IS300H facelift — better than pre-facelift?

[MartinH 18]

If I were to replace my troublesome IS250 with an IS300H, is it worth my while to go for the 'facelift' model? I especially like adaptive cruise control, but I understand the 2017MY has many detail revisions, in particular to the suspension. Does anyone here have an opinion to share?

[Tel 64]

On-going revisions from the Factory are always a factor to take into account so go for the latest you can afford & then check the Full Spec.of your selected model.

Tel

[MartinH 18]

That's not hard. Facelift model registered before April 2017 (a very short window), in Luxury spec (Mark Levinson sounds a must), exterior not a boring colour, interior not black leather, ideally with a sunroof.

[Brechin Slate 166]

On 12/28/2020 at 3:02 PM, MartinH said:

That's not hard. Facelift model registered before April 2017 (a very short window), in Luxury spec (Mark Levinson sounds a must), exterior not a boring colour, interior not black leather, ideally with a sunroof.

Why before April 2017? Mine is Sept 2017, did something change but not for the better?

[paulrnx 367]

I’ve had three pre-facelift cars and one facelift car. A 2014 300h Executive, a 2014 250 F-Sport and a 2015 200T Sport. More recently a 2019 300h Sport.

I always felt that the steering and suspension was better in the facelift cars. Steering is not as heavy and as a result has a bit more feel. I could never feel any loss of grip at the front in all three of the pre-facelift cars.

The suspension is better in the facelift cars to the point that my Sport on 18” wheels drove better than the 2104 Executive on 17” wheels.

If going for a pre-facelift car I reckon a good Premier will take some beating. Plenty of toys and ML hifi is standard. Alternatively an F-Sport with premium nav and ML would make a good buy but make sure you have a good drive of an F-Sport because the suspension is a bit stiffer and there’s a bit more road noise.

A facelift car probably depends upon budget and what kit you want.

I also think that the facelift 300h had a better power delivery and felt like I  didn’t need to mash the throttle to make decent progress. Although the figures are no different it always felt different to drive for the better.

That said, a pre-facelift car is still a damn good car. I’d happily drive a pre-facelift car. I think I prefer the front end styling of the pre-facelift cars. Facelift cars are very low at the front indeed. I think I’m in a minority by preferring the standard grille over the F-Sport grille but each to their own I think.

The 3rd generation IS250 has a sweet sounding engine but I didn’t feel it went as well as a 2nd generation IS250 I had some time ago.

Happy hunting, hope you find what you want.

[MartinH 18]

54 minutes ago, Brechin Slate said:

Why before April 2017? Mine is Sept 2017, did something change but not for the better?

Car tax is what changed on 1 April 2017! So thereafter £160 instead of a tenner.

And thank you for the detailed impressions, Paul, helpful!

Edited December 29, 2020 by MartinH
Add answer to another poster

[200h 586]

48 minutes ago, MartinH said:

Car tax is what changed on 1 April 2017! So thereafter £160 instead of a tenner.

And thank you for the detailed impressions, Paul, helpful!

dont forget the extra £320 per year on top of the road tax if your car's list price

was over £40,000 before any discounts.

for 2.5 years i was paying around £240 for 6 months road tax

[MartinH 18]

Ah yes, true that! Thanks for the reminder