Activ8

Thus far no rattles... you find them more irritating in quiet cars... I had a squeak from the back seat in the prius... you would never have heard it in a normal car but it used to irritate me until the dealer used some silicon spray on the seat mounting and it went! Hope yours goes soon!

Well I think there are a few of us who have had a good play with the cars and I would like to get some of the myths out of the way and make some first opinion observations.

Engine/gear whine... This is a myth... This is by far the quietest car I have owned (I have had a few s-class mercs and 7 series bm's too). If you open the windows and apply the brakes going down hill you can hear the slight whine of the electric motor charging the Battery but this is not intrusive and can't really be heard at all with the windows closed. Verdict: Don't think even the LS could be any quieter!

Performance... This car is plenty quick. It is fast off the mark than most diesels and overtaking from 30mph it is really quick. Apart from top speed and in everyday normal driving this feels just as fast as my last 3.0d Jag XF. Verdict: There are no real world performance compromises with this car!

Economy... Ok these are new cars and the hybrids take a few 000's miles to operate efficiently (my Prius took 3K) but driving this normally and not caring about economy I think you would be easily getting mid 40mpg and if I drove this in the hybrid Eco way I am sure I could get 55+mpg quite easily. Verdict: This is as good or better than the leading eco diesels (especially if you are talking city driving) and when you factor in better brake wear, the lower cost of petrol and cheaper road tax this wins by some margin!

Build quality... It is a Lexus... say no more! The build and fit and finish are really good and mechanically everything feels well put together. There have been several comments about switchgear felling a little plasickly and the bootlid having no weight. I think generally a lot of plastics are changing in all cars to be more eco friendly and they do have a different feel. I tested a Merc CLA and this had cheaper feeling plastic than the Lexus. Overall I don't think it feels cheap just different. The bootlid is really light but that is because it is made of alloy so it is not a cheap item at all. It is sprung well and does not fly open and can be shut easily from being a couple of inches open without any real drama. I have had cars with CF boot and engine covers and they felt light too. But this is all in aid of keeping the CG low and the handling great. I agree is is not built like my 1982 LS400 but I wouldn't want it built like that today either! Verdict: It is still a true Lexus in build.

Chassis/Handling... Well I have an F Sport but drove a Premier too. The F Sport is firm and I would say if you were comparing it to something like the BMW 3 series then I reckon it is around 95% as capable. My wife has a 3 series Msport and the ride quality is much worse than the F Sport but I think part of the BM's problem is run flat tyres so if they had the same tyres I would say the IS has about 95% of the handling and the same general road manners... However where the Lexus F Sport really does excel is over speed humps... How Lexus has managed to get such a fine handling car to go over speed bumps so well is a mystery! Potholes still thump but no worse than the Jag or BM. Verdict: Find a nice road and enjoy!

Interior... Seats are great and most will find them very comfortable. I tried both the sport and non sport seats and there was not much difference in comfort I think either are good for long distance driving. Good head room in the front and good in the back too for a compact saloon. Cup holders at the front are a set a little too far back for my liking and the glove compartment is a little small. centre console has a nice cable routing clip so you can have a charging lead plugged in with the phone in a cup holder whilst the lid is closed. Not keen on the touch temperature controls but that is just me! Verdict: A nice place to be!

Navigation/Mouse... The LCD screens picture quality is really good. Graphics are no better or worse than most others and the mouse take a little getting used to but does have good feedback so if you have two options you feel two physical clicks as you move it or 5 options you get five clicks. Most things work well... It has a full postcode search and imports contacts and works well with iPhones. There are a lot of settings to the media and connected services and options and not all are obvious... however once set most things won't need changing. Verdict: It's a complex gadget... read the manual.

Sound System... I have the standard sound system that came with the navigation system. I must say it sound very good. I don't know what the Mark Levinson sounds like but the standard one is much better than the premium sound system my wife has in the BM and I would say it is on par with the Bower & Wilkins I had in the Jag. Verdict: The standard system is more than goo enough for most people!

Looks and design... It looks sharp and is a nice departure from the Euro mould execs. Sure it will polarise opinions but this is a good thing for car design. I would have preferred the hybrid having an exaust diffuser more like the GS but this is a minor point. Verdict: Not everyone will like it but lot's will absolutely love it!

These are just my observations and it will be interesting to see comments from other owners.

Not me with the issue... I think it was Wicksy whot expected a card not a fob! All sorted now I believe!

Looks very nice... I agree the whole car feels tight and right! I think the standard stereo is really good... The ML must be fantastic. I don't think the Adaptive suspension is standard... You get an extra button by the Snow button if it is on the car according to my local dealer.

I think it can be enabled and disabled in the settings so check it is switched on!

My F Sport has keyless as standard!!!

That is simply magnificent! Real head turner.

Great plate too.

Reckon you'd get away with 23h50 you know...! :)

You are naughty! but I am tempted!

OK well it is on the drive just waiting until midnight! :megaangry:

Don't think I'll be buying another Lexus , not after this 220d and the poor service from Lexus Birmingham . Thought I'd give lexus a go but They really are nothing special and neither are the rob dog dealers and "service" departments.

I suppose we can all have bad experiences with all makes... The service from both our local BMW and Audi dealers is absolute rubbish. The local Toyota garage has been great and so have the Lexus garage.

Well my IS300h is here and ready for the 1st September but my V5 (due to the private plate for my partex) may be 1st or 2nd week of September! This is despite me sending in the paperwork at the beginning of the month!

I phoned them yesterday as I thought it would be back this week but they informed me that due to closing all the regional offices they are several weeks behind. I was told that this week they are processing applications for mail received up to the 6th of August, Next week it will be up to the 10th and they should be back to normal by mid September. With any luck mine will be processed this week or early next week but the V5 will then take at least a week after acceptance!

So if you are thinking of buying and have a private plate... get the retention application in quick as it seems like it is at least a 4-6
week process!!

Many years ago I had an Alfa Romeo with a Momo Red and Black leather interior. It looked fantastic and cost about £2K over the standard car... However I took a hit on resale (more than the huge hit Alfa's take) than if I had just the standard black. Regardless of what it looks like and how special it is a plain interior will appeal to more people.

I thought it was 12K or annually whatever comes first... As most of their private finance details are based on 10K per year maybe they are just assuming a private buyer would need to service it at 10K or less... just a guess though!

• I am awaiting delivery of a 300H Premier in early September. I did a deal which included 3 years servicing. However, I was given a leaflet which quoted £773.09 (including VAT) for 3 services, payable by 32 monthly instalments of £24.15 per month.

In fact checking the details and adding the pence up... my quote is exactly the same £773.09 which seems like good value to me!

The demonstrator I test drove was white with the red interior... I must admit it looked special.

Yes the quote includes VAT and mine is an F-Sport too. Looks like it is a good deal for me then :)

Does anyone know the typical servicing costs of the 300h? The only reason I ask is that I am being offered a 3 year package (three services) from the dealership for £773.09 (just over £24 per month 32 payments). They state that there is a good saving from RRP on servicing but don't state how much it is... The Lexus website states the 300h has lower servicing costs but I can't seem to find any reference to cost online. I suppose I can always phone them tomorrow and ask... just curious!

I was told by my Lexus dealer that Ultra blue is a great colour for resale values on the sport models and in general the strong blues have always been a desirable colour for the CT200h and the ISF. I went for the black interior as I really liked the colour combination.

You have 16 sleeps! :)

My F Sport will be delivered to my Drive on the 31st Aug ready to be driven at midnight!

Good choice... I thought the Lexus smart insurance only covered the panels and not the wheels or is there a different product for wheel scuffs?

Just been down to sign the final paperwork... The car looks good in the flesh... Will look super once the plastic is removed and it is polished up! Only a couple of more weeks to wait!

Having checked out a few of the US forums the consensus seems to be that the HID's work better but the LED's look cooler... I supose from a safety point of view what works best is what to have! :)

hello, Which is better?

thanks

Performance is similar between the two... The handling better in the 300h but the ride is firmer. The 300h feels better built albeit with a few cheap feeling switches. The 300h has much better round town economy and is a little better on the motorway. Cost is also similar I think the Lexus works out a bitt cheaper with the same equipment... but Merc discount more. Overall I would say the Lexus is the better package.

Black and Ivory... nice combination. Enjoy!

The dealers normally let you choose from a list of plates they have but you cannot normally transfer these off the car if you like them anyway. I will have a private plate on mine... I am only waiting for the new plate as it may give the car a slightly better resale value.

Looking at the video I think both drivers just planted their foot to the floor... just like a typical traffic light drag race! I think the factory set 0-60 of the merc was done using a launch start as they want to get the best time possible. So maybe in real life driving the 300h is just as fast or a little faster than it's competition!