route66

This is my story - MPG Stats from my 3 years of IS300H use: Average over 3 years: 39.39 MPG (Calculated) Difference between Summer and Winter driving: Approx 10 MPG Best/Worst calculated tank to tank figure: 47.85/31.82 MPG Best trip MPG: 62.7 MPG (Gentle 50 mile Motorway trip in summer - under or @ 100 KMPH limit) Best long trip: 50.8 MPG (125 mile Motorway trip in summer - driven mostly @ 120 KMPH limit):

Sounds like you should follow your own advice John and "digest the Handbook" ☺️ Starting off in Eco mode is perfectly fine. In fact, leaving the car in Eco mode for 100% of the time is also fine. From said manual:

Because the trip computer is very conservative! I've looked at this in detail and compared my reported remaining range with the real range (When refueling, I always fill it up, calculate what was left in the tank and see how far this would have brought me based on the calculated MPG for that tank). The results taken over 44 fills show an average surplus of 40+ miles with 2 refills showing a surplus in the 20s and 3 in the 70s. And this is the additional distance you would have been able to travel after the trip says zero range - the red light will have been nagging you for some time before that. Once, I did a little over 20 miles after the range said zero. It took nerves of steel but when I filled it up, it took 60.75 litres - the 5.25 litres remaining would have been enough for an additional 64 miles !!! And yes, I know you'd be daft to aim to refill when the tank is near empty - sediment and all that - nevertheless, I would much prefer an accurate guide so as to avoid both myself and the computer having a reserve.

That's excellent efficiency Shahpor - most especially when I'm averaging 40MPG with my IS300H ...

I wouldn't have thought it would have been quicker: Same engine & powertrain but more weight?

There will be no defenestration. Apologies 😜

What if he turned up in one of these: I wouldn't mind at all - probably ask him for a drive! Having said that ... If he started talking about such nonsense, I'd show him the door. Even if he was driving an Alfa. I much prefer consultants who speak standard English. You know, the sort you use with your family and friends; not this:

I came to my IS300H from a FWD Honda Accord. They occupy the same road space but the interior space in the IS300H is tiny, by comparison. That centre console is massive because of the IS300H's RWD layout. This also means a large transmission tunnel and combined with the batteries being under the rear seats, it means that the middle rear seat will not accommodate a medium sized adult with any comfort. I also observed a rather large friend of mine appearing wedged in the front passenger's seat on one trip - although he didn't complain! My wife has a Prius Plus (7 seater) which I guess would be roughly the same size as your Auris. The difference in space between it and the IS300H is night and day. Now, none of this bothers me because I don't need the room. If you don't, I would strongly recommend the IS300H - it's streets ahead of the Auris in terms of feeling special (You'll know what this means when you sit in it) and its also super reliable and very comfortable. The 2.5 litre engine also has lots more power than the 1.8 you are used to in the Auris, although you won't get the same economy: mine has averaged 40MPG over the last 3 years with a maximum of 62MPG seen once on a gentle 50 mile on mostly motorway with some urban driving. 50 MPG is possible with some restraint on longer motorway trips and my worst-ever was 32MPG on a tank where all journeys were short, stop/start and in the winter months. I would guess your Auris will be at least 10% better than the IS300H. (All my figures were calculated, and not from the readout, which on my car reports its consumption about 7-8% better than actual). I purchased mine from a reputable Car Supermarket - it was a typical X-Ronnie Rep, lots of motorway use, coming off its 3-year lease, car. It had a full service history and checked out ok. I wouldn't restrict your search to just Lexus Dealers but I always like only 1 previous owner, which mine was. Good luck with your search (mildly jealous ☺️ )

Did you try the advice from Herbie above: If you're not convinced about P/Outlet No.1 you could use the S/HTR F/L which is the Seat Heater Front Left (or F/R, Front Right). I wouldn't think they would have power on with ignition off.

Car looks great. I'm a very happy IS300H owner myself and if I were in the market for a replacement, I'd definitely also consider the GS model. The Audi dealer you are buying from have 2 in stock: Executive and Premier models; a little cheaper than "your" IS and a little dearer, respectively. Having said that, the IS300H you are interested in looks stunning - Messa red and beige interior; my favorite combination.👍

Mine does that too! Never saw it as a problem though; in my case, I just categorised it as "one of those sounds that modern cars make getting their gubbins aligned". My car is well out of warranty, so I guess I'll just have to continue enjoying it. Does anyone know if this causes a problem (other than acoustic)?

It's surprising how the folding split seats change the architecture in this area. I would have thought that Lexus would have everything as similar as possible to make manufacturing easier. I.E. only difference is the lack of hinges and split with everything else the same. That brace looks substantial - I doubt the reinforcement in the folding seats would do the same ... Anyway, I guess a re-trim of what you have should do the trick!

It's hard to be 100% sure, but it looks like you have a brace that covers the space that would normally be exposed when the seats are dropped. Does yours have the U bolts on the top LHS and RHS that the seat would click into?

I had a look at the August 2014 catalogue (attached) and took out this extract: My reading of this is that the SE was the only IS300H not to come with split seats unless you went for the leather seat upgrade which meant that it did. Like all other IS300Hs. Outside of the seat itself, I guess the main differences between the split and non split seats are The hinges and catches and the mount points and bolts for them. You would need to look at what your car has already - it may be that the bolt holes for your fixed seat mounting brackets are the same as those for the hinges. I had a quick look at my car and there are just 2 catches/receivers which are "U"-shaped, with each one at the top corner of where the seat closes against Mouldings/trim pieces that finish off the opening that's exposed when the seats are lowered - yours may not have these Seat release in the boot. My last car had these but - I checked - the IS300H doesn't appear to have them. The only way to lower the seats from the boot is to reach all the way in to access the catch on the back of the seat itself. If you look here at a picture I found online, you can see the "U"-shaped receiver and some of the mouldings. I guess you will have to remove your seat first to see what you have. It should be possible to extract anything missing from the donor car: Best of luck! Lexus_IS300H_Catalogue.pdf

I think you are actually disagreeing with yourself at this stage Linas. In any case, that's me done on this thread; no more comments from this side (despite the fact that I expect more from you ...) Apologies to the OP for the thread hijack.

I don't think 20" wheels would have helped the Lamborghini's handling. And I'm not sure what you mean about tyre rolling resistance - most people accept that larger sizes increase it. Oh, and all F1 cars currently use 13" wheels ...

I think a lot of modern cars go for bigger wheels for looks purposes mainly. The Lamborghini Countach was launched in the 70's with 370 bhp and came with 15" wheels ... whereas the current model Renault Scenic (7 seater family MPV) which comes with power outputs varying from 114 to 157 bhp needs 20" wheels for some reason:

Glad to hear that you also haven't heard of timing chain issues on the IS300H (4 cylinder engine also used on GS300H) 👍 I've read about timing chain issues on the V6 GS, but only the MK III (S190) and not the MK IV (L10). I've also read about some issues with the V8s - with one guy looking at a wallet crippling £6K quote from Lexus to remedy 😲

A well designed timing chain will last the life of the car. There are no reports I've heard of converning any issues with the setup on the IS300H. Most of the Japanese engines are fine but that's not the same everywhere and some makes that use timing chains have a terrible reputation for their longevity. The Opel/Vauxhall Corsa comes to mind as do some recent Seat Ibiza's (VW Polos) where the timing chain looks like it came from a kids bike. The V6 GM engine that Alfa used in their Brera and 159 is also known for stretching the chain. And then there's the infamous BMW N47 2.0 diesel engine which would regularly pop the chain from when it was introduced in 2007 to when they eventually solved it in 2011.

Moving to sport mode (no sport +) does help but moving the "gear" lever to the right for manual "gear" mode is significantly better. Still not very responsive bla, bla, drone on and on, bla, bla etc 😉

Agreed - but I'd prefer not to have to work around them. But no biggie. As I already said - "I don't care 99% of the time. Driving it is a relaxing experience and I find that I arrive at my destination much more calm and chilled"

I don't agree. More specifically, everything is great except the transmission which ruins the experience. This is what I said in a recent post elsewhere in this forum: and:

The recommended oil is 0w-20. 5w-20 is thicker and may have an impact on fuel economy. From the handbook:

My experience is that the lag is there all the time. Over time, you can predict the lag, and accelerate before you need to (e.g. slow for a speed ramp, when the front wheels touch the ramp, accelerate. When the back wheels have come off the ramp, acceleration commences). You can reduce the effects of the lag by going in to sports mode and moving the "gear" lever to the right for manual "gear" selection mode (or use the flappy paddle), but at the end of the day, there is no getting around the fact that it takes time for the eCVT system gubbins to align before acceleration can begin. The only real solution - and not a very practical one - is to get a Lexus with the latest gen of eCVT. As mentioned above, there is a night and day difference - I guess there are both enhanced mechanical and electronic improvements involved. From what I understand, the newest cars have 4th generation systems (Wiki link) For context, Lexus/Toyota eCVTs are not alone in suffering from lag. I've driven lots of other cars that also suffer from a combination of turbo lag and transmission lag. The worst I experienced was probably a diesel powered Fiesta I rented a few years ago in France. With the multitude of mini roundabouts I came across over the 2 week holiday period, I became expert at predicting the lag and accelerating before I needed to. The problem was, trying to react quickly and get into a gap in traffic was nearly impossible. As above, the only real solution is perhaps to just not bother, take it easy and arrive calmer (albeit later ...).

I'd actually agree with all of what he said. For me, the most annoying thing about the IS300H is the very unresponsive transmission. I drove a new Toyota Corolla recently with the latest gen eCVT and the difference is night and day. I'm not talking about speed or even acceleration here, just responsiveness. I guess (but haven't driven one) the Lexus ES with its newer generation drive train would also be much better than the IS300H in this respect. The IS300H will be a very frustrating car if you want to drive it "nimbly" in cut and thrust traffic; by the time it winds itself up, the opportunity will be gone. My last car has a naturally aspirated 2.0 litre petrol engine with a manual gearbox and I do admit, I miss its responsiveness sometimes. The IS300H suffers from the eCVT equivalent of Turbo lag. But I don't care 99% of the time. Driving it is a relaxing experience and I find that I arrive at my destination much more calm and chilled. Mind you, if I had the money, I'd invest in something like a Caterham for weekend thrills 😉