Steve44

Bear in mind the new MY17 IS will answer and close some of the spec differences between IS and GS. I.e the infotainment screen size, led headlights, active safety etc.

This has gone a bit off topic but, the GS is a different character of car to the IS. As previously mentioned it's bigger, ever so slightly slower, slightly less economical (it's even heavier) , less practical (no drop down rear seats and the boot whilst same volume is wide, deep and shallow in GS due to battery placement behind rear seats), arguably better built and finished, with some spec differences/improvements around lights, Infotainment and seats. You really need to drive one to appreciate the difference in how it feels. I had the same choice when I picked my IS. I drove the GS first and liked the GS, but it was a much bigger feeling car, with compromises in practicality and cost for me, so I went IS.

Forgot that one! Possibly needs the stars aligned too..... after 2 yrs and 60k, I've come to just accept what it does, though just when you think you've figured how it will act, it will do something unexpected.

If as soon as you start it, you hit the EV button....... And the battery has enough charge...........and it's not tooooo cold, then it will run in EV mode up to about 30mph.......provided you don't accelerate too hard. it is normal but annoying.

It should have full European cover. Map updates cost more than a brand new TomTom. Welcome to the group.

There are 2, A and B. Press the Odo button down under the clocks, near the ASC control to cycle through them.

Main one is the SE has fixed back seats, models above they fold down, increasing practicality. SE also doesn't have leather, or heated seats, the bolsters are just plastic, centers are cloth. Depends on you what you value I guess. The spec hasn't changed much, have a look at Lexus.co.uk and compare the various models, there might be something else I've missed that may be critical. SE with Premium Nav covers most bases though.

That looks perfectly fine to me, just serviced at Lexus 3k ago too. You could find out which Lexus dealer and enquire with them for a copy of the service report to see what it had done? Only thing that puts me off personally is its a basic SE, but it does have Nav. Given the mileage you aim to do, if you keep it for 3 to 4 years it will correct itself on mileage and you probably wouldn't lose out. It should have been serviced every 12k miles so you should have 10 stamps, that is why I wouldn't be worried about mileage. Also at 3yrs does it have an MOT yet?

I've done 60k in 2yrs in mine and its going like a train. Local taxi company to me is running Prius and Leaf's as Taxi's doing 100k a year without battery issues. It is something I wouldn't worry about. Cosmetically, yes, motorway miles will have ravaged the paint on the bumper/bonnet (I know mine has) and possibly the windscreen too. I'd also check wear on the drivers seat, steering wheel and door trim. The leather in mine is still OK, but does look worse than the passenger. On the plus side the backseat will be unused! If it has a full service stamp from a main dealer, with other history, it meets your needs and budget, then I wouldn't rule it out. What warranty does it come with?

HTC one M9 on latest firmware works perfectly with Bluetooth from Amazon music or Google music, or the HTC music app. Shows artist/album and skip tracks. Can't skip albums though and still need to select the app and navigate to it on the phone which is a hassle. Lexus PremNav on latest firmware too. Surprised OnePlus2 works, couldnt get mine to work at all with the Lexus, kept crashing and ended up selling it to my brother. It does work perfectly on his new model Vauxhall Astra. My advice for using USB is buy a 2nd hand IPod Touch, latest/ biggest model you can afford. It doesn't need to be a good one, as long as it's functional. It will work perfectly, show up all the album artwork, track details, playlists, etc. USB keys can be a load of hassle.

We've recently moved into a new build house, the estate is still being built and my drive is opposite the builders main compound. I left the car last week on the drive for 3 days and came back to find it completely covered in fine dust, sand and cement powder. Car was virtually white from it! Tried a quick hose down, but had to do a full wash at the weekend. A day later and it's just as bad. 6 more months of this. :-(

Just turn the car off and on again.

I upgraded to the latest version last weekend and its been all pretty good so far. The display of junctions on the F-Sport colour display is better, they seem clearer and the distance counts down now, they also seem more consistent in appearing, but then how would I know !?! Motorway junctions still don't appear, not sure if they are meant to. The distance countdown is also out of sync between the main display and the instrument one - it lags behind. Main improvement is another increase in speed of response and general snappiness, it keeps getting better, with less noticeable pauses. Routing is still a bit hit and miss, it definitely prefers motorway/main roads and road where there are no traffic info for, it assumes must be quicker. For those who haven't upgraded yet, I'd say no reason not to.

I updated mine today too. Also was shown both the old and new versions same as Blistering Blue. Couple of tips for others, USB stick needs to be formatted as FAT32. You need to register with the Lexus EU service portal, but the download is free. Can't see any differences so far, seems faster to navigate yet again. Care to share the change document?

Local Lexus dealer replaced my Bridgestone with Continental Sport contacts on the rears. I'd have preferred the Dunlop sport maxx, but quite happy with the Conti's so far.

I'm guessing you haven't looked under the rear skirt at the two fat pipes from the 2.5ltr engine?? Why can't a hybrid have exhausts on show? Emissions and exhaust pipe treatment I don't think are connected by most normal punters.

Personally, I don't think the algorithm (PID loop for those in the industry) that Lexus uses to maintain a constant temp is very good. The blast of cold air in the face is noticeable as the auto setting switches which vents its using to output air, I guess in response to the sensor saying the cabin is too hot. Not sure if it has one or two cabin air temp sensors, I suspect 1, which is on the top of the dash and can get hot from direct sunlight shining through the window. If you don't like the cold air blast, try not engaging the auto function, which only seems to swap around the air outlet profiles, or just turn off the centre air vents, or point them away from you. I notice that the air vents don't have a diffuse function like my old car had, which spread the air out in all directions, rather than just directing in one.

as expected, cosmetic improvements, in line with GS and RC Here's hoping that the exhaust treatment at the back is common across all the various drivetrains and regions and not a USA 350 or 200t specific.

I'd speculate it is a mid life facelift, new lights and bumper/grille, bringing it to same or similar style to the RC and GS. Interior I'd guess it is changed to the same as RC, so touch pad controller and changed positions of cup holders and mode knob. Other minor changes to trim, colours and model specs. I'd also say it will have the new Lexus safety package available same as the GS, Led lights, and possibly further refinements on emissions and power for the drive train. I don't think there will be any new infotainment upgrades, no new engines, and no 12" screen, got to keep something for the GS to upgrade to.

Interesting, my experience of sport mode is a 2 to 3 mpg reduction in mpg, though this is usually accompanied by spirited driving. Did you use cruise control to mange the speed? The throttle is so twitchy in Sport it makes it hard to maintain a constant speed on the motorway manually. Will give this a go next time too.

The symptoms you describe a couple of other members had on this forum and it was diagnosed as loose battery terminal connections on the 12v battery located in the boot, or a faulty 12v battery. The 12v battery is in the boot and is a small motorcycle size and should be a standard relatively non expensive model available from Lexus. Its highly unlikely to be a failure in the hybrid system or a faulty traction battery. I'd get a second opinion from another dealer.

remember, its not just the fuel economy number that needs to be considered, depends on individuals personal financial circumstances, i.e what the car is costing, personal tax situation, how it is being financed, maintenance/repair costs, BIK, CO2 emissions, engine cc, annual mileage travelled, mileage rate able to be claimed etc etc. The Lexus for me worked out significantly cheaper overall than equivalent diesel alternative, even though the upfront monthly payment is higher.

By way of comparison, work colleague has Merc C300h AMG line, diesel hybrid. He can get 50+mpg without trying and up to 70mpg if he slows down and thinks about it, similar mileage and driving profile, but there is that grring diesel background noise to think about....... It is still a nice car though to spend time in.

Vast majority of my mileage is motorway. Depends entirely on how it's driven, weather conditions and road conditions. Have done London to Leicester when all the roadworks were on the M1 during last summer and averaged 55mpg over 130miles. Did Glasgow to London back on January thus year, at a fast lick and it did about 36mpg. London back to Newcastle a few weeks ago, also cruising above the official limit was 38mpg. Yet Carlisle to Liverpool at a cruise set 75mph was showing about 46mpg on the car. That's in Eco mode too, the car trip over reads by about 4mpg. Driving style and speed make a huge difference I find, more so than a diesel. I get the HMRC std mileage rate at a current 19ppm. The car is costing me about 11.5ppm to run as a 40% tax payer, I'm very happy.

Ben, you'll struggle to see average 45mpg with motorway use at 80mph. Have a look at my fuelly page, link below, it shows my mpg over the last 18mths/49k miles/100+ tanks and the IS is averaging about 41mpg, best of 48 and worst of 35. This is a FSport too and I know that they did a few revisions to improve economy slightly, but motorway economy is not its' strength. However, it is such a nice car to spend time in, I'd still think twice before going back to a rattly diesel when it comes up for replacement.