Zotto

If you need space, RX is the right choice. Besides, Lexus does not make hatchback cars.

I traded my gen. 3 GS 450h for a gen4 GS 300h, and 300h is better in all , except on acceleration of course. A friend of mine bought a new 450h, and while performance is the same, compared my former 450h mpg are better, gaining about 3 mpg (you can see difference looking on spritmonitor or fuelly different figures selecting before and after 2012 models). Best improvements had been made in electronics , active cruise control is that one I like more.

Just to defend hybrid GS, trunk space has been improved with battery pack underneath, even if rear seats can't still be folded, and GS 450h, with a 0-63 of 5.9 seconds is a rocket! In 300h version, with 2,5 litres engine, it is a bit slower than a RX 450h, but gains a lot of mpg. I agree RX offer more space, but GS is a lovely place to be, and one of the most silent cars (accordingly to a site I linked time ago). As the topic is IS vs GS, only speaking about performance, they depends from engine choice, the 2 hybrid 300h models are almost same.

Sorry, it' s a physics nonsense: energy of braking is recovered whatever wheel brakes, no difference till wheels don't slip, and in that evenience they are not in regeneration, using traditional pads.

GS 250 is a good choice, but driving a Hybrid car is a totally different experience, not necessarily positive (some people don't appreciate it): sparing fuel is only a feature, but you discover silence, no gears, sound of thermal engine not linked to increase of speed, smooth acceleration without steps, less components that could break or need to change, brakes lasting more. The feature of engine motor sound steady during acceleration is the biggest reason many people dislike eCVT hybrids, a century of cars with gears accustomed us to associate speed growing with rpm. So, my suggestion is to try it and see if you like; with your driving hybrid obtains very good mpg( my personal record is 70 with hypermiling techniques). And if you like speed, a bigger engine could surprise you, I sometimes miss my former GS 450h with 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds, and you can obtain 39 mpg with it. RX has same engine, a little underpowered , and performs very well too, also good mpg with your driving, mpg go down with motorways at speed over 70 mph because of bigger air resistance of SUVs.

Mpg are average, I drive almost 50% in city traffic, of course first minutes are worse till engine warms up, but because of hybrid traction in city you pass almost half of miles with engine off , nonetheless climate control works.

About mpg, my GS 300h does 40 in winter and more than 45 mpg in summer with no attention, easy to stay over 50 keeping hybrid driving techniques. In winter, heated seats are very useful, really don't worry for driving warm.

I own a G3 300h, so my opinion is not neutral . About your concern, a hybrid engine reaches temperature like other petrol engines, so don't worry about heating in winter. If you expect a sedated car, GS 450h and also RX450h are NOT sedate, GS 450h is really a fast car, while GS300h is better if you give more importance to low mpg and maintenance costs, I love my GS 300h. Being only few years younger, I also considered to purchase a SUV, but comfort in GS is very good, better mpg and quieter. So, in my opinion about your choices, GS300h with all options (mine has leather seats with 18 different settings, heated and ventilated) is best, if you like speed GS450h FSport, if you need a bigger vehicle more thirsty but with higher seats and mpg go for RX. NX is interesting too, but it' s a step down, like IS compared to GS.

Have fun with your new GS :-)

Remember that regenerative braking works alone without use of pads if you gently slow down keeping the indicator in !charge zone without reaching top low zone; from that point, pads work and you have more braking effect but loose some energy. So, to have best mpg the most important driving suggestion is to achieve max regeneration making soft braking (and doing so preserves brake pads).

Well done :)

Did you find differences in performance between your 250 V6 and GS 300h?

For a correct use ICE has to reach at least 40 °C. do, despite of HV charge, it will be on till temperature is over 40°. Nothing irregular, let hybrid system work!

In a forum I write about hybrids where most people are concerned on hypermiling the suggestion in to overinflate to gain mpg. I prefer full load suggested pressure.

There are some distinctions to make about cruise control systems: in traditional CCs the simple function is to keep a fixed speed, so the only disadvantage comparing human control of speed is in situation where speed has to be varied for a better fuel use, i.e. in intense traffic or driving up and down hills; so it's possible to achieve good and sometimes better mpg. In new CC systems with adaptive logic, speed may vary with vehicle car is seeking, it's quite comfortable as you have no need to brake or accelerate in queue, but usually CC restores set speed in a fast way, and this is not good for fuel spare, so mpg rise compared to a human quiet ride. So, generally speaking, CC in no traffic helps to spare gasoline, in intense traffic not.

HOLD function in GS , when on, inserts permanently brakes with still car after 2 seconds of braking, so the hold light gets on and you can leave foot from brake pedal and D inserted ; remember that in D with hybrid engine is off and electric motors also, till you press again right pedal to accelerate (no waste of energy) restarting electric traction. In HOLD mode you obviously can stop your car at any inclination, positive, negative or 0. Electric parking brake is another feature, and it works , also in automatic mode if you set it, when you have car in P and press start button to go off; restarting the car automatically parking brake disengages.

Consider that EPB is in ZF automatic transmissions ;-) , eCVT is totally different.

I have tested my GS 300h 2014 yesterday in reverse with HOLD button on. Actually the hold light keeps off and no brakes in reverse, BUT it is not a problem as not having a friction in eCVT it's possible to move the car without jumps or sudden reactions; same when with HOLD off when moving uphill. The main use I have of HOLD command is to keep car still at red traffic light without needing foot on brake pedal or moving gears lever to P. Using eCVT give the advantage you can have using an automatic transmission with torque converter, while AT with doublecluthes need some mechanism of braking because of the on/off behavior of friction elements.

CVT, that truly is eCVT , no belts but epicycloidal gears and electric motors, is only on Lexus hybrids.

So, you have braking system malfunction for weeks and ask yourself only now what to do?

Being a amateur radio I faced this problem :) Magnetic aerials are a practical way to have an easily removable antenna on a car, but this makes easy also to steal them, so I suggest to choose them only if you are not worried to remove it all the times you leave your car in dangerous places. About water leaking from wires no problems, wires are sufficiently thin. Be sure to have a proper lenght for antenna, the simpler ones are 1/4 lambda, that for DAB frequencies means a total lenght about 13 inches.

It is perfectly reasonable that a E class is better than a CT. Only a question: have you considered a Lexus GS?

If you totally discharged the HV battery the engine will not start anymore till HV battery will be recharged, and this is quite a trouble, as to do this it needs a special charger. Besides, total discharge of HV battery may damage it. If also 12 V battery is off too this it can be charged easier or changed, but you can only restore auxiliary circuits, no hope to start engine anyway. NEVER let HV battery totally discharging.

Another difference I forgot is the variable ratio in steering switching from Normal to Sport mode in 450, while in 300h the ratio does not change (but for my tastes better so).

Yes and no. Engines but also eCVT to let 450h run at high speed. You can hear the change at about 110 km/h in this video: