Slickk

Forgot to say, I can't believe how backdated the Lexus Infotainment system is. The BMW iDrive is simply astonishing - it's very easy to use, the quality of the graphics simply wipes the floor against the Lexus child-like attempt, and it's a much more appealing bit of kit. The only thing that lets BMW down? Their customer service.

Thanks scudney - although I'll keep following the forums to see if there's any good future gossip about the Lexus Brand. What did you make of my previous car? I know it's on for sale at just under £21k, but would you like to take a guess how much they offered me for it? I went for the 335d because I simply got a really good deal. The car had done less miles than my Lexus, meticulously well maintained, it had some extras but I wanted a little project too so I'll be upgrading the brakes, suspension, sound system and maybe a remap too. Although it's my daily driver at the minute, that'll soon change, so I'm on the lookout for something else. Having said that, there was very little in the current Lexus range that appealed to me. Presently, the GS-F is too big for me, the RC-F looks amazing from the front but the rear end is very much a miss in my opinion, the IS200t didn't even enter my thought process and at the end of it, neither did the NX or the RX. So I decided to leave the brand. Oh, another attraction of the 335d - the sheer torque and propulsion of the damn thing off the line. I've embarrassed quite a lot of guys who think they can take it on, but they fail miserably. For a diesel, it sounds pretty good too. I'm probably going to change the tires though, I can't deal with the run-flats at the minute! It's a comparison between apples and oranges - both are totally incomparable. The Lexus build quality and refinement are leagues ahead of BMW, but the BMW (in this 335d guise) is the consummate all-round, user-friendly car with amazing performance and fuel consumption. I really cannot complain!

Hi guys, Recently sold the IS300h F-Sport and purchased a BMW 335d xDrive, so was just wanting to say thank you to everyone for making this forum insightful and engaging. I owned an IS200 Sport for the best part of 7 years, but it was a brief stint (19 months) with my IS300h, however, it was an unforgettable one. I'm already missing some of the luxuries of the Lexus - the ventilated seats, the reversing camera, the dip down mirrors (only the passenger mirror dips down on the BMW), the speed limit on all roads on the sat nav, the beeps for speed cameras. I'm sure I'll return to the brand in the future, maybe when I'm ready to be more mature and appreciative of what the brand is aiming towards. As for now, I think I'll enjoy the BMW as much as I can until I develop the expensive itch to replace it! I'll pop back now and then to see how the community is getting along, and to see if there's any vehicles within the Lexus pipeline. Adios amigos and all the best.

That is absolutely ghastly. Definitely not a fan of that at all.

They're the same figures I got when I did the maths. I understand the rattle your wife's IS makes, I'm certain all IS car make the same rattle upon a cold stat.This rattle is an oddball one, it feels as though the engine is almost misfiring; quite difficult to explain. I usually let the car reach a reasonable temperature before I set off on a morning, so it's not as though I'm driving it from a cold start. Earlier on, I drove to work - the car/engine was nice and warm and at a operating temperature. As I was parked, the car switched from EV mode to the engine and it made a rattle and felt like it was misfiring. On the other hand, the car kept springing up random service, engine change, oil filter change messages on the screen. The oil level does seem low, which is odd considering it was serviced in November.

My apologies John. I forgot to mention, due to the increase in fuel prices, I usually put extra fuel in. So it's more like £35 or sometimes even more.

I had my car serviced in November, I assume it was the intermediate one as it cost roughly £450 (I don’t have a service plan and have them carried out as and when required). Fast forward to February 2017, I’ve noticed a significant drop in MPG and also a huge drop in the indicated fuel range. Oh, in case you’re wondering, my driving style hasn’t changed at all. Prior to the service, I’d fuel the old girl up when she showed roughly a range of 70 miles left in the tank. £30 of petrol would take that to 330+ without any issues – remember, this is indicated range. Over the past few times I’ve fuelled up, I’ve stuck to the same routine - £30 of petrol when the computer is showing me that there’s 70 miles left. However, the figure has dropped quite drastically to roughly 285 miles – I’m not too alarmed at this point. This morning, I drove the car to work, parked up in the car park, lifted the bonnet, pulled out the engine oil dipstick to check the oil level, gave it a wipe, re-inserted it and pulled it back out again. It was showing that the oil was really very low, clean oil, but low in quantity. Another thing I’ve noticed is, over the past couple of months, when the engine kicks in, it makes an awful rattle. It’s not a particularly loud rattle, but it’s enough to notice that it’s different. Any thoughts?

Computer showing an indicated 31.8 mpg, which was reset after a service roughly 1 month ago. Brimmed the tank with fuel and set about my usual driving, which really isn't much. I currently drive approximately 20 miles a day - mostly local city/town driving and a very short motorway stint to and from work. Car is always in Sport mode but that doesn't mean that I 'floor' the throttle pedal or brake aggressively

Computer showing an indicated 31.8 mpg, which was reset after a service roughly 1 month ago. Brimmed the tank with fuel and set about my usual driving, which really isn't much. I currently drive approximately 20 miles a day - mostly local city/town driving and a very short motorway stint to and from work. Car is always in Sport mode but that doesn't mean that I 'floor' the throttle pedal or brake aggressively.

+1. Been cleaned and lubricated on two different occasions, but the noise still remains along with a metallic knocking noise - it's normal for a £28k+ car apparently. +1. My dealer can be useless at times, my car has been in their workshop since Monday for a service and to sort the electric memory seats out - they always call me to tell me that it's ready for collection but they still haven't serviced it.

Glad someone else agrees with me on the lack of fun/engagement part; which is the biggest downfall of the IS300h. It's almost negated the 'wolf in sheep clothing' prophecy.

Exactly, everyone is entitled to have their say on their Lexus. Leave the snide remarks and hostility for the Mercedes forum.

At the time, I was running an RS4 saloon but I sold it as I was doing a lot of miles and I didn't really like the idea of putting xyz amount of miles on such a car. So I ended up selling it for a decent price and had an old IS200 Sport parked in the driveway from my university days. So, I brought that onto the road as my daily driver just until I bought something suitable to replace it. Once I started driving it, I realised that it's such a fun little car to drive - I didn't mind thrashing the straight 6 engine to have some fun, the 6-speed gearbox was still a joy and the rear-wheel handling was just a bonus. You could say that I had a mini-epiphany. I did some research on the new IS300h and most of the initial reviews were positive and portrayed it as a quirky vehicle. Plus, the aesthetics of it were really striking and very different from the competition. I guess the looks were the main selling point for me, not to forget the mini-epiphany I just had with my previous Lexus. So I went out and bought one on a good deal before clearing the finance a month later, and it was good for a few months, I had some issues with it on a couple of occasions, but generally, it was quite an enjoyable experience. Now though, as I’ve got to know the intricacies of the IS300h, the novelty has well and truly worn off. I understand and appreciate the mechanics of the IS300h, but I don’t think I could ever get used to the CVT gearbox and hybrid system – it is simply not for me. I love the looks, I love the build quality, I love the interior, I love the gadgets, but I can firmly say ‘...been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.’ Without upsetting anyone, and going back to a previously point made in this very thread that @royoftherovers made ‘...say that as one grows older and more experienced one`s attitudes, requirements and priorities do change.’ I guess I bought the IS300h well before I reached that stage and solely based on the looks and exclusivity. As miniscule as the demand for a 3.5 litre V6 is, if only Lexus brought a handful of the IS350s they sell in America – I would have been at the front of the queue for one.

Uh-oh. As is often the case with some of your comments on this forum, it sounds like someone has a big bee under their bonnet. Let's just make you take a step off your high horse to understand the Lexus IS300h from someone else's perspective. A C250d is most certainly under-powered according to MY preferences. Not everyone is as easily pleased as you are. Just because it has a Lexus badge on the front/back, doesn't necessarily mean that it'll tick all the boxes. As it goes for your comment about buyer's remorse - well let's distance ourselves from your psychoanalysis lesson there, and having owned the car for over a year, I think it's safe to say that the concept of buyer's remorse is well and truly out of the equation. ''Its very clear that you obviously don't research vehicles before buying them'' ****! Very clear? What do you know about me and the way I go about my business and how I research/purchase vehicles? I actually research vehicles all too well prior to buying them, but as I said, it's difficult to gauge what a long-term prospect of living with one will be like during a 30 minute test drive. That W203 C220 you traded in? Comparing that to a modern day IS300h and Mercedes C250d is a pointless comparison - different cars from different eras, with very different purposes. Also, thanks for the ''tell you what, just go sell the IS and buy another car and stop complaining about it. You don't see us on a Merc/Audi/BMW forum slating their products.'' Isn't that one of the purposes of a forum? For owners to express their opinions, ask questions and just have a general chit chat about their particular cars with transparency. I've read far more positive/negative comments on forums relating to more expensive performance vehicles - RS4, M3, C63 AMG just to state a few, and other owners tend not to reply back with the same hostility. That's just how forums work! Plus, as a Lexus owner, I'm pretty much entitled to whatever opinion about the car I desire to express. I paid for the privilege and if I'm not happy with a purchase that I've made with my own money, then I'll state it. If I'm overjoyed with a purchase made with my own money, I'll state that too. Thanks for the unrequested tip though. ''Again hypocritical - the BMW 340i and 335d are just engine choices, both can be had with whatever performance kit and wheels you want to stick on it.'' I've yet to see a BMW 340i with the Performance Kit bolted onto it, I've even asked a few BMW garages about this and both have stated that it's not something they'll be looking to fit to a 340i. Maybe when I do see one, I'll consider the possibility of ownership, but until then, I think I'll stick to my guns. Appears you have a huge reluctance to accept what other Lexus owners have to say about their own cars. You own an RX and an IS, judging by your comments on this forum - you worship the ground those two vehicles are parked on and good for you. I, on the other hand, don't feel the same way about my car, purely on the basis that it's disappointing driving experience, and I'm certain there are other people who fit into my category too. Seriously though, you need to relax a little. People differ, opinions differ and perceptions differ. Nobody is right all the time. Let's just agree to disagree and move on.

Professional reviews are designed to exploit the shortfalls of any daily driver. They almost always bypass everyday usage and skip straight to the speed/handling etc. The IS, even in F-Sport guise serves one purpose - driving gently and economically.