F.A.

I received the same email from Lexus Bristol.

If you have the option then it will show up in the same customisation menu where you found the option to unlock the doors when placed in Park. If it’s not there then as mentioned above, it can not be added. The 2014 F Sport Demo we test drove didn’t have this option but our 2012 F sport does. Our 2011 IS250 also had this feature, which was enable/ disabled by a pressing/ turning sequence of buttons and moving the auto shifter IIRC. As mentioned above, there seems to be a period between 2013 & 2015 where Lexus removed this feature on GS and RX models and possibly other models in the range also.

I wanted an ISF ever since it came out. Back in 2011, I had the choice of purchasing a 9 month old 2011 IS250 SE-L or a 2008 ISF with 84000 miles on the clock for £4000 more. I went with my head and bought the IS250, which was a good car and kept it for 8 years. Maybe I should have bought the ISF but It would have been more than a stretch and I was doing around 15000 miles a year at the time. By the time we were in a financial situation to buy one, the GSF fell within reach. I still look for them on AT along with any RCFs and GSFs on most days though 🙄 🤦🏽‍♂️.

Congratulations. I’ve been keeping an eye on your ‘13 plate car for a while and it looks like a nice example. Late model with the comfiest suspension. How long did you have the RS4 for?

I don’t think the SR had a different suspension set up to the S SE and SE-L models. It was just a base model with the GFX body kit, so it should ride the same. I have never tried an F-Sport 2IS but had both a 2007 and a 2011 SE-L. In my opinion, the ride in the 2007 was marginally better than the 2011, most likely due to the smaller standard 17 inch wheels. I also found the steering to be heavier in the earlier car, which I preferred. Personally I found the leather to be of better quality in the 2011 car. The extra rear leg room was due to a change of the front seat back pocket design. The earlier cars had a ridge pocket that could be pulled forward, where as the later models had a material based version. Again the gain in leg room is minimal. If your kids are young enough to still be in car seats with an iso fix base , then we found the Maxi Cosi range to be a very tight fit. I had to move my seat forward in to a compromised driving position and I’m only 5ft7. Good luck with your search. Both cars were absolutely brilliant.

Looks like this has been moved on and gained some significant value, as it has reappeared on AT. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202006079895232?atmobcid=soc4  It now in Bristol at Portbury Docks.

The pre facelift 3RX had an extension that clipped on to the back seat. I’m not sure why it was deleted for the facelift in 2012.

Thank you, you learn something new everyday!

Double pane glass? I never realised that an RX 450h was available with that opinion. Was it only the SE-L PrMeier that was spec’s with this?

I have a funny feeling that you have to replace the whole chrome section on the back door to replace the badge. That’s what the dealer did under warranty when ours were replaced, as the blue surround started to peal off. Unfortunately it’s happening again on one side.

I remember someone on here spotting that car in Lexus Cheltenham pre lockdown. I think they mentioned that it was part of a collection. Interesting to see that it has the 'hold' button to the left of the steering wheel, which came on the later models. So its actually one of the later ones and not an earlier one registered in '19!

Almost forgot. @Erkeen RK. Congratulations on the new car and welcome to the club. Looking forward to seeing some photos.

If your dash and rear speaker/ sub has a Mark Levinson badge, then you have the Mark Levinson upgraded system, which was around £995. Im guessing it is more likely the spec sheet is wrong than the car being incorrectly badged. The ML system is the best / only system upgrade available on these cars, unlike the German manufactures who seem to offer 2 different upgraded brands on some models.

No, there are a minority that didn’t have this option ticked. I originally wanted a White GSF with a black interior. The only one I every saw in the 2 years I spent looking, came without the ML system.

Yes. The manual gearbox increased the emissions in to the next (highest) tax bracket over the auto. Iirc it went from 214g/CO2 to 231g/CO2. An ISF was around 270g/CO2 and in the same bracket. Go for an auto. It really suits the nature of the IS250.

We sold our 2011 IS250 SE-L last June. We purchased it with 19k on the clock at 9 months old (ex Lexus car) and sold it with 111k on the clock. It drove the same as the day we bought it. Brilliant car and I have no doubt that it would have reached the 200k mark without too much trouble. As mentioned above, a lot of car for the money, as I guess not many people are interested in a 2.5V6 NA engine with a non German badge. Their loss. . We were offered £3500 as an initial part exchange against our GSF which was increased to £4000. I nearly kept it at this point but it sold with in two hours of being available on AT for £5950. Still a lot of car for the money!

The gearbox isn’t the slickest either.

Some one on here spotted that car and posted a photo of it next to there’s in a car park, before the car was for sale at Praters. They noted that the windscreen was cracked and the back bumper also had some damage iirc. Such a shame. Clearly the previous owner had more money than sense or it was just a lease car.

On another note, did you manage to get your deposit back from the Blue GSF at Praters? It was featured in a Piston Heads article in November but I wonder if anyone had bought it?

It looks lovely. You must be very pleased. Were the wing mirror covers difficult to fit? I would be interested in seeing some close up of the mirrors.

Oh no, how frustrating. We the warped discs not noticeable when braking?

Yes, but only before the MY 2011 facelift cars.

MOTs have been extended by 6 months. Mine was therefore not due until October 20, but I didn’t think it was worth waiting that long if it’s service was due now. So I had both done. Great service by Bristol. Warranties have not been extended so I renewed my over the phone directly with the warranty company.

The pre facelift F sports ultimately come with a better spec. You retain the memory function on both front seats (even the top spec SE-L facelift cars lost the passenger memory function) the electric steering column and memory/ dipping in reverse mirrors. You also retain the swivel function on the Xenon lights. In return the pre facelift cars missed out on the F Sport front spoiler, F Sport specific alloys (they came with Hoshi alloys from the options lost) and daylight running lights. As Colin mentioned, Mark Levinson was not available on all 2011 facelift cars apart from on the ISF. The Mark Levinson system was an option the pre facelift car. It came with the Multimedia system. The Full Map option gave you sat nav and a better HVC interface on the facelift cars but no ML. I’ve had both systems. The 13 speaker Pioneer system on the facelift cars is fairly good but in my opinion the ML system is better. Good luck with the search. I had one for around 8 years and it was a brilliant car.

Thank you @ColinBarber. Very informative as usual.