rayaans

You can only power it open with the key. I guess you could ask the dealer to see if itll program differently.

The sense behind it is that if you get to the car and press the button, it takes a while to open. In a car dealership, you have the time to wait for it to open because theres nothing better to do. In real life you wont and it'll frustrate.

Ive never found it an issue, in the car park I just stick my hand in my pocket and open it before getting to the car so I dont have to wait. And its closed by the time I start the car.

Just to point out, the new X5 does look pretty cool but has a lot of features missing which the RX F Sport has as standard including adaptive LED headlights, Heads up display, heated front seats, electric lumbar support, privacy glass etc.

An equivalent X5 25d XDRIVE would cost you about £57k mate + its slower and nowhere near as refined. Poor ride and road noise/wind noise is too intrusive.

Cant be adjusted. Its to give you an idea of whats in front of you at slightly lower than sensor level.

Problem with putting it on the spoiler would be that itd constantly go off because of the road. Mine wont detect anything under 30cm tall but then, my sensors are placed at about 60cm from ground level.

You do have to adjust it - but systems like the ML need to be turned up a bit to get the best of them.

The best I have ever is the B&O in the Audi A8 - with the pop up tweeters. It is the most concert hall like experience I have ever heard - though the MLS in 2IS I thought was slightly better then the 4GS.

I think it's the "Green" energy efficient speaker set up - takes a little of the deep bass away. Still worth the extra conga in my book - it is still excellent.

It is all relative though....I used to think the standard stereo in my Corolla was brilliant, until I heard a mates Alpine set up in his Mitsubishi Sapporo Turbo.....this is going back to 1990....

Doesnt that B&O cost like £6k though? LOL thats just silly

I think it looks much better than the old one. Apparently they've programmed the CVT to act differently, changed the suspension and a few bits and bob on the interior including some extra sound proofing. Hopefully it wont be as noisy now!

I had a demo of GS300h Lux, with added ML and I wasn't that impressed.

To me, it appears it is very music specific, I thought it was a very clear sound, very clinical and bright, but had too much top-end and not enough bass and mid-range. Something I tried to dial out with the tone controls, but it has the same, treble, mid, bass as the standard system so i couldn't affect it much. Great if you like Jazz and Classical, not so good if you prefer rock/pop etc. I subsequently listened to the standard Lexus system and preferred the sound, which i though was much warmer. Functionality it's identical, so ML is only adding different amp and speakers. Each to their own, but I'd urge a demo with your own ears before deciding.

You need to fiddle with the settings on ML to get the best out of it. It sounded average when i collected my car but now sounds phenomenal after fiddling with the equalizer. Volume also needs to be turned up to hear every single detail because at lower volumes, detail cant be distinguished.

Rear spoiler is around £700 i think

OK firstly dont pay for the supagard! Its not worth what they charge you for it. And £37900 is too much for that car. Get atleast a £3k discount if not more!

I bought mine new and got £5k off and that was before the car came out. If they say anything less than £3k, walk out and buy the car from another dealer or Autoebid, which is giving a minimum £3k discount on the IS300h

Mark Levinson audio system is just class! Definitely sounds amazing and worth the extra cash!

Raise the tyre pressure to the maximum allowed for fully loaded, the ride will suffer but economy will improve, don't drive with the sunroof/windows open on motorways or above approx 40mph and if possible turn the AC off when not needed.

You could try an oil change and use an oil of the correct spec but intended for fuel economy, but if an oil change is not scheduled its doubtful if the outlay will warrant the return in one journey.

Raising tyre pressure is a very good one. I think its called hypermiling! It definitely does work. Low rolling resistance tyres help too

Thanks for your advice,will stick with Lexus when the dreaded time of my old 450h throwing the towel in happens, call me old fashioned but I have never bought a car without a sunroof which so few Lexus cars now have, remember the days when every Lexus in the dealership had a sunroof? May have to go to a LS600 for this but didn't really want a bigger car, hey ho not too bad a decision to make and may be some time off yet but can not extend my warranty again due to age of vehicle so like to have plan B prepared.

The NEW GS450h is available with a sunroof. There are a few on their website

The IS250 is naturally aspirated. Dont you guys think its a little silly to be comparing a naturally aspirated engine with a turbo 4 pot?

You cant remap the IS250. However, there is a takeda intake available which helps the engine breath better. Claims about 15hp gain but itll be closer to 5hp. Failing that, theres always the aimgain supercharger which is about $6k. Theres also an F Sport exhaust in the american market which increases power slightly.

Has anybody else noticed the Infinity G Hybrid? now been replaced by a slightly smaller model but MASSIVE depreciation, £20,000 loss in 1 year making it a very attractive used car buy with the specification Lexus used to offer and more. Same 3.5 petrol/electric hybrid but way better claimed fuel consumption, faster and lower RFL, the only down side I have spotted is the service costs with 1 at almost a grand oh and every 9,000 miles. not so good if you are high mileage but so much car for your money and no doubt very reliable to boot.

Ive driven one, it sucks. No one does hybrid like Lexus. All the other hybrids dont seem right.

Mine is a Tracker Monitor. Cost £299 for the unit + £600 for a lifetime subscription until I sell the car.

No insurance company would insure my car for theft without it.

It WILL turn on if the car is moved without the keys or towed and will inform the police as soon as it goes on. The car can be found anywhere in the world.

Oh, and it cant be disarmed by anyone. Its literally in the engine bay somewhere.

Stick some cleaner fluid in the tank and get the DPF cleaned. My Merc had the same problem at 68k miles. DPF was partly blocked and the intercooler had a blocked pipe. It was a C220 CDI.

I recently watched a review of the new GS450h by Fifth Gear and what occurred to me was this:

Why would the car be compared to the BMW 535d and other diesels, when BMW make and sell a hybrid in the UK, I believe Audi make a A6 hybrid too?

There were references to the car being £50k and too expensive. I specced a 5 series hybrid (sad I know) to £60k! The Audi I think is a 2 litre so not sure it can compare, although journalists will.

Jason Plato thought the car was good though.

It would be useful to compare like for like for a better comparison, which might make things a little more interesting.

Owners of this model, being objective, did you consider the BMW or other prestige hybrids before buying your GS?

Another Thing I noticed is that they had the Premier version which is the top of the line one and focused towards comfort more than sportiness. I dont understand why they didnt just take the 450h F Sport on the track. Im not sure if the Premier model has the rear wheel steering either!

They were also criticizing the looks of the car. The F Sport looks more aggressive so it doesn't make sense to just focus on the looks of the Premier model.

No point getting into a debate on the battery thing it's been done before, but it's odd to me why Lexus has a specific 8 year warranty on it, and dealer had a known cost for a replacement, if it's never required?

I'm not saying the batteries will fail or leak etc, but they will lose their ability to hold charge for long periods. My iPhone used to last 2 days when new, not I'm lucky to get 6 hours. Silly example but that's the gist. Over time the barley will do less of the work and the engine will just be limping around more dead weight.

If lexus had a battery which maintains efficiency forever they would be richest company on earth lol.

Laptop batteries fail if you keep the plug in all day. Itll be a good 20 years before the batteries go if used properly. Besides, the argument of batteries is the same as a cars engine, cars lose bhp over time so the engine will be limping around more dead weight will it not?

True but the hybrid battery life costs would put me off for sure.

Regard the boot, have a look at sugru. I put a small blob at each corner, closed the boot, then opened it slightly to let it dry. You end up with perfectly moulded bump stops!

You can get it from halfords etc, it's also good for addressing any tiny squeaks and rattles in cars or holding your phone.

www.sugru.com

Theres only been 1 incidence in the UK of ANY Battery being replaced on a Lexus vehicle.

There was a 61 plate Black LFA with beige seats and red carpets on Autotrader for £280k + VAT a few weeks back.Only had 300 miles on it as well.

EDIT - Oh BTW its still here! http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201309309029111/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/radius/1500/postcode/wf177rs/quicksearch/true/page/1/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/make/lexus?logcode=p

Listed as an LX because theres no slot for an LFA!

Having a diesel Lexus 220d , it really is not very good at all engine wise . I bought it because it wasn't a BMW or Audi and wanted to be different . Sadly it is different and is back in the dealer again on Monday for another £800 worth of work, a new EGR and a Water pump leak . Less than 36 MPG overall is also disappointing.

The hybrid IS300 looks better but I don't do much city driving so I don't do the drive cycle to suit that car .

My next car will be a Honda Accord estate , Lexus don't do an estate or a decent engine in the uk.

All in all Jap cars don't sell that well over here because they are boring and they don't do diesels that well .

Well thats obviously your fault for buying the car then isnt it? Its like buying a BMW 114d and complaining it doesnt have enough power ?

I do think that the AVS should have been standard on the F Sport. That would have made a serious difference I think in how I found the car.

The seats are snug, but being not that tall I found that Lumbar bit was too high for my back and I couldn't get comfortable. I've driven both older and newer CT200h's and the improvement in ride is very marginal - not enough to have made it significantly better. The strange thing is that most owners think it's fine...but I have to say I agree with the Journo's - it's pretty hard! If you want a car that rides and handles really well, look no further than the Mark 6 VW Golf. That is what I would call perfect...(not tried the Mk7 but by all accounts that is even better).

I have already decided that I will downsize in the future - and the new C Class looks pretty cool.

I think the OP was referring to the the brand new 2014 CT200h, which has had quite a few modifications made to the chassis and suspension to improve the ride as well as other interior/exterior modifications

Cool!! No wonder!!

It honestly looks rather flashy. Shame it comes with that incompetent engine! Needs the 250 in there or possibly the 200t in the future and it would definitely be forced upon my wife ha!

I do think that the AVS should have been standard on the F Sport. That would have made a serious difference I think in how I found the car.

The seats are snug, but being not that tall I found that Lumbar bit was too high for my back and I couldn't get comfortable. I've driven both older and newer CT200h's and the improvement in ride is very marginal - not enough to have made it significantly better. The strange thing is that most owners think it's fine...but I have to say I agree with the Journo's - it's pretty hard! If you want a car that rides and handles really well, look no further than the Mark 6 VW Golf. That is what I would call perfect...(not tried the Mk7 but by all accounts that is even better).

I have already decided that I will downsize in the future - and the new C Class looks pretty cool.

I think the OP was referring to the the brand new 2014 CT200h, which has had quite a few modifications made to the chassis and suspension to improve the ride as well as other interior/exterior modifications

I would be very surprised if you liked the Q50. It drives like a boat and the hybrid system feels slightly weird, cant really explain why but it feels alien. BTW something I noticed when testing the Q50 is that the steering is rubbish! You have to constantly keep turning it to get it to go round a corner. Sounds silly I know but it requires a lot of adjustment, rather like driving a go kart.

Another thing Ive noticed about the reviews on Lexus cars is that journalists always seem to put the car down. I felt the GS450h was amazing! I would buy one, but i need the extra space because I have 3 kids but its far superior to the 5 series or the E class.

Ive always thought of Lexus as the brand that people discover and tend to stick with for a while. Back in 2010 when I had the RX300, one of my close friends wife loved the look of it and asked if she could take a drive. I agreed and she loved it, sold her Mercedes and bought a brand new RX450h SE-L top spec within a month.

She said it was much smoother than anything shes every driven and shes owned plenty of capable vehicles including the Mercedes ML that she had and my friend, her partner, has an X5 diesel and a Porsche 911.

A lot of people are also very impressed with my RX F Sport after seeing it and sitting in it. I don't think most people go to the Lexus dealers when they want a new car. The first thing that usually comes into their head is BMW, Audi or Mercedes.

I think another point would be that there is no IS350 available, we have to stick with the 250 or 300h.

A few people will go into the Lexus showroom, like the IS and then go buy a BMW 335i or a Mercedes C350. There is no IS choice for us with more than 220hp which is a shame.