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Thanks for the comments! I'll have to give EV mode another try then...although still couldn't get it to work this morning so maybe some practice is required (like with the radio!!). And glad to hear the honeymoon period may last! One "feature" of Sport mode I forgot to mention is that it makes the kids in the back travel sick very quickly! Agree with comment around the journalists only being given a short time with the car, but that needs sorting by the industry one way or another as the reviews are (mostly) fairly pointless as is. In their defence, Lexus seem to have given them all F-Sports and positioned the car as a sports car. But I stick by the fact it's great to drive, despite what the reviewers said. Part of it is the fact Lexus sell less, they take the review less seriously (or don't review it at all). And the comment on the diversions - I've not used in bad enough traffic yet to test properly to be fair, plus I followed the advice on another thread and turned the traffic diversions to manual.

Tl:dr version: the car is great, the journalists are wrong! Full Version: I’ve had my March 2017 300h Advance for about 1500 miles now, and done quite a bit with it in this time – holiday with the family including Welsh roads, motorways and local town driving so getting a good feel of it across a good range of use and I am pleased to say I’m very happy with it so far. I thought I’d share a few of my thoughts on it, particularly to help someone considering a purchase mainly as I feel that the journalists have got this car wrong in the main, through a lack of understanding of what it actually is (a different, very comfortable cruiser that is very good to drive too) versus what they have pre-decided it should be (a German clone). This is definitely shown by the difference between user satisfaction and review scores across this car and its rivals. Reviews vs. reality Mainly the reviews seemed cut/paste efforts from whoever wrote the first one, so I’m not even convinced they’ve all driven the car! They all also seem to only review the experience on how it would be on a one lap experience of the Nürburgring and forget actual usage and living with a car is very different. However, the main areas they have all highlighted are below. They don’t like the CVT gearbox. The main reason given seems to be that it’s different to what they’re used to, rather than being worse (something the active sound control feature proves can be an issue for people initially). Some reviews highlight a lag between putting your foot down and response from the engine. I think both points are wrong. Firstly, any new car takes some getting used to, but to be honest, the CVT has taken no time to get used to at all and sound wise you can hardly hear the engine unless you slam your foot to the floor (and then it’s still reasonably quiet). Response-wise, in Eco and Normal modes I agree with the criticism, there is a noticeable lag (especially Eco – which is horrible to drive, but does improve my efficiency for non-motorway driving) but I think this is due to the hybrid system balancing battery power and engine for efficiency, not the CVT. If you put it in Sport mode and put your foot down, it flies away instantly. Maybe the reviewers did their lap in Eco? Reviews suggest driving “involvement” is poor. Having driven on a good mix of roads I think it’s just as good as the BMW320d to drive (if you’re in Sport mode). Steering is great, grip is fantastic and throttle response is immediate. Having said that, I personally think this is a motorway cruiser anyway – but no-one has reviewed it as that. I can say that as a cruiser – it’s extremely refined and extremely comfortable, but wind noise is a bit louder than I’d like (but not really that noticeable or intrusive). The CVT is a plus here too as there are no jerks at all for gear changes and the engine is always at comfortable revs. Some don’t like the interior. Again, it seems it’s because it’s not the same as the German cars. The interior is entirely subjective of course – but I’d say the fact it’s different is a positive. I also think it’s important to judge the IS300h on sitting in it, rather than from the photos – I hated the interior in the photos (and nearly ruled it out before seeing it on that basis), but loved it when I sat in it. I think the leather quality is exceptional and it’s extremely comfortable. Plus, the drink holders are in a better place! I find the German cars very boring in comparison. They don’t like the Infotainment system. Would agree here that it’s not as good as some others and it is so un-intuitive it’s ridiculous. I’ve had to refer to the manual just to use the radio! I’m getting the hang of it though and once you can use it, it’s functional. The Sat Nav looks like a 1995 version 1 sat nav – however, comparing it to the Ford SYNC system (which is far easier to use and looks better). BUT, I’ve found the maps are a lot better and I’ve not had any postcodes (yet) that aren’t in the system. The 3 routes offered (Green, Short and Quick) also seem to be sensible options. The Ford version constantly had postcodes missing and was really frustrating with often stupid route choices or re-routes round non-existent traffic. Would choose functionality over looks (but would ideally have both). Some reviews don’t like the fact it doesn’t work well as an Electric Vehicle. The fact they seem to miss is that it’s not an electric vehicle! It’s a hybrid and uses the battery to boost fuel economy rather than work as an EV. You can tell that the Hybrid tech is now pretty mature for Toyota and it works really well. “EV Mode” is indeed completely pointless – the manual says it helps pull away in silence to avoid disturbing neighbours in early morning – but you can’t turn it on until the system has warmed up! Plus, you only have to breathe near the accelerator for it to deactivate (I actually find it stays in EV mode better when you’re in Eco mode!). But as I say, that’s all irrelevant as it’s not an EV. No reviews seem to major on the advantages of hybrids vs. diesels either. Some additional useful info/niggles/good bits. MPG MILES better than I was expecting. Managing 55mpg fully laden on the motorway (normal mode), on the Welsh roads I was getting 53mpg on Eco mode, 50mpg on normal or 40mpg on Sport. Considering its petrol rather than diesel – I think that’s fantastic. Adaptive Cruise Control Love this feature in general, however it accelerates super harshly to get back up to speed (e.g. the slower car in front pulls back into the left-hand lane, the car will then seemingly use max-throttle/revs to speed back up again). Same with “resuming” speed if you’ve slowed right down. Don’t know why it’s not more gradual. It also has a tendency to slam the brakes for you too, instead of coasting to a slower speed (e.g. if reducing the speed on the control from 70mph to 50mph, it will slam the brakes on until you get to 50, rather than gently applying them or coasting). Boot Was (just) big enough for a 9 day trip (4 of us, 2 adults, 2 children), but would definitely need a roof box for 2 weeks. The annoying shape in the boot also prevents two large suitcases fitting unfortunately (you’d get them in a 3 series though). Means you have to split your second suitcase into smaller ones or bags to fit them in, which is a bit annoying. There are also no cubby holes to hide stuff in the back, and the ones in the front are pretty small. Also, no sunglasses holder! I love the interior clock! Would prefer an electronic handbrake, rather than the foot brake. It’s still taking a lot of getting used to that the engine doesn’t start when you start the car (in a really good way)!! When you approach the car in the dark (with the key), the interior lights come on (gradually of course) which I think is class! The phone doesn’t have voice recognition – only voice “tags” that you have to manually set for up to 50 contacts. That’s a step backwards from the system I had before (and used). 3 years free Lexus Roadside assistance for me and my wife is a nice addition. The DAB radio picks up more stations than I’ve been able to get on other cars. I think it looks fantastic and makes its rivals look boring. All in all, I’m very happy with the car so far, although realise I’m still in the honeymoon period with it of course. I have always known before that the period will end soon with previous cars, but in this car, I’m not so sure it will. We’ll have to see what happens when the first service comes up and how much that ends up costing! Hope this is useful for someone and interested to hear what others think.

Took delivery of my new IS300h Advance on 31st March. I'm new to Lexus and will share my thoughts on the car in a proper post once I've driven it a bit more, but very happy in the main so far. However, one of the main reasons for considering the car in the first place was the fact it was a Petrol Hybrid rather than Diesel due to uncertainty around tax on Diesels. I'm now feeling pretty smug with the decision based on the news yesterday about Diesel taxes to drive into cities! :) As the original post asks, I think it can only help the resale values of the IS300h, especially if a whole swathe of the used market is removed as a viable option (diesel equivalent BMW's, Audi's and Merc's). That is unless the Mirai takes off and soon people only want Hydrogen cars!