lordlen21

With an IS300h Exec I achieved 45mpg in winter and 50ish in summer (on the computer). I didn’t hang around either and didn’t drive it particularly gently. Now have an Audi 2.0 190 Quattro - need an estate - which achieves about 48mpg under the same driving conditions but sounds like a tractor and not as smooth, but is faster and more nimble. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It’s probably a good thing that text messages are not displayed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I moved from a 2013 F31 320i to an IS300h Exec (now have an Audi A4 tdi btw) and here’s my pros and cons: Pros Better quality interior. More relaxing drive. More luxurious and upmarket feel,even compared to my Audi. Very smooth around town. Much better standard audio system. Great dealers. Petrol engine so no need for Adblue (PITA) or feet covered in diesel. Very quiet at speed. Very reliable. My bmw broke down and had loads of trim issues and road noise was terrible. All I had on the Lexus was a buzzing cup holder. High quality paintwork. Sound insulating glass as standard. Very economical, averaged around 46mpg in mixed driving. Good standard kit : keyless entry, folding rear seats (Audi also have this), folding mirrors. Cons Expensive servicing. Felt a bit unstable at high speed (probably a good thing as it made me slow down on the motorway) Not enjoyable to drive on a country road.....just relaxing. The gearbox is not really connected directly to the wheels (eCVT) and doesn’t compare well to the 7 speed ZF auto that BMWs use. However, that does make the Lexus super smooth. Infotainment is way behind but tbh, that is probably a good thing as there’s too many distractions in modern cars. High depreciation and dealer pricing for used is way too high. Check the price against webuyanycar and you may be surprised as the premium is often 4K above the trade in price. I’ve looked at going back to an IS a couple of times as they’re very nice, compared to the BMW, and the foot brake is no problem I only used it twice in a journey due to the hill start assist. Reading the above list, looks like I’ll be looking at one again soon as diesel rattle is jarring. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice car. I still lurk here after swapping my 2015 IS300h Exec for a an Audi A4. Still miss it but needed the estate. Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

I've sampled many satnav combos in my MY15 300h and settled on google maps nav, sometimes TomTom ( old subscription) both running from an iPhone 7s plus. Works very well as google maps sends the turn direction audio through the cars stereo, takes/receive calls ok and I can browse my music collection on the phone whether local or streamed through Apple Music using the cars contoller. Best sound quality is through the cable but works over Bluetooth too.

Thanks for the feedback, I may give the MY17 another look.

Yes, does seem a strange decision considering that my wife Polo comes with them as standard. Personally, I'd prefer the sensors above a camera. I agree, it seems the MY15 Exec was a great deal - hence why I chose it - and came with a lot of standard kit. I'm not getting a great offer on my current Exec and I estimate its going to be right on the GFV figure. Just had some quotes on a new Adv and the GFV is being set at £13k at the end of 36months based on 12k miles per year.

Thanks for the reply and I've been quoted around £40 more for the Adv and now doesn't come with front/rear parking sensors.

The PCP deal on my current MY15 IS300h Executive is coming to an end and I'm looking at a replacement. I've taken a look at the new model Exec but Lexus have deleted the parking sensors - which I quite like - and replaced the leather trim with fabric/Tahara. I appreciate that the safety kit has been added but quite reluctant to lose the sensors and leather trim on a new car. It seems the most comparable model to the MY15 Exec is the MY17 Advance but that's 2k more than the Exec. Has anyone any experience of the camera and Tahara trim? Any opinions will be welcome.

Hi Edwardo, This is how I eventually fixed the issue by using the 12v socket. You're right, the 12v socket is much better at charging phones anyhow. Adrian

Hi Ed, I've tried that already, it just switches back on automatically.

Hi, Does anyone use a Samsung S6 or S6 Edge with an IS300h? Each time I connect my phone to the USB port I get the Mirrorlink display on the phone - which can't be disabled - but Mirrorlink is not available on the media screen. This effectively shuts off thicken which is inconvenient if using the phone for Navigation. Thanks, Adrian.

Hi Dave, The Infotainment system is a little awkward at first but you get used to it, I wouldn't let it put you off; sound quality is brilliant - the standard system is as good as BMW's HK system - but the DAB is a bit weird and not as easy to use as the iDrive. I really like the 70s design, especially the volume dial which is all metal and just falls easily to hand. Bluetooth audio, especially on my version, is rubbish, so I just plug my iPhone 5s into the USB socket and sound quality is excellent, be wary of the BMW system, not all models have Bluetooth audio and some even need a custom cable (£40) which sends the iPhone audio over analogue which is also rubbish. The standard Satnav is on a par with BMWs "Business Nav" which is standard on the M-Sport but the premium nav has much better traffic avoidance and wide screen. TBH, i find the TomTom app to be the best satnav but the Lexus built in unit is ok. The phone system is not quite as good as BMWs but I'm probably running an older version and some people complain of poor quality. The fit/finish of the Lexus - as I've said before - is miles ahead of the BMW and feels more luxury; the nimbleness of the BMW however is far better, so it depends on how you drive as which car suits, the 320d is very quick. The Lexus "will" pick up speed, it just doesn't feel as taut and eager, the paddles are pointless but using the sport option does increase the urgency of the drivetrain and is quite addictive. I've found both dealers to be about the same and BMW tried hard to sort my road noise issues, which were, in the end just the large wheels and poor noise insulation. I did suffer an injector failure and BMW after sales service was impeccable; a hire car arrived the next day. Cruise control is not as intuitive on the Lexus - standard not radar - but I get very little opportunity to use it; the BMW, for example, allows you to set an actual speed, which is handy through roadworks, is a bit of guesswork in the IS300h and you can't see which was to push the lever without taking your eyes off the road and its bt=ot illuminated so unless you've remembered how it works, unusable in the dark. I tried the active sound thing and immediately turned it off! Just sounds daft as the simulated gear changes are muffled by the real engine note which doesn't match. I love my Lexus IS300h and wouldn't swap it for even the 330d BMW, it just seems to work extremely well on today's roads being quiet, refined, enough toys, great sound system and enough power for today's roads.

Hi Dave, I came from a 2013 320i Sport to a 2015 is300h Exec and the cars are very different. The BMW is nippy - more so in 320d - and very light on its feet; whereas the Lexus doesn't like to be "rushed", it's more of a relaxed drive. The Lexus IS way more refined; I had issues with trim and road noise in the BMW and chopped it early as it drove me nuts! The stereo was woeful, the kit level poor and trim quality was not great. The Lexus, by contrast feels from a class above; whereas the BMW seems be like a large 1 series. I bought my Lexus on PCP in Aug 15 which I'd encourage as the APR is very low (2.7%) for a used car under a year old so worked out less per month than I was paying for the BMW. They're both good cars but in different ways, you tend to waft around in the Lexus in quiet comfort and get to love the quietness of the hybrid drivetrain, whereas the BMW is great at being hussled along on B roads but is not very relaxing, feeling a little noisy and unrefined. It comes down to what you want in a car but I'd encourage a 24 hour test drive in both. Bear in mind, you need to spend a lot more on the BMW to same the kit level and for me, the IS exec is great value for money. So in summary, I never really liked the BMW from the start but really enjoy Lexus.

Hi Nick,I echo what Rayaan said, you get used to it after a few weeks.