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One thing to be aware of with the 0801 camera are the fakes, apparently there are an awful lot of cheap chinese imitations being sold as the real thing, but yes the real thing has a very good rep. Let us know your opinion once installed.

The 250 is faster from my test drives where my salesman was kind enough to let me go for it! I got a 0-60mph time of 7.6 seconds on it compared to 8.2 seconds on the 300h, bearing in mind that both vehicles were on premium Super unleaded fuel. 300h has instant torque and this is what makes it "feel" faster and it has amazing in gear acceleration. However, the 250 seems slower due to the smooth V6 and less torque, but I did find it to be faster in reality. Does need to be floored though!

I too had a 300h the other day....this is what i put up on the 300h forum at the end of Jan My 250 was in for a service so I took the opportunity to try out a 300h for a few hours. This is not a car write up its just a couple of hours observations. First time in one, the only other hybrid I’d driven was the CT200h. It was a 2013 Se model in Satin Silver. Very nice body contours and the spindle grill all make for a very distinctive and pleasing look. Very different dash layout which took a little understanding. In fairness you could say that of any new car I guess. Navigated around the MM unit and got my phone bluetoothed and a Sat Nav destination input too. The seats are firmer for sure although they do grip you well too. Leg room across the thighs is much less than my 250. My left leg was up against the centre console the entire drive. I’m not a biggie (6ft and 13st) but a larger person would be cramped I feel. Not a lot more on the door side either. Nice to see 2 USB’s and a power socket in the centre console. Don’t particularly like the 2 cup recesses being on permanent display and the console lid is a bit plasticky and light. Anyway..fire her up and off we go. Is it running…yes it is…barely audible. Nice pull away and acceleration with subtle gear changing. I’m in D mode to start while I get the feel of it. The car feels bigger than my 250…it probably isn’t but it feels so. Its very quiet indeed, all you hear is tyre and road noise. Tyre choice may be crucial. I had Turanzas on 16” wheels so the ride would be more cushioned than my 250 on 18” wheels. The car feels nicely planted on the road and the steering has a very nice weight to it. Better than my 250. Either they have tweaked the electric steering or the battery weight is perhaps a factor. Refuelling caught me out….where the heck is the cover lid button.? There isn’t one! With the car unlocked you just press the fuel cover lid and it pops open. Nice to see the Nav has been improved in some areas. Noticeable is the audble warning of approaching speed cameras and a visual of the speed limit to. Let’s you know when you are over it with a 'ding'. Like all Navs it tried to send me up a farm track that was most definitely not a road. Indicator stalk takes a bit of getting used to. It’s a sort of soft touch type release. So you can easily end up signalling Left then Right then Left until you’ve worked it out! I spent several hours driving on different road types and using ECO, Sport and D mode. Like my 250 there are also the paddles and the ability to toggle the gear stick manually if you desire. Stick her in Sport mode and there is considerable wellie at your feet. This thing shifts impressively. I’d like to take her across France…maybe 70mpg is achieveable. I drove carefully at first and got to 62mpg and upon return was showing 53mpg. Overall I have to say I was very impressed and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It is a very nice car to drive and looks very good too. As I said earlier this is just a brief foray. Didn't even check out the boot or jump in the back to see what leg room was like. It’s definitely something I would consider next time round. Zero road tax is rather nice too!

Make sure you check with the dealer. They have substantial discounts for cars older than 5 years. In the past one year Lexus Croydon have twice given me a cheaper quote than Albin B Motors.

Just get one of these mate ;)

Lexus in their "pursuit of perfection" fitted stainless steel exhaust systems to the LS400 and mine after 20 years is still in excellent condition. When the LS430 arrived it would appear it became in "pursuit of economy" so they took a retrograde step using mild steel and after just 10 years they are rotting off. Personally I would go for custom made stainless replacements, not only can they be made as quiet as the originals but last considerably longer and be nowhere near Lexus prices for mild steel.

My opinion as a self employed mechanic (ex Toyota ,Mercedes,jaguar, bmw) is that national tyres are doing charity work at that rate, put it this way they are not using a quality oil, not at that price. An oil filer would cost me in the region of £5 or 6 quid +vat so might retail about £8 or 9 + your vehicle takes 4.7 litres so say 5 litres of high quality fully synthetic retailing at around £10 a litre + so that's around 60 quid ish for arguments sake, then an hours labour at around £45 to 50 + screen wash etc so say £140 ish inc vat for good reputable garage to do it. Note; oil filter media is made to be comparable with the oil designed for that engine, using the wrong oil can cause this to become brittle and break up,this is really only visible on paper element insert filters. I have come across this on 3 occasions on servicing new customers cars. Conclusion avoid national tyres like the plague,use Lexus for the minor services until u find a reputable garage to take on your car, and don't be afraid to ask important questions like what make and spec of oil are they using. A good quality oil is the best mechanic u will ever get. The spec you req is 5W-30 GM DEXOS 2 MB229.01 BMW LL-04 VW 502.00/505.01 ACEA A3/B4 ACEA A3 low saps Regards Shaun