michaelH

I also own a smart four two (mostly for my wife to drive) and agree with George's comments, especially concerning the use of paddles (or gear lever) to change up smoothly rather than waiting for the slow witted and jerky auto to do it. but it is very good at changing down, so I only use one paddle. Mine has the more powerful engine and is surprisingly quick (but thirsty) around town. I do quite like it as a fun car, although the ride is very poor indeed on bumpy city streets, not helped by fat low profile Brabus alloys which it came with as a used car. And the lights and fittings are quite poor. VED is £110 pa. My Lexus is £10 pa and is noticeably less thirsty, at least around town

The fill up is the real test. I found that both my mark 2 is250 and my current is300h gave or give slightly optimistic readings (+ 2 or 3 mpg) but other owners seem to have had readings that are almost spot on, and some have had readings that were well out. I think perhaps that long steady trips give the most optimistic readings, whereas readings from mixed driving seem closer to the truth.

The paint is self healing In warm sunshine I believe. My ex demonstrator has a few small stone chips on the front (it can't heal those) but there are no swirls or blemishes elsewhere or none that I can see and the overall finish is still very good.

As a rule, older drivers have more spending power. I don't see many youngsters driving Jags either. I couldn't afford my first Lexus until I was middle aged. when I was 22 my car was a 7th hand mini clubman estate in 'Aqua' and rust. Lots of rust...

Rowan, I pretty much agree with your observations. Well, you DO get some whine if you drive it like a Clarkson (or have to floor it to do a tight overtake) and there is sometimes a kind of milk float whine as you slow to a stop, but most of the time, no, you can't hear it. The reason some petrol heads don't like it is that it is different to what they are used to. But put it into EV mode when starting up and the silent take off is a real party trick: even when the petrol engine cuts in you still barely notice it. Drive it sensibly and you can get excellent mpg, especially if you avoid those with 18 inch wheels. My ideal version would be premier on 17s.

The biggest cost isn't petrol or road tax, but depreciation. Having said that, I suspect that the hybrids tend to hold their value better as well. But for pure driving enjoyment (out of town) there must still be a case for choosing an equivalent 250 with a six speed auto box. Which makes me wonder why this isn't called the IS mark 3 forum. Surely some of us drive the new 250?

Having managed an astonishing 63.7 over 224 often-hilly miles by driving very carefully and in eco mode (see previous post) I later had the chance to do the same journey at a more normal speed (because this time my wife was medicated and asleep) and I still managed to get a reading of exactly 60.0 (fully laden) for the 165 miles from Humberstone to Aberystwyth. That dropped to 58 after pootling about in Wales for 20 miles or so, and then on the way home (with no passengers) I decided to do the journey as quickly as I (safely and legally!) could, using normal and sport modes. That left me with a reading of 56.2 over the combined total of 351 miles, which suggests about 53 or 54 mpg for the faster return journey, whereas my old IS250 would typically have given me a reading of about 36 (which in reality meant about 34 mpg) when driven in the same way. So there is a real difference in mpg even on a fast open road. Moreover, the IS250's mpg would always drop like a stone once I started driving it on short trips around Leicester, but in the IS300h it holds up really well, as one would expect. I am guessing that I will find the real consumption figure to be about 2 or 3 mpg less than the readout. But if that means I'm getting about 50 mpg without really trying, then I would be very happy with that. And very happy with the car itself. I thought the old 250 rode well, but this is much better, especially on the bends.

The usual advice is to go for the auto anyway. The auto is brilliant. I had two of them. You can use the paddles to change if you want to. In contrast the manual has attracted some criticism.

But, officer, I was just clearing the rain from the rear window....

Welshpool to Aberystwyth via Machynlleth, then Aberystwyth to Leicester via Llangurig, M54, M6 and M69. 224.5 miles at 63.7 mpg on the display. The later journey was taken carefully because my wife travels badly, but the boot was fully loaded. I suspect that the real figure is nearer to 60 mpg, but after one month my petrol consumption seems to be about half that of my old IS250 auto.

Really? Where did you get this? I am looking at the Which 2014 survey now - the survey of best brands for owner satisfaction begins: 1 Dacia; 2 Porsche; 3 Skoda; 4 Lexus. As to most reliable brands the order is: 1 Honda; 2 Lexus; 3 Toyota; 4 Dacia; although the scores for Honda and Lexus were almost indistinguishable. The only individual Lexus I saw mentioned was the CT200, I think because the others do not provide a large enough sample (but they all feed into the overall Lexus sample, which is then large enough to be counted ). Dacia scores for reliability (being relatively simple?) and value for money (being very inexpensive).

I would always choose waterless - esp in preference to using hard water. in fact a detailing spray from a clay bar kit used with a good clean microfibre cloth does much of what the same spray does with a clay bar, and with less risk of accidents.

I have never owned a diesel, but have owned three moderately thirsty lexus petrols - an is200 sport and two is250 SEL autos. All one previous owner. They were all refined and reliable, although the first of the 250s had to have some rattles fixed before I was happy with it, and was written off after about a year, while stationary. None of them ever failed to start or broke down, or needed urgent repairs of any kind, and that of course is worth more than a few pounds off the fuel bill. A diesel offering 40 mpg instead of the 30 I used to get in mixed driving might have saved me about £50 a month, but one modest repair job would have cancelled that out The motoring mags do push diesel, especially in this kind of price and model range. at least one used to recommend the Is220d as the only IS worth considering ( no doubt assuming they would all be company cars) but no private buyer would agree with that. Well, I now get to have my cake and eat it - my ex dem Is300h lux is giving me 50 mpg or more (display says 53) and is the quietest yet. Pulling away in total silence is quite something. And yes, the diesel c lass that pulled up next to me yesterday sounded positively agricultural in comparison

I have not tried the ML system in a new IS, but I have owned two of the previous models with ML and also had a GS450h (older model) with ML on two weeks loan. My view then was that it was overrated, but still quite good for a car system, esp on rock or synthesised music. My new(ish) is300h does not have it, but the 8 speaker system that comes with the premium navigation seems largely comparable and is of course more flexible than the older ones with its bluetooth function. I am not convinced that a car is a good environment for serious listening especially classical with its wide dynamic range and very quiet passages, but the new Is is itself very quiet, and that helps of course. BTW, I am very serious about home hi-fi, and nothing I have heard in a car comes close to what a good home setup can offer. But as a Meridian Audio fan I would be curious to know what Meridian have done with their Range Rover and Jaguar ICE systems. Not that I would ever leave Lexus, of course!

that post was very timely: I spent 20 minutes last night looking for it and deciding that it was not there after all, so now I will look again, and in the right place this time...

Hello, all. As of tomorrow I will be joining you as the owner of an 10 month old silver IS300h in Luxury trim with premium navigation. I previously had a blue mark 1 IS200 sport (my last manual car) for several years, then a mesa red IS250 SE-L that was sadly killed off when hit by a rebound from someone else's collision, then (after two weeks swanning around in a nice GS 450h rocket ship at the other guy's expense) four happy years driving the silver 250 SE-L pictured in one of the attached images alongside its successor. I would have liked to replace it with a white IS300h in premier trim with all the extras, but, oh well, next time perhaps. I am spending enough on this car as it is. My old car never missed a beat and we were even featured together (with Lexus Leicester) in three pages of Auto Express. Typical well-satisfied Lexus owner with helpful dealer and well-behaved car, etc. Made a change from getting published in my usual criminal law journals anyway.... So the new kid certainly has a hard act to follow, but I did love my test drive earlier this week. So easy to drive! Whining transmission? What whining transmission? Slow? Ye gods, I'm doing 80 already, and it feels like 55... Only £20 VED p.a.?? Well, I can't afford NOT to buy it can I? That is what I am telling my wife, at any rate. Maybe she will fall for it. It looks like I have a lot to learn about the new car (big fat owner's handbook for starters) and no doubt will be asking you guys for advice before long, but IS300h owners look like a happy bunch on the whole, so i am optimistic.

That isn't the right question. A big tank is useful. What matters is how far you can get on a gallon (or ten), to which I would answer about 35 mpg if mostly open road and about 25 mpg if mostly town and short journeys. I average about 30. On a long run in warm weather at about 70 mph then you might get 40 mpg (or 42 according to the display, which tends to be optimistic). If you got yourself a more economical car (say a petrol motor that averages about 40 instead of about 30) then you might save yourxself about £600 a year doing average mileage. No big deal really. But buy an auto, not a manual.

some say that driving an auto is 'less involving' than driving a manual. Motoring journalists often say this. I'm sure they are right. As someone who used to ride long distances on a pedal cycle (sometimes over 100 miles at a time) I can say for sure that this is even more 'involving', especially on long climbs. Great feeling it is, topping the pass with five miles of fast, easy descent ahead of you. But cars are supposed to make it easier, not more involving (?) A good auto (as in the Lexus 250) changes gear better than we can (sometimes the instruments are the only indication it has changed gear at all), and leaves us free to concentrate on the road ahead. Ever tried changing gear and dipping your headlights at the same time, as you line up for a tight bend ahead on a narrow main road with a big lorry coming towards you? Having one less things to worry about then can be a big help. (yes, I know, plan ahead for such eventualities and always be in the right gear well before, etc)

If you are not racking up a big mileage each year the mpg issue isn't necessarily such a big deal. I calculated the other day (in this forum) that a petrol car which averages 40 mpg and covers 12,000 miles over a given period saves its owner about £650 in fuel costs when compared with one that averages about 30 (or the cost of 100 gals of petrol). Nobody wrote in to correct my maths, so I suppose that is about right. An IS 250 automatic used in mixed driving should average about 30 - much better if mostly used for long trips, but worse of course in short trips around town. An IS220D may give you 40 mpg but the diesel fuel will cost more so the saving will be smaller. I cover about 8,000 pa so my fuel saving if I ran a 40 mpg car would be little more than £400. You can factor in road tax (which puts the manual IS250 at a clear disadvantage) but the Is 220D may end up costing you more in servicing and repairs, being less reliable on the whole. The 250 auto has a brilliant gearbox. I cannot comment personally on those in the manual cars but many complain that they are poor or at least awkward to use. The old IS200 sport had a nice manual gearchange but after the IS250 auto I would never now go back to a manual gearbox. I would rather forgo electric windows and wind them up and down by hand. The top spec car is the IS250 SE-L auto multimedia (mm). The older ones come with 17" wheels. Some of the older cars can still be found with sunroofs. You get frond and rear parking sensors, auto- dipping mirrors and electricially operated seats with heating, cooling and memory settings. Gas-discharge HIDS on the SE-L and sport versions are great on dark roads but I guess there may be a risk of a fairly costly failure as the cars get older. Mine is an 07 so not as young as she was, but is still very smooth and refined. Passengers still tend to offer unsolicited praise for the luxurious interior and quiet running (especially if in the front seat)

If any of that worries you, why not try and get yourself an IS250 automatic? I have yet to come across anyone who wished they bought an IS220 instead, but you will see on this forum that may who bought the diesel wish they had bought the petrol automatic instead. I had an IS200 sport before my IS250. Your mpg is disappointing but perhaps it is based on lot of city driving and/or short trips (either that or a very heavy right foot). At any rate, you should do a bit better in an IS250 (anything up to 40 on a long trip)

Are you sure it is the tyres that are causing this? Might it instead be a tracking/ alignment issue?

I doubt whether they would even take large sums of actual cash. My dealer won't take more than 1,000 in cash, in case it is dirty money being laundered. Probably a directive from head office.

yes, that is excellent, but if it says 42 mpg then you are probably doing at best 40, and (alas) wait to see what you get on short journeys around town. If you do just a couple of short trips before refilling you will see the indicated 42 start to fall like a stone. But they are such nice cars, aren't they? And how much would you save by driving 12,000 miles in a car that averages 40 mpg rather than one that averages 30? Even assuming both are petrol cars I think you would save little more than £650, and in my case that would be over 18 months, which is no big deal. Depreciation is the real killer. BTW, my wife's smart coupe (84 bhp model) rarely manages better than 40 mpg, and never does much better than 35 around town.

Yes, it is in part a convenience thing (very much so if there is a hosepipe ban) But where I live the water is very hard and you have to work equally hard to get all traces of it off the car when you have finished washing it. So there is a lot less rubbing without the water. If you give the waterless spray a chance to emulsify the dirt and then wipe it off carefully with a soft cloth you will not be rubbing anything abrasive into the car. Keep using one dirty cloth and you may do that, but of course you should take care in all things. My car has been subjected to two and half years of regular waterless washes and sometimes (mea culpa) I am not as careful as I would advise anyone else to be, esp if their car was a black one, but the fact is that the body work still looks really good. A few little stone chips on the nose but you can't blame the waterless wash for that. A compromise might be to wash and wax and then use waterless products to keep it looking good between washes.

I have a clay kit but have made little use of it. The detailing spray that comes with it is however likely to be a very good waterless cleaner and if used with soft, clean, microfibre cloths it will probaby lift off most of the stuff that the claybar would lift, but with far less risk of scratching. Spray it on, leave it for a while and let it soften the dirt etc. then wipe off. Much more effective than water and shampoo, so it will lift stuff the water would leave behind, and no need to chamois off the lime residue in a hard water area. Someone on this site once said that he would not let such stuff anywhere near his car, bit if it is OK when claying then why not with a cloth? You can buy waterless cleaner combined with a wax for a one step job. Works OK ( I have used two bottles of the stuff, no problem) but I think the two stage operation gives better dirt removal and a better shine The only thing I would hesitate to clean off without water is caked on road salt. My Lex is silver and as one valeter told me 'you can get away with murder with a silver car'; but I have used waterless cleaning products (eg Autoglym rapid detailer) on a my son's dark blue focus and he was delighted with the end result. You can clear a whole car about four times with one small bottle and I sometimes follow this up with a good wax. You can use it on the wheels as well, especially if you have protected them with a good wheel polish to reduce the amount of brake dust sticking to them. I don't use acid cleaners on the wheels if I can help it. Once or twice a year, perhaps. If you have a dark blue or black car, and are a bit distrustful, try it carefully on one small part first (eg your door sills) and see how well it works. go on, try it