dazed

16 hours ago, Rebecca said:

Today I drove from snowdonia to shrewsbury in ect power and to be fair I wasn't hanging around and according to my trip computer I acheived  35mpg. 

From shrewsbury to Telford along the M54 with a steady 70mph in cruise I managed 42 mpg.

From Telford down to hereford with ect on and a heavy right foot as I wanted to be home in time for tea I managed 34 mpg.

Yep, sounds about right for an IS250 - surprisingly good for a 2.5 V6 automatic.

There's a thread over on the NX forum where the (slightly disgruntled) consensus seems to have the average NX mpg somewhere around 33mpg.

Makes a mockery of the declared CO2 emissions.

5 hours ago, ady_uaic said:

so guys, about sat-nav, if you update to latest version it won't work with full postcode? Either if it's HDD or CD?

Updating the maps doesn't change the underlying capabilities

Linas - from what you've written I'm surprised you didn't go straight to the RC200t for your test drive. You sound a bit like me - the type of guy who's yet to won over by this whole hybrid malarkey.

Any chance of you begging another test drive and giving us a write up of the RC200t in your own inimitable style?

6 hours ago, ady_uaic said:

there is nav without full postcode check and one with full postcode check?

Full postcode entry arrived sometime around 2009-2010 (facelift?) (probably the same time that the Bluetooth A2DP profile was added).

Someone else may be able to provide a more precise answer, but if it's important to you I'd recommend checking before you buy.

On ‎29‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 5:02 PM, Linas.P said:

Shahpor - you are right Advance was the most basic model aka SE, which was not available after face lift. However, SE was better equipped than Advance by default, but advance had more features outside e.g. DLRs and 17 inch rims (which I currently have on my SE-L). SE-I is simply SE + "infotainment" pack, which is sat-nav, rear view camera, aux/usb-in and BT. Basically, was a bit confusion between 2009 and 2011. So 2005-2008 you had SE, SE-L and Sport + oddball SR.. which was kind of SE + bodykit, from 2009 rear was face lifted, Sport was replaced with f-Sport, SR dropped, SE-i added as separate model, then around late 2010 front face lift was added with DLRs - SE was dropped and replaced with Advance.

To summarise, best equipped models are SE-L and F-Sport, SE-L has scuff plates, headlight washers, rear sun blind and memory seats as standard , while F-sport different seats with alcantara (memory was an option, but most have it anyway) and improved suspension with larger anti-roll bars.

SE-I ~ SE + navigation

SR ~ SE + bodykit

Advance ~ SE - ventilated/heated seats + 17 rims and DLRs

As well I recently realised that from 2010 only F-sport has paddle shifters, so if that is important you need to get F-sport (not to mention it is probably the best choice anyway), the second best I would say is pre-2010 SE-L with retrofitted f-sport anti-roll bars.

The Advance is rather more than just an SE. It would be better described as somewhere between an SE-I and SE-L.

Compared to the SE, the only thing it lacked was ventilated seats (it kept the heated seats).

In addition it gained the infotainment pack (sat nav + Bluetooth, including full postcode lookup and the A2DP profile for music streaming from a phone). Several other features were also added including DLRs (as you said), headlight washers, automatic wipers, auto dimming rear view mirror and high gloss interior trim.

Wheels were also 18 inch (well mine are and they were standard in 2012).

So all in all, not a bad spec and certainly a step up from SE.

If you love the car and have no wish to see the back of it I'd spend the money without hesitation.

If on the other hand you're getting itchy feet or think you will in the near future then I'd take the opportunity to trade it in.

Just my 2 cents worth

On ‎20‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 8:29 PM, Zotto said:

Not difficult to reach 45 mpg (UK)

Really?

I  test drove an IS300h around Cambridge for a couple of hours and got just under 40mpg (which I thought was actually rather good bearing in mind my IS250 would struggle to hit 25mpg).

I'd reckon mid 30s - tops, falling back towards 30mpg after a prolonged period.

54 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

What really baffles me.. is that they didn't make IS220d with automatic.... in other hand thanks them for that.. if they would have made it automatic, we would have twice as much those crappy diesels around and less petrols.

 

As I understand it, the auto gearbox in the IS250 would not be suitable for mating with the diesel engine (too much torque I presume) and Lexus presumably didn't think it was worth the time and effort to source/develop a gearbox for a car that was pitched squarely at the fleet market where low CO2 is king.

2 hours ago, thesmileyone said:

Also the gearbox, it seems to go into whatever gear it wants on upshift for example if I tap it into 5 when it is in 2nd it wont go into 5 until it wants to but when it does it wont go into 6th?

The "manual gear selection" is really just a gear limiter. If for example you select 4th then the car will never select 5th or 6th - but it won't go into 4th until it's good and ready to.

Basically, the feature allows you to hold onto lower gears for longer during acceleration or get some gearbox braking when slowing down.

Personally I never use it and I suspect most owners don't either.

11 hours ago, Linas.P said:

I quite surprised by this - have you tried comparable MB C-Class or BMW 3-Series? I found Lexus the quietest car I have ever owned... In my time I had 2010 MB350 Elegance and it was terrible by any comparison, interior materials quality was awful and it was not that much road noise, but the interior panels were all squeaking, creaking and shaking, BMW 328xi was very hard car.. was well build, not too much road noise as such, but due to the hardness it was quite load and uncomfortable on rougher roads... then I had Passat CC.. the worst car I have ever had (maybe expectations wise)... cheap plastic everywhere, all buttons controls straight from golf, essentially golf with inflated body.. even engine was from Golf GTI.. the worst engine I ever had in the car.. it may be OK for tiny golf, but for Passat CC it was terribly underdeveloped, turbo-lagged and loud... and road noise was as well comparable with golf, not to Premium saloon. I even found 5-Series BMW quite similar to 3-Series ... and overall I feel like at the time my IS250-F-Sport was much more comfortable. My current SEL.. is even more conformable and quiet.

OK. I'll concede that many others are probably just as bad, if not worse.

My experience of other comparable cars is limited - the nearest is probably a Honda Accord, but that was running on 16 inch alloys so perhaps not a fair comparison. I think the point I was trying to make was how critical picking the right tyres is on the IS. I've never driven a car before where the choice of the tyre makes such a significant difference to the amount of road noise that is heard in the cabin. Maybe this is partly to do with the quiet engine and low level of wind noise, so the tyre noise becomes more significant.

I've currently got some Michelins on the front - noisy as hell, but Toyos on the back, which are noticeably quieter.

What's not to like:

• Flaky alloys (although to be fair the wheels on my current 2012 model are holding up well, unlike previous cars).
• Road noise. Some tyres are better than others in mitigating this, but compared to other cars I drive, the IS is quite noisy.
• Soft paint work. Probably a criticism that can be levelled at most cars nowadays.
• A few more rattles than I would expect from a premium brand car.
• High cost of some parts (e.g. exhaust).

That's about it really. Supremely reliable engine and sublime gearbox Definitely the best car I've ever owned - and I've had several ISes (all petrol) since 2006. Never had any expenses other than routine servicing, tyres and windscreens in over 200K miles.

Goodness knows what I'm going to do in a few years time when my current one reaches the end of its useful life (to me). My dislike of hybrids means I'll probably be forced to move on from Lexus.

Lexus charge about £200 (inclusive) parts and labour to change the spark plugs.

Careful Kris or it'll end up looking like a taxi.

But congratulations on being different and going for a Lexus.

1 hour ago, jackcramerr said:

dazed are you an ee?

Sometimes, but I spend most of time writing realtime software nowadays. So much stuff that used to require proprietary hardware can now be done in software using cheap commodity hardware.

On ‎15‎/‎07‎/‎2016 at 7:36 AM, steveledzep said:

Agree !

I use Sygic on my phone....far superior.

Definitely. For 20 euros they gave me lifetime updates and traffic updates (internet connection required) for the whole of Europe.

Maps can be downloaded, so no internet connection required (unlike Google) - although you have to sacrifice the live traffic updates if no internet is available. Great for misers like me who refuse to enable data roaming when abroad!

The IS satnav is OK, but is showing its age (I'm guessing the tech is 15 years old now - maybe older). I used to work for a chip company supplying chips to car manufacturers (amongst others). They always took the oldest (i.e. most stable) devices they could lay their hands on - they weren't interested in bleeding edge technology (like the mobile phone makers) since footprint and power consumption weren't an issue to them. And those decisions were taken about three years before the car was even launched!

9 hours ago, Cracksta said:

So Toffee is back? lol

Not all forums are made equally :D

Yep. More déjà vu than au revoir I fear.

I've ordered those parts in the past from my local dealer without any problem. Ridiculously expensive though.

The last time I needed a new windscreen, the guy came with replacement clips and trim which was great as it saved me having to buy them myself at extra expense.

Assuming you don't already have one, order the relevant touch up stick from your local dealer - about £10 if my memory serves me right.

They come with full (pictorial style) instructions which even I managed to figure out after a couple of minutes.

Sure it is very easy and no doubt enjoyable. But its way above normal milage and more diesel territory. That car is practically worthless, you can get a one with normal miles for 3/4k thousand pounds more

From "suspiciously cheap" to "practically worthless". Which is it to be?

Sure it's overpriced - but what car isn't when it's on the forecourt. But worthless? As long as it's got a full service history, a recent MOT and is in reasonable condition my guess is it's probably worth at least £4K (assuming 130K miles). With such high mileage there's probably little to no market data on its true value. It's effectively worth whatever a buyer is prepared to pay for it.

If you are looking at the top 5 wires or so, then I think what you are looking at is actually the radio antenna wires.

If you look closely at the wires they appear as a different circuit.

So I don't think there is owt wrong with your hrw elements.

Anyone else confirm if I'm right?

You are indeed correct Normski.

I live out in "the sticks", drive about 25K miles a year and have covered over 150K miles in IS250 second generation cars. I've encountered numerous potholes over the years and received some real whacks from them (including 2 cracked rims) - and I mean real whacks - toothache, ringing ears etc. In all that time I've never seen any sign of damage to the car itself.

So I'm sceptical. After nearly a decade I would have expected such a problem to have been big news on a forum like this long ago.

Can anyone say if it is possible for the clutch to slip even thou I can see the gears go from 1,2,3 to 6 on the display or should that be effected also? What I mean is delayed

Being an automatic, your car doesn't have a clutch. What it does have is a torque converter. It is possible to damage a torque converter which can result in symptoms similar to a slipping clutch, but it's very unusual and you would probably have heard something when the damage/failure occurred.

How free revving is the engine when you're driving? For example if you press the throttle down reasonably swiftly, do the revs fly up and stay there while very little power is transmitted to the wheels even after two or three seconds? Does the car drop down a gear or two as per usual or is it more likely to stay in a higher gear since the problem began?

How well does the car coast? If there is brake resistance of any kind you'll lose speed more rapidly than usual when you throttle off.

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting a Lexus IS250 Auto. I've been looking online and the tech specification show the following MPG:

Urban 22.2 mpg

Extra Urban 40.4 mpg

Average 31.0 mpg

Is anyone getting anywhere near these figures. I know normally they are not very accurate and I do a lot of mileage so need to check!

Those figures sound about right. Compared with many cars the IS250 actually does live up to the published figures.

See http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/lexus/is-2005/250

I wife has a 2010 IS200D advanced and she quite likes even with its annoying manual gearbox. Her daily school drop and commute to work is about 10 miles and this can be in traffic. The Car around town currently gets an average of 29MPG.

I said it would be better for her to get an automatic 250 Advanced petrol as the urban MPG would be no different and come to think of it the motorway too. Although the yearly road tax is more the cost of diesel is more so in summary by changing car she would have a far better driving machine that wont really cost any more.

Can anyone comment on around town driving MPG for the 250 advance Auto or just 250 auto. Most probably looking at a 2010 - 2012 model.

I think you'd be lucky to get 29MPG around town in an IS250 - 25 would probably be a more realistic target.

Of course, the driving experience would be in a different league with the automatic transmission and the refined petrol engine.

... it also potentially gives you a heart condition when the light comes on until you realise its just the water bottle low.

Has happened with me a few times and you initially get the sinking feeling until you realise theres no real issue.

Totally agree.

Lexus could do with using a different "chime" for warnings (as opposed to full on errors) - something with a slightly less aggressive attack transient. The current one is enough to make me jump out of my skin - not good when I'm concentrating on driving.

I think Lexus have also changed the frequency of warnings on more recent cars. Although I rarely encounter the warning (I top the bottle up regularly) it used to only warn me once (or perhaps twice) on a journey in my 57 plate car, but now in my 12 plate it's chiming away every few miles and more-or-less permanently hi-jacking the information display area for itself.

It would be far better if it warned just warn once when the condition occurred and then subsequently when the car was shifted in or out of Park.