dazed

Ditto. The view out of the window is usually more interesting and it's different everytime I park somewhere new.

I'd describe the RX400h as a cross between a transit van and a milk float on steroids. IMHO it has more power than is good for it. It was fun for a day, but I was glad to get my IS250 back.

Just had mine replaced. Lexus Cambridge spotted the corrosion at my 20K service and just offered to change the wheels when it suited me. Had the job done last week. They also blackened the tyres, gave the car a good wash and provided me with a free courtsey car (Lexus RX) for the day. Can't fault Lexus service in the 18 months I've had my car.

When my OBC gives me a range reading of 0 miles there is somewhere between 1 and 2 gallons still in the tank, so it's obviously being overly cautious and trying to disuade us from running the tank right down - which is fair enough.

I hear what you're saying, but the point is that it's not a 'manual' mode on the Lexus 250, it's a 'sports' mode. I understand that it might have some use to assist with braking, but is that really necessary? Personally, I'd rather let the brake pads take the strain than the gearbox. However, I know people who'd disagree with me.

I think the rationale is that you select S mode because you want exta oomph. Therefore 4th gear is a reasonable starting point for most situations. You need to bear in mind that S mode isn't a true 'manual' mode. It just allows you to specify the upper gear that the auto box can select. Consequently, its only use is when you want to select a lower gear than would be selected when in D. i.e. when you want to push the car that bit harder. To be honest, I can't say I've ever found a use for it. If I want extra power I just floor the throttle, and I mean floor it. There's an extra bit of travel at the bottom of the pedal range that requires you to push it down harder. That normally takes care of my extra power requirements when overtaking.

Ditto. I've run my 250's Toyos on 35f and 38r for 20,000 miles and they're all wearing very evenly across the width of the tyres. In addition they've all still got about 5-6mm of tread left, so I'm hoping I might just squeeze 40,000 miles out of them. Edit: I probably spend about 80% of my time cruising at 70mph with very little slow urban driving.

I thought I might get that question :D - I collected it this afternoon - it's a VW Jetta SE 2.0 TDI with the DSG auto I test drove one of those before opting for the IS250. Great fun to drive and a really impressive gearbox. Unfortunately, I read too many horror stories about the reliability of the DSG gearbox and had to listen to my head rather than my heart. I hope that the DSG gearbox doesn't let you down and that you enjoy the car.

I've just been quoted £308 for a 20K service for my IS250 by Cambridge, which is fair enough as far as I'm concerned. What did bother me is that they said that it included a gearbox oil change. I told them my car was an automatic and that as I understood it the unit was effectively 'sealed for life'. Why do they insist on doing things that might cause problems? If it ain't broke (and doesn't require maintenance) then leave well alone is my attitude.

38mpg is perfectly normal on a 40 mile run if you're driving at a steady speed (which rules out anything other than dual carriageways, with few or no roundabouts). The warmer weather of the past week would also contribute to the overall economy slightly. But around town this figure will quickly drop below 30mpg. I reckon on an overall average of between 32 and 34 mpg per tank. I wouldn't expect the economy of an '06 250 to be any different.

Presumably you couldn't claim the full cost less your excess (usually £60) by going down this route? Getting the trims off without breaking them is almost impossible and I had to shell out an additional £80 or so for these when I had my screen changed. Cracked windscreens are b*****y expensive once all the extras are included!

The auto has plenty of poke and is an absolute dream to drive. You should also bear in mind that the auto is actually cheaper to tax than the manual (and therefore a little more economical). Amazing but true. To be honest, it's a bit of a no brainer as far as the IS250 goes.

No, it won't do any harm. Snow mode simply makes the throttle less responsive (I suppose it might also crank up the traction control sensitivity). Because of this you may notice better economy. The same result could be achieved by just going a little easier on the throttle. Snow mode can also be useful in heavy traffic as it makes for a smoother low speed pull away.

My thoughts too. Why oh why do manufacturers think that hybrids should look like novelty toy cars?

That's my problem. The car is normally soooo quiet, any new sound really bugs me (apart from the big 'crack' from the dashboard after about 20 minutes on a cold morning!) I think my windscreen trim clips were damaged by the fitter when he ripped them off . They're now a bit loose which I think is causing the noise (I hope). Thanks for all your replies.

I had a new windscreen fitted today to my 250SE and it all looked fine and dandy when the guy had finished doing it. However, on my drive home (about 6 hours after it had been fitted) I noticed an annoying and very noticable wind whistle coming from the area of the windscreen at speeds of above 50mph - it was difficult to place it exactly. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Everything looks OK so it's really bugging me. Is it likely to be the screen itself or could it be the edge trim? I'm tempted to drive it round to the local Lexus dealer and do an A/B comparison with a new car to see if everything is in the right place and as flush as it should be.

Cars are just a commodity traded between buyers and sellers. Artificially inflating prices when there are insufficient buyers to mop up the supply will just result in stock sitting on forecourts. Dealers need turnover, so they have to find the price point that balances buyers and sellers. It doesn't matter how dire the market is - if the price is right the turnover will happen. I think it's what my brother (who works in derivatives) calls 'price discovery'. It can be a pretty scary experience for people who thought their assets were worth more than they actually are. But it's a vital part of keeping the market 'liquid'.

I tend to take the opposite view. The endless ramping of the economy by the media for the last 10 years coupled with the property porn TV phenomenon and crazy access to near limitless credit has inevitably driven the economy off the rails. It's like the morning after the the biggest party in human history.

I'd broadly agree with that. About 32mpg for a mixed bag of driving. Around town this will drop down to mid 20s, but on the open road, 40mpg is achievable if you cruise at a steady 70-75mph.

I think he was driving the auto version. Regarding the original poster's comments: I don't dispute the fact that the diesel is cheaper to run than the petrol, although I think the difference isn't quite as great as you made out. My point would be that nobody buys a £30K car if a fuel saving of £500-800 per annum is a big issue. If the budget's that tight surely you should be looking at something cheaper. Or am I just being financially boring and sensible? PS. Of course, if you actually prefer the diesel then that's great - you're quids in AND get the car you really want.

Good old generic software. All things to all cars - just make sure you don't let the user into the irrelevant stuff though!

I suspect you're right, but anyone who can afford to buy a £30K car probably isn't going to worry about a few more hundred pounds on the tax disc.

Yeah. Mine wiggles too. It appears to be by design, so I shouldn't worry about it. Perhaps it's to help prevent people jamming the pump nozzle in the pipe.

I think 39mpg is pushing it a bit. Yes it is possible in certain situations, but I bet that 55mpg with a 220d is also possible in the same situation. But your point still stands. The financial incentive to go diesel isn't what it used to be. Personally I dislike diesels, but was seriously considering one last autumn. In the end my heart won the battle and I opted for the 250. My head has now conceeded that my heart was indeed right.

I find it tends to cool my 'man parts' rather too much for comfort! I guess the cold air can't escape through the holes where my legs and back are, so it tends to gush out between my legs. For me the jury's still out on whether it's actually worth having. I certainly don't run it on anything higher than position 1.