Steve44

I think you need a 3.5mm 3 or 4 pole male to male cable. This would plug in the headphone socket on the Ipod. Another alternative would be the Apple connector to 3xRCA (or phono plug) cable (left, right stereo, plus composite video), then add a 3 x RCA to 3.5mm adaptor. I don't think it works over USB. There are loads of cables on Ebay or Amazon from a few pounds each. Or Maplin may have some too.

Search for a Brodit phone mount online. Comes in 2 parts 1 car specific, 1 phone specific. Car mount goes around vent in centre and is non damaging.

What are the service intervals?? 10k miles? If so I'm going to be getting very friendly with dealer, as I'll be there every other month at the mileage I'll be doing! Not that the dealership is a bad place to be - Nespresso coffee, shortbread, free wifi, B&O TV and Stereo etc etc

F-Sport demo, from Toyota corporate fleet ordered for delivery on 17th Feb, for 3 days (going back on 20th). Looking forward to it

2nd Mesa red IS I've seen. The other was an F-Sport with Black interior in Lexus Stockport showroom, which looked stunning under the lights. Mesa Red is probably no.1 choice for me, I like red cars and I do like the Ivory interior with it too. Pity you can't have on an F-Sport. :(

I had a demo of GS300h Lux, with added ML and I wasn't that impressed. To me, it appears it is very music specific, I thought it was a very clear sound, very clinical and bright, but had too much top-end and not enough bass and mid-range. Something I tried to dial out with the tone controls, but it has the same, treble, mid, bass as the standard system so i couldn't affect it much. Great if you like Jazz and Classical, not so good if you prefer rock/pop etc. I subsequently listened to the standard Lexus system and preferred the sound, which i though was much warmer. Functionality it's identical, so ML is only adding different amp and speakers. Each to their own, but I'd urge a demo with your own ears before deciding.

Blisteringblue - for me anything over about 35mpg (at current petrol prices) and the IS is effectively a free car. All i need do is put private mileage petrol in it. At 45mpg, my company would be paying me handsomely to drive it. I have considered the potential implications of the government removing the 24ppm for hybrids, but for me that would only make it a similar cost to a diesel german-o-mobile anyway, so I'm not going to lose out really. I discounted the SE, as the rr seats don't fold down and I need to have this option. The difference in cost is small to a Lux. I've asked for an F-Sport for an extended test drive, just awaiting contact to arrange the date.

Thanks for this, should be able to answer my questions prior to purchase now.

SilverArrow - i thought it was just me taking bad with the GS and not being used to it having come from a family 5dr hatch. Comparing numbers with the IS, its only a couple of inches/30mm bigger in most directions, but it feels like an oil tanker trying to manoeuvre/park it. I had three attempts at my destination in London to park it and twice i got it into the space, but then didn't have enough room to actually get out of the car! DJP - I hear what you're saying about the F-Sport, and I'm tempted to arrange another testdrive of one via the lease company. I like the looks of it, especially the dark rose interior (although the wife isn't very keen!) but struggling to justify the £90/mth extra (lease & tax) for an F-Sport with Nav and Leather over a Lux with Nav/Leather, especially as the Lux has free Nav at the moment. Oh another question - do all IS come with wifi? The demo one I had had wifi which I tried to connect to a local Mcdonalds (couldn't work out how to do it and didn't have time to read manual) but appeared as if it could and thus download Google Streeview, traffic info updates, pictures etc. Is this a standard feature or part of the hotspot system i read about in the brochure?

Hello all, I've lurked around this forum for a few months now, reading with interest people comments and views on the IS300h. Apologies for long post but.... I'm a company car man (30k per year or so) and currently drive a diesel Vauxhall Astra hatch. Its the top of the range Elite model with virtually all the options ticked and was at the time (3yrs ago) the best car I could get from the allowed list (restricted to any diesel vauxhall) for the money. Now my car is up for renewal and due to a promotion and salary increase etc, I can now choose from any manufacturer, any vehicle, as long as its a diesel or Hybrid. My view with a company car is to get the best car i can get for the lowest possible outlay personally. I was looking at the typical BMW, Audi, Merc lists and had initially discounted Lexus, as the lease costs were very high in comparison, but my ears pricked up with I heard it was actually a 2.5l petrol and attracted very low tax and also 24ppm allowance to drive. So, some man maths later and I reckoned I can get into any IS, or even a GS300h SE or Lux and the lease cost would be no more than a spec'd up BMW/Audi etc, but with the better mileage allowance, it would effectively pay for itself! Bonus. So, i dropped into Lexus Derby last weekend and after a long chat with their sales team, was offered the chance to back-to-back test drive for 24hrs a GS300h Lux and an IS300h Lux. I couldn't say no. First the GS - it was a nearly new GS300H Luxury with ML sound option - grey/ivory leather. What a machine. First time driving a hybrid and first time in a long time with an auto, but after a handover, off I went, to use for 24hrs in my normal way. I drove it that evening to London down the M1. Actually I should say wafted to London, it was so comfortable and quiet. Good points, 12.3" screen, elec seats, so quiet and refined, all the tech worked great. Bad points, its a big car, can't fold the rr seats down because of battery position, ML sound I thought was poor, no bass/all treble. Did I mention its a big car! Anyway on return I refilled it with fuel and worked out average, bearing in mind trip comp said 44.7mpg. It worked out at 48.6mpg brim to brim (255miles covered). Fantastic i thought, with little or no effort from me and not driving particularly economically. Next the IS - an ex demo IS300h Lux, with Nav and elec leather in Grey/grey. Instantly I could feel that it is a smaller lighter car, it just felt so much more spritely compared to the GS. I had it for nearer 36hrs this time and drove it to Liverpool the next day and the difference is night and day, just so much quicker to react, flatter round corners, suspension a bit firmer and probably 95% of the refinement/quietness inside. Tried all the various modes and equipment inside. Good points - more sporty feeling, supportive seats, preferred the options to display info on the IS with split screen and 4" screen between clocks and I couldn't get it to fail, though it was slow to react in places, can fold rr seats, preferred std stereo sound too, has all same functionality, so ML is only amp/speakers which confirmed to me its an expensive add-on and very personal. Bad points - hard plastic where my left knee hits the console, appears only on F-Sport and Premier is it padded, storage space is a bit lacking in the cabin, cup holder position isnt great (I'm now knit picking!) I returned it again and worked out fuel economy over 275 miles this time and I reckon it was approx 46mpg. Caveat is this was an estimate as it wasn't full of fuel and I did more spirited driving :-) So..... I'm now at the point where the sceptic in me which wondered if good mpg is possible, is exorcised. Both cars were returning better mpg than my diesel Astra. I enjoyed the drive in both, but especially the IS. And model for model, the IS gives so much more spec for the money than any german manufacturer. I now need to decide which IS model to get and the colour. Financially, the IS300h Luxury with leather and Nav gives me what I need, but my gripe is about the knee pad on the center console. I can't really justify paying more for an F-sport or Premier to get a pad there. Could it be changed? How do others get on with it? Also, is my mpg representative of what others are getting? The F-sport/Premier with 18" wheels, does it suffer in ride comfort and mpg??