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Andrew and Blake, how did you remove the badges? Heat? Spudger? I also prefer cars without badges, but almost eight years with second generation IS made me accept them, since those badges were fitted with pegs in holes (if I am correct), making it very impractical to remove them. Learning now that the current IS is easier to de-badge makes me quite interested in a little modding.

Thanks, Andrew! I just did this on my car, and it works exactly as you described. You saved me a trip to the dealer.

I agree with you completely. I have never driven the IS 350, and would probably prefer a hypothetical IS 450h, but if the IS 350 was available in Europe I would find it very hard to resist. As I explained above, I really like the new 300h, but an IS 350 would win my heart, since I want the most powerful engine!

I have now updated the review with more details, hopefully answering your questions, and also pictures. Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to know. And thank you for your opinion about the colours. Funnily, I have not seen any reviews of the IS 300h published yet. There seems to be only American IS 350 reviews, and of course the previews with Jay Leno and others. Are the European publications under some kind of embargo? It seems weird, now that even regular people have been invited to test drives.

I test drove the new IS 300h F-Sport today, and now I am completely sold on it. It is so much superior to the previous generation in every way. I have been a very happy owner of a fully loaded IS 250 for three and a half years now, and since it only has 45 000 kilometres on it, I did not see any need to replace it yet. However, having test driven the new generation, I now have a very serious itch. My review below is based on my three and a half years with the second generation IS (2IS), and I make plenty of references to the old car when describing the new generation (3IS) in the text below. The car currently touring the Swedish dealers is a pre-production unit. Before driving it, I had to sign a legal document waiving my rights to sue Lexus for any damages related to the car not being production-ready. The car seemed to have all the options, but the centre console inlays were plain black, not the aluminium look the final car will have. Also, it had fog lights, which will not be possible to combine with the F-sport version, at least not in Sweden. Personally, I don't care about fog lights. Mine have never been turned on, and it's just another thing which can be broken by a flying rock, and fail in vehicle inspection. I see a lot of drivers using their fog lights in fair weather for "coolness", but to me it just looks stupid. For some reason the car was painted in a special colour which will not be offered. It was blue, somewhat darker than Ultra blue, but not nearly as dark as Atlantic blue (look them up in the brochure). The interior was black. Before touring the dealers, this particular car has been displayed at auto shows. Here it is in Geneva. .And here it is in the Lexus Karlstad, Sweden, showroom. Before meeting the car in person and test driving it, I was worried that some qualities from the previous version had been lost. I was particularly worried about the feel of the new interior, and of the hybrid drivetrain. My 2IS has ivory leather and dark wood, which I really like. Would the new interior feel too much like a black, uptight German interior? No, it does not. The dash, instruments, and centre console feel so much more modern than the 2IS, or any other mass-produced car for that matter. The new digital instrumentation is beautiful, even if I could not get my head around all the information displayed in it during my test drive. It does not look that complicated in these pictures, but when driving it also had the hybrid power flow, cruise control speed, and other information in it. The infotainment screen is also much prettier than the old one. I still prefer a touch screen over remote touch, despite being somewhat used to it from my wife's CT. I noticed one thing which is either a bug, or bad design - when pausing the playback of my ipod, it took several seconds for the playback to actually stop. When starting it again, there was a delay as well. This happened consistently, so it wasn't just a temporary hiccup. There are now two USB inputs, and the name given to my ipod through itunes is displayed when selecting audio source. And the seats are fantastic. The seats in the previous generation are almost too small for my 184 centimetres. The new seats are much more supporting to the whole body, like the CT's, without losing the comfort of the 2IS. They can also be lowered more than in the 2IS. Also, the steering wheel now has a wider adjustment range, and can be pulled closer to the driver than even I prefer (I move the steering wheel to end stop closest to the driver in most cars). So the driving position is significantly improved, more so than I expected after reading about a few millimeters lower seats here and a few degrees of steering wheel angle there. In addition to the steering wheel moving out of the way for entry and exit, the driver's seat now also moves back and forth, as in the larger Lexus models. I was informed this feature can be turned off, if you don't want to crush the knees of backseat passengers when turning off the engine. Speaking of the rear seat, it should now have more room for long-legged people. I didn't test this thoroughly, but it did seem like my growing kids would be happier there. The leather does not feel quite as soft as the semi-aniline leather of the 2IS. Another, perhaps minor, complaint is that Lexus doesn't offer the card key for the 3IS. I have a card key for my 2IS, and I keep this in my wallet always, offloading my keyring from a bulky car keyfob. I really like the new chassis, which is more comfortable and much more refined than the 2IS. When driving on uneven pavement or crossing railroad tracks, the 3IS with 18 inch wheels is less bumpy than the 2IS with 17 inches! The F-sport has adaptive suspension which can be firmed up by selecting the Sport+ mode. During my test drive I did not feel any difference between the normal and the firm setting. Maybe it takes some time getting to know the car to really feel this. Before driving it, I was afraid that the hybrid drivetrain would feel "cheaper" than the smooth and well-sounding V6. I already knew from numerous test drives and loaners that the high powered hybrids (LS, GS and RX) are very nice, but my wife drives a CT since March last year, and that drivetrain does not have very much of a luxury feel to it. So where in the spectrum between GS 450h and CT 200h does the IS 300h drivetrain fall? Well, from a performance standpoint it is certainly no 450h, but in terms of refinement, it absolutely feels as luxurious as the 450h. I would say the IS 300h goes 4/5 of the way from the CT to the 450h. Overall, I would say the response and smoothness of the drivetrain is actually better than the V6. It is slightly slower off the line than the V6. You 2IS owners know that when you floor it from a standstill, the car really shoots off in a way that feels in your stomach for the first second or so. We have the torque converter to thank for this. When revving from a standstill, the torque converter works as an extra reduction gear. When the rpms go up to 3 000 instantly with the car still stationary, the rpms are converted into huge torque at the wheels. All cars with torque converters do this, but in the 2IS this effect is greater than in other cars with similar horsepower that I have driven. My theory is that the naturally aspirated V6 increases its rpms faster than some other (read turbo four cylinder) engines, and that Lexus have not applied quite as strict torque limitation at low gearing as other manufacturers do (all cars limit the torque in lower gears to protect the drivetrain). Anyway, the 300h is not quite as exciting off-the-line, but once it gets going, there is a very connected feeling between the right foot and what goes on at the rear wheels. As for engine sound, it is not as exciting as the V6. It's not exciting at all, actually, but it is completely acceptable to me. Of course, when you floor it, the rpms get stuck somewhere around 5 200, but the engine sound-proofing is as well done as on the 2IS, and the engine note is much more pleasant than that of the CT. I am not bothered by the constant-rpm acceleration of the LS 600h, the GS 450h, or the IS 300h, but the CT 200h bothers me quite a bit, especially since the payoff in acceleration isn't that great with the CT. To summarise: if you like the GS 450h, you will probably not have a problem with the refinement of the 300h, but if you would prefer a conventional drivetrain over the 450h, you will not like the 300h either. When done this well, I would happily switch from V6 to inline four hybrid and never look back. But I would leave the synthetic engine sound from the Active Sound Control system turned off. Forever. The steering is improved, but I could not really test it, or the turning grip, since my wife who is prone to motion sickness was with me during the test drive. Normally, when test driving a car, I find a roundabout with no cars in it and go around and around at high speed, trying to find the limit of the chassis. Once, when I returned to the Hyundai dealer after having test driven the Genesis Coupé 3.8 V6, and I told the sales guy that the car had passed the "roundabout test", he didn't look so happy. Anyway, roundabouts are "skidpads for the poor", as the Great Father of automotive journalism, the late David E. Davis of Car & Driver put it. With the improved chassis, steering, and driving position, the new car is a more engaging drive, without losing any of the refinement and comfort of the outgoing generation. So I am almost ready to jump the gun on an F-Sport with all the options. The question is which interior and exterior colours to choose. I really prefer tan or ivory leather, but that is not available on the F-Sport. I will do almost anything to avoid an all-black interior, so that leaves only the dark rose, which I actually find quite beautiful, though I have yet to see it in person. As for the exterior, my current car is white pearl which I really like, even though it has become too common on the roads here, and I would really like a change from white. Some time ago I said that my next Lexus will be Mesa Red, but I don't think that will go well with the red interior. Black, grey and silver are completely out of the question for me. I find Ultra blue quite interesting, ever since it was first introduced as an exclusive colour for the IS F in the North American market only. So my preferred combo is Ultra blue with dark rose interior. But my wife is a little worried that it will be "too much colour". It is my car, so I can choose whichever colour I like without having to please her, but she has a good sense of colour and design in general, so I value her opinion. What to you think?

This is what the dealer might be referring ... http://www.autocar.c...AllCars/262161/ I hope not. I don't want an ES, because: It is front wheel drive It favours interior space over sportiness

According to my dealer, the next generation IS will be available only as an IS 300 hybrid. The petrol engine will (unfortunately) be a four cylinder, and the combined output will be more than 250 hp. I think this sounds awesome. Driving my wife's CT has made me feel like conventional petrol cars are old fashioned. I'm drooling over the new GS (the interior is fantastic in real life), but it's too big for me, and also a bit more than I am willing to spend. I have no idea about the price, but a fully loaded IS 300h at EUR 55 k would be OK for me. What do you think?

Living in Sweden where winter tyres are required by law, the idea of getting another car rather than changing the tyres seems completely ridiculous. FYI, there are (at least) three different categories of winter tyres: 1. Studded tyres. This is what most people use in Sweden, since they are superior on ice. They are however quite noisy and I would believe not allowed in the UK, due to the wear they cause on the roads. 2. Snow and ice tyres. These are optimised for grip on snow, but not particularly good on asphalt due to the very soft compound and thread which is very flexible in order to find grip on uneven ice. Some people in Sweden stupidly drive with these all year around so they don't have to change wheels twice a year. 3. Performance winter tyres. These are almost as good as summer tyres on dry roads, while being much better on snow and ice. I switched to this type of tyre when I got my IS after always having used studded tyres before. This is what all the Germans use on the Autobahn, and also what I would believe is available in the UK. My summer tyres are 245/45/17 rear and 225/45/17 front, while my winter tyres are 225/45/17 all around. However, I sort of regret not going for 205 wide 16 inch wheels for the winter, since 225 is a little too wide on ice and snow. Also, my winter rims are not Lexus originals, since they were prohibitively expensive (I think they would have added £1000). One more thing - 4WD is NOT a substitute for winter tyres. What good is 4WD going to do when you come too fast into a corner, or need to brake before an intersection? With 4WD you can accelerate faster, but is that your biggest safety concern in the winter? As for the hassle of storing and switching wheels, most tyre shops in Sweden offer a storage and shifting service where they store the set of wheels that is not currently on you car, and you just book an appointment twice a year to have them switched while you wait. The cost is about £100 per year. Don't you have this in the UK? In fact, when you buy a new Lexus in Sweden, a complementary three years of wheel storage and shifting at the dealership is included! This is part of the Lexus service experience here, and I am not aware of any other brand that does this.

That's a picture of the current GS... Autoblog mentions a 5.0 liter V8. While that would be more fun than a 380 hp hybrid, I doubt it. Hopefully we will know later this year!

My dealer recently gave me some info on the next generation GS, which will be launched later this year. According to him, it will be lighter and more compact (exterior, not interior) than the current GS. The most interesting part, however, is that it will also be available as a GS F hybrid, with about 380 hp. While this will not be serious competitor against the M5 och E63 AMG (no explosive exhaust note), it is certainly interesting. What do you think, would you consider such a car?

If several speakers have gone silent at the same time, it's most likely a fuse (check them first), an amp or the head unit. The new car warranty covers the audio system, of course, but for an approved used warranty, you have to check the terms.

My dealer showed me the Swedish prices yesterday. It is somewhat difficult to compare to UK prices, since our specs are different, our VAT is higher (25%), and with the floating exchange rate. Anyway, here is how the prices convert with the 25% Swedish VAT and today's rate of 10.5715 SEK/GBP: Eco (like an SE-I, but with 15" wheels): GBP 25450 Comfort (like an SE-L, but with 16", cruise control, fabric upholstery): GBP 26860 Dynamic (like an SE-L, but with cruise control, smart entry & start, LED headlights, fabric upholstery): GBP 30270 Executive (Like an SE-L Premier): GBP 35950 Executive with PCS: GBP 39820 For comparison, a Prius T4 is GBP 27780 in Sweden. Again, the specs are somewhat difficult to compare, except for the top and bottom. For example, all cars in Sweden have heated seats. What strikes me here is that while the Comfort spec seems like a good deal (almost exactly the same price as a similarly specced Prius here), the Executive (SE-L Premier) is way too high. With PCS, it's only GBP 3600 less than an IS 250 SE-L with Mark Levinson and PCS in Sweden!

My dealer showed me the Swedish prices yesterday. See this thread.

You can also see them in the brochure, which can be downloaded from the Lexus Europe website: http://www.lexus.eu/Images/CT-200h-Brochure_tcm584-1003502.pdf I found the interior fabric colours particularly interesting. Abyss blue and Lava red!

My IS, which I took delivery of on January 25, has already developed a very slight rattle in the driver's side front door. It's not loud, most of the time I don't even notice it, but I am still annoyed since I believed this car would be free from such matters. I now have three questions for all you other IS owners out there: 1. Have you experienced this, or something similar? 2. Did you approach your dealer about it? 3. Was the dealer successful in resolving the issue? Many thanks for your advice on this. As a side note, since Thursday my car (white pearl) has some gray spots on it. I have not seen this before. Could it be volcanic ash? The car is not super clean. It's been a couple of weeks since I washed it, but most of the dirt is on the sides and rear, having sprayed from the tires and road. These new spots are all over the hood, roof and boot lid, so it seems to have come from above. Anyone else seen this?

I agree with everything said so far, but would like to add one thing: the buying process. I find the competitors a pain to build, with option lists about a hundred items long. Some of them don't go together, and if you want a high-specced car, you really have to pay through the nose. Also, the dealers (at least where I live) are not knowledgeable about all options. The Audi dealer actually told me the A4 can't be had with ventilated seats, when in fact it can. Of course, it can only be had with the comfort seats, which can only be had with the Milano leather option. Why they offer these as separate options when you have to select all of them is beyond me, and indicative of the whole awkwardness when configuring German cars. Further, this means that it is impossible to test drive the exact car you want to buy. I was interested in an A4 2.0T (petrol) multitronic. The only multitronic demo car they had was an 2.0 TDI with 19 inch wheels and sport suspension (which I don't want). So besides being a multitronic car, the whole configuration was the exact opposite of what I was looking for. And then I hadn't even started asking for Bang and olufsen audio and all the other extras that would make it a reasonable comparison to an IS 250 Luxury MM with PCS/ACC. Compare all this to Lexus, where you only have to add three packages to have a maxed-out car, and interior/exterior colour combination possibly the only option that can't be seen in real life before placing an order. Plus, living in Sweden the relative originality is a big bonus. Here everyone wants a Volvo V70.

Weird! The only times the track names don't appear for me is when the CD is too new to be in the Gracenote database. Of course, the names are then missing for both the CD and the hard disk recording, not just for the latter. I'm clueless.

I have an HTC Touch Diamond 2, and it works great. When I took delivery of the car the salesman commented that he'd never seen contacts being transferred so smoothly to the car. I am sure any Windows Mobile phone will work just as well.

I don't know anything about Capital tyres, but in general low cost brands tend to get crappy results in the Swedish/German tyre reviews i read. Buying cheap, crappy tyres does not make sense when you have spent a lot of money on a fantastic car, in my opinion. Many low cost tyres are made for extremely price sensitive markets in the far east and use inferior tread patterns and compounds that get extremely hard at temperatures in our climate zone. Of course, I could be wrong and Capital might be just as good as the premium brands, but without any facts from unbiased reviews I would avoid them.

Isn't DAB broadcast all over the UK? Or do you mean that your car came without DAB? My 2010 IS 250 that I got last week came with DAB, even though I can't use it, since DAB is not used where I live.

Why the mud flaps? Do you have a lot of damage to the paintwork due to spray from the wheels? I'm picking up my new 2010 pearl white/ecru IS 250 Luxury with multimedia and PCS (don't know the UK equivalent to that spec) any day now. I still have the possibility to have mud flaps installed before delivery and might go for that if advisable. They do make the car look a little less stylish though, don't they? Thanks, Mattias

What size tyres did you have on the 325?

There are plenty of winter tyres available, but my experience of buying them is that they come in a limited range of sizes and only in higher profiles. I suspect that is deliberate and related to perfomance. The Conti T830s that I bought were (AFAIK) only available in 15" or 16" and for me that meant new wheels as well as new tyres. I am not unhappy about that because it makes them easier to exchange back when the weather gets warmer, but I can see why someone with 17"+ wheels might say there is nothing available for his wheels. How do you find the TS830s? I have ordered a set of them with 17 inch five-spoke wheels that are good in the winter (not so much snow stuck in them) for my new IS due to be delivered in a few weeks. Living in Sweden, I don't have any problem driving in the snow, but then my current car is a Saab 9-3 FWD with real studded winter tires. This will be my first RWD car since driving old Volvos in the early 90s. I have tried the IS with real winter tires (Nokian Hakkapeliitta R) and found them to be very good. That tire is a proper "Nordic" winter tire made for snow and ice. The issue with it is that it is not very good on asphalt, which is the surface I'm driving on most of the winter in this part of Sweden. That kind of snow and ice tire is actually worse on asphalt than a studded tire, which is hard to believe. That is why I am going for a "Central European" type of performance winter tire that provide decent performance on asphalt, while not being completely useless on snow and ice (though not as good as a "Nordic" winter tire with or without studs). Another thing I have found with the IS, apart from it being RWD of course, is that the stability control system is very aggressive. When it senses a slip, it really brakes hard, bringing down the speed of the vehicle quite abruptly. My Saab has a very smooth system that gently stabilises the car. Often, the only way I am able to notice the stability control working is the flashing indicator light.