Morning all, so 2 and a bit weeks in, I thought I would report back with initial impressions ( which may help prospective purchasers )
So, I have taken delivery of an IS300h in F-Sport White with base nav as the only factory option
1. Looks/Quality. The car looks frankly stunning and has got that response from public and the Company car park brigade alike. The wheels look a bit small at first to me as my last car had 20s, but the ride on those was brutal. Fit and finish inside and out is superb and certainly as good if not better than all of the German cars I have had.
2. Driving. The ride is excellent and handling is great. Smooth serene progress in near silence is the order of the day and you certainly leave the car feeling refreshed. The biggest difference to me has been comfort, my Audi gave me a crippling bad back and the seats in the IS are so comfy and I am 6'4.
3. Performance. The biggest question for everybody considering the car. To be honest I drive the car in "Normal" for 99% of the time and as per the forum statements I have not bothered with "Eco" at all. The car is plenty quick enough and you are surprised when you look at the speedo. Now.............."Sport", for the odd occasion I have tried it at the traffic light grand prix, frankly I have been pretty surprised by the pick up in the car. I guess when you drive in "Normal" all the time, then "Sport" does feel quick and with no gear change to speak of I have always left cars trailing miles behind. Everybody has been correct also that the car makes you change the way you drive and the obsession with getting the EV light on does become somewhat all encompassing !!
4. ICE. So the Sat Nav graphics are a bit 90s, and the voice is ok but to be honest sound quality from the standard stereo is fine (B&O in the Audi) and generally I have nothing to complain about. Music plays fine from USB, phone connectivity to iPhone6 has been stable for incoming/outgoing calls. All boxes ticked for me.
So.................I am a very happy bunny. The car currently has 250miles on the clock and has over half a tank left in it. I have only done 5mile commutes to work in traffic and the return is around 41-42mpg whereas my petrol A5 returned approx 28mpg at this time of year. Less fill ups, big tax saving and a cool, rare car.
ALL GOOD..............if you are thinking of getting one, do it, especially if it is a Company car.
Ignore the sneers from the Audi, Bimmer and Merc guys. They just don't know yet.
Cheers
Dave