Exiled

Modern cars are in effect insulated boxes unlike many of the drafty leaky examples built in the olden days, they need to be ventilated.

Years ago when Aircon was only available on luxury cars I was told to always leave it switched on, if it was turned off the seals would dry out and fail.

When it became a standard fit on many cars I asked the question again and was told it was designed to be left on all the time.

The 250 auto is quite superb.

Road Tax is about £280 pa

Don't get the manual the Road Tax is £460

Mpg is near 40 on a run and 29-31 around town.

Auto box is sublime

If you can stretch to the 09 facelift you will benefit from Full postcode entry on the Sat Nav and a USB drive in the armrest.

Having said that there is a good piece of kit that some have used to connect iphones and the like...maybe £150ish.

Does not have the grunt of the diesel turbo....but you do have the ECT/ PWR switch and that reallly does get the thing moving.

Can also drive it like a manual using the gearstick or the paddles if you wish.

The V6 engine is heavenly.

The early 250's are known for dash rattles so listen closely. History may tell you if it has been attended to.

I had a 220d so I have experienced both.

Can't add anything to the above comments other than to say that the only thing they have in common is that they look the same.

Mine has averaged 36.1 since I've had it over the last 10k although the real average is 34 as the computer is optimistic. I find colder weather drops the average by a couple of mpg but running the climate control seems to have little effect on the fuel consumption so it's on all the time. You don't buy a 250 for fuel economy, you buy one because you can.

Consumption isn't a big issue for me, I am aware that other cars get better figures but for the comfort, smoothness and overall pleasure the car gives me I feel it's a small price to pay.

Like you I also find the computer to be 2 mpg on the optimistic side when I've checked it brim to brim.

At the moment mine is showing an average of 38.8 and a tank average of 35.5. On motorway runs this summer I've seen the tank average build up to 44 mpg, this is at speeds of 65-75 mph.

I do virtually no city driving and very little town driving.

Ian,

On the subject of journalism, I used to share your opinions, then I started buying the " i " six days a week. To me it's like a breath of fresh air but then that's only my opinion.

My frustration is that a lot of people out there aren't that interested in cars - my neighbour's just considering a new lease deal for example, and reviews would be an obvious first port of call. In too many cases, Lexus is simply written off at that first port - not only is it written off with no good reason, but actually with lots of bad reasons!

The Motoring Press' reaction to your new car appears to have got under your skin, you'll get over it, they were just the same when I bought mine four years ago. I read all the reviews I could lay my hands on and had extensive test drives in the competition. The reviews made no sense to me. I just drive around in mine and think those who dismiss a Lexus without giving it serious thought are missing a trick. The upside is there aren't thousands on the road which gives us a bit of exclusivity.

This will be my first Lexus, and their reputation for quality and reliability were big factors in my decision. My experience so far has been very positive, from the first visit to the showroom to collect a brochure, through several test drives and the ordering process. I have found my local dealer to be extremely helpful and pleasant, without being in any way pushy. They have let me have four test drives (one short, one long in a Premier, and one short and one long in an F Sport. At no time did I get the sense I was being a nuisance.

I have had two Audi A6's in the past, the last being 10 years ago. My local Audi dealer gave me such appalling service both in terms of fixing faults on my last car, and in fixing a test drive on a new one, that I swore I would never set foot in an Audi dealership again - and I haven't.

As well as test driving the IS300, I tested a BMW328i GT. The BMW dealer sent me out in a car which had an almost empty tank - as I found out after 3 miles when the low fuel light came on. It was the first test drive I have had where I had to put my own fuel in! I had asked for a quote to be ready on my return, which it was. The salesman said "we have only quoted a low trade in price for your car because we have taken £2000 off the list price of the new car". I questioned if this was in addition to the £2000 deposit contribution being offered on BMW's website. This threw him completely - he could not answer and claimed he knew nothing about the offer on the website. When I asked him to bring up the BMW website on his computer, he was unable to navigate around it. I never did get a satisfactory answer out of him. I still can't decide if he was an idiot or he was trying to bullsh*t me.

I also went to the Mercedes dealer to arrange a test drive on an E200 coupe. After two visits and several phone calls, (and they never returned my calls) I e-mailed Mercedes UK head office to see if they could help. After 48 hours, I got a response: "see your local dealer". On my third visit, I finally got to do a test drive. However, I really got the sense they weren't that bothered about selling me a car.

Today, the Lexus dealer came to my house to complete the final paperwork on the IS, as I could not get in to the dealership. I have ordered winter tyres to go with the car, and I queried if I had to collect them at the same time as the car. "Oh no sir, we will store them for you. At the end of October, we will fit them on your car free of charge, and then store your summer tyres. In April, we will swop them back, again free of charge." I was very pleasantly surprised.

For the record: I loved the performance of the 328i, but I did not think the handling was any better than the Lexus. Ride quality was inferior, and the car was noisier. The dashboard looked like it was made of recycled cardboard, and the leather seats looked and felt like PVC. The whole car shuddered every time the stop/start cut in. Finally to kit it out to the same standard as the Lexus would have cost me several thousand pounds more. I loved the look of the Merc coupe, but the back seats are for hobbits only (so what did I expect?). The ride however, was very, very hard.

I sometimes wonder whether the BMW and Merc brands think they are doing us a favour. I've tried to tolerate the BMW superiority attitude and still never managed to like one enough to buy.

I did buy a Merc CLK a few years ago and the dealer attitude was as if I was lucky to be allowed to buy one. When I returned it at the end of the PCP contract (guaranteed residual nowhere close to the trade in value) Merc finance boarded on fraudulent in what they told me was wrong/damaged.

Let's hope Lexus don't let us down with the 3rd Gen IS. I personally don't think they will.

Roll on 1st September!

My local BMW dealership is very good, it's well run with only a very slight superiority complex which I find easy to tolerate and somewhat amusing, it's the result of low level brainwashing.

The problem for me is the cars don't do it for me either, I know the are well built, reliable, comfortable, quick, good to drive and in lots of areas difficult to fault but to me they all look the same, you see a saloon coming towards you and you cant immediately tell if it's a 1,3,5,6 or seven, there's no individuality.

Moving on to Mercedes, oh dear, an Arthur Daley experience, sent me out for a test drive with an empty tank, among other things. The dealer is part of a large national group and are the exact opposite to Bmw but they beat them hands down in the superiority stakes.

I doubt it would, actually.

Magazines have a bias towards the Germans because: a) they advertise more in them; and B) reviewers are just more used to them.

If :a) is true then it's a disgrace, is the magazine for the advertisers or the readers?

I've read various reviews, driven the cars and been baffled, either way we all look for different things in a car. I think if the testers of the four cars mentioned in Japthree's post had driven each car for a month their conclusions would have been different. For a start how do you compare a diesel with a petrol, they're completely different animals.

The longer you have a Lexus the more it grows on you, they more you appreciate the build quality, comfort, smoothness reliability and the simple joy of driving it.

I think you've gone for a good spec, I've got electric everything with the seats and seldom alter the settings.

Do you reckon the folding mirrors are a standard fit on the Luxury then. Does the spec include floor mats.

From what you say I would suspect dipping mirrors are a thing of the past.

V8

Yes, I do less than 8k a year so mpg is not a major concern, and 3k ( the difference between the 250 and 300h ) buys a few gallons,

Honest John ( motoring writer in the Daily Telegraph ) says the v6/ auto box in the IS is the best he has driven, I haven't had much experience of auto's but it's the best I've had the pleasure of driving.

Hurry up those dark nights.

Agree with you on the auto box, nothing I've driven comes close. I don't do a high mileage and running costs aren't my number one priority, at some point in the distant future I will spend plenty time driving both variants before I take the plunge.

Mine's four years old soon and, like the day I bought it, is a joy to drive.

Exiled

Sorry, there was also mention somewhere of the folding mirrors: these close on parking automatically only in the Premier trim; I have the Luxury.

I had automatic folding mirrors on my last car but it doesn't bug me - as a matter of course, when turning the car off, I just incorporate pressing the fold button alongside applying the foot brake.

Ian,

A few questions on Luxury spec. Do the wing mirrors dip when reverse is selected( you can see the back wheels) like they do on my SEL.

Folding mirrors are a must for me as garaging is very tight, It doesn't say in the brochure that the luxury has them.

You have them on yours, is it standard spec or is it incorporated in the all electric leather seat/memory spec.

What extras did you opt for?

Thanks,

Exiled

Hi Roger

Thanks for your write up - I've got a 300h F Sport on order and without having a test drive the reviews regarding the "whining" gearbox have me petrified.

I'm well past the boy racer stage and refinement and first class dealer back up are my main requirements - after reading your report I feel quite a bit better!

I'm not unlike you in my outlook.

I've had my IS short of four years and at some stage will probably get another. I've read some reviews of the new model and the conclusions of the motoring press are not unlike a few years ago. When the time to change approaches I'll go through the same process (probably) of test driving the competition, the result surprised me last time as the Lexus impressed me the most, by a mile.The difference next time will be my experience as an owner, whilst I've had mine my neighbour has had a Merc 220 which he changed after eighteen months due to unreliability, he replaced it with a Jag XF which is giving problems. A friend has just bought a Range Rover which was towed away last week on a low loader as it kept breaking down, on the other hand I've friends with Audi, VW and Vauxhall and they've all been trouble free.

One of the attractions of a Lexus was it's reputation for reliability and I haven't been disappointed, three visits to the dealer in three years for a service.

Fingers crossed.

My car was 3 years old in October with 28000 on the clock. I have had no issues whatsoever. The 2 year extended warranty costs £66.75 x 20 months, interest free.

I intend keeping the car long term and as long as I have it I will continue with the extended cover, I made this decision when I bought it.

There is so much equipment on this car therefore so much that could go wrong. If I never make a claim it won't bother me, I've purchased it for peace of mind.

My wife's Mini is 2 years old next April and has done 9,000 miles.

We had correspondence from our BMW dealer offering a winter check for £14.95. For that amount of money they are not going to do much but I booked it in and asked them to check the car for tyre wear. There are so many potholes on the roads I wondered whether the tracking had been misaligned.

When I booked in the car the service manager asked if we used supermarket fuel, when I asked why he said if we used it continuously he would recommend we changed the oil even though the first service wasn't due until next April. The two most convenient suppliers are Shell and BP so that's what we use. He said the occasional tank of supermarket fuel would not be detrimental adding that it did not contain the additives found in Shell or BP.

Had my Sel 250 Auto for three years and 30,000 miles. No traumas and no issues, It's made three visits to the dealership for service, nothing else. I've purchased the Lexus extended warranty and will continue to do so until I change it.

Never regretted buying the car, it is a joy to drive and my only criticism is that the back seat doesn't fold down.

Will probably buy another at some stage because as yet I haven't seen anything out there that appeals more.

When I bought my Lexus I looked into detachable towing brackets (swan neck) so I could hook on my bike carrier. A few years ago it was a Lexus option at about £600 including electrics and the manufacturer was Brink.

When I had my Audi the detachable bracket was a Bosal and when detached the supporting brackets were invisible, unfortunately with the Lexus a great chunk of metal is permanently visible underneath the rear bumper connected or not, perhaps they now manufacture one which is hidden, I don't know.

I thought it looked ugly and compromised the look of the car so I bought a bike bag which sits on the back seat or the bike goes in the boot.

Fred, I have never bought a tyre by only looking in the car handbook for information. I always get on my hands and knees to find out the manufacturer and read the information on the side of the tyre then marry the two together. I've never had a problem doing it this way.

If, and the occasion hasn't arisen, the tyres on the car differ from the spec in the handbook then further investigation would be warranted.

Years ago some disreputable used car dealers to shod a car with anything that was at hand, whether that still goes on I don't know.

If you can't glean the information yourself I would suggest having a word with the Lexus dealer you either bought it from or who services it for you.

I had experience using Warranty Direct on my previous car. When it came to claiming I was left without a car for 2 weeks and they try to wriggle their way out of not paying. When you make a claim and then you got to wait for their engineers to turn up to inspect and then they start giving you excuses that you don't need to use original parts and then they put their findings to Warranty Direct waiting for their approval. Once approved only then work can be started on your car. If you think that's worth a few quid saved then by all means go ahead with them. Since having a 2 year extended warranty with lexus I've had my steering rack changed/both wing mirrors/rear windscreen and rear brake calipers changed without any hassle. If you can afford a Lexus then you should be able to pay for warranty.

I have now had the paperwork through from Warranty Direct and, the premium for 24months of cover is almost exactly half of what Lexus want to charge me. On that basis I would make the assumption that the level and quality of cover offered will be lacking somewhat. I won't dismiss them out of hand but I will certainly examine the cover very carefully. Outside of the Lexus Plan, I am quite impressed with Warrantywise (Quentin Willson) which is slightly cheaper and does appear to offer more cover but, I have yet to examine this in fine detail and so will reserve judgement at the moment.

Overall, the chances are that I will go with Lexus but, I have to add that owning a Lexus isn't necessarily an indication of an endless supply of pennies, therefore for those of us on a fixed income, with very little chance to replensih our savings, shopping around for good deals, regardless of what the purchase may be, is an absolute must, hence the thread to seek comments/views/recommendations or otherwise.

Some very good points bluenose, there seems very little likelihood of better interest rates or higher investment returns any time soon and I agree with your purchasing philosophy.

Regarding the Lexus I don't want any unexpected surprises and decided when I bought it that if I liked the car and intended keeping it for any length of time I would take out the extended warranty with Lexus.

I think that the Lexus policy will be the best and I believe it will give me peace of mind at least I believe it will give me a higher percentage peace of mind than any other policy.

My car is three years old in October and I will be purchasing the Lexus extended warranty from my dealer. I have spoken to them and should anything go wrong I want it sorting out with a phone call to them without having to go through a third party.

They will collect the car from my home and supply me with a vehicle whilst mine is undergoing work. It may be more expensive than one supplied by a warranty company but I feel I will be looked after better. Another benefit is the continuance of the comprehensive breakdown service.

Looks like nobody has any ideas for you up to now.

There are a range of different types of bike carriers, some fasten onto a towball, Thule are a good make as are Pendle Bike Racks. You could fit roof bars and mount a bike carrier. Google bike carriers and I'm sure you'll find something.

I often carry a bike but use none of the above methods, I have a very light carbon road bike, I take off the wheels and peddles and slide out the seat pillar. I put a couple of car rugs or old blankets on the back seat, put the bike in a bike bag and place it on the back seat, handlebars down, the wheels go in wheel bags and they go against the frame on the back seat. I then pull across the seat belts and join them with a cable tie. The advantage is you don't have to get an ugly towing bracket or strap it on the roof, it's secure as it's in the car, disadvantages are you can't carry anyone in the rear seats and it takes longer to reassemble. I go away for a few weeks at a time so building and dismantling is not too much of a hassle.

You say "it's a real shame" and it is. The later models seem to have overcome many of the earlier problems or am I just lucky, I'm 6 months short of 3 years ownership and so far not a hiccup.

I will keep a car a long time if I like it and it is reliable, age doesn't bother me. With that attitude I am always suspicious of 2 or 3 year old cars sold by private buyers,I would think most 250's are privately owned, is there something wrong with car?

Whether the system is sector climate control or whatever control it's not ideal for me. I have the same experience as you, your wife sounds just like mine. I've noticed in Auto there are times when you feel cooler air on your feet, this seems to occur when the cabin has reached a certain temp. To make it comfortable I switch from Auto to Mode pressing the Mode button twice which points the arrow to face, I have one setting for all the air vents, the ones on the passenger side are always closed, on rare occasions my wife will open one, mine are set slightly open giving a light flow on my face. The vents behind the centre armrest are fully open and warm air flows into the rear of the car which warms the rest of the car, I have my temp control at 21-22 and the wife's side is at 23-24, you cannot independently control the fan speed side to side. When in Mode I usually have the fan showing 2 bars and sometimes increase it or open the vents a little more. It seems to work better in Auto if it's very cold outside. So to sum up, on starting the car I have the air con in Auto if at some stage I feel the foot well temp dropping I press the Mode button twice.

When summer arrives or if we have one all these settings go out of the window as I lower the temperature to get some cool air blowing through then depending on how many hours or days it lasts I revert back to the above. Clear as mud?

Mine's a 59 plate SEL with 18 inch wheels. There are no signs of any corrosion whatsoever. Makes me think something has changed in the manufacturing process over the years. Anyone with a similar aged vehicle or more recent got any comments?

Hey Exiled.. I hope the manufacturing has improved - as the early cars (like mine) are prone to rattles and squeaks. How do you find the ride on your car with the 18 inch wheels on? I notice that the Advance models they are selling now have standard 18's .. Where I am the roads are pretty poor and I find the ride with the standard 17's is annoyingly jiggly. MW

Don't they put the 18 inch wheels on because they make the car look better? With the 17 inch there is more air and rubber between the rim and the road ( isn't there ?) I remember reading Honest John's comments on the BMW 5 Series a few years ago he was advising buyers to opt for the basic 17 inch wheel as it gave a much better ride. My 250 gives a hard ride and also is jiggly over bad surfaces and it's getting more and more difficult to avoid potholes, I try and drive around them where possible but they have multiplied and now on many roads stretch from gutter to crown. I also cycle and the jarring on your joints is horrendous and becoming less pleasurable as a pastime and dangerous, you're riding on a country road at 20 mph being overtaken by cars when 20 yds in front of you is a b..... great pot hole, not good.

Regarding squeaks and rattles I'm free of both so perhaps earlier lessons have been learnt but has it taken 4 years to eradicate them? I've always been loathe to buying early production models and like to wait at least 2 or 3 years.

If I were going out tomorrow though to buy a new car I would buy exactly the same, I absolutely adore it!

Mine's a 59 plate SEL with 18 inch wheels. There are no signs of any corrosion whatsoever. Makes me think something has changed in the manufacturing process over the years. Anyone with a similar aged vehicle or more recent got any comments?

Mixed feelings then Swager, your wife loves it but you aren't so sure.

I'm interested in your comment regarding false pretences and high cost of ownership, could you expand?

Well thankfully the temp display on my GS doesn't flash at ANY temp. I really can't see the point of a temp light flashing for 5 or 10 seconds on a downshift of temperature. Does it flash again when the temp rises above 3 ?

No.