Del Lardo

Have a look at the Vaistech stuff as well.

http://www.vaistech.com/site/sl3b.php

Not really comparable price wise but I've been incredibly impressed with my iVIC5 (predecessor to IVIC DR).

Another option is allow in your budget for purchasing a Lexus extended warranty. Cost £995 for two years and can be paid over 12 monthly instalments.

This really does cover pretty much everything including the hybrid system itself.

Basically, complete piece of mind.

The gs450 really is a superb car and worth the extra.

Of course, I am a little bias as I drive one.

Catl

Am I mad in thinking the warranty has changed recently? I renewed mine in Jan 2014 for 2 years as I had a 2007 car and I could have sworn that maximum age the car could be when the warranty was taken out was 7 years and I paid nearly £2000.

Congrats on the new car.

The new GS is certainly a big step up from the previous generation. I had a GS300h on 24h test drive and whilst I was very impressed with how the car had moved on and how well it cruised I couldn't quite get over the lack of oooomph.

Have a look at http://www.vaistech.com/site/sl3u.php or http://www.vaistech.com/site/mml.php

Thanks, £540 for a set fitted which I am pretty happy with.

2dB quieter than the other ones I was looking at and rated A for Rain and C for fuel economy which is better as well :D

You must drive like a saint to get 40 000 miles out of a set though

Will be needed 4 new tyres in the not too distant future. Currently have Yokohama Advan A10s in the rear and Bridgestone Potenza S001 fitted to the front that came with the car when I bought it 20k miles ago (Advans were new fitted by dealer (on 2nd attempt after I pointed out the Sunny 3800s they had fitted were going result in my death and being sued by my wife wouldn't be good for them)).

Bridgestone come in at £130/corner

Yokohama come in at £210/corner

I've always liked Goodyear Eagle F1s when I've had them on cars in the past that come in at £130/corner.

Anything else I should be looking at? I don't mind spending more money to get better tyres but the Advans don't seem to offer more for a lot more money.

Car spends most of its life on the motorway and gets used in all weathers so good wet weather performance and lower noise are important to me.

Averaged 30.5mpg over the last year/15 000 miles.

http://www.fuelly.com/driver/dellardo/gs450h

Most of my journeys are Cambridge to Reading/Heathrow/Birmingham and it really depends on how you drive the car and traffic conditions, started off averaging around 32.5mpg, seen 40mpg on a run to Birmingham but heading steadily down as for the sake of a couple of £ per fill up I'd rather use the performance and not pussy foot around.

Generally I'd guestimate

On a long run with little traffic 35mpg

On a long run with traffic 32mpg

Around town without too much stop/start 25mpg

Fast cross country run 27mpg

Had a call earlier and the car is ready for collection tomorrow.

Hi Del Lardo,

I`m close to purchasing a 450h...did you get yours and how is it going?

Are you pleased with it and any disappointments?

Regards

John

The car is currently having a 10000 mile service so covered 10000 miles in about 7 months and it has done exactly what I expected. Quiet and comfortably on a run, stereo is excellent, fuel economy is acceptable for the performance and size of car (see signature) and the straight line performance is grin inducing.

Don't be fooled that this is a car that brakes or handles well though, it can cross country at a good rate but heavy braking a cornering really show up the cars weight, not a concern for tootling around town or on the motorway but worth bearing in mind should you find yourself on A/B roads on a regular basis.

Overall, really happy with the car and would definitely recommend one.

yes you do get touch screen control and track/artist listing but not when the wheels are turning, use the up and down keys on steering wheel/ audio facia. Supplied and fitted by Lexus centre about £120??

Any pictures of this in action?

I'll try and grab a video when car is back from the garage.

Had a call earlier and the car is ready for collection tomorrow.

Not sure where the buttons sit on the mkII but I would envisage it being a combination of

and

Hopefully they can give you some pointers so you can work it out if necessary.

Thank you for your comments so far.

I put a deposit down on a 57 plate GS450h on Friday and had a call from the dealer this morning confirming that I should be able to collect the car this weekend after they have sorted out the bodywork and wheels.

I've owned some fast cars in the past but nothing that offers this kind of luxury along with the performance so I am rather excited. No doubt I'll be spending a fair bit of time reading over the forum in the next few days so apologies if these are well covered topics but I do have a few questions that I hope you guys can help out with.

The car doesn't have aux/usb input so looking for a 3rd party solution and have come across Vaistech who seem well rated. Does anyone have experience with the Android phone interface as this looks ideal for replacing the standard fit Sat Nav with something more modern?

Whilst the limited boot space shouldn't be a problem for me I am looking for a way of best utilising it, I understand that Lexus offered some rather expensive custom luggage but has anyone found a good and reasonably priced off the shelf solution?

Does the engine have a timing belt or chain? Should I be on the lookout for a big service at a particular age/mileage?

Any random hits/tips for a new owner?

Many thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

I have recently been in contact with Vaistech and they tell me that there are no UK agencies so you would have to import, they tell me the courier (UPS)cost is $85 and then you would be liable to import duty and possibly VAT. They tell me that there ar three products suitable for the IS250. these being the SL3i - the MML and the ML Plus. You would need to check with them for the products suitable for your own car

tonyricha, can you remember what the import duty cost you, and did you have to pay VAT ?

coneybiller, can I ask you please, does the Lexus iPod integration kit give you touch-screen control or not? Are there any details available on-line showing what you get and the current cost.

Thank you

I'm going to be across in the US at the end of March so I'd most likely get one of my US colleagues to order one for me ahead of time and and give him the cash when I get there.

If the Android one won't work (need a 5th generation or better Lexus system) then I'd have to have a think as I'm having some dirty thoughts about using a Raspberry Pi in conjunction with XBMC and an audio/video input for the headunit.

I put a deposit down on a 57 plate GS450h on Friday and had a call from the dealer this morning confirming that I should be able to collect the car this weekend after they have sorted out the bodywork and wheels.

I've owned some fast cars in the past but nothing that offers this kind of luxury along with the performance so I am rather excited. No doubt I'll be spending a fair bit of time reading over the forum in the next few days so apologies if these are well covered topics but I do have a few questions that I hope you guys can help out with.

The car doesn't have aux/usb input so looking for a 3rd party solution and have come across Vaistech who seem well rated. Does anyone have experience with the Android phone interface as this looks ideal for replacing the standard fit Sat Nav with something more modern?

Whilst the limited boot space shouldn't be a problem for me I am looking for a way of best utilising it, I understand that Lexus offered some rather expensive custom luggage but has anyone found a good and reasonably priced off the shelf solution?

Does the engine have a timing belt or chain? Should I be on the lookout for a big service at a particular age/mileage?

Any random hits/tips for a new owner?

Many thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.