Ullevi

Well, the day came today and I am the proud owner of a GS 250. Not driven in anger yet, just spent time setting things up. Here are some pics:

I'm on holiday after next week, then I'll collect my GS250 F-Sport the day after I return! I can't wait! Here she is when on display at the dealer:

Well I had a listen to the standard sound system in a demo GS250 and was impressed enough. It is a very good system. Obviously it won't have the power, depth and fine sound detail of the ML system, but I found it fine for my purposes. I'll update how I get on with the car once I take delivery next month.

Surely it would have made sense to test the GS450h F-Sport to compare against the 250? The different suspension, 4 wheel steer and variable gear steering is what makes the F-sport handle better rather than just NA vs Hybrid. I guess price came into it?Yep, ultimately I preferred the feel of the drive the GS250 gave, it felt a touch lighter (which it is) when cornering and the boot is slightly larger (useful for when taking kids to uni). And yes, the deal they put together for me was a clincher. It may not have been the most scientifically valid comparison, although I did test drive a GS450h F-Sport about 6 months ago, but it was clear to me when I drove the hybrid this time around, that I was never going to pay the extra premium for one. I specifically chose my current GS 300 (one of the last sold in the UK) because I didn't want another hybrid after the RX400h I'd owned. Just personal preferences, I suppose.

Thanks to all for your advice. The good news is that I have just put a deposit down on a red GS250 F-Sport with black interior. Will be picking it up next month as soon as I return from hols. I am getting a cracking deal from Lexus Coventry who have been great. I tried both the GS250 F-Sport and the GS450h Premier while my GS300 was in for a service, and whilst I loved the straight line speed of the hybrid, I preferred the way the 250 drove and handled, and ultimately liked the F-Sport interior more. I can't wait !!!

Hi, I'm looking at a 2013 GS250 F-Sport at the moment, but it has the standard 8" sat nav sound system. I currently have the ML sound system in my 2009 GS 300 SE, and I'm just wondering if I'll be really disappointed with the non-ML standard system. I play music via i-pod and view DVDs. Would I be disappointed? I'd appreciate opinions of those of you who have experience of the standard system. Many thanks, Vince.

Thanks, it was a worry that if the GS250 was noticeably slower than my current GS I may not get on with it. If the difference is marginal, then should be OK. Thanks for your advice.

Thanks for your report, Silver Arrow. I'll give both a look in the near future, but from what you are saying, I suspect the GS250 may be the one to go for. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for the info, Marc. I guess I'll have to test drive the GS250 to see how performance compares. The GS450h sounds plenty fast but I was hoping to avoid a hybrid, I just have a nagging doubt about their complexity and possible reliability issues. I must say I have not heard of any reliability issues with the hybrids so perhaps I have nothing to fear. Decisions, decisions!

Hi Marc, Thanks for your write up! I currently drive a 2009 GS300. I'm likely to change sometime this year and was considering the GS250. I am a bit concerned that I'll miss some of the performance that I enjoy in my current car. How do you find day to day performance? How are you getting on with the handling and ride quality? I must admit I do like to drive enthusiastically but I also don't want a hard ride. Any advice would be appreciated. Cheers, Vince.

I currently have a 2009 GS300 SE at the moment. I am thinking of changing in the next few months and had considered a new GS250. The only problem is I am concerned that it will be underpowered. At the moment my GS has 245 horses and does 0-60 in 7.3 secs. Do those of you who have experience of the GS250 think I would notice much of a drop in performance? I have heard that the GS250 likes to rev and sounds sporty when revved.

I had one as a courtesy car yesterday and liked it more than I thought I would. I would describe the ride as firm but comfortable. It had 17" wheels but I didn't think the ride was too hard, just right on the right side of firm for tidy handling. Sometimes I don't get motoring journos. I really think they spout rubbish sometimes and half the time we end up believing what they say. I honestly thought I was going to drive something that drove as if it was on blocks of granite yesterday, but was very pleasantly surprised. Perhaps I am used to firm riding cars, but I found it fine over our pot hole ridden excuses for roads.

Good quality winter tyres would make a huge difference. They're not just for snow and ice,they also improve grip in cold temperatures-the kind of temperatures that I encounter most mornings in winter on my drive into work. Well worth looking into,but difficult to source in UK.

Bought new 09 GS SE 6 months ago and it has been an absolute dream since day 1. It is without a doubt the best cat I have ever owned. Refined,doesn't miss a beat,creamy smooth engine and beats my old RX400h for economy on long runs-35.9 mpg on 600 mile,long w/e to cornwall in awful weather with an engine that has barely run in. Sorry some of you have had issues,but I'm delighted with my one-it's a keeper.

be careful!!! before you know it the cheque book will be out! :D You're kidding,Rillo! It'll just be another excuse to slag it off,I'm sure.

You'll soon get to know that there is a group of posters that seem to delight in slagging off anything to do with hybrids.They seem to have a real bee in their bonnet. And rather than accepting that some people can make different choices that run contrary to their opinions,they have a very insulting and inpolite attitude towards those others who make alternative choices.If other people responded,I'm sure there would be quite a slanging match. I am sure you are now regarded as an idiot to them,as they know better,gabbler69.I am sure that you are not one,so welcome to the forum and enjoy your new hybrid,I am sure it will be a pleasure to own and drive.

I agree.Had mine for 4 years and no problems.Seems plenty robust. To the OP:I'm sorry you've had this problem,but you'll find all the premium manufacturers(and the not so premium ones!) charge extortionate amounts for this kind of service. How old was the key before it was broken?

You should turn off the AFS as previously mentioned for driving on the continent as turning a left corner will turn your beam 15 degrees into the path of on coming traffic. Halfords do beam deflectors,little round stick on translucent plastic discs which come with explicit instructions on where to place them on the headlights of your RX(comes with diagrams). When I've driven on the continent I have always used these,they work fine,and as they redirect the light rather than blocking it,the headlights still give excellent illumination. Mind you stick them on well,as storming along the autoroute in driving rain can peel them off!

I agree.It is a graphic.

The lovely thing about the hybrid models is that you don't have think about whether the battery is this or the engine is that.It does its own thing is always running at its most efficient and all you have to do is selct D and steer! Somtimes the car will run on just electric motoers,sometimes just the internal combustion engine and sometimes a combination of both,depending on conditions and any number of criteria.It is an extremely complex system,but soooo simple to use and so reliable. Now,to go to some of your questions:Normal driving,and I've had mine for coming up to 4 years,I get 31 to 32 mpg.If you are very careful you can increase this to 34 to 35 mpg. Sometimes the car will start in electric mode,depends on whether you "floor it" at the traffic lights or not.As mentioned before,from cold,the engine will start from scratch,so when you move off you'll probably be using both ICE and electric motors.You can tell by watching the real time display-very entertaining! I have had the car running in electric motors only up to 60 to 70 mph for short periods of time,depending on road conditions-you don't have to worry about any of this,the hybrid synergy drive takes care of it all.When the battery is getting low and needs recharging,the ICE will start up and use a generator to recharge the battery as well as any braking you do will recover kinetic energy and use this to charge the battery ready for it to be used when required(a bit like the KERS technology introduced into F1 this year). All this is done seemlessly,without you having to worry about whether you are running on ICE,electric motors,or both-the system just uses the most efficient output in any given set of circumstances.You won't even notice it happening unless you watch the monitor-the system is very refined. As to the variation in mpg people get-well that is the same with "normal" cars-a lot depends on individual driving style and technique.I do concede,however,that these differences may be more pronounced in the hybrids models as I do think that you have to learn to drive the hybrid differently to get the most out of it. Hybrid battery durability does not seem to be a problem.Theyt are guaranteed for 5 yrs/100,000 miles,but experience with the Toyota Prius(the first car to use this system) shows that batteries do not fail,do not become less efficient and these days are regarded as lifetime of vehicle components.In fact the hybrid technology seems to be very robust and reliable. Have a test drive-I am sure you'll enjoy it!

May have come a long way, but not far enough. They are disgusting, the black rubbish that comes out of the back isn't some kind of perfume, it's c**p. The particulates and other nasties in diesel fumes are much worse than the CO2 that comes out of a petrol exhaust, but for some reason the whole world seems to be hung up on CO2. My X635D produces NO black smoke at all and gives between 30/36MPG, it drives like a sports car also. The RX450h must be about better economy because thats one of the main talking points. Particulates from diesel engines are a thing of the past and they perform much better than the RX400h by a mile. BMW seem to have some truly awsome diesel technology and I'm glad you find your X6 so good. However,not all diesel cars/lorries/buses are as good as your X6 and as Parthiban says diesel exhaust fumes in most cases are vile,particulate laden and noxious smelling. I for one prefer not to drive diesels. However,I would not discount them altogether,especially in modern prestige guise. Would you recommend the X6?Is it practical enough for occasional 4 occupants and occasional loading in the boot(most of the time it is just 2 or 3 of us in the car,but occasionally find I need to load up with daughter's uni stuff)?

Oh,yes,here we go again. Sorry,but I disagree on your perceptions of the hybrid RX.You just don't seem to understand the overall concept of the hybrid. Oh well.

The RX400h is a great car.Really practical,easy to drive,comfortable.It provides a great blend of refinement,performance(with instant torque available from the electric motors) and reasonable economy. I have had it for nearly 4 years and have enjoyed owning it tremendously.I,however,will wait to replace it with the RX450h as my lease runs out at the end of the year ,but you should get a bargain RX400h now,so it may make the proposition attractive. I used the RX a lot in the snow recently and it was great,no problems whatsoever.If you search you'll see others already commenting on it.An my car has standard OEM Bridgestones on it so these are summer tyres.Obviously you have to drive carefully in the snow,but I had no problems in snow and ice.In these conditions tyre type and driver care/skill are the most important factors-some people have winter tyres on which help. In summary,the RX400h is a clever car,you have to learn how to drive it economically,but I get 30 mpg in mixed driving without trying too hard.On a run I get 34-35mpg if careful,26-28mpg if hooning it.Good economy,0-60 in just over 7 secs,instant torque-brilliant!

Simple,because it is a better car.Therefore,not a waste of money. Looking forward to my RX450h when they arrive!

Yes,I can agree with your assessment there! I have always been a bit nervous of going to Coventry Lexus in the past because it is owned by Listers who have the Toyota franchise right next door,and I must admit I have been less than impressed with my dealings with Listers Toyota Coventry.