MartinH

On 8/8/2024 at 1:19 AM, Moondoggy said:

Another Lexus owner ... sent me a video warning that said the design of the seal on the glass roof is poorly designed and subject to wind noise and water leaks and that the corners of the roof seal are not securely snapped in place but instead held in place with a small piece of tape and the tape doesn't hold.

No doubt this was the Car Care Nut on YouTube, who certainly has a great deal of practical knowledge of Lexus cars.

I was going quick, so he had to give me a wide berth! If it had been 200m further down the road, he would have had to follow me down through the dogleg, hence giving it the beanz no doubt.

Spotted yesterday afternoon, top-down, an SC430 just starting the steep, dog-legged descent off the Blackdowns heading towards Taunton — overtook me with a terrific roar! (I was on my bike.) Is the driver on here?

On 8/1/2024 at 9:49 AM, H3XME said:

I agree that some colours are nice, I myself had the Sage Metallic IS250 and that was a beautiful colour.

👍 Still is!

You do not mention ML sounds so I guess that does not feature?

You are a terribly long way from me in the West Country tho...

Is the IS350 available from the importer you mention?

I would also like one with the ML sounds but post-facelift Premier models don't appear to have this as a standard feature. As for a sunroof, forget it. It is rather as if Lexus decided that if you want luxury features like this, you can jolly well pony up for an ES.

In Paris recently, I noticed that a good number of cabs are either Lexus ES or Toyota Camry, a testament to these cars' enduring utility for private-hire operators. (Paris is now truly hellish for drivers.)

Alas yes, if only the IS350 were offered here

Yh I watched too, he is such a good commentator and his opinions based on hands-on experience

For all that, there appear to be many up for sale. Is that just because a good number are reaching three years, or is more in play, such as the widely-reported theft issue?

I can see that would work as a personal car used primarily for recreational motoring, and to judge by the service record of that silver 200T, that is exactly how it was used. But I'm afraid ours has to double up as a domestic beast of burden, where the hybrid power train comes into its own. Btw my insurance is less than two-thirds of yours — you could have knocked me down with the proverbial feather when I got my revised quote through.

Hmmm yes the IS200T, one is still for sale up north, a silver Premier with very low miles and a perfect service history. (Discussed in another thread here.) It's not impossible that because it's old-school ICE, and a known quantity, it gets a break on insurance cost. I certainly do on the IS250...though maybe that's because it's old.

My IS250, as fine as it is, will not last forever and I have started to track the ES as a potential replacement. The change would of course be conditional on a reasonable insurance quote; it makes no sense to improve the gas mileage from 30mpg to 50mpg if the savings are vitiated by a gross uplift in insurance cost. (I have followed closely the saga of canbus thefts.)

My question is more, how will it differ to own and drive? It is obviously larger, and front-wheel drive — will it feel cumbersome? (Though I have had two V6 Toyota Camrys in the past, which must be similarish.)

I would appreciate any impressions owners might care to share, especially any who have made this change.

Only in N America

I agree with Linas's diagnosis, but not his prognosis. It's so much easier to use Gmaps on your phone than to replace the built-in system unit with a modern aftermarket one — which will run Gmaps

It's easier and (for the most part) more reliable to use mapping on your phone. I have a Quadlock magnetic cradle on the lower right of the windscreen and it works well.

This LED me inexorably here

Yes, my misgivings were based on a close reading of your experience, Linus.

Probably better to keep on looking for a 300h... esp one that qualifies for the £10 road tax!

Beauty in the eye of the beholder &c ! To my eye the IS3 styling, with its corporate stylebook detailing, dilutes the originality of IS2. 

An 8-speed box should work nicely — I once rented a BMW with the 'legendary' ZF box and found it very persuasive — but several here, and most scribblers, have said the unit fitted to the 200T falls short. And that would be a disappointment after the supreme ease of use of the IS250's V6+6-speed autobox.

I've been looking for a Premier of the right spec, and found one. But it is a 200T, not a 300h.

I'm aware that many members of this forum are lukewarm at best about this motor, some indeed very critical, mentioning slow power delivery and indecisive changing from the 8-speed gearbox.

I would welcome hearing their impressions from drivers who have driven, or still drive, this car!

On 3/17/2024 at 9:51 AM, GMB said:

just use the 200t ( which is finally growing on me ).

Tell us more, please?

ML sounds? It's a nice car indeed, and you're not so far from me

That's a lovely car. Sorry to hear of your situation!

Snows Toyota in Honiton were helpful when I needed the rear disc pads replaced on my IS250. But that is not a specialist job of course.