agalbraith

The sunroof is standard on the UK car too - plus the other usuals (leather, climate control, cd changer, electric seats/mirrors/roof, alloys, automatic HiD lights, auto dimming interior/exterior mirrors, 5spd e-shift gearbox, cruise control, alarm (without the funky US panic button), etc etc) The only options we have are metallic paint and satnav - I went for both, which leaves a list of £29,040 - which is around €46,500, for the saloon. I think the sportcross is around 3k more.... somewhere in the ballpark of €51,000?

The IS doesn't usually rattle. My last one had done 60,000 miles and was just coming up to four years old. While the engine was noisier than the 3 litre, the cabin didn't rattle. I think I'm being more picky this time admittedly, as this is my first "new" car, but my last roof didn't creak.... A

I think if it went through the stereo, I would be tempted by the Nokia or Ericsson kit (depending on which phone you have). However, the bluetooth headset is very comfortable, has great call quality, and the batteries last ages. I tend to leave mine "off" in the glovebox unless I'm in the car, and it only needs charging every couple of days. The Ericsson phone and headset charger is the same, so I just have a single 12v charger for both in the car. Personally - I'd go with the headset (as I have done this time) and wait for someone else to try the speaker integration with a decent bluetooth kit. The concept of the bluetooth kit is great, but those little addon speakers are just pants.... (IMHO, obviously!) A

The UK spec IS300 definately has a full leather interior. The only shame is that we can't get the new ash-grey colour that the US gets on the special sport edition (I forget the exact name of it) I'm suprised that they reduce the spec for France though, Vince.... I wonder what else they've changed? A

I had the Parrot kit (well, 5 to be precise) in the space of 6 months in my old car. IMHO, it's a hateful piece of kit - really don't bother. You can't hear anything over about 50mph, callers complain about horrible incall quality, the voice recognition only works when parked, eugh.... just no I just bought an HBH-30 headset this time, which is way better.

I had a series of irritating rattles in mine - the two remaining (that took me ages to locate) are: - The rear passenger side seatbelt rattling on the leather - The sunroof creaks something chronic, but actually sounds like the dash rattling I certainly notice the sunroof noise more when starting away for the first time (I guess because it's cold?) Welcome to the club, Glenn :) A

Sadly, I suspect the 0-60 sprint on the IS300 is more like 8.2. It certainly doesn't hang about, and you have to learn to use the auto box differently to get decent acceleration, but you won't be disappointed :) The best part is that you can barely hear the engine until you pass 80, and even then only if you've got your foot flat on the floor. The downside is that you pick up on every teeny tiny rattle in the cabin...... I still haven't found the one that's p*****g me off.... Enjoy :P A

I've wondered this myself, but I suspect it's the "just lock" motors operating again. The lights flash as though it's a standard lock every time apart from the second press. The interesting question, for those that get excited about this, is whether the third press *disengages* the deadlocks, or leaves them active....

As a matter of interest - djanderso and bigsul, have you spent much time in cars with the old style stereo? I know that yours will have the new style, bigsul, but which stereo does yours have, djanderso? (The CD at the top, or CD at the bottom style) A

I'm with ricky_is200 here. My old unit (a 99T) sounded pretty good. This one (an 02/52) sounds absolutely pants in comparison. - The radio suffers appauling interference even on national stations - The AF doesn't work properly (the 99 unit switched almost constantly to better frequencies, this one doesn't) - The soundstage on the stereo is very poor, unless you have the volume beyond "12 'o' clock" - The bass is almost undetectable.... I had my old stereo at: Bass: -3, Mid: 0, Treb: 0 This one is at: Bass +3, Mid: +3, Treb: +2 I'm looking for: - A warm and engaging sound at lower volumes (if you turn the sound up, you can't hear the satnav any more, as the DVD system is SO quiet compared with the CD one) - A bit of bass (I'm not sub mad, but I'd like to know it's there!) - Soundstage at anything other than high volumes (the difference between left and right is sound source, rather than artistic intention, is too obvious) - I know I'll have to suffer pants radio reception unless I dump the head unit. However, I'm very loathe to do this, as (a) other head units don't fit the dash as well (B) they're more likely to get nicked. I know I don't want much here....

Hi I'm very disappointed with the quality of the stereo in my IS300, which has the "cd at the top" unit. My old IS200 had the previous head unit, and sounded pretty good, although the speakers vibrated at high volumes. I'd like to do something to make the sound a little more involving... but ideally without replacing the head unit (it looks neater, and is less likely to get pinched), or losing a huge amount of boot space on a sub. I also have Lexus Navigation, which I believe is fairly tightly linked to the stock amp? What suggestions does anyone have for improving the audio? Does changing the stock speakers for decent ones make any significant difference? Any and all advice appreciated, Alistair

You're right, Chris. The later ones were better, and the 2.7 engines were sourced by Honda. The 2.0 is insanely underpowered for that size of car. If he's dead set on it Matt - just make sure he gets a really good warranty!

Hmmm.... My dad had a Rover 820 (the later model style) for several years, on an L plate. You're right - it's a lot of car for the money. It's amazingly comfy inside, has a huge boot, and while like driving a giant sofa, it's a not unpleasant experience. However, in the 5 years, and 100,000 miles, Dad had it: - The central door locking failed - Two door handles snapped off the drivers door (there's a TINY lug that actually does the 'opening') - Three automatic gearboxes (they'd start to make a 'poop' noise shifting from 2nd to third, then after a while, not bother to shift out of anything other than N and R) I can safely say, however, having sat in it for several hours in the blazing heat in France waiting for a tow truck, that it has by far THE BEST climate control system of any car I've ever been in or had (Lexus take note!) Needless to say, despite how good the new 75 is, Dad is now determined never to buy another Rover :( They're cheap for a reason.... I think he needs a GS :)

It's entirely "each to his own". I had a GS300-II as a courtesy car for a week last summer, and hated it. The interior is fabulous in comparison to the IS, but I actually found the touch screen fussy, and hard to read whilst driving. The suspension made me feel sea sick too ;) The two cars need a very different driving style, and therefore appeal to different types of driver. However, they are both are very reliable, reasonably quick, very comfortable to waft up and down the motorway in, fairly exclusive, and despite Rod's comments, the IS300 has pretty much every toy the GS has If you like it - you made the right decision. That's what it comes down to :D A

Well, Mark from Lexus Reading just called me. "Customer relations do know about this one, and they're going to get back to me. You should be a getting a new DVD disc, the latest one, sometime soon". Can't argue I suppose.

Hi All, I'm getting a little confused..... - My car, delivered new at the end of December, is reporting DVD version "2001 ver. 1" - I just rang the Lexus contact centre and was told that the latest DVD for the IS300 (apparently the same as the one in the SC430) is dated August last year. They follow every 18 months, so the next one is a while off, but my one is definately too old. - Lexus Reading told me that the latest version is "a couple of weeks old" and are going to call me back to confirm. Entertainingly their reasoning for the DVD in my car being so old was "it may have been sat around for some time before it was delivered". - I haven't pulled the boot apart yet, but can I fit the DVD easily myself (like you can with the CD-ROM system) or would I need to schedule a trip to the dealers? I can see that I may need to throw my toys and get this changed free here, but I want to get the story straight before I do so. Can someone answer this question with any authority? Alistair

The radio in mine is frankly pants. The reception is very crackly almost everywhere (particularly on local radio stations). Even strong signals like the BBC nationals are poor. I had the left tweeter replaced under warranty as I thought it was that orginally. The older series stereo sounded much better, and the radio reception wasn't as irritating. It seemed to suffer more with the RDS "retuning" interruptions (short breaks in sound) every so often though. If you turn it up *really* loud, it's not too bad on CDs tho.

I have the S6-R GPS, which is the Neo unit, but without the radar and laser sensing functions. Laser is a bit pointless, as you only get warned as you're being zapped (by which time it's too late). In my county, the police don't use mobile radar, hence the no radar option. I tried the Blue-i, and had my own issues with Origin, so ditched it in favour of the snooper. It's a very good unit, has picked up every camera I've ever driven past (even the gantry cams on the M25, and new ones put in about 2 weeks ago) But, and perhaps more importantly, the button backlighting on the Snooper is exactly the same as the reddish colour used for the lexus dashlights ;) There are some great deals to be had as a gold member. One of the dealers offered me the Blue-i, professionally fitted, for 299 all in.

I think the argument is that if you're waiting a traffic for a while, it puts a lot of strain on the cooling system for the transmission. Using neutral takes the load off it. I only ever bother when the car is cold - as the 300 seems to rev quite hard for the first minute or so, and tends to strain against the handbrake particularly. My 200 I only ever took out of D when parking or reversing.

I'm sorry - javaboss. The fact that you walked away from it unscathed is good though! The next bit is a bit painful however. The insurance company's aim is to give you as little money as they can possibly get away with. Be prepared for it being a slow process, then you can only be pleasantly suprised. From personal experience, I would suggest - ALWAYS reject their initial offer. It's a starting point. (Just noticed MsP added this as I was typing!) - As Matt suggested, start looking round for other cars of the same age and spec *from lexus dealers*. Collect these details in a folder, and be prepared to forward it to your insurer. - Start and argue now that you bought your car from lexus, with the assurance of a lexus warranty, and expect the same again - Check the smallprint on your finance and gap insurance policy (if you have one) to see where else you can claim. - Be aware that you should be entitled to a courtesy car up until the point your car is officially written off. Stall if you need to, by demanding an engineer visit, and whatever else comes to mind. Good luck!

I looked at seemingly loads of things - including a Boxster, TT (225) Roadster, Saab Aero Convertible, the new Saab 9-3, the 3 series, Jag X, Volvo S60, A4 Convertible, Merc C, Honda S2000. However, everything failed on at least one point - either practicality, quality, or the abject lack of nice buttons to push :) I do sometimes wish I'd bought the TT, but then when I've got laptop, golf clubs, and my gym bag in the car, or have to leave it parked overnight in the road, - I remember why I didn't.

My old one used to do that.... I haven't noticed it on this one though. It's more a soft sort of "chirrup" noise. I always thought I was going mad.... at least we can go insane together

Hi Billy It's a great car. I have an IS300 saloon, and there are very few things I can criticise about it. PROS - It looks fantastic - Lexus' new DVD sat nav system is excellent (if a little more fiddly to use than the old one) - The gearbox is very smooth (once warm) - The engine is blissfully quiet, and has more than enough power - It's remarkably fuel efficient (it's not great, but no worse than the 200 much of the time) - The e-shift thing is actually useful (notably when overtaking, joining motorways etc) - There are just so many toys on this thing, it's untrue - It's relatively cheap to insure - Lexus service is amongst the best around - I think the sportcross gets an additional speaker (a sub?) over the saloon - The sportcross has folding rear seats CONS - You won't get as much carpark kudos from those "not in the know" - The interior isn't as luxurious as the GS series, or as well put together NOTES - If you're buying Satnav, it's worth persuading the dealer that you aren't happy with a 2001 disc, and expect a free upgrade when they come out - If you aren't buying Satnav, get it. It's so worth it. Let us know how you get on! Regards, Alistair

I have to admit, I've only had manual ISes during the day - so have never noticed the difference. - The gear indicator on the IS300 is amber (that row of LEDs has been swapped for an LCD display, with a couple of amber indicators for reverse and manual mode) - The cruise light on my new car is green, but dims when the lights come on. FINALLY. The cruise light on my old car (a 99 IS200) was dayglo green, and made using cruise at night very painful. - The rather tacky "ECT PWR" light is a bit grim and, although it dims when the lights come on too, it is a bit of a pain. Obviously somewhat lacking in a manual ;) What's the behaviour in a manual then? As fun as couple of manual courtesy cars were, I wouldn't be without an auto. The e-shift thing is okay, and does give you a bit more control, but most of the time... I don't need it. I can't say I miss the fun of the M25 1st....clutch....2nd....clutch.....brake....1st... fun

I actually have an IS300 (which I believe uses essentially the same nav system, without the touch interface) I live near Northampton, but some examples so far are: - The estate I live on (I have a new house, about 25 months old, unlisted) - The A43 (unfair example, road was rebuilt over the summer, and junctions for M40 moved) - The one-way system around Reading (parts of the information seem to be wrong) - A client in Bedford, on a business park around 2 years old, unlisted The system doesn't seem to cope well with being left in an unlisted location - as it often takes several minutes to stop "floating" to the left of the road, and re-acquire the correct position. It's still a fantastic tool - it would just be nice if the map data wasn't two years old. Alistair