rayaans

So, having given my RX450h F-Sport to my dealer for servicing and MOT, I was given a complimentary Lexus IS300h Premier to drive around. This was a fully loaded vehicle with blind spot monitor, the 15 speaker Mark Levinson Surround Sound system and the blind spot detection (whereby the car alerts you when reversing out of a parking space if a vehicle is approaching. First things first - the keys: I particularly like it - its soft touch plastic, akin to the material found on the upper door panels on the IS. It felt nice and solid in the hand but its small enough to be unobtrusive. If you're like me, and you like keys then its certainly a nice key fob. It seems to follow their design language too which was interesting. Now onto the looks - IMO its a lovely looking vehicle. It look classy, especially in the Premier spec with the 18" wheels on. I prefer the F-Sport as I think it is the best looking car in this segment with a cohesive design language from front to back (unlike the new Jaguar XE which looks brilliant from the front and rather dull from the back). Im especially fond of the side profile, it looks fast even when standing still and has a great coupe-esque look to it, one that simply trumps the new Mercedes C-Class (I think it looks like a Banana, no hate please) as well as the BMW 3 series which almost looks like any old car from the side. Now these are my opinions and I understand some of you may prefer the looks of either the Merc or the BMW so we can agree to disagree on that one if you prefer! :). In this exact spec though, I think the grill was slightly weird. It had horizontal slats on the top and then merged into a hexagonal type design underneath. Maybe it would have been better to just keep the horizontal slats all the way down? As for the lights - I thought they looked fine in person. Nike swoosh, arrows, call them what you wish - they look a bit different that's for sure. I particularly liked the finish on the wheels - they were rather shiny, almost chrome-like but they do look quite good! Paint finish (Arctic/Starfire pearl) was impeccable as is mostly the case with Lexus paint. No blemishes I could see bearing in mind this is a 6 month old demonstrator and no orange peel which is great if you're like me and hates wet sanding. Now onto the interior: No doubt about it - a lovely place to spend time. I'll talk about the seats first - superbly comfortable, no complaints in over 100 miles of driving and adjustability is great as they are full electric with lumbar support for the driver. They fit like a glove (im 6 ft 1) so I doubt most drivers would have a problem with it. In fact, they were so comfy, I didnt really want to get out. The driving position is great too, no awkward offset pedals or steering wheel, they were both bang on centre which I liked. The door panels were of good quality, a step above BMW and dare I say it Audi (Slightly unfair - due for a refresh). It is clear though that the Merc C-class is the benchmark in this segment but thats not to say that the Lexus IS is bad quality as its not - everything closed with a solid thud (doors are bloody heavy) and everything felt as it should, somewhat better than in a car of this price bracket. Now the leather had me fooled. It felt like the usual super soft Lexus leather. After a brief look in the brochure, it appears its actually faux leather, referred to as Nuluxe. Its similiar to Mercedes Artico but is softer and it wears better than real leather apparently. Of course, the car only had 6k miles on it so that's untested so far. Something slightly off about the interior was the grey headliner. There was no grey evident in the rest of the interior so I was slightly confused about why the headliner was grey, when the seats are black. The audio system was fine. The 15 speaker system excels in clarity but needs to be tweaked to get the best out of it. However, for an updated system with 800+W, it sounded worse than the 300W system in my RX which was slightly odd. I found that the sound quality was heavily dependent on the source and it tends to sound better if listening through the USB or through an IPOD rather than CD's. An issue I found was that the USB needs to be taken out and put back in every time you get in the car to ensure it is recognised, I dont know if this happens on all IS300h's or if a previous driver had done this (please let me know in the comments) The temperature gauges are a nice feature. They're a talking point but not really any easier than buttons or knobs. However, they were nice to touch Onto the driving experience: What can I say? Lexus has done a great job on this one. The handling was great on this particular Premier version, I can only imagine its better on an F-Sport. Turn in was crisp, it handled curves like a boss. You wouldn't be left wanting for handling, in fact, its a better handler than the 3 series (isnt it supposed to be the benchmark?) which in comparison feels a bit mushy. It certainly feels sportier than the C-class but handles about the same I reckon. Its miles ahead of the A4 but obviously, not totally fair as that's getting a refresh soon anyway. I cant comment on the Jaguar XE as I havent driven that one. Steering was slightly numb but it was very accurate and pretty surreal. It felt pretty sensitive to every input and having driven Lexus for a long time, I can say its probably their best steering setup yet (apart from the LFA of course). Brakes were strong too but dust like mad. I washed the loaner (im crazy I know) and wheels were already dirty by the time I had gone to the supermarket and back. Ok so the real talking point of this car - the hybrid powertrain. 2.5L inline four cylinder with electric motors - total system output, 223hp. 0-62mph 8.3s?!! What?! :egads: I was pretty disappointed when I read that....... :uh: ....but then I actually drove it. By no means does it feel slow or lethargic. Even in normal mode, the car goes pretty well and in-gear acceleration (aided by instant torque) was very enjoyable. Sport mode tightens the steering up a bit and improves throttle response while keeping revs slightly higher. It was a great car to drive, I thoroughly enjoyed it - certainly felt faster than the IS250 anyway and from a rolling start, it goes pretty well. Don't be fooled by the 0-62mph time, It doesnt mean much when it comes to hybrids! I had the car almost exclusively in Sport mode (just because) and pretty much milked it nearly all of the time. Result - 35.4mpg. I did however, see if I could get the 61 mpg claim. I failed, but managed 53.2mpg in normal mode with some dedication though! woohoo: So that is my review of the IS300h. If you're looking for a competent vehicle in this class I doubt you could go wrong with any of the vehicles mentioned, but if you want something different, or with a petrol engine then perhaps it could be the car for you? Its certainly worth a test drive anyway, and I liked it quite a lot that the Merc is being replaced later this year with an IS300h F-Sport :D Going to be having sleepless nights for a while I think.

Depends on if OP is referring to s*x or gender - both different things

Yeah that's the worst part of it! Id be concerned if I was taking the cayenne on a track but in day to day life at 30mph, there's not much difference at all. In fact, I feel like my RX is a better balance as it rides well and handles ok for such a car. The cayenne rides really rough but handles great....... at the limit which is difficult to reach in the UK

Yeah Porsche are seriously stingy on the options lol. It seems nowadays, if you get a car worth more money, you actually get less "value". I was never enticed by Porsche since their ride is usually like sitting on nails and in terms of day to day driving, I think the Cayenne is only 10% better for 50% extra money.

That cayenne hybrid will easily go way over £70K. Doesnt even come with privacy glass lol.And they don't give discounts no matter what. Not to mention they have crazy service prices. You basically pay for the badge. As for the GS, it's going to be refreshed soon with LED headlights standard on F SPORT models I love Lexus. Have had quite a few of the range including the previous and current RX. Can't wait for the new one in fact - especially in Sport guise. However, I've been running a Cayenne for the past few years now. OK it's a dirty diesel model but the servicing has been cheaper than the RX! Consumable items such as tyres and brakes have also been cheaper than when I was in the RX (I've now done just under 100k). The Cayenne is a very accomplished car and would certainly recommend it. Borrow one for a weekend. Look beyond the badge and you may be surprised :) Hmm my brother in law has one. His servicing costs are crazy - £500 for one service - £600 for front brakes etc. Although he does have the Cayenne S petrol. If I was wanting a Porsche - it'd have to be the Cayenne petrol (not the S version) which is plenty quick enough for my driving which is mainly in town. My ideal spec would be Palladium/Garnet red seats and the 21" wheels, of course with everything up to RX spec including LED lights, entry and drive, reversing camera, privacy glass, panoramic roof, laminated glass (standard on RX), sport design package without side skirts, active suspension management, auto dimming mirrors, seat heating, side airbags, porsche NAV, voice control and bose sound system. Racks up £71k and finding that combination would be impossible to find too. As for servicing costs my RX is on a service plan for £999 with included benefits which I use anyway and would be more expensive for me to buy separately. Without benefits i was quoted £650 for 2 minors and a major and £700 for 2 majors and 1 minor.

It's lies. The Lexus ECU's are locked and no one has cracked it yet. I doubt a small company in the UK has, way too many tried it in the states and failed. Also 8-10hp is nothing. You won't notice a small increase like that If you're seeking more power, best to look for a supercharger kit

With the RX though, the spec is good so you don't have to search for too many ex demos with the options you want. I think I may be wanting the panoramic sunroof this time as the RX won't be getting changed for a good 6 years or so so Id want most options on it if I'm keeping it that long

Im definitely buying an RX F-Sport as long as the options I want are configurable. However i am also waiting on a firm priceThe only thing is, even at £62k compared to £70K, in 3 years it'll be worth £27k at most if trading in. That's £35k in 3 years!! :O. Might just buy a 6 month old ex demo as it'll save me a good £15k I paid £54k for mine, it's probably only worth £25k if trading in. Financing would work out much more expensive due to the interest alone and I prefer to buy cars outright but we'll see

Thanks, so the SE doesn't? Mine was an SE and didn't. It had the conventional steel springs but rode just fine IMO, was a bit wallowy though. I would have thought the ride would be better on air suspension but I can imagine the handling being worse off

sounds good. Never needed air con recharge myself in 8 years of my RX300 ownership, still blew cold air which was impressive for an old car. It'd be a shame if the summer didn't arrive now wouldn't it?

Yes it makes sense. Usually Lexus release full specs and prices at the same time so it should be around July then. Hope they got the price wrong lol! It would be impressive if they managed to keep the Premier at £62k or under.

There'll be a few people who back out once that invoice goes to them hahaha! Lexus UK say the price will be coming soon. Around July time.

Lexus UK are getting their knickers in a twist lol. They certainly aren't happy so that could mean 2 things - either the price is right and its been released before it should be, or...... that Leeds have just made up a random number or added VAT on it twice!

Update - Lexus UK did promise to get back to me and they have! They basically said that the price may be incorrect as nothing has been released yet to dealerships, apparently they dont know the price themselves. They asked for the invoice, I removed your receipt number and sent the one you posted and we'll see what they say.

Damn £70K is a lot of money!! Although the current RX Premier with all options costs £60k fully loaded. Perhaps they gave you a fully loaded price? Including bits you possibly don't want or need? If £70K is true for a fully loaded premier, an F sport will prob cost about £65k. Ill be grabbing a 6 month old one I think. It'll be like £50k, it'll drop like a rock if theyre gonna charge that much

Oh yeah. Was a good example too. First one still looks ok.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201411299331893/sort/atcustom/postcode/wf177rs/radius/1500/make/LEXUS/model/rx_300/price-from/500/page/1/usedcars http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201504192736943/sort/atcustom/postcode/wf177rs/radius/1500/make/LEXUS/model/rx_300/price-from/500/page/1/usedcars These 2 look ok?

Looks ok. Few things stick out. Wheel refurbished, colour seems different compared to original finish. Make sure it's been done properly and no bubbling is evident. Something wrong with the rear bumper. Parking sensors look a bit naffed. SE came with parking sensors as standard but these ones stand out too much and aren't body colour. Look for signs of rear bumper damage, previous owner could have fixed without informing insurance so it wouldn't show up on HPI. Price is optimistic. I sold my 54 plate RX300 SE with 55k miles for £6k 3 years ago. Pay £4k nothing more

Oh and Lexus UK don't know where this pricing is coming from but they'll tell me what's going on sometime next week

That cayenne hybrid will easily go way over £70K. Doesnt even come with privacy glass lol.And they don't give discounts no matter what. Not to mention they have crazy service prices. You basically pay for the badge. As for the GS, it's going to be refreshed soon with LED headlights standard on F SPORT models

RX450h is $47k starting price there. Over here its £45k. Therefore the £70k sounds realistic if he's been quoted $73k.

Did that come from Lexus Leeds? And is it cash or finance? May have some weird interest in there which could easily add £5k over 3 years. I wasn't expecting that much of a jump - maybe £65k for a Premier and £60k for a loaded F-Sport but whoa! lol. My car is going for a service on Wednesday (3 years already!!!) so will enquire about it. Its entirely possible that the RX200t which has been confirmed for the UK will sit £2-3k above current Lexus RX prices and the 450h could be £3-4k more than the 200t of equivalent grade. Id expect an RX450h F-Sport to be £60k loaded but not more than that as the price hike is too much. It'll seriously affect new RX sales IMO and consequently lead to greater depreciation as I think they'll struggle to move these tanks off the lot due to their sheer size. In reality - a £65k 450h F-Sport will be on the lot 2 months later as an Ex-demo for £58k and in 6 months at £50k or less. Reminds me of the RC-F lol (Lexus Scotland have one for £58k with 1.35k miles on and its only 2 months old). Its got ML and TVD too so must have cost £65k new.

13 plate, July 2013 luxury with leather, sat nav and only 8000 miles? Will this do her? Shes specifically looking for an F-Sport (white or blue with red interior) - Shes leaning more towards blue but its proving hard to find a used car in this combination for the budget so it looks like it may be white. Just waiting to see if one will pop up around July time when 2 year leases end or if we go to view a white/red one and its in good nick then we'll probably grab it.

My wife is currently looking at used IS300h F-Sport's to buy and change her Merc. Budget between £25-27k so it'll be either a 14 or 63 plate. Just need the time to go and look at some now

Had a chat with a finance manager for Lexus UK. Apparently, Lexus Europe has not a set a price yet so no market currently has the ability to set a price - which is odd since you've got an invoice lol.