looking at it through the bottom of my varifocals....

I believe that sort of thing is called 'human error'.

feanor · March 19, 2015

Direct responce to the "dangerous" overtaking / power delivery lag.

I can see what some people are referring too when they make this point, and I experienced it once myself, needing a quick overtaking manouver with my previous car being a 2ltr 150bhp diesel. I floored it and a delay followed which made my heart jump into my mouth, before it took off.

The reason was I was in auto mode, and had floored it in the wrong gear ratio, it took a moment before the computer decided to drop a gear ratio. (possibly the fuel economy algorithm)

The solution I use ever since that moment is to manually drop a gear ration using the paddles, preferably switch to sport, then move the gear stick into manual (move to left). This instantly automatically drops a gear ration and will rev to "red line". The power with this method is instantaneous and very impressive.

If you have a test drive give it a try.

Northern_Si · March 19, 2015

Thanks guys for your help so far. This is a very insightful forum.

I have a few more questions ....

One of the best features on my E-Class is the ability to set a speed limit on the cruise control which unless you floor it, the car won't exceed. I find this really useful in towns when I set it to 30mph and then never need to look at the speedo ... Does the IS do this?

Also, is my understanding correct that I need to find a car with the optional safety pack to have 'High Beam Assist' on the lights? I find this such a useful feature when driving down country lanes in the dark.

How good is the voice control for the hifi / phone etc? I find the ability to cancel my route guidance by saying a few words on my MB very useful.

Thanks in advance,

SW

ColinBarber · March 19, 2015

One of the best features on my E-Class is the ability to set a speed limit on the cruise control which unless you floor it, the car won't exceed. I find this really useful in towns when I set it to 30mph and then never need to look at the speedo ... Does the IS do this?

No

Macscrooge · March 19, 2015

One of the best features on my E-Class is the ability to set a speed limit on the cruise control which unless you floor it, the car won't exceed. I find this really useful in towns when I set it to 30mph and then never need to look at the speedo ... Does the IS do this?

No

Personally I found the Merc speed limiter a terrifying device - more so when you don't realise it's on - but I suppose that you get used to it.

ganzoom · March 19, 2015

Also, is my understanding correct that I need to find a car with the optional safety pack to have 'High Beam Assist' on the lights? I find this such a useful feature when driving down country lanes in the dark.

How good is the voice control for the hifi / phone etc? I find the ability to cancel my route guidance by saying a few words on my MB very useful.

At the moment you have to opt for the Premier Spec to get the safety pack, I think for MY16+ Lexus will have to start offering it as a option for all cars, or even as a standard feature, since more and more cars are now coming with this standard, and it wouldn't be long before NCAP start reducing their safety ratings for cars' without pre-crash systems.

Voice control...not tried it, but when I picked up the car from the dealer, the chap handing over the car pretty much told me it was rubbish and not to bother wasting my time with it!!!

Nimbra · March 19, 2015

Re the voice control. It's better than my previous cars (Honda's) and seems pretty good. Personally I use - "go home" to set the sat nav and the call options which seem to work well - it always seems to get the right person from my phonebook first time. Although the next bit saying "first" then "call" seems a bit cumbersome. The prompt system is very irritating - switch it off ! I've tried the play music options and they worked well.

My last Honda allowed you to set the heater controls by voice - why did someone think that was a good idea?

Ian J. Parsley · March 20, 2015

Welcome, Si.

Another thing which hasn't been mentioned yet is Lexus customer service. It is top of all the lists for a reason!

I contacted Lexus last week to say I suspected I had a tyre problem as my mpg was a bit low but couldn't find the problem.

Took it in this morning, returned to collect at lunchtime to be calmly informed that I had indeed had a slow puncture. This was fixed, the tyres re-aligned, the calibration re-programmed and the car washed inside and out.

No charge.

You just won't get that anywhere else.

DJP · March 20, 2015

Ian, sounds like a good experience there. Did the tyre pressure warning light activate or was it just the mpg that alerted you to the problem?

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

capese21 · March 20, 2015

Voice control...not tried it, but when I picked up the car from the

dealer, the chap handing over the car pretty much told me it was rubbish

and not to bother wasting my time with it!!!

Good to know Lexus salesman are extolling the features of the IS. More likely he did not know how to use it as it seems to work ok to me.

Ian J. Parsley · March 20, 2015

David (Surrey),

Have responded on Tyre Pressure Monitoring - basically yes, the light was on, but it usually comes on in winter anyway so I hadn't paid attention to it!