Considering An Is

[Jim34]

Hi All

I've been loitering here for a few months now. I currently have a BMW 320d as a company car which is due for renewal soon. I had a Luxury spec on a demo for a weekend and I must say I was very impressed. Lovely balance between ride and handling, nice steering, great interior and exterior and superbly refined. There is a disconnect between road speed and engine speed which took my brain a little time to get used to, but I just don't get what the press bang on about the CVT 'drone'. The brakes were probably the worst aspect of the drive, effective enough but with little feel.

A few questions to existing owners if I may:

I tried all drive modes including EV and I'm a little confused. It seemed that in all modes it would still use electric only when conditions allowed. So what does the EV mode actually do? I also couldn't decide if the cruise control has a braking function or not? I think it did brake when I was in Eco mode only? Perhaps this is just the generator being more forcefully engaged on a trailing throttle? Finally, any idea on what the current delivery times are? I'm hoping to order mid November, fingers crossed to squeeze a Christmas delivery in :-)

I need to get the final lease costs but with the fantastic BIK savings the Lexus is definitely high on my list.

Many thanks.

James.

[Richard1200]

I think the EV mode is for when in slow moving traffic for example, electric only until Battery is low and the engine will then start.

[powerkitten]

My understanding on EV mode is that at lower speeds it will only use electric, whereas in normal Eco etc, it will also use electric only, but it will use the engine from time to time to charge, work the air con and that type of thing.

My car had the adaptive cruise control, which will brake the car to keep a set distance from the car in front if it is moving slower than the limit set. But I am not sure if you are referring to this?

I think delivery varies on what model/colour you want and their availability.

[DJP]

My understanding of EV is that it maximises the use of the Battery until the engine has to cut in. That might be due to, for example, an incline or, as I have experienced, on too aggressive acceleration (even though in was pretty modest). It's also limited by speed, early 20's I think us the max.

I've used it a few times when in very slow traffic and the acceleration is markedly lagged in comparison to when in normal.

For me I think it's a bit gimmicky (like the flappy paddles) and perhaps worth a play but most if the time driving in normal mode will give the balance between electric and petrol.

Like you I fail to recognise the drone many journos seem to have droned on about!

I can't help on the cruise control as I can't remember the last time I used it!

Please keep us posted with how you get on, be good to have you on board.

David

[Jim34]

Thanks for all the responses folks. Seems it will probably be best to leave it in drive mode and forget about EV mode. With regard to the cruise control the newer BMWs have a function whereby the car will brake automatically on a downhill section of road if the set cruise speed is exceeded. I couldn't decide if the IS did this or not. Not a deal breaker at all, just curious. Thanks again for the responses.

[Rogalo]

Hi Jim,

EV mode is usefull to move the car in a park lot, of to leave the house discreetly, the ICE doesn't start. Using too often this mode will increase consumption. The cruise control will brake automatically, but only charging Battery, in every modes. No energy loose!

Patrick

[Tel]

In all Modes excluding EV the IS behaves normally moving forward but manifests greater inertia when you take your foot off the gas as the engine cuts-off & the regeneration phase cuts-in.

Cruise control operates perfectly maintaining the set-speed & operates both accelerator & brakes to maintain the selected speed.

My brembo Brakes on my previous car were perfect the ones on my 300h lack some progression but are good given the regeneration cycle aids retardation.

Tel

[rayaans]

What the reviewers mean by the drone is when the revs hit max and stay there when accelerating hard. Its pretty much unnoticeable in reality but they always comment on it as all they do is 0-60 comparisons all the time and rag the car to its limits

[Ian J. Parsley]

Jim,

Welcome.

I have the Lux trim (and on lease), so a few points...

EV mode: As far as I can tell, this is primarily of use when shifting the car over short distances (as I'm doing quite frequently at the moment due to decorators in). As soon as I turn the car on, I hit EV and that enables me to move the car (over a short distance, say in and out of the driveway) without the engine/fuel supply. I also occasionally hit EV in slow-moving traffic, again to stop the engine kicking in at all.

Brakes: The trick here that the car *doesn't actually brake* until the final 5mph. When you hit the "brake" pedal, what you are actually doing is reversing the engine to reduce speed - it would be better termed a "deceleration" pedal. The brakes only kick in when it becomes evident you actually want to stop the car. Once you understand that, it becomes easier to operate the pedal, as you know what to expect. In other words, I can see why the reviewers are a bit concerned about it, but you soon get used to it (particularly once you understand what's really going on!)

Cruise: I don't know - it's possible you're right. I rarely use eco mode (again, only in traffic).

Lease: Worth tossing in the road tax will almost certainly save you around 15 quid/month too; and you can reclaim full rental as opposed to 85% (I'm not sure if the 320d allows that - I doubt it, the barrier is 130g if memory serves).

Drone: I've ranted about that on here enough - it's a complete phantom. I suspect one reviewer had the "simulation" thing on too loud and the rest just copied that one!

For all that, the 320d is the BMW I would have gone for if I were remotely so inclined - what makes you consider the change?

[Jim34]

Hi Ian, thanks for the response. The first thing that attracted me to my current BMW was the 13% BIK (back in 2010) combined with decent performance, handling and economy. Lexus didn't really have anything comparable at the time, the new IS has changed all that in my opinion. It's now a real contender for performance, ride and handling, not just low BIK. A 3 series (not sure what engine and spec as yet) will still be on the short list, I know there are loads of them around but apart from the engine being a bit gruff they are still great all rounders. I do like the idea of the Lexus being rarer and more exclusive though, in addition to this I'm hoping it will be more reliable than my current BMW has been.

I also have my sights on the new mk7 Golf GTI, the BIK is now down to 19% which is reasonable based on the performance it offers. It all comes down to the total out of pocket cost in the end, the combination of the lease cost plus the BIK. I'm on a salary sacrifice scheme and have no restrictions on how much of my pay I allocate to a car. If there's only say £20-£30 a month difference between my final three it will make the decision even harder. My firm is just in the middle of changing lease providers so I can't get final costs as yet, it should be sorted in the next couple of weeks though.

Thanks again.

James.

[Silver Arrow]

Cruise with braking is something I don't have on my GS250 - I did in my BMW and it was brilliant. The car would only go over the Cruise speed by 1mph, after that, for example when using cruise downhill, the brakes would slow the car back down to the cruise speed and hold it there. Awesome. In the GS250 you can easily go 5mph above the cruise set speed if you're going down hill - not good if there are cameras about.

[Clearline]

I have had the IS300h luxury for a company car for under a month, it took 2 weeks to be delivered. I love the drive and the tax is very good even compared to the 320d. I leave the car to do the electric bits but move into sport mode for a bit more power when I put my foot down. The EV mode is a bit gimmicky to be honest the car does it anyway.

[DJP]

I suspect you may be one of many to move away from the Germans. Perhaps Lexus will have more success this time compared to last with the 220d attempt.

Be interesting to have further feedback as your ownership time increases.