Exiled

Modern cars are in effect insulated boxes unlike many of the drafty leaky examples built in the olden days, they need to be ventilated. Years ago when Aircon was only available on luxury cars I was told to always leave it switched on, if it was turned off the seals would dry out and fail. When it became a standard fit on many cars I asked the question again and was told it was designed to be left on all the time.

Can't add anything to the above comments other than to say that the only thing they have in common is that they look the same.

Consumption isn't a big issue for me, I am aware that other cars get better figures but for the comfort, smoothness and overall pleasure the car gives me I feel it's a small price to pay. Like you I also find the computer to be 2 mpg on the optimistic side when I've checked it brim to brim. At the moment mine is showing an average of 38.8 and a tank average of 35.5. On motorway runs this summer I've seen the tank average build up to 44 mpg, this is at speeds of 65-75 mph. I do virtually no city driving and very little town driving.

Ian, On the subject of journalism, I used to share your opinions, then I started buying the " i " six days a week. To me it's like a breath of fresh air but then that's only my opinion.

The Motoring Press' reaction to your new car appears to have got under your skin, you'll get over it, they were just the same when I bought mine four years ago. I read all the reviews I could lay my hands on and had extensive test drives in the competition. The reviews made no sense to me. I just drive around in mine and think those who dismiss a Lexus without giving it serious thought are missing a trick. The upside is there aren't thousands on the road which gives us a bit of exclusivity.

I sometimes wonder whether the BMW and Merc brands think they are doing us a favour. I've tried to tolerate the BMW superiority attitude and still never managed to like one enough to buy. I did buy a Merc CLK a few years ago and the dealer attitude was as if I was lucky to be allowed to buy one. When I returned it at the end of the PCP contract (guaranteed residual nowhere close to the trade in value) Merc finance boarded on fraudulent in what they told me was wrong/damaged. Let's hope Lexus don't let us down with the 3rd Gen IS. I personally don't think they will. Roll on 1st September! My local BMW dealership is very good, it's well run with only a very slight superiority complex which I find easy to tolerate and somewhat amusing, it's the result of low level brainwashing. The problem for me is the cars don't do it for me either, I know the are well built, reliable, comfortable, quick, good to drive and in lots of areas difficult to fault but to me they all look the same, you see a saloon coming towards you and you cant immediately tell if it's a 1,3,5,6 or seven, there's no individuality. Moving on to Mercedes, oh dear, an Arthur Daley experience, sent me out for a test drive with an empty tank, among other things. The dealer is part of a large national group and are the exact opposite to Bmw but they beat them hands down in the superiority stakes.

If :a) is true then it's a disgrace, is the magazine for the advertisers or the readers? I've read various reviews, driven the cars and been baffled, either way we all look for different things in a car. I think if the testers of the four cars mentioned in Japthree's post had driven each car for a month their conclusions would have been different. For a start how do you compare a diesel with a petrol, they're completely different animals. The longer you have a Lexus the more it grows on you, they more you appreciate the build quality, comfort, smoothness reliability and the simple joy of driving it.

I think you've gone for a good spec, I've got electric everything with the seats and seldom alter the settings. Do you reckon the folding mirrors are a standard fit on the Luxury then. Does the spec include floor mats. From what you say I would suspect dipping mirrors are a thing of the past.

Agree with you on the auto box, nothing I've driven comes close. I don't do a high mileage and running costs aren't my number one priority, at some point in the distant future I will spend plenty time driving both variants before I take the plunge. Mine's four years old soon and, like the day I bought it, is a joy to drive. Exiled

Ian, A few questions on Luxury spec. Do the wing mirrors dip when reverse is selected( you can see the back wheels) like they do on my SEL. Folding mirrors are a must for me as garaging is very tight, It doesn't say in the brochure that the luxury has them. You have them on yours, is it standard spec or is it incorporated in the all electric leather seat/memory spec. What extras did you opt for? Thanks, Exiled

I'm not unlike you in my outlook. I've had my IS short of four years and at some stage will probably get another. I've read some reviews of the new model and the conclusions of the motoring press are not unlike a few years ago. When the time to change approaches I'll go through the same process (probably) of test driving the competition, the result surprised me last time as the Lexus impressed me the most, by a mile.The difference next time will be my experience as an owner, whilst I've had mine my neighbour has had a Merc 220 which he changed after eighteen months due to unreliability, he replaced it with a Jag XF which is giving problems. A friend has just bought a Range Rover which was towed away last week on a low loader as it kept breaking down, on the other hand I've friends with Audi, VW and Vauxhall and they've all been trouble free. One of the attractions of a Lexus was it's reputation for reliability and I haven't been disappointed, three visits to the dealer in three years for a service. Fingers crossed.

My car was 3 years old in October with 28000 on the clock. I have had no issues whatsoever. The 2 year extended warranty costs £66.75 x 20 months, interest free. I intend keeping the car long term and as long as I have it I will continue with the extended cover, I made this decision when I bought it. There is so much equipment on this car therefore so much that could go wrong. If I never make a claim it won't bother me, I've purchased it for peace of mind.

My wife's Mini is 2 years old next April and has done 9,000 miles. We had correspondence from our BMW dealer offering a winter check for £14.95. For that amount of money they are not going to do much but I booked it in and asked them to check the car for tyre wear. There are so many potholes on the roads I wondered whether the tracking had been misaligned. When I booked in the car the service manager asked if we used supermarket fuel, when I asked why he said if we used it continuously he would recommend we changed the oil even though the first service wasn't due until next April. The two most convenient suppliers are Shell and BP so that's what we use. He said the occasional tank of supermarket fuel would not be detrimental adding that it did not contain the additives found in Shell or BP.

Had my Sel 250 Auto for three years and 30,000 miles. No traumas and no issues, It's made three visits to the dealership for service, nothing else. I've purchased the Lexus extended warranty and will continue to do so until I change it. Never regretted buying the car, it is a joy to drive and my only criticism is that the back seat doesn't fold down. Will probably buy another at some stage because as yet I haven't seen anything out there that appeals more.

When I bought my Lexus I looked into detachable towing brackets (swan neck) so I could hook on my bike carrier. A few years ago it was a Lexus option at about £600 including electrics and the manufacturer was Brink. When I had my Audi the detachable bracket was a Bosal and when detached the supporting brackets were invisible, unfortunately with the Lexus a great chunk of metal is permanently visible underneath the rear bumper connected or not, perhaps they now manufacture one which is hidden, I don't know. I thought it looked ugly and compromised the look of the car so I bought a bike bag which sits on the back seat or the bike goes in the boot.