Silver Arrow

I'm a bit tempted to try the Premier version, to see if that is OK, given it has non-F Sport suspension and lumbar support. Neither the SE or Luxury have Lumbar adjustment, which I find a bit strange. I'm finding that the GS is just too big, and every time the Missus drives it she's complaining about how unwieldy it feels (which is true).

Blimey - I must be the only one that finds the ride uncomfortable….my back must be worse than I thought!

I managed 1.6 miles on EV the day I had mine - aww if you can beat that ;)

With WD etc, you must ask if your are covered in the event of a seal failing. Most will not! A failing seal can dry your sump out, or cause Turbo failure, etc. If the seal isn't covered, then you won't get anything. The manufacturer ones do cover you for seals (as far as I am aware), but they charge for you for it through a massive premium. They may have changed now - so do ask the question.

Do you have a Sport mode? I would have thought that if shoved it into that then it would stay on? Failing that, leave it on and put all of your electrical items on (fan, lights etc) for a few minutes. lol there must be a better way!!

Thanks or the update….I'm one of those (possibly in the minority) who felt that the F Sport ride was a bit hard (not just firm). I felt that the car jittered around over bumpy roads a little too much - more than to my liking. This is what I found with the F30 BMW with Adaptive M sport suspension. In Eco Pro it was just that - very comfortable - so I'm glad the F Sport improves with it too - it's what I would expect.

It'll sit in the garage and lose money. I would say you are better off selling it now, investing the cash for a time when you need it - it'll all be still there (and may be more!). EDIT With the money you could buy something you really could enjoy at the weekends - like a good classic car which won't lose any money. I often drool over cars on www.pistonheads.co.uk….like this

I've never ever trusted anything a salesman has ever told me, before, during or even after a sale. The industry rewards them for selling, and the sales patter is part of the deal, whether we like it or not….

I went with Admiral this year, then cancelled as they wanted admin fees for everything, and when I asked about winter tyres they quoted me £30 too, which was 15% of the annual premium! You really do have to be careful with low cost insurance. It makes you wonder what might happen if you do need to claim. I've found Privilege (owned by Direct Line) to be one of the best. DL state that are not on comparison sites - and they are not, but they do trade under Privilege on Confused.com etc. Elephant are Churchill and Diamond I think is Admiral. I swear by Winter tyres and I was a sceptic. You only have to try them once on a rear wheel drive car to realise just how much safer you are. Even in cold damp/dry conditions they feel better. OFF TOPIC - DJP - how is the A1? We are thinking about it - a new Sportback is £199 a month at the mo (as a town run-around).

www.ala.co.uk for GAP insurance. Its cheap as chips and works

So I think for now the GS will stay. I was always hoping to keep it for 4-5 years, but what has really worried me is the depreciation. I managed to get £3k of when I bought it, so that brought it down to about £35k, in July 2012. Anyone want to hazard a guess at what it's worth now? £19500! I've gone past the point of no return with this and it'll have to stay, so with my company car/cash in lieu allowance etc, I don't want to lose no more than £5k p/a on average (thats my "break even" point). As far as the ride is concerned, it is subjective. Once you get used to something, you find it's OK. It's only when you try something else you start to compare. For me the best riding family car with a short wheelbase is a MK6 VW Golf. If anyone wants to get a good measure of what is hard and what isn't try the Golf. It corners beautifully; it soaks up bumps etc. and is just right. It doesn't wallow at all, is firm but very progressive. We have one, a 2009 1.4TSi and it is a very very good. But as bland as chips without salt or sauce. But what you do get with the IS300h is a car that handles very well indeed. You can flick it through corners very accurately and with loads of confidence. I haven't tried one with 17" wheels - so if anyone has please post. I have to say though, I found the ride in the IS and CT very similar. In both you can feel every rut and ripple.

The BMW M Sport set up is hard, but with the Adaptive M Sport option it is so much better. I never managed to try the AVS in either a GS or an IS, so I don't know how it compares (have driven a F Sport GS but never played with the settings as I didn't realise that changing the controller also made AVS changes (DOH). I've tried the VDC (Variable Damper Control) in a new 5 series and that is excellent too, especially in Eco Pro Comfort mode. It strikes an excellent balance for me. I've always had back trouble, and for years I've struggled to get totally comfortable in any car. The worst were the M Sport seats in the 5 series, without Lumbar adjustment (thats right, on a £41k car), and I kept that for almost 5 years, at great pains!! The best seats I've come across are as follows: Standard fit seats: 1) Lexus GS (latest) 2) Volvo S80 and S60 - can't split them as they feel very similar 3) Lexus RX (latest) 4) Mercedes E Class Sports seats Upgraded seats: 1) Audi A8 Comfort Seats 2) BMW 7 series Comfort Seats 3) BMW 5 Series Comfort seats (all 3 of the above are excellent, and I wouldn't buy one without them) In the end (for one reason or another) I returned the IS today :-(. It's not gonna be for me I'm afraid!! Oh well…. Got back in the GS, and I actually enjoy the cosseting….I couldn't believe how "wafty" it felt. But I do miss the extra torque/speed of the 300h! Don't get me wrong - I've said some negative things - which do not mean that new IS is a bad car. For what it's worth it is brilliant - there is so little to choose between different makes now a days. I was really happy with the Hybrid drive - it's brilliant and I can see why you guys love yours. If I didn't have my back issues I would probably have one too!

So to add, after another drive today: Suspension noise - is it me is there a lot of pattering from the suspension? I know it's a quiet car, but I am finding the suspension pitter patter is loud. Also, the fan, even on 2-3 it makes quite a hiss, even with all vents open. Seats - as mentioned on my previous notes, they do hug you, but after a 1 hour drive I have started to suffer from back ache :-( and this takes me right back to the BMW Sports seats in the 5 series I had. The hard ride and "fist in my back" lumbar set up is too painful!! Even with the Lumbar adjustment "loosened" it still is very uncomfortable for me over any time/distance. I was actually happy to get out! Economy - now this is good!! Averaged 44 mpg, using EV where possible. Engine performance is good, but I'm not a fan of the silly V8 sound from the speakers! May be I'm getting too old!! Handling - very very good. Grip is tenacious, even in the wet, there is a sense of fluidity and poise that is almost as good as anything else around. I know everyone is different, so some of you may or may not disagree - just my findings for what it's worth! What this drive so far has done, however, is confirmed to me that the GS is stonking great value for money, especially given that the GS300h is now out!

I have one for the next 2 days. This view is totally honest and from the perspective of someone who is not a die hard Lexus fan (so fans might want to grab a coffee first lol). First impressions: Ride and Handling - handling is very good - whilst I find the steering a little numb and over light, it is good in comparison to most EPS systems. The car feels light and nimble especially in Sport mode. The ride is something that I cannot get on with at all. I have found it too fidgety and hard, in fact (dare I say it) very much like the CT F Sport, and may be it's because I've been cocooned in my GS for too long! I need to try a Luxury or Premiere version to compare, but this really has put me off and I hope that it's not a general thing with the smaller Lexus's. Road noise is a slightly higher than the GS, but it's all relative and very good. Other noises are well subdued, especially the engine. CVT Box - actually much better than I thought it might be - doesn't seem to just whine and Rev like some journo's say. Interior quality - all very good except the centre console. I had fears (after my 2nd Gen IS) that the hard plastic would creak and groan but it doesn't. I have heard one or two buzzes from the passenger footwell area/glovebox area, but then no car is gonna feel as solid as the new GS (which I have to say is one notch up). I'm, however, still not sure about the hard plastic of the centre console at all - it seems to bring the quality feel down a bit. The C Post/door/window kink - personally I am so used to the BSM in the GS now that I was struggling a little. The Kink didn't help too much as when looking into the passenger door mirror to change lane the Kink kept making me think there was a car there and when I looked it obscured vision (creating a blind spot)- but again thats something I could get used to. I don't if the IS has BSM on the F Sport or not (i.e. may be it's switched off), I know the Premier does. The Dash - it's great to look at, but for some reason I prefer the normal conventional dials. I found it gimmicky distracting - but may be something I could get used to. I'm of the opinion that simple dials are all you need for simple info…. Stereo/Satnav - 8 speaker quality was actually not bad at all, though I found the Satnav screen small compared to what most premium manufacturers are now building into their new models. Being used to the "IMAX" in the GS lol makes this look like very tiny! Seats - very supportive, but even with my slight frame I found them tight, so anyone who loves their Pizza might feel hemmed in? Dunno…lol Economy - not bad. In a stop start/city run, I managed a trip computer based 38mpg, and towards the end of the drive I was finding that I could get up to speed, and then at 31mph just lift off the throttle, and then lightly maintain EV/that speed for a while. If I had been doing that from the start I might have managed 40+, and that was all in Normal mode (see F30 330d below). Hybrid drive - very smooth - typical Toyota/Lexus. They really know how to make this system work. So conclusion? 7/10. If the ride had been a little more cosseting, and the centre console had a better choice of material/s then I would up that to a 8.5/10 (and I mark very hard). Comparison to GS? There really isn't one. You'd think both cars have been made by different manufacturers. The IS guns for a sporty drive (like the CT), the GS guns for luxury and waft ability. Having driven an F30 BMW recently (330d M Sport) I have to say that the BMW has the edge. I found it was slightly nosier (wind) inside, but the ride was marginally better and in M Sport trim the interior, sports seats etc were nicer overall. Performance wise the 330d is astonishing! The acceleration, torque etc is mind blowing, and 35 MPG easily attainable in town, and it is sharper to drive. The one I drove had adaptive M Sport suspension and it was superb! For £38k though, the BMW would be stingily kitted - may be Satnav and auto - thats it - but then discounts could well be big on it so it's not that simple!

So I finally got my winter wheels and tyres on. The wheels are from a Gen 3 GS300SE-L (and they don't look too bad at all). The problem is this: I had read the manual before changing the wheels over, but assumed that the TPMS system would be on Premier and F Sport only - but it appears mine has it too. The manual does not say it's a standard item - but mentions that it only applies to certain models. Anyway, I now have the annoying little yellow light on the dash. Does anyone know if this can be switched off? The winter wheels just have a regular valve and I am pretty sure that standard 18"s on the car had regular valves too? Is this like a BMW system where the ABS sensors are used to monitor "wheel drag" or is it a module attached to the inside of the rim somewhere?? I know where the TPMS resetr button is, but I'm also scared that if it a transponder system then when the summers go back on Lexus will charge me to re-synch.

Just noticed that there are more and more "all weather" tyres coming to the UK now!!

Haf - given that you've well and truly done the "german car thing", take a good look at the centre console and the quality of it - I was disappointed with it and it put me off a bit. It would be good to know what you think of it quality wise, creaks, etc.

Ishaq - serious - this might work: Go to B&Q and buy some foam 15mm pipe lagging. Cut it lengthways in half and half again (i.e. like a quadrant when viewed at profile). Now take a piece of this and push it between the screen and dash. If you want, tie a bit of string to it so that you can pull it out again/adjust it. This may resolve your problems. My IS220d was probably one of the first in the UK where a dealer tried to fix it - before the Lexus diagnosis - and this did work!! It was fine for 2.5 years -and I sold the car like that, but the noises had gone. You try this at your own risk - lol - I accept no responsibility for anything that might go wrong with it!!!

Normski is right….the IS220d is a very compromised car - you buy a Lexus for refinement and comfort, and whilst the IS220d is OK from a comfort perspective, it really isn't from a refinement perspective. If you buy a diesel, then you will for 2 main reasons - economy and performance. On those 2 counts, there are just so many better alternatives. I always say that you should buy a car from a maker for what they do best - in Lexus's case it's Petrol/Hybrid Auto's.

The big criticism I had with the Gen2 IS was that there was a plethora of different grade plastics all over the centre console and dash - Hard plastic, meets soft plastic, meets shiny plastic etc, and whilst my dealer had the car in bits several times to resolve rattles, it was pretty obvious that temperature and the expansion and contraction of the different grades of plastic was always gonna mean that the gaps would be forever changing, leading to rattles at certain temps, including that infamous "crack" sound. Added to this was the issue with the Dash clips etc, and som of the earlier ones were plagued with issues - whilst others were not. In fact where the dash met the A post trim there was what I can only describe as a high watermark - clearly changing in height with temperature. It was that bad on the one I had! I had a good old poke around in the new GS, and was happy that they had used a much more consistent range of plastics on the dashboard - and that seems to have worked out - as the car remains totally rattle free regardless of temperatures (having been through the coldest of cold winters and a pleasant summer). I have recently had a good poke around the new Gen 3 IS, and I wasn't that impressed (don't flame me - just my opinion) with the centre console which seemed like a hard plastic unit with joints like the CT - and it did put me off a little, though thankfully there aren't too many complaints at the moment from owners. Hopefully these squeaks etc are very isolated and one off's.

I think a clear 3m Bra is the only way to protect a new Lexus from stone chips, or clear Vinyl wrap

Lexus factory finish paint looks deep, glossy and lustrous!! I can see why you've gone for it - but without sounding as if I'm putting a dampener on it, Lexus paint is also very soft and peppers with stone chips so easily. It scratches easier than any other paint on a car I've come across….so you'll have to look after it!! It was the whole reason I went for Silver….

Sounds good Haf - as DJP says it would be good to see what you think, given like me you're not a loyal or die hard Lexus nut.

Yup they do. Normally it's doing you for speeding!!

Haf, I too had an excursion away from Lexus after my very dodgy IS220d. Whilst I didn't go for the new IS (it wasn't out then - else I defo would have), I'm reasonably happy with the new GS. These new generation Lexus's are much better than any previous Lexus. Lexus Purists might not think so, but I do…for what it's worth. The problem is that once you've had german cars, whilst they might not be as reliable, they do have an appeal that Lexus is still striving for. not everyone feels this, but I do….I don't know what it is; whilst my GS does everything I want, I am beginning to pine for another Bavarian car….knowing all the hassle that goes with it. The dealers are rubbish; There's one in front and behind you on the outside lane of a motorway: They always cost a fortune to fix…. But I will resist….I will resist….I will resist temptation!!! I think when it comes to cars, you have to buy with your head, not heart. The problem with the Lexus is that it wins over your heart so quickly, and then all of sudden your head says do it!!