dutchie01

a 330d has a monster of an engine with a mountain of torque. this car will make you feel there is always plenty of power on tap, is a relaxed cruiser with decent consumption( for the engine) but is clearly higher priced than the IS. The 320d is s noisy rattling 4 pot with lots of power and torque with great consumption. if you do high mileage it could make sense. The IS300H is a great car if you drive up to 60% of the power, then it cruises along with little noise and feels like a six cylinder. Start pressing it and it falls apart though, the CVT combined with the 4 cylinder makes an unpleasant stressed noise and it does not feel ok. i guess that why most of us including me, dont drive as fast or enthusiastic as with our previous cars, the IS is not a sporty car for the enthusiastic driver but makes a great realaxed cruiser in and out of town. I like my IS and maybe you will like it as well after a test drive, just realise that comparing it with a 330d is not going to work. with a 320d however....

It does not add up. When i slow down and come to a standstill then that is the moment when the engine pulls the car further into the brakes and it always moans cracks tears or how you would like to call the sound that it makes. My car makes this sound in dry, hot wet and cold weather. It seems the pressure on the pads is not strong enough to fully grip the disc and fully stop the car. The sound is caused by the disc slipping through the clamping pads. Reading through the posts on this forum it seems a common thing on various hybrid models. So, is there a brake issue with the hybrids? it is not safety related but more a comfort related issue. Even if a possible cause could be forming of rust on the discs ( all discs from all cars have rust on them) or regen brake systems that are not as heavy used as non regenerative systems then that is not where the problem originates from. It starts in the beginning and that is the development/engineering of the car. If it goes wrong there it can only be changed in a midlyfe cycle update. It will be interesting to know if the new IS300H still has it or has it been adressed. I find this very disappointing for a Lexus the former worldchampion of NVH ( noise vibration harshness) and together with the drivetrain vibrations that my car suffered from and that are now for 85% gone after a dealer repair it gives an impression of a car that was not fully ready for production to Lexus Standards. i recently drove a mercedes E250 diesel hybrid ( not the new model) and that worked without any problem...

i have thesame. it still irritates me every now and then. i dont think it adds to the lexus experience and the relentless pursuit of perfection. this should not happen seems like the lexus standard is not as high as it has been?

Wow that looks really bad. is this your car? looks like an american pic. How did the dealer respond?

i drove a base model 300h for 3 weeks until my 300h f-sport was delivered and found the 2 cars very different. the ride quality of the base 300 was definately better, softer damping more relaxing and comfort. the f sport has bigger wheels low tyres, stiffer springs and you definately notice, the car can be bumpy and stiff at b roads. another thing is that the steering in the base model feels lighter propably due to the smaller wheels. you also feel a difference between eco/normal and sport in the steering it gives more resistance. in the 300h fsport i dont feel that maybe because of the bigger wheels with the low tyres. to sum up i find the base model the better - and more silent, less roll noise - drive of the 2. only thing is that the f-sport looks so much better thatś why i made that choice. Not sure if i would do it again though.

Hi Folks, just wanted to come back to the original topic, the 250 2nd versus the 300h 3rd gen. I drove a 250 for 4 years and am now underway in the 300hFsport for almost a year so it is time to reflect on the two cars as they cannot be more different. It is not only the drivetrain/engine that of course is completely different but i just feel that the 250 is closer to the original Lexus Core Values, the relentless pursuit of perfection. Lexus always stood out as the leader in NVH and the isolation in the 250 was way better than now in the 300. The 6 was supersmooth and inaudible at idle, there were no drivetrainvibrations , the 300 has them- there were no creaks rattles from inside or outside the car not even after 4 years. The whole feeling it gave was of a car build from one piece and that it would just keep on running, would live forever. the doors would close with a thick thud ( if that exists) and in many ways i do think it was better than the new 300, it seems the cars had a different philosophy behind them during development, the 250 connecting with the lexus core values and the 300 bringing the prius technology into lexus. of course beeing the newer car the 300 beats the 250 on many fronts, chassis, interior space, fuel consumption, road holding, overall package. But for me it does not create thesame special feeling of overengineered perfection of the 250 ( for instance after 4 yrs the glovebox does open in an identical way with not one mm extra room), the doors open and close like the first day etc etc. The 300 has much lighter doors and boot i gues to save weight, the interior looks great but it does not have thesame feel about it. Dont get me wrong i like my 300 and am a happy owner itś just that the 250 for me felt more lexus than toyota and the 300 more toyota than lexus.... could be me though.

not sure how this works in the uk but in Holland the large companies provide a list of cars to choose from which is connected to your position in the company. Thing is on this list are only green label A cars, so downsized turbocharged efficient ones diesels, hybrids or plug in hybrids. and that is it , No options outside the list. If you dont like your car in the UK and opt for the pay increase how does that translate? can you run your own car from that?

not a bad choice between these 2. both good cars, merc a little less exclusive but whatever you choose you wont regret it. guess it will be down to personal preference and emotion. which of these cars tells you - i want this - .

the bigger the engine the better the drive. nothing beats a big naturally aspirated v8. wafting along on an ocean of torque, never having to stress the engine always knowing there is plenty of power available when needed.. the only reason i drive a hybrid is co2 and tax.

not everyone has a free choice of car. companycars are mainly diesels and honestly for a rep driving up and down the country and doing 50k miles per year or more a diesel is just cheaper to run. (until the moment they start to increase fuelprices or roadtax on dieselcars to dampen demand for environmental reasons).

propably differs per country. here in The Netherlands hybrids and plug ins receive large fiscal benefits that can save the driver of a companycar several hundreds of euroś per month. That is the driver behind the rapidly expanding hybrid fleet overhere. ( number of hybrids doubled in 2015 compared to 2014). number one is the mitsubishi phev plug in but all VW group brands, mercedes, volvo etc are all available too. Lexus is just not a mainstream brand and regardless of engine option is likely to remain attractive for a relalively small group of enthusiasts. By the way Lexus also has its share of drivetrainvibrations my car was heavily affected, now ok after dealer did some sort of upgrade.

well said ganzoom i totally agree. i am from the netherlands and hybrids and plug in hybrids are a common sight overhere. it is a long time ago that the Prius was alone in its kingdom. the vast majority of these cars are companycars and the market is driven by fiscal stimulation towards these electric power. already now 25% of all new audis sold have part electric propulsion. charging infrastructure has already been rolled out on highways and now cities are getting it. this all happened so fast.. 2 years ago outside my office in the parking i saw 2 chargingpoles beeing installed with 2 chargingcables each. now, 2 years later there are 10 so 20 cables and all occupied. Audis and VWś ( no lexus as lexus does not have plug ins). Tesla has a headstart but within the next 12 to 18 months all mainstream manufacturers will offer plug ins and 100% electric cars as there is money to be made there. the future is electric.

facelift is cosmetic from the outside, new bumpers, lights, some new colors etc. what i find more of interest are the possible internal changes that will be made. some as existing engineering proved not effective and others as continuous development after the introductiion of the car made for better solutions. what could be channged? Satnav menu/graphics, Hybrid drivetrain- elimination of vibrations? - damping in trunk preventing too fast opening? what do you think?

Morning Ganzoom. i partly agree with you. Electric is already here and within the next 24 months all major manufacturers will have full electric cars available. If there will be a good electric car with an acceptable range and attractive styling than for sure that will be mine! ( Oh that should have been a Saab it just fits the image so well ..). On the other hand i do think there is a lot more in development than electric only. The weightpenalty and limitid capacity of todayś batteries are still a weak point and if i am correct the new LS flagship will be available with a hydrogen fuell cell as from next year. Also the plug in technology is widely available within the Toyota company so maybe it will be an economical decision to not go for this in Lexus. Anyway the automotive landscape is changing around us which is exciting to watch! For the first time i am not sure what my next car will be ( change in 2 years)..

After reading what wide variety of cars we have driven before buying our first Lexus it makes me wonder how Lexus is seen in the automotive world. Some of us have been going for Japanese cars because of the reliability, some started because of the individualism, some because Lexus is non German. But, what about The Brandimage? The image of a brand will differ per country or even per model, an X6 is different to a 320D, a Corvette differs from a 911. But if i over generalize Mercedes is a Taxi, Audi is for Accountants, BMW is mainstream ex mondeo or bought by criminals ( cash of course) , Saab was lawyers,doctors, dentists, Volvo was safe and boring, Skoda is intelligent and accepted, Toyota is reliable and Dacia is economical. But what about Lexus? What is your honest opinion of the Lexus Brand Image? Was this enough to attract you to the brand? Do you see it on thesame height as Porsche? or do you see it as another Toyota? Japanese Volkswagen, or Apple on wheels?? For me it was the replacement of my Alfas and Saabś, beeing not mainstream mattered for me. Only Later i discovered the engineering ( and sometimes over-engineering) behind the brand. The product made me an afficionado but the brandimage seduced me first. How was this with you guys?

Hi DanD. the pic of the white IS with LEDś could be my car. Identical. i am driving happily around in Holland so LEDś are available in Europe, no problem. i have been driving a SAAB 9-3 latest model for 4 yrs and the Xenons on that car were the best headlights i ever had, almost frightening, Before my recent IS300h i drove a 320 BMW from 2013 fitted with xenons and that was just average, nothing more. The LEDś i now have on the IS are ok, nice white light and in town just very good. i do think there is an issue with driving in the pitchdark on the highway, they just dont reach that far in front of the car so i am tempted to switch on the main beam which in turn blinds other drivers. same on B roads. This seems to be a common thing reading comments so maybe it will be adressed in the midlife update?

and how about the BMW I 3? carbon tub low weight. the model X starts with 2500kg and the D version goes over 3000 kg. not really clever engineering ?

its comparing apples with pears isn it? i do have thesame feeling that electric propulsion is the way forward. i recently was in a taxi a merc s-class with 6 cyl diesel engine and for the first time i felt that car was really old school and maybe even somewhat irrelevant. back to topic. the RX is nor an electric car and will compete with the volvo xc90, bmw x5 and so on. the tesla is a 100% electric car and at the moment is king in its own empire. all major brands are working on 100% electric cars including porsche so more choice within 12 to 18 months. thr RX is one of the best selling SUVś and the new one will continue that for sure. The Tesla is really only a best seller in markets where there are tax breaks for electric cars like in Norway ( best selling car some months last year!!!), Holland ( tesla taxis at schiphol airport). and even then it are companycars and not privately owned machines. Please dont romanticize the Tesla dream as there are quite some issues with batteries and cars breaking down. all under full warranty but nevertheless. i personally would never buy one myself but as companycar ok. apparently Lexus is also not going for a plug in version as they dont see the advantage ( but prius has?). when fuel prices will eventually go up again the electric market will be more interesting again for customers. I am sympathetic towards electric cars but feel they need more time and a breakthrough in batterytechnologie creating a bigger range. the competition for the RX is others large SUVś and i feel the new Volvo is the biggest one. The fact that you prefer electric cars does not change anything to that.

my first experience with a CVT box was in my student days 30 years ago when i drove a then already old DAF 44. ( rustgreen) this variomatic had thesame strange effect on the driver as a new CVT box can have namely the revs stay high up there and the car accellerates faster and faster. i think that the more powerful the better it works as there is no need to rev up or floor the throttle to accelerate. first gen prius for instance you really needed to trash it to go faster so frequently revving up and whining engine noise. With my IS 300h this is not the case. the enigine is powerful enough to blip the throttle and let go. 220hp works fine ( 300 would be better haha). for in town driving i find it just perfect. no shiftmoments and just a fluid and noiseless acceleration. I also drove a honda jazz hybrid with CVT and also just loved that experience. It just Works.

i find the satnav and mouse controller the weakest spot of the car by far. I just dont understand how a system like that gets into any lexus. the grapics looks a generation - or two - old. the mouse controller is just horrible ( i use my iphone in looking up tel numbers much faster) and the navigation itself is not always reliable. step into any Audi, BMW or Merc and you will see there is a lot of catch up to do.

Wow Dave you know how to built up the tension! love to read your messages can wait to see your pics.

i have thesame. it shows the weak point of batteries namely cold temperatures. when below 5 celcius they loose a lot of capacity, in summer i drive certain roads on batterypower alone and in winter they dont have the juice to do so. i think that is one of the explanations why consumption in winter is considerably higher than in summer. the engine kicks in sooner.

Am i missing the point here? The lexus portal states NAVIGATION MADE AMAZING. then shows how you can plan a trip on your computer load it onto an usb then connect that to your car and then Amazing! you can drive off to your destination. Huh?? If this is exemplary of how Lexus designers/engineers think it totally explains why the satnav, mouse control, graphics and structure of menu are the weakest point of the car. Is someone on this forum planning to go to Japan in the near future? Then pack a TomTom in your suitcase knock on the door at headoffice and tell them politely it is 2016 already... still a great car though.. Drive Tastefully

great news dave ! another lexus on the road is more aesthetically pleasing for all of us.. drive tastefully

i drove a 320i estate from 2012 till last summer. brandnew car and lots of kit which of course is not standard. now drive a new is300h f sport. Both are very good cars but also very different cars. buy the bmw and you will be part of the bmw club. it is one of the most sold cars the 3 series outsells the mondeo. the airport carpark is full of them and it literally happened several times that i tried to open a black 3 series that wasnt mine.... the 320 dieselengine is more powerful than the lexus but it does rattle and shake while the lexus is eerily silent and has no vibrations. the 3 series wins on the idrive and satnav which is clearly better than the lexus. diesel smells when filling up i hate that. chassis and roadholding more or less thesame but the lexus is more comfortable. interior in the bmw i think is very conservative nothing changed much since 1995. the lexus is way more modern with lots of toys to play with. fit and finish in the lexus is soo much batter it puts the bm to shame. my bm did have some annoying rattles from the dash and sounds from below the car. the bm will have better fuel consumption and more torque. do you buy the bmw with an autobox? standard in the lexus. and then there are the looks. compared to the Fsport the 320 looks bland, old ( in my opinion). anyway whatever you choose it will be ok both are good cars but the lexus honestly feels a class higher. if you look at the car and sit behind the wheel what do you feel/think? if the answer is - i want this one- then do it, go for it!