daylight1

My first car, way back in 1976 was a Triumph Herald, followed by another, then a Triumph Toledo - as a young bloke I desperately wanted a Triumph Dolomite sprint but could never afford one In 1982 I got my first company car - a Ford Cortina mark 2, followed by others including Vauxhall Astra, Toyota Carina E, Nissan Bluebird, which took me to 1992 when the company I worked for was forced to get rid of all company cars to survive the recession. I bought the car from them as it was only 2 years old and offered at a very good price (they are a successful family business that I'm thankfully still with today). When it came time to change the Nissan, and based on the excellent experience I'd had over a 3-year period with the Toyota Carina E, I decided to go back to Toyota and bought a brand new Carina as they'd now re-named it. I bought a second Carina, which then re-launched as the Avensis and had two of them, then finished with a Toyota Celica - really enjoyed that car. This took me to 2005 when I bought my first Lexus; an IS 250 SE, new from my local Lexus dealer. I had it for 4 years, covered almost 100,000 miles and was blown away by the quiet relaxing drive, handling, generous levels of equipment, superb customer service and complete reliability - all it ever needed was servicing and tyres. It was a Toyota but at an altogether different, higher level of quality. This was followed by an IS 250 SE-L, bought as an ex-Lexus management fleet car at a very keen price, from Lexus Stockport. Had this for 4 years and it also never put a foot wrong or needed any type of repair. I then my current IS 300h, new in 2014 from my local Lexus dealer. So, as you can see, my love affair with cars started 40 years ago with the old British brand of Triumph and for the last 20 years I have been with Toyota / Lexus. My car buying choices have always been heavily influenced / constricted by cost and I've always considered overall value for money to be more important than lowest price. Since being able to afford to spend more on cars, (the last 10 years), I've considered all of the other makes of executive saloons but when I boil the numbers down Lexus wins every time. Add to this the fact I really like the way the cars drive and I feel my Lexus brand loyalty is justified. It is of course an entirely personal choice for all of us. Thanks to Dutchie01 for starting this thread which has allowed many of us to take a wander down memory lane. Robert

Thanks Ian Yes the Bluetooth on my iPhone is working fine and I get the blue bar across the top of the screen confirming Hotspot: 1 Connection, but the car is simply refusing to play. I just get the error message of ID=00. Robert

I'm getting around 45mpg in the winter months (October to March) and 53mpg the rest of the year.

Thanks again Colin I take your point about IE and do know that Microsoft are only continuing to support version 11 because there are still a lot of customers, many of them businesses, that are still using it. I'm quite sure that as soon as they feel enough users have migrated to Edge they will retire IE altogether. I'm tending to use Chrome on my Windows 7 PC but will have to take the plunge and upgrade to Windows 10 whilst it's still a free upgrade. Not sure of the exact timescale on that though.

Thanks for the advice - I had no idea this feature existed - but like so many customers, I'm guilty of not having read the user manual cover to cover

Yep, the indicator stalk does take a little getting used to but I actually now prefer it to the one I had on my previous IS 250. Robert

Evening Colin and thanks for your reply. I actually received the latest email from Lexus today telling me the tech team have reported that two accounts are registered to my car. I certainly haven't created two so am now wondering if, as you say, my portal account has been corrupted in some way, which is why Connected Services is not working. They've asked me for my details so they can delete the duplicate account, which they've suggested might fix the problem. I'll be going through this with them tomorrow so will let you know if it resolves the problem - fingers well and truly crossed. One other thing which I have established during the process is that the Lexus Customer Portal doesn't like or work well with IE11. I tried unsuccessfully to download the free maps update using IE but then successfully managed to download it using Google Chrome. The day after fixing my own problem I got an email from Customer Services advising they were aware that some people had experienced problems with IE11 so they didn't recommend using it. But it obviously hadn't occurred to anyone at Lexus to say this on either their web site, or more importantly the Lexus Customer Portal web site Cheers for now - Robert

I first came to Lexus in 2005 and have been driving them ever since, which must say something! I owned two IS 250's between 2005 and 2014, covering around 140,000 miles. The first was a 250 SE, bought new and the second was the higher spec SE-L, bought 18 months old from Lexus Stockport. I loved them both and never had any problems of any type during my ownership of them. The fuel consumption was around 30mpg on both cars as you'd expect. I bought my current IS 300h Luxury new in March 2014 and to date have done 27,000 miles. The reason I opted for hybrid was very simple; to save money. Given the mileage I do, the superior fuel consumption, £10 a year road fund licence and lower maintenance costs made a compelling case. I have noticed my driving style has changed, (or maybe I'm just getting old ), as there is definitely a knack to getting the best mpg from a hybrid. This has resulted in me finding the 300h to be slightly more relaxing to drive than the IS 250 and the 53mpg I'm getting is a real bonus, especially with fuel now being so much cheaper! I can honestly say the only thing I do miss is the superior acceleration both of the IS 250's had over the 300h, even in Sport mode. That 2.5 litre 6 cylinder engine was, as others have said, silky smooth but genuinely quick when I wanted. I haven't actually driven the new shape IS 250 but suspect it would be a great car, combining the looks, drive and handling with that superior acceleration. I was getting quite settled with my 300h ...... and then Lexus went and launched the LC500 at Detroit. Now if I re-mortgage the house and oil drops to less than $10 a barrel it may just be viable ...........

Hello A_K Unfortunately I haven't - it is looking like Connected Services doesn't actually work with an iPhone. To be fair I have had a number of responses from the Lexus Portal Customer Services team, who do seem to want to find a solution so I must give credit for that. They in turn are talking to the main technical team in Europe so I haven't yet given up hope. I've tried everything both they and others on this forum have suggested but no joy. I am still in dialogue with the Lexus team so if I do get a result I'll be sure to post it here so others can benefit. Just for general information when I first ran into this problem I was using an iPhone 5. I've recently upgraded to an iPhone 6, (not the 6s), running iOS 9.2.1 which Apple released just this week. I've tried all the options again tonight using Bluetooth, (which is the method Lexus recommend), but still get the same result - the phone says "Personal Hotspot: 1 Connection", but the car simply refuses to access the Internet, giving me an error code of (ID=00). When I try to connect using Wi-Fi the car also refuses but gives a different error code: (ID=223). Nobody at Lexus appears able, or willing, to tell me what these error codes actually mean so I'm none the wiser. So, in summary, very frustrating being unable to use one of the functions sold with the car. Regards - Robert

Every time I try and use the Connected Services function I get as far as entering my Customer Portal user name and password, but it then fails, giving me an error message of "Connection not possible ID=214". I'm using an iPhone 5S running iOS 9.1 and the phone pairs automatically when I start the car, so phone and music player are both working fine, but it just doesn't want to play with connected services. I'm running nav software version VC03101F, just in case this has any bearing on things? Is anyone else suffering with this problem? More importantly, has anyone got any suggestions as to how I could resolve the issue? Robert

Fair point David - I probably should have known better than rely on the wonder of Windows. Schoolboy error! I wonder if it will work with Edge, the new browser from Redmond?

CORRECTION on my comment about the Lexus Portal: I got a call from Lexus technical after I'd posted on this forum and emailed them via the portal to advise of a problem trying to download the free maps update and established that the problem is in fact with Internet Explorer v.11. The download works fine if I use Chrome or Safari but not if I use IE, so it was NOT the portal that was at fault. I thought it only right to make this clear as I had blamed the portal for being the problem. I suggested to the Lexus technical guy that until they fix the IE problem they should add a note on the portal advising that owners use Safari or Chrome rather than IE.

My own experience tallies with your observations Michael. My speedo is over-stating by around 4 mph - or else the half a dozen or so speed reporting cameras I pass through regularly are all calibrated 4mph too slow! The real mpg (tank full to tank empty) is about 10% lower than the average mpg stated on the cars display. I've also noticed there is a variance of up to 10mpg between winter and summer, which is no great surprise given the heavier demand from lights, heating etc. I've covered almost 25,000 miles, around 75% of which is my 40 mile daily cross town commute, so mostly 30 and 40mph speed limits, and the rest is A road and motorway driving. This is my first hybrid so I needed to learn the driving style to get best fuel economy. When I first got the car I tried all three modes from full tank to empty and the results were: Sport - 45mpg Normal - 50mpg Eco - 53 mpg I then tried just Eco for a full year and have managed to get 45mpg during the winter and 54mpg during the summer. I've no idea how people are managing to get 60mph plus as an average but I consider what I'm getting as pretty good. Its twice the fuel efficiency I was getting with my previous IS250 V6 so I can't complain and when I consider the road tax is £10 instead of £240 I like it even more. Overriding all of this though is the benefit of having such a comfortable, quiet and smooth car. I really do find it very relaxing, even when proceeding "briskly" shall we say when the need arises! :D Robert

My IS 300 still has the multimedia software version that was installed when I bought the car in March 2014. It's due to be serviced in the next month so I'll be asking them to update it to the latest version. I've just checked and I'm running version VC03101F, which seems to be at odds with many others who've contributed to this post. I've been on the Customer Portal and discovered there's a free update but can't download it because the portal is rubbish. I'm going to ring my dealer tomorrow (Lexus Nottingham) and see what they can tell me about the latest version. Whilst checking this I also looked at the Gracenote version installed and was staggered to see it listed as version 05642, dated 01.01.1990! I can only imagine this is the date the software was originally written as I find it inconceivable that I'd have 25 year old software installed in my 2014 car?

I have to agree with many of the comments posted, in particular the fact that Lexus seem unprepared to make clear to customers what the latest version is, when it was released and what it fixed. The last point is key for me; we're not talking about enhancements to the functionality of the software, just bug fixes and possibly slight improvements to speed of operation. I don't know if the software has been written by Lexus in-house staff or provided by a third party but frankly the result is disappointing - definitely not the kind of service customers expect of Lexus, who normally pride themselves on winning the JD Power Customer Satisfaction survey every year I suspect that at some point Lexus, like a number of other manufacturers, will have to concede defeat and adopt either Apple Car Play or Android Auto. But of course then we'll be in a situation where one party might blame the other for problems - just like we see in business every day of the week!

Not common, "popular" - because they're very, very good! :D

I'm on my first hybrid Lexus - had two IS 250's before that, so been driving Lexus for 10 years and enjoyed every minute of it. Like many people I was not sure if going from the silky smooth 6-cylinder 2.5 litre all petrol engines to the 4-cylinder 2.5 litre + battery with CVT might result in more noise inside the car but a long test drive proved this was not the case. I've had my hybrid for 18 months, done 21,000 miles and find it utterly relaxing to drive. It may sound crazy, but I actually find the 40 minute commute home a great way to de-stress after a long day at the office. The fact it's giving me nearly 54mpg and service intervals are stretched out to 12,500 miles give me a couple of significant and welcome bonuses.

Rayaans - great article, thanks for posting. It's good to see at least one reporter in the trade press being honest enough to admit that the Lexus hybrids really are very, very good. I've had my first for just over a year and can't see myself going back to all petrol or diesel. The only other option I think I'd consider is all electric, maybe the Tesla S - but at £70K+ I could buy two IS 300's for the price of one Tesla S so it may be a while before they come down in price enough to be a viable option.

Hi bluenose If you're looking to sell privately then I'd suggest leaving it until the Spring. If you're trading it in for a brand new IS 300h then I'd suggest do it in January - this is traditionally a lean month for the dealerships so you may be able to haggle a really good deal. Rob

It's taken some of us a little while to get to grips with the IS 300 infotainment system, but if you'd like to see how complicated it could be, and have half an hour to watch the video, just see what Tesla have come up with by way of comparison in their new Model S: www.teslamotors.com/en_GB/models/walkthrough That said, it did seem like everything actually worked when the options were chosen

Me five - I haven't had any problems with DAB radio - crystal clear sound all the time from lots of different stations and lots of different locations

I've had my IS 300h Luxury since mid March and done 5,300 miles - private buyer, not Company car but use it for company business so my annual mileage can be anything from 12,000 to 17,000 a year. I wanted to see if there was any significant difference in fuel economy between the three modes; Eco, Normal and Sport. Figures for the first three tanks of fuel were 43, 43 and 46 respectively, which I found a little disappointing given the combined figure in the brochure is 64.2 :-( I know the manufacturers figures are never likely to be achieved by anyone in practice, but a difference of 33% is a lot. I measured my fuel consumption by starting with a full tank then used the miles done and the actual amount of fuel to re-fill the tank rather than use the car's mpg display. I'd read that as the hybrid system "beds in" and the driver gets used to the different driving style, (accelerate quickly then back off and let EV mode cut in), the fuel consumption would improve. The next three tanks of fuel produced figures of 49, 50 and 45 respectively so the theory seems to be right in practice. My daily commute is only 20 miles each way, part rural and part town with some hill work and only one short part with a 60mph speed limit. I've therefore been happy enough to run on the Eco setting, which I don't find that much slower than the sport setting to be honest. This is now giving me an average of 53, which I'm pretty pleased with. The car's display is currently reading 54.7 so a little bit out but I'm not that fussed because I find the ultra smooth and quiet drive to be very relaxing. I'd been driving IS 250's for the previous 8 years and could only get 29mpg on average so the current economy, plus the road tax benefit is going to save me between £1,500 and £1,900 a year which I'm very pleased with. When I factor in the slightly lower maintenance costs the savings could be over £2,000. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Lexus hybrid to other drivers based on my experience to date. Robert

Hello Jo and welcome from the UK Thanks for the advice, I've changed this setting and will see if this solves the problem. Robert

Morning David and sorry for my post being a bit of a rant - it's no excuse but it was getting late :( I did try five times altogether to see if I could get round the ID 214 message but no joy. I'm about to leave to go on holiday for a few days so I'll get chance to spend a bit of "quality time" with my owner manuals and see if I can find the missing link! :D I've also now started losing the phone Favourites, Call history and phone contacts, so it's back to square one on that problem too. Thanks for the support though. There has been a huge amount of talk on this forum about the ongoing problems with the car's IT set up which is a great shame because everything else about the car is fantastic. It's clear that nobody from Lexus is monitoring this forum, (or if they are they're keeping their heads down), so I'm wondering about sending a letter to Lexus HQ about it, to try and get them to do two things: 1. acknowledge there is a problem and apologise to their customers for not yet having fixed it 2. apply the necessary resources, either in the UK or in Japan if necessary, to get it fixed I'll have a think about it whilst I'm away and then perhaps start a new post to see if there's any interest / appetite by other forum members to be involved. Cheers for now - Robert

Hi Shaun and welcome to the club. As others have said I'm afraid, welcome to the "my phone Favourites, Contacts and call history keep disappearing" club. I got my car in March and didn't lose any of the favourites, contacts or call history for the first 6 weeks - then have lost them 3 times since. It's very frustrating and I'm hoping that my local dealer (Lexus Nottingham) are going to get the problem sorted as I made a bit of a song and dance about it before I bought the car. It happened on my previous car which was the old IS 250 SE-L and they assured me it wouldn't be a problem on the new one. I'll let you and everyone else on the LOC know if I get a satisfactory answer. Robert