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I’m so impressed by the performance of my ES300h that I have renamed it...

I would always use my Ls400 for all trips .................... Malc

Drove it home yesterday, about 90 miles of mainly A roads. quite busy so mainly about 50 to 60 mph and managed just over 40 mpg, was impressed by the comfort and quietness.

Tis a brilliant machine. I had one for a weekend once--auto and it was faultless.Ideal for a single person. A pity they are no longer imported.

Just picked the car from Lexus Glasgow - Hybrid Health Check passed! All green colours! Set for a year!

FWIW I'm currently insured through AF and have used them in the past on previous cars. I had one not-at-fault accident while insured with them and I would not rate their handling of the process. The claims are handled by a completely separate business entity with very little awareness of the original insurance terms. As an example I had breakdown cover on my policy through them and after having an accident that wrote the car off they wanted to charge me £50 to recover the car even though the breakdown service I had through them could easily have done it. In the stress of the moment I couldn't be bothered to argue and just paid it, which I've no doubt they count on, but it stuck in my mind and coloured my perception of them. I think they're great if you don't ever claim - great prices, easy to deal with etc but I wouldn't want to have to go through another claim with them. That said such events are likely just as painful with most other insurance providers.

They're just letters. Same situation as parking on private land and some parking firm chases you. Nothing gets serious until after you've been to court and a judge rules against you. The letters like to mention your credit history and bailiffs but it's just scare tactics. Specific advice above notwithstanding, I agree.

Oh dear, where to start? First off driving an RX350 doesnt make anyone, but esp me, a rally champion😅 Next, all tourist areas have problems to go with the many £millions and hundreds of jobs brought to the area by visitors. Visitors don't normally turn up equipped with road repair equipment, suggest your relis speak to their Government, MP etc. etc. And finally, unless by 'estate' you mean hundreds of acres of highland slowly but surely being destroyed by poaching of the land for raising animals, then the NC500 is on main roads and doesn't involve any venturing into 'estates'.... Any tourism or increases in numbers causes difficulties for communities everywhere. Surely your relis take holidays and cause problems for others? I bet no prisoners are taken when they go 'rallying' on other peoples' doorsteps? Just saying.. 🙂

I came from a 530d E60, different engine but still a 6 pot beemer. All I can say is “what Wharf said above ^^” Try the various driving modes mentioned. While the 300h is no beemer through the bends, the Sports mode gives a fairly reasonable pick up 0-15mph. Only other thing I’d add, is that the 300h doesn’t really want to be pushed and harried around. It’s best at smooth cruising, and whether you wish it or not you may find your driving style changes to accommodate this! You say you sit in traffic most of the time, the IS is absolutely excellent through slow rush hour commutes.

I also came from a BMW 330i (a bit newer than yours and with the straight six petrol and auto) to the IS 300h. I can echo what Jason said above. The BMW 330i was an impressive car and I loved the straight six (I'd had a number of BMW straight sixes before and pretty much bought BMW for that engine more than anything else). It was certainly fast and handled well but actually I was finding compared with earlier BMWs it was starting to feel a bit sterile and I dare I say it "common" and becoming out of touch with what most drivers need 80%+ of the time. Combined with the lack of opportunities on todays roads to really get anywhere close to maxing out the BMW I decided it was time for a switch and after a lot of contemplation (and a day's test drive) I settled on the IS 300h. IMO the IS 300h is an ideal blend for today's roads, especially in this country. Yes, there are a few places left where you can have a bit of old style fun, but even those are disappearing fast or festooned with speed cameras! The IS 300h may not be quite up with the 330i when those odd occasions arise (however it does make a good showing still) but only you know how you weight those opportunities in your selection. The IS 300h is a very accomplished car. It's built around a well-balanced rear wheel drive chassis that feel nice to drive rapidly - it's not a point and squirt rocket however but more of a grand tourer and treated like that will cover many miles quickly, quietly, refined and in safety and leave you getting out the other end refreshed. Acceleration feel is certainly different to the BMW and the E-CVT takes a little bit of getting used to (but no where near as much as the auto press make out) as there are no gear changes which after many years (even with auto boxes) have subliminally embedded themselves in our brains as markers for speed. But once you move past that (and it does take perhaps a couple of thousand miles for the brain to relearn) and treat the car as a grand tourer and not a hot hatch you start to enjoy the seamless take-off and power delivery. In fact after going back to cars with traditional auto boxes I now find all the cog swapping a real turn off in them. The different drive modes allow you to choose what you want from the car. I run mine in Eco a lot of the time simply because I am often in a stream of traffic - either busy motorway or motorway road works or A roads in a line of traffic and for the most part there is just no sense in doing anything else. If I am not able to make any faster progress than the line of traffic in front why waste any more petrol than I need to! On open motorway I also use Eco and cruise control - in that case you are not altering speed but cruising (at whatever speed you think suitable) and so might as well let the car sort out best economy. If I want a burst of performance (overtaking, or the odd chance to make rapid progress on a A/B roads etc.) then Sport mode blends the battery/electric for performance rather than economy and delivers sensibly brisk and seamless progress (but at the detriment of fuel consumption) with very little lag - in Sport mode you can also use the simulated 6 speeds to pre-select a lower "gear" for overtaking if you feel the need which means pickup is pretty much the same as any other auto box. Or just leave the car in Normal if you don't want to think about it. I have to say that since having my IS 300h (for 2.5 years now) I don't miss the BMW 330i. In fact, in my pecking order of best cars, I always held my 1997 BMW 528i E39 as my top car (above the 330i) for its sublime blend of performance, luxury and ability to cover long distances with no stress (I did over 200k miles in that car) but now put the IS 300h alongside that 528i for similar qualities. I enjoy getting in the IS 300h and driving - especially when the journey will be a few hours - oddly something that I had stopped doing in the 330i which was a great sports saloon but actually not that great for long distances (that is where my 528i was actually much better than the 330i). I don't drive to max fuel consumption but where it makes sense (as above) I feel I might as well get the best consumption where progress is constrained by other factors. Fuel consumption in my IS 300h averages (on the trip computer) around 48mpg (bit lower in winter). On a long motorway run will easily do 50+mpg and on free flowing A roads at 40-60mph and driving calmly 60+mpg is possible. Sport mode tends to knock off about 10mpg - but then I would also be driving more briskly otherwise I wouldn't be using it! The great thing with the hybrid is that when you come the inevitable motorway 50mph roadworks or sat in traffic jams the economy actually improves...! A small consolation for sitting there. And in stop start motorway traffic it is at least a serene experience as the car will stay in EV mode a lot of the time with none of the stop start judder and cog swapping of normal engine/gearboxes (which can become tiresome and irritating). Of course there is no substitute for a test drive, however a spin around the block will not give a true feel for the car in day-to-day use - you really need to get one for a day to get anywhere close to that and in all honesty even that is too short - it takes a couple of months with the car to truly appreciate its depth of qualities. About a year into my ownership I was involved in an accident (not my fault) but there was a possibility they might write the car off. Without hesitation I was looking for another IS 300h to replace it and at that time if I wasn't convinced it was the right car for modern traffic I could have changed - in the end the car was immaculately repaired (by Lexus) and I was very pleased to get it back.

A set of Cross Climates will transform it. Mine came with Dunlops and whentI put cross Climates on it transformed the car, methinks ideal for Scotland. I've just had a week on the North Yorkshire Moors and car performed beautifully.

Superb advice I'll draft an email up in the morning,thanks you've been a big help 👍

I find it very relaxing to drive, comfort is excellent. Though when you need to overtake the acceleration is reasonable for a large SUV. The cabin is roomy and bright plus it has an air of quality in terms of fit, finish and controls throughout the car. The handling is not sharp, though I never expected it to be after an Alfa Romeo, it is competent and feels safe. The brakes are good for the size of it. It is fitted with Dunlop SP sport 270's.

This rely should not be your problem, but the garage that replaced the battery. However the sensor is nothing more than a thermistor "a resistor that changes resistance with temperature". A standard fixed resistor will do the job as a temporary replacement clearing the problem you have. I will measure the resistance of the sensor in my car as soon as I can tomorrow, and you can fit a resistor across the sensor plug terminals of similar value until you can obtain the correct unit. This will not cause any problems. A suitable resistor can be bought from any electrical repair workshop for pennies or you could perhaps find one in an old defunct TV. I will supply the color code for the correct value when I have measured it. Let me know if this would be of help. John .

Thanks Wayne, 2 weeks will be coming this Wendsday but I will give them a call tomorrow anyway! 🙂 I have no patience when it comes to cars! lol!

Have you cleaned out the pipes that go from both sides of the dpf to the pressure sensor as they tend to soot up and then the pressure sensor reads incorrectly. I had this on mine ( now sold) my son eventually fixed it in about 30 minutes. Hope this helps. Pluffy

Nigel - very impressed to see you still around after your original post of 7 years ago ! 🙂 I'm like you - sadly, the IS220D has killed my faith in diesels. A lovely car (albeit a bit gutless), but just far too much trouble. Anyway - sorry to hijack this post but - I'm STILL struggling with my "Check VSC" issue.... had a spate of smokiness a while ago (which has calmed down since I reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery) .... but the fault code remains (!?) and the light is still on, as is the ABS warning light which seems to go with it... and that's an MOT failure, as I just learned 😞 So - I hooked up my generic cheap Chinese OBDII reader, along with "Torque Lite" on the phone.... and it says "No codes recorded". So - I can't reset the pesky light and get my MOT sorted. Question then is - what other readers / software do folks on here use, to reset Lexus error codes, please ? I have some experience with monitoring computer hardware, and in that field at least, there's your "standard" ISO-type errors and codes, and then there's usually vendor specific "secret" ones too, that only their kit can see. I'm guessing Lexus have hidden all their fruity (ie useful) stuff, in a management block of their own, requiring either their own kit to read, or a very cleverly researched third party utility ? Cheers all, thanks in advance.

Nemesis - compared to a conventional automatic on a turbo engine I agree that lag isn't significant. However, compared to the immediacy of an EV drivetrain, it's still there. By "rubber-banding" I mean that there is still a change of torque at the wheels for a constant throttle - ie if you go from very light throttle to 1/2 throttle, the car will begin to accelerate immediately, but once the revs have built (within 1/2 second or so) the acceleration has increased. It feels like the car is catching up to the throttle. It contrasts again to the EV throttle response where the torque alters instaneously with the pedal position and as soon as you stop moving the pedal there is no further change to the torque, but again it's nothing that conventional automatics don't do. I'm not saying it's worse than conventional autos in these respects - it isn't.

As fast backwards as forwards

Mine took around two weeks to come through

Indeed - I've been using that to track the ships carrying Teslas to europe - my model 3 should be here in July. Seems like the thread has moved on, but what you described is the characteristic of the hybrid drivetrain. It puts the engine into the most thermally efficient place it can for any given demand. You must let go some of what you "know" about cars - for example, the hybrids idle fast (1000rpm minimum idle on our GS). At 1000rpm a lot more of the fuel is converted to motion than at 600rpm, and the battery provides a place to store that energy to actually make use of, instead of being wasted like a regular car at idle. At speed, the thermal efficiency depends on load; this graph (for a 2010 prius, but the principle is the same) explains the behaviour: Overall I find that the eCVT driving characteristics are very good - not the best (Pure EV fixed reduction gear is better - no lag, rubber-banding or noise at all, but very good. First_Lexus and I are in agreement regarding VAG DSG gearboxes as woeful (they're great if you're driving the car hard and using the paddles - very smooth and quick. They're hopeless for driving around as an actual Automatic, because they are slow to do a double-downshift and can not provide any slip to mitigate off-boost (eg pulling out of a t-junction) because it would roast the clutch in short order). The eCVT is mechanically simple, gives linear pull as the vehicle accelerates (much more like an EV) and allows for long gearing (our GS will drop to 1500rpm at any motorway cruise speed - according to a youtube autobahn video, this holds true to 100mph or more). As for noise... Yes, acceleration does give you a period of a few seconds of constant noise, rather than the variable noise of an ICE with a regular gearbox. It's not like it sits there at 6000rpm the whole way down the motorway or anything, and I don't find the noise behaviour to be more objectionable than eg a 4 cylinder diesel automatic (which as observed elsewhere in this thread will produce plenty of noise when it (eventually) kicks down. I will take issue with one comment earlier in the thread - that this is the "transmission of the future". It's not. It was... 15 years ago in the Prius. Now it's a mature technology that is going to decline along with the sales of ICE vehicles. Single-speed reduction transmissions will become the default, and eventually maybe direct-drive will be the thing. Those are the "transmissions" of the future.

Thanks Graham and Arqum. I have forwarded Graham's reply to the seller and hope he finds the lost fob! Cheers John

Sri Lanka..........just in case you are thinking of plotting a route Peter !

Having lived in a village on the West coast of Scotland for 15 years I can give testimoney to tourists and passing places, we regularly came upon dutch tourists parked in passing places enjoying the view and germans doing it in motorhomes ,I had the jiffy then which was my run about so not much bigger than a Mini it was no problem getting round these obstacles. The biggest danger in Scotland on all roads is deer ,especially around forests and wooded verges they will migrate especially early mornings and around dusk across roads without warning leaping from the side into your path in an instant. I had a couple of near misses but my friends car was virtually written off when a large buck landed on his bonnet ,The speed you hit them at is the crucial factor the slower the better so always keep within the speed limit especially when deer warning signs are displayed

Because I am an idiot!? :) Richard, I didn't know I can do it online and when I found out that I can, it was too late as the docs have been sent by that time and i have no information from that that I can use online now. I will be calling them tomorrow again!

2 key fobs and a credit card fob (pic only shows 1 fob as my spare one in safe at home) credit card fob is always in my wallet and other fob in my pocket

much as in Eire, a good wallop of EU money to repair and build new infrastructure ....... destroying the ambience of the idyll for ever ...... but bringing in ££££s and filling B&Bs etc Sturgeon's dream no doubt Malc

I found that through Disp button on the steering wheel you can set a tachometer to be on all the time! So, now I am driving with taho instead of the Energy dial, this is not much but makes you think you are in another car as dashboard screen looks different now! :)

Hi Alan, Not sure if this helps but...I had an RX400H prior to my current model which developed an issue with a low level rumble which ONLY happened around take off/ accelerating that was linked, I believe, to the vehicle switching from ICE to battery mode. Once the fault had developed a bit more, (dealer unable to find the fault on first two visits) I was able to recreate it on demand by accelerating and then dropping off the gas pedal slightly so the ICE stopped and battery mode kicked in, by controlling the throttle, I could continue the rumbling noise for as long as I wanted. The dealer opened a case with Lexus UK but I never got a full solution as I traded up to my current model with them before I had a fix. Does that sound like your noise? Do you have a dashcam with voice recording capability that could ‘capture’ the noise to replay to the dealer?

Thanks Les. Interesting to note that the only Lexus stamp in the book is the one I put there at Cheltenham. The one Lexus out there was at British Car Auctions in Banbury. I checked and was told that Lexus dispose of all their head office cars this way. Still seems odd to me, all the fuss about getting the Lexus stamp in the book and yet they don't even do it themselves. Alan

A few more thoughts on the above - putting the car in Sports mode does the following - sharpens throttle response (needs less pedal travel to get the same response) - stops the car going into EV so much so the engine stays on more which reduces the amount of time you have the slight lag as the engine comes in - maximises the use of the hybrid battery to augment the engine for performance and not economy - sharpens the steering response If the S setting on the gear stick is selected (instead of D) then you get 6 simulated sequential gears that behave like a traditional autobox (gear stick or paddle shift on the steering wheel) giving you some manual control over the engine response as you can go up and down those simulated gears to get the engine in the right rev range for what you want to do. Combining Sport mode with S gives the best way to reduce any throttle lag and helps the predictability of power delivery mentioned - to be honest though I hardly ever use the simulated gears. If you get an F Sport trim there is also an option for stiffening the dampers - I don't have an F Sport so not sure how that feels. The F Sport (other than the damper settings) has no performance advantage over the other models - the rest is just cosmetic and trim features etc. I think the comments about throttle lag depend on previous experiences and driving style. The IS 300h can be hustled along quickly in a spirited way but responds best to smoothness and not harsh point and squirt. IMO I don't find have any serious issues with throttle lag or inconsistent power delivery but I drive the car every day and so appreciate it might be down to our ability to drive around how a car responds with experience. I have driven other cars since getting my IS 300h and have to say that stepping into a car with a traditional engine and autobox now feels as different as the IS 300h did when I first drove it. In fact I had a Merc C200 auto petrol hire car for a while and that autobox was just terrible - the lag waiting for it to make up its mind and then swap cogs seems to take forever and it had a real lag trying to make a quick start along with always being in too high a gear when needing to accelerate - very frustrating to drive - any perceived lag or inconsistent power delivery on the IS 300h faded into insignificance after that experience so everything is relative...

I think the track time will decide that buddy. The difference in handling is night and day in my opinion. Turn in is instant at any speed and it has made a massive difference. However, even the slightest bump is magnified in a car that already has a pretty firm ride. She is my daily driver so will give it a while before I make a final decision. I still have the old ones which for a 10 year old car that has done 85k are in very good nick which is further testament to Lexus build quality 🙂

I was going to reply, but I suddenly found better things to do. Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

Final update for now: Once again my thanks to all who contributed. I spoke to the mechanic who changed the sensors who said the bank 2 sensor (nearside) was difficult and he used a shorter version of the socket with the side out of it with 2 extensions, 2 knuckle joints and a 3 foot breaker bar to remove it. Bank 1 was much easier. It took a while before the MPG came back to where it had been but I'm now seeing an indicated low 40's MPG again on my daily commute (40 miles each way of which 35 is generally clear motorway travelled at an indicated 75 MPH (true GPS 70). So, apart from the unnecessary battery it cost me £266.56 inc VAT. My Car has been with me for 2 years and 50K miles and has only had the sensors, battery and a water pump amd headlight bulbs(plus consumables - servicing costs and tyres etc.) My app indicates running costs (depreciation excluded) 21ppm. not bad for a reasonably quick petrol saloon especially compared to 23ppm for a diesel Superb I had previously and an XFS Diesel Jag 24ppm

I removed the front and rear window thus drastically reducing drag. Acceleration improved considerably and top speed by the sound of it as well. I will now remove the drivers seat, sit on the floor so my head will not be in the wind when driving i will look into a special periscope to see the road i calculated this will increase Vmax by at least 10%. If this works i will then drive the car from the trunk so weight distribution will be more biased towards the rear. Please note i will eat at mcdonalds for 1 month to maximize the result. will keep you posted

Hi. I'm sorry to hear about the the issues that you are having with ourselves. I'd be more than happy to take a look into this tomorrow when I'm back in the office to see if we can shed some light on what exactly has been going on. Regards. Dan.

Shameless bump of my own post but... RR-Racing USRS installed. 1st impressions were pretty good. Turn in much improved but... 1st motorway run today and on M25 running over the concrete joins it is not feeling that special. Even though I have an early 2008 model ISF with supposedly harder suspension than later models it is a tad unforgiving. Almost reminds me of my DC2 Integra Type R days. Also fitted... Ferodo DS2500 pads. Initial thoughts were disappointing. I then ran the recommended "bedding in" procedure which actually resulted in someone approaching me to tell me my brakes were on fire. Lots of smoke from pads. Apparently all normal 🙂 Bedding in procedure completed and once they have some temperature in them, they genuinely feel great. The green hell will be tackled on the 15th-16th of June so all being well the USRS will do what they say on the tin and the pads will perform how I've been led to believe they should 🙂

Just did the NC500 in my ISF a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic. Fort William to Loch Maree via Applecross, onto Drumbeg, Bettyhill and Dornoch. 1500 mile round trip. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Whatever happened to this theen? uberrimae fidei When I WAS STUDYING FOR ONE OF MY NATIONAL CERTIFICATES IN BUSINESS STUDIES IN 1963, THIS WAS THE CARDINAL PRINCIPLE UNDER WHICH INSURANCE CONTRACTS WERE CONDUCTED. My, how times change!

It's in the Google app store. When you load it I recall it asks for certain details to verify the vehicle. It then shows everything ever done to the car by a Lexus dealership. The app is the one called 'My Lexus'.

Interesting that the first response used the word "nimble". That's the word that came immediately to mind regarding my IS300h ....not when I first got it but a while later after having a loan SUV for a day. I came to Lexus ownership after 10 years of Jaguar XJ 6 4.0 manual and 16 years of XJ 8 3.2 ownership, never had any complaint about their road manners and loved the all round visibility and the cushioned ride on 60 profile tyres. I've never owned, driven or even been a passenger in any BMW but always understood that they had excellent handling which I took to include that nimble feeling ...nice to hear that my IS is better.

I’ve had a 300h for the last year and in that time clocked up about 50,000miles. My wife has an E61 525d with the 3.0d engine in it and i have frequently compared the two even though they are not really in the same size category The 300h drives like a rwd car, the hybrid side of it doesn’t change the way it handles or feels on the road, I would says it feels a bit more nimble than the E61, the steering is more precise and agile. Torque, you won’t have to worry too much about that, the electric motor provides more than enough of that, so combined with the engine it can more than happily hold its own there, if the battery is in a low state of charge then you do find it is using the engine more than the battery, but once it has recharged it is business as normal. I find I have to adopt a slight different driving style when driving the Lexus, whilst it has the torque and power the CVT gearbox does take a little adapting to, if you floor it when on the move it will get up and go but will also generate a lot of revs and noise which I’m not always keen on Fit and finish is every bit as good as the BMW, my Lexus IS the base model and still has more toys than my wife’s business model E61 Economy, I use mine as a taxi, around town I am between 48 and 52 mph, on a run (75mph motorways) I’m close to 60mph with the air on on and at least 2 adults in the car. The 6 cylinder of the BMW is an impressive engine, moving to a Lexus you will have to accept that it won’t be as smooth or will make that lovely noise. But those bits aside I would say the 300h is fair competition for the 3 series Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You have not been watching this Forum Hangie, have you? Welcome to THE GOOD NEWS OF 15 YEAR HYBRID BATTERY WARRANTY. (LOL)

Yes, that is indeed correct, now 15 years.

I understand that is now the case 👍

I don't know how a caravan decides to switch and/or charge, but what I do know is that a 'standard' car alternator output will vary with engine speed. Because a hybrid system uses a DC/DC inverter to do the job of the alternator, I don't think there is any voltage variation and, unless my car is faulty in some way, the two photos below seem to confirm this. First one shows a 'standing' voltage of 12.532V with the tailgate open (meaning that the car's interior lights are on). Second one shows 14.139V with the car in the READY state, after which I switched on full-beam headlamps, heated rear window, heated seats etc., etc., until the hybrid battery drained to the point where engine fired up. Even with the engine running the voltage measured was 14.147V, an increase of only 0.008V (should have been a third photo to prove that but my phone battery died!).

Why spend thousands on a plug in Dave when you can keep the only girl you ever cared about for nothing ? Plug ins are for the afterlife !! (lol)

As has been said you buy the right to use the registration and I found Plates4Less cheaper on plates offered by multiple dealers. You require your documents to buy the legal plates themselves to the correct legal spec at reputable outlets or Halfords if you have one nearer. If you want your plates that vary in any ie with spacing differences, logo's or other such styling you need to buy " Show Plates" available from anywhere on ebay which are not legal for road use and it will say that somewhere in the small print. I chose to risk a life of criminality and go with this. Of course for the MOT I changed them and if Mr Plod ever has the occasion to speak to me "I have the real ones here officer. I just forgot to swap them back when I left the show. I will swap them now" is my plan. To note registration recognition technology at car parks reads my plate V8 000 GB as V800 OGB anyway and prints V800 OGB on the ticket. I suspect I'm not fooling police ANPR either so why its still illegal who knows. 6 months on the car and Im still on the run from the law with no trouble from Mr Pod yet

I started this topic years ago, and the car was genuinely a curse for the last two years I owned it. I swore at that point to never get another car with a DPF. The next car I got was a 2008 Merc EClass, purely based on the fact they were the last model with no dpf. Then, when I changed that, got a lexus IS300H (petrol hybrid) But what I can't understand, in the years that have passed since, is why the hell ANYONE is buing diesel cars. They don't work for 90% of people, they pollute, they don't cost any less to run. But the whole country STILL seems to be in love with diesel. Why???