Gs250 Update - 4 Months On

[Silver Arrow]

Thought I'd share a few snippets:

Oil Consumption - the car got through half a litre of engine oil in the first 1200 miles, but since then not a drop - pretty much as I expected from a new engine. 2500 miles on and the oil is still clear, which is a good sign (and not something I am used to having had diesels for 11 years).

Fuel Economy - this is the one thing that I am still coming to terms with. Cold engine drives yield mid-high teens in built up/traffic light stricken runs - warm engine moderate traffic etc yields low to mid 20's, sometimes 27-8 on an across the town type of run. I was hoping to regularly get high 30's on a run, which is possible, but only with very delicate use of the throttle. the car has a tendency to just drop a cog each time you squeeze the throttle - largely due to a lack of torque and a heavy car. 33-35 is easily attainable on a run without trying too hard.

Ride quality - simply superb in my view. The IS 220d had a choppy ride compared to this - which just floats around all day long. The longer wheelbase no doubt helps here. The car mags and reviews seem to suggest that the "ride is compliant enough", but it's much better than that. The E Class Merc is the only car in this class of car that rides better without any electronic or adaptive aids, and even then only marginally (the MB is slightly more wallowy).

Handling - this is something you really have to get used to - especially if like me you are used to a rock hard german car. Going into corners at speed can sometimes make things feel nervous as you enter a sweeping A road bend at 60 - but it settles down OK - then as you exit a bend, and straighten up, you get that slight shimmy as the weight shifts around. It makes you realise that this is a heavy car! However, it is very sure footed and Lexus have done a good job overall. It is more cosseting than sporty by some margin. Grip on the 235 45 18 Dunlop Sportmaxx's is very good indeed. If you power and accelerate through bends the car seems more agile as the forces compress it to the tarmac.

Engine - this is a bit of a Jekyl and Hide. It's super smooth, and and not at all boomy as some magazines will have you believe. In fact it makes an amazing sound when you kick down - making you think you have more cylinders than you actually do. The lack of torque is the engines only issue or achilles heel. As a result, it drops a gear too prematurely sending the revs up and the economy down. When cruising around, you barely hear it at all - the car is so quiet and the engine so smooth; almost syrupy.

Fit and finish - this was one of the areas where the previous GS didn't do well - lots of complaints with regards to rattles etc. The good news is that Lexus have done a much more solid job. Even with the colder mornings of late, as the car warms up, there are no tell tale noises of gaps moving in size as the plastics expand and contract - something my old IS was not good at. The plastic/wood effect trim looks nice, but it seems over engineered and not wood like at all, almost "painted" but the cup holder cubby is well weighted and opens and closes serenely. The external panels are all millimetrically aligned and perfect. The Aluminium controls for the stereo feels well weighted and minimalist look of the interior makes it look clean and modern.

Satnav and Multimedia - the mouse/controller is actually very good. I found it daunting at first, but the more you play with it the better and more intuitive it is. I love the way the weighting changes as you navigate the screens - becoming bespoke for each screen you're on. An excellent touch. The nav itself is very good, with 3d imaging, helping you get your bearings. The only really annoying thing is that the TMC just keeps on warning and warning, even if the "holdup" is likely to be less than a 2 minutes. I wish there was a way of adjusting that so that it would only warn you of a better route IF the new route would save more than 20 minutes, for example.

The sound system is very good too, but it seems less bassy then the IS was. The sound is crisp and clear, though I have to say a little way off from the £6300 B&O system I tested in an Audi A8 (which blew my socks off). Still, for the extra £1000 at new, the Lexus one is excellent. I only recently tried a good DVD in the car, and the surround sound was amazing.

Overall impressions:

This is an excellent car; to make it perfect, it needs a few things tweaking - such as stop/start (to improve Co2), and more torque (though without a Turbo that could be challenging). Servicing costs are unreasnable in this modern day and age - being every 10,000 miles. However, it's becoming incrediblt value for money - some of the early ones are now available at lexus dealers for less than £29000 in Luxury spec - that is the bargain of the century. All I need to do is sort out the juddering wiper and get some touch up paint - seems Lexus suffer much more due to soft paint than other car I have ever owned.

[Gra56]

Good report and I am pleased you are still happy with the car. How I agree about the constant sat nav warnings which does get a bit tiresome. The fuel consumption is good in my opinion for this size of car. I had a IS250 which after 100k miles in 3 years averaged about 34 mpg so overall not bad

.I will do a report on mine soon which has now got just over 4 k on the clock.

[Exdee]

It's super smooth, and and not at all boomy as some magazines will have you believe.

I believe they refer to the 450H which has a CVT transmission.

Nevertheless a good review. Read with great interest.