What Is It Like? Ether Is250 0R Is 300H

[Ian J. Parsley]

Well exactly - not a "whine" by any definition!

My frustration (as with many walks of life) is that this is just lazy journalism. One reviewer probably did get a mistaken impression of an "annoying whine", so a few others have just copied that. I do, seriously, suspect that some reviewers have not actually sat in the car at all. And they wonder why the profession is going to the wall...

Such a shame for those who do take the job seriously and work hard at it.

[Damien7579]

Agree regrading journalism. i much prefer in car video reviews -- more authentic :)

Any whine heard during breaking is the regenerative breaking Battery charger; and usually engine switches off. happens both at breaking and downhill coasting. Again another function of the hybrid system. The ct makes a fair bit as it stops but again no worse than normal engine noise and its the sound of Eco friendly Battery boost ;) can't see how any of this detracts from the actual car or what it achieves and it's picking at straws to use it to discredit it. By all accounts from folks on here it sounds like a cracking motor and I look forward to a play in it.

[Roger Bill]

No, I understand what your car has got - it's the same as what the F Sport would have. Auto-folding mirrors is very important for making you (me) feel your car is safe( r ). It's also a good visual indicator that your car is locked-up (just in case). Pressing a separate button to fold mirrors is not really cool at all... it's like central locking, fumbling around for your key fob and then having to press a button is a bit retrograde these days.

The Q3 referred might, indeed, be like that - but it will have had the option to have auto-folding door mirrors. What I'm trying to say is that the Lexus (F Sport) doesn't give me the option... I can't chuck extra money at Lexus and get them. So, even if the mirrors actually fold, no-one will deign to flip the bit in code that actually gets them to fold on locking the car, instead - it seems to be reserved for the highest trim.

I think that auto-folding mirrors are like a few other things - auto-dimming mirrors, key-less entry, Bluetooth, multifunction steering wheel etc. - in that, once you have them on a car, you're very unlikely to have another car without them (at least, you're unlikely to intentionally not specify them - if you have the choice) - but, of course, there were times when cars had none of these things and now most are 'standard' - all should be options.

I'll be back with more thoughts on the IS 300h F Sport, of course - my current thinking is just from a short accompanied test drive and poring over the brochure.

Hi Darren, Page 38 of http://media.toyota.co.uk/product_info/2013-is/ states that auto-folding, auto-dimming door mirrors are available as an option with leather on the F Sport and are standard on Premier.

[petayV8]

Very strange why it wouldnt have auto foldings mirror as the circuitry envolved is very simple and is a common mod on older gen. So much for inteligent sport

[Roger Bill]

I suspect it's not driven by practical considerations but by the need to include an extra goody to help justify the price of the leather option or the Premier model. However, I think in terms of equipment levels Lexus offer far better value than the comparable cars from BMW, Audi or Mercedes.

[Hippogriff]

Very interesting. I was looking at the brochure, page 43 "ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT BY GRADE" and the list has "Door mirrors: auto folding and elechromatic" but the column for F Sport is empty - no indication that it's either standard or optional. I hope what you've found is correct.

[Damien7579]

So does the IS300h come with the evil compressor and goo for punctures that destroys the tyre? Looking at that doc linked by Roger is seems so :( how disappointing and cheap. Is there even an option of getting a proper space saver like there is for the CT200h?

[Wicksy]

So does the IS300h come with the evil compressor and goo for punctures that destroys the tyre? Looking at that doc linked by Roger is seems so :( how disappointing and cheap. Is there even an option of getting a proper space saver like there is for the CT200h?

I think the 300h has run flats?

[Damien7579]

Oh... just checked and you're right... well I guess that makes sense. Horrible things runflats ... more pricey, more firm, less choice & generally can't be repaired on puncture so they might as well have used normal tyres with the goo as same difference - both destroy tyre on puncture!!

Another compromise to make. Their only benefit is perhaps better handling / feedback due to stiffer walls etc but that's not really a big thing for a non-sports car.

[Silver Arrow]

Run flats are dreadful. Not only are they unforgiving, but they tend to wear badly and tramline etc. Cack tyres....but safe !

[Roger Bill]

In the UK I'm fairly sure the IS300h has a tyre repair kit whereas the new IS250 has a space saver temporary spare wheel. I believe run flats are fitted to the IS300h in some other markets probably because of different regulations in each country. The couple of IS300hs I've seen both had repair kits and not enough space under the boot floor for a space saver wheel. For the reasons listed by Damian and Jonas I'm not keen on run flats and as a means of saving weight and space I suppose repair kits are a reasonable compromise. The last time I tried changing a wheel the nuts were seized too tight for the wheel nut brace supplied with the car but fortunately I had a socket set and wasn't on a motorway hard shoulder or similar. Touch wood, I haven't had any punctures in the last 10 years or more.

[Ian J. Parsley]

That's correct, Roger.

[imgo]

My IS300h has not got run flats, I was unsure when i picked up my car yesterday so i asked, according to my dealer Lexus only fitted them to one car in the UK, i think that was the SC430 ?, and withdrew them soon afterwards offering existing SC430 owners an upgrade to standard wheels and tyres.

I have a tyre repair kit in the boot, behind a panel on the left hand side.

[Hippogriff]

Going to collect a test drive car at midday. Spoke to the salesman yesterday on the door mirrors, he was adamant you cannot get auto-folding mirrors on the F Sport. However, I said there might be some confusion 'out there' and he was good enough to say he would ask someone else.

[Hippogriff]

The F Sport has auto-folding wing mirrors. It comes 'FoC' when you get leather. This is confirmed in the flesh, so to speak. The salesman was, pleasantly, surprised. As was I.

[spwolfx]

leather also gets memory seats and electric adjustment for steering wheel?

[Roger Bill]

leather also gets memory seats and electric adjustment for steering wheel?

My understanding is that these are just features on the Premier.

[Hippogriff]

Back just now from an afternoon driving an IS 300h F Sport around.

To clear up some queries I've seen... yes, the car has auto-folding mirrors which fold-in when you stroke the key handle. Yes, the car has the memory seats / steering wheel - 3 settings. Yes, the car has the electric adjustment for the steering wheel - a little joystick on the left-hand side of the steering column. So - the top-level trim is not required to get these features.

So... my impressions after several hours behind the wheel?

The sports seats grip too tightly around my backside and hips... I must have been eating too many doughnuts, but it was actually quite an uncomfortable feeling, not one I've had in any Audi S line, which also has sports seats. I was wondering whether a Japanese car just has smaller seats? My girlfriend, on the other hand, fit into them very snugly.

The boot is actually quite small. In total number of litres it might compare quite well with other saloons, but visually and in the flesh, it's quite constrained. We actually went to the supermarket and filled it up - everything we bought got in there, but it was quite tight. Also, one really good feature on Audis "the curry hooks" aren't here.

I registered the car on the Lexus Portal, and I had my MiFi device with me all day, which provides a 3G signal and a wireless network for the car to hook up to. The Lexus Portal part still has me foxed, I must admit. Half the time it kept telling me that it could not access the Portal and kept asking me to key in the username and password again - I've got to say this is such a pain in the neck when you're using the mouse - I find it barely usable (the most used soft key today was backspace!).

However, I did manage to happily use Online Search to set a navigation address (a postcode) and then I was able to click on the Google Streeview icon to see a 360 degree view of the destination. This was all very cool indeed.

I did manage to create "A Trip" on the Portal, and I managed to send it to the car, but it never arrived at the car because the car couldn't seem to log into the Portal. A shame, really. I got so frustrated typing in a username and password (must be at least 8 characters long) with the mouse. Although the setup within the car amounts to just username and password, so is simple really, it's just not intuitive enough.

I found something really great, that I did not expect. I stuck in a USB stick with loads of MP3s on it - and they were clean MP3s - confirmed with no embedded album art in the ID3 tags. However, the car started pulling down album covers from somewhere and displayed them in the main screen. This was really ace and was not something I expected to see at all.

I have not yet tested whether MP3s with embedded cover art shows the cover too. I might get around to this tomorrow. It might just be something that the car downloads, only.

I liked the DAB.

Sadly, though, two things happened that confused me a bit. Firstly, it pulled album covers down for most albums, but then didn't for some, but there was no indication of why not. This then happened for some tracks that I went back to, ones that I knew it had downloaded covers for previously. So it obviously doesn't cache them. I guess it lost 3G signal at that point or something - but I would have liked to have seen some text saying "Cover cannot be found" instead of a picture of a USB stick. Secondly, twice on the journeys today it just stopped playing music. I couldn't get the music back until I stopped and restarted the car. I don't think I pressed a mute button or anything, and playing with the volume control didn't change anything.

Also, on the volume side... there's obviously a setting to change the volume of spoken navigation cues, but it's hidden away in some settings screen... on my Audi I can take the opportunity to alter the volume knob (main dial or on steering wheel) when the lady speaks a direction to me and, then, the car knows that I want to change the volume of the cues, rather than the background music - the Lexus doesn't seem to know this.

Does anyone know if you can change the colours of the night-time map? This changed to nearly all black as soon as the lights came on, and I found it pretty bad. I wanted to override it to use day-time colours, but - for the life of me - I could not find this setting.

The ability to split the main screen into 2 or 3 sections is simply fantastic and it's pretty intuitive as to how you go about it.

I remain confused by the little drawer that holds a Lexus-badged micro SD card in the dash. I thought the navigation system was a HDD-based system... when I removed this micro SD card, it said that it could not access navigation data. Is this where the navigation data is stored?

I love the speed camera alerts. Very non-intrusive, but you hear them. It got most cameras I went past today.

I am such a big fan of the main dial. I think most cars these days have so much space used up by non-important information and 2 big dials for revs and speed is just a massive waste of space. The IS 300h F Sport really makes the most of that nice space - the main dial is inarguably gorgeous! The ability to change the needle colour is indulgent.

I wasn't a fan of the footbrake / handbrake... but I also found that it didn't get it the way, either.

I like the seat and steering wheel moving when you insert and remove your seat-belt. At first, I thought I needed my foot on the main brake, and you have to stretch for that when getting in, as the seat moves quite far back. However, you don't - it just happens on the seat-belt insertion. Very cool.

In the daytime, the DRLs aren't very bright it seems... but at night, they really do come out and are very bright when they're just on. I like them more and more. They were so bright, when I parked-up this evening, that my camera couldn't take a proper picture of them.

For navigation - zooming in and out on the map is much easier with Audi's MMI dial. The mouse is just too fiddly. Summing-up, the one single thing that I didn't like the most on this car was the mouse! I actually think it's a retrograde step from a touch screen interface.

The car has some poke! I am a big fan of the CVT, having had 2 Multitronics. This gearbox is no disappointment to me. I'm quite a big fan. I love the whine-down it does, sounds like when you turn a vacuum cleaner off, when you arrive at red traffic lights. And - yes - I think I have figured out the "other whine". So, from a standing start at some red lights - if you floor the accelerator, you will really leap forwards, then you will detect a high-pitched buzz - I would liken it to a mosquito. I noticed it, but it did not bug me, and if you have music on at any level, then you might not hear this.

Nearly lastly, I was on a hill and wanted to test forwards crawl. I am sad to say that the Lexus IS 300h F Sport will roll backwards even when in D. I can't forgive this, I think. I understand why it happens, but I am used to cars not rolling backwards when in D, not at all, and even managing to crawl upwards on a rather steep hill.

I like the ventilated seats! My girlfriend liked the heated seats when on level 3 - but was unhappy because the car decided to drop the level of seat heating to 2, then to 1, over time. She was not happy about this. This is the kind of setting you would think there'd be an override for - but, again, I could not find it.

I thought the touch / stroke sensor AC settings was a gimmick, but they actually work quite well.

The car got some appreciative looks in the supermarket car park... the test drive was a sparkly white. It looked very cool indeed.

Hope this is interesting feedback to some.

[spwolfx]

IS300h might have hill assist option? not sure, but it can be activated by stepping on brakes hard for few seconds.... it will make brakes hold the car uphill without you applying the brakes anymore... and when you press gas, it will automatically release the brakes.

[Silver Arrow]

Nice review Hippogriff - what did you think of the ride quality?

I do agree with you on the seats - if they are anything like the CT F sport ones, not terribly comfortable day in day out, but OK for a blast on an A road.

[Hippogriff]

On the drive...

I very much enjoyed it. I was doing 95mph on the M1 without really realising it. That was in normal mode. Heading up slip roads in Sport was very helpful. I tried Eco mode and the difference in response was massively noticeable. I realise it's there for a reason, but I would never use it - it turned into a totally different, and obviously much less capable, car.

The firmness is about the same as my Audi A4 S line I would say. It's definitely firm, no wallowing, and potholes can shock you, but it's not too bad - it's certainly got intent and is really well planted. Going around corners and roundabouts at speed is fun - the steering is really direct and you always feel in control.

I would not say the car is overly quiet. Both myself and the girlfriend thought it was the same, or a bit more noisy, than the A4 when on the M1, doing around 70mph. Obviously, when pootling around, it's silent or near-silent and so very, very cool.

Regarding other noises... yes, there was a rattle. I discovered a rattle and investigated it. I hate rattles. Anyway, I found a plastic box of locking wheel nuts inside the glove compartment. This was a plastic box sitting in a plastic box - I think that's where 'my' rattle came from... I moved the locking wheel nuts and put them in the armrest compartment.

Last impression... this might shock some reading this, but I think the wheels might actually be too small for the car (visually). I took a picture of the car, side-on, and I am just starting to think the wheels are too small.

[Wicksy]

On the drive...

I very much enjoyed it. I was doing 95mph on the M1 without really realising it. That was in normal mode. Heading up slip roads in Sport was very helpful. I tried Eco mode and the difference in response was massively noticeable. I realise it's there for a reason, but I would never use it - it turned into a totally different, and obviously much less capable, car.

The firmness is about the same as my Audi A4 S line I would say. It's definitely firm, no wallowing, and potholes can shock you, but it's not too bad - it's certainly got intent and is really well planted. Going around corners and roundabouts at speed is fun - the steering is really direct and you always feel in control.

I would not say the car is overly quiet. Both myself and the girlfriend thought it was the same, or a bit more noisy, than the A4 when on the M1, doing around 70mph. Obviously, when pootling around, it's silent or near-silent and so very, very cool.

Regarding other noises... yes, there was a rattle. I discovered a rattle and investigated it. I hate rattles. Anyway, I found a plastic box of locking wheel nuts inside the glove compartment. This was a plastic box sitting in a plastic box - I think that's where 'my' rattle came from... I moved the locking wheel nuts and put them in the armrest compartment.

Last impression... this might shock some reading this, but I think the wheels might actually be too small for the car (visually). I took a picture of the car, side-on, and I am just starting to think the wheels are too small.

Regarding quietness maybe the engine needs to be run in for a while, after a few more thousand miles I'm sure it will appear "overly quiet" - all the reviews reckon this is one of the IS300h's great strengths and after all you were doing 95mph withough even realising it!

Agree with you regarding the wheels - 19 inchers would have looked much more appealing but then again the ride would be even firmer.

[Hippogriff]

And, please excuse if some of my comments seem like niggles, but I've fast reached the point where it's a real toss-up between the Sexy Lexy F Sport and a new A4 Black Edition. So I am now doing quite low-level compares between the two, taking as much as possible into account.

A niggle... I found it hard to find the front parking sensor button. Not sure why it's hidden where it is, but when in a demonstrator I did not want to crash it, so needed it and couldn't find it at first. I thought it might be turned on via a soft button, but there's a button hidden all the way down-low to the right of the steering wheel. Odd place.

A niggle... the A4 steering wheel is nicer and more tactile with the perforated leather, but the Sexy Lexy's is still a pretty good one.

A niggle... no SD card reader in the Sexy Lexy (or is there?) but we know there is a micro SD card reader - can anyone confirm if that holds the navigation data or there really is a HDD system inside the car?

A niggle... the map graphics aren't as good / polished on the Sexy Lexy.

[spwolfx]

once you know where parking button is, it is fine... although i gotta say, i never had to turn off mine as you can adjust distance reported in menus, so i always kept mine on for both my 2IS and 3GS.

there is no SD reader in Euro IS (only in Japan) - there are 2 USB ports that can take Iphone + usb for instance, or any other combination.... i like to connect my phone because it charges it as well, so it is always charged.

did the F-Sport have AVS?

[Tel]

120 Mile Report.

Auto Mirror Fold facility is available from the Custom Options but is not practical if garage space is tight.

The Boot is significantly larger than my Isf version & longer than my SEL.

The Nav is much more advanced in that it can easily be programmed by Voice,it names every turn,shows No Entry signs on all the exits bar "yours",monitors all cameras & excess speed,& so much more .

The DAB is perfect.

Keeping it in Drive for the First 600 Miles.

Compressor in Boot.

Ride---no difference from my ISF "2".

Handling--------in many ways better!

Tel