Hi,
Picked up a 65 plate IS300h F Sport and have had the car for just under a month and well happy with it, in fact haven't looked back!
I think this is the first car that I haven't looked back on thinking " have I done the right thing" have I spent too much money etc........
It was a hard choice of deciding what I wanted to move to from a pocket rocket Mazda 3 MPS, but my main reason was economy, and I took a Toyota Auris out for a test drive to see how a hybrid system worked, really liked the hybrid, not a fan of the car though.
Going from the Mazda, cant even compare the ride comfort as they are 2 different beasts altogether, but I now feel relaxed when driving, the seats......well wow, everyone that has been in it comments on that, the spec has got the premium nav and seat upgrade, so vented leather seats.
I did a lot of research on these cars for 2 reasons, economy for one and general reviews for the amount of money I wanted to spend, Lexus is in the top 5 for residual value, specification of cars even for standard is top notch, quality of interior love it, good package all round. I took a 200h out for a drive and that was too similar to the Mazda, without the performance, hence why I basically blew the budget and went for the IS300h. I test drove an IS300h and was well impressed straight away, coming from the Mazda the F Sport trim was my only option.
Surprisingly like reading other posts in this forum, the journalist reviews of the cars all comment about the CVT gearbox, and yes its definitely not a nice sound that goes with such an exceptional looking car from outside, the ASC makes a difference and works nicely on the inside so when a bit more enthusiastic driving is needed it works! This is the first automatic I have owned and what a gearbox it is, so smooth and easy to drive, I really don't see what there isn't to like about it, if you are going hybrid you are going new tech and the CVT proves this with its smoothness I really like it, and can live with the auto engine noise, as everyday driving usually isn't open roads.
Only downsides I can see so far is in general not just Lexus, hybrid cars demand a larger budget, but given time this will soon be the norm, and the infotainment system for this vehicle is dated, but in saying that it does everything well, I have the Bluetooth all connected and media playing with no issues. Apple Air play or Android Auto would complete this vehicle I think, rumours are Toyota have agreed to Apple Air play technology, so can only hope a software update might give us these features in the future, if not I can live without it. It was something I factored in when looking for a new car, a nice touchscreen with the latest mobile technologies, I did get it down to 2 cars the IS300h and the Volkswagen Arteon.
I have just got around to setting up the Lexus Portal features as I was waiting for my V5 to turn up, so I will see how the media system works for traffic updates etc.
I used to sit in traffic getting the hump with 26mpg, and 280miles out of a tank (SU). Now I can sit back and not stress about the traffic, sitting in EV mode getting 43mpg average at the moment in normal mode, and getting just under 500miles to a tank (NU).
Overall first impressions of Lexus....love it, I didn't want an Audi/BMW/Merc. I paid for an extended warranty, and got a 2 for 1 deal which was great, road tax £10, I joked with the Lexus dealer about paying this monthly The Mazda was £320 last year!
Here is a picture of both the Lexus and the Mazda. (TBH if that Mazda had an eco button I would still have it..............so much fun.)
And the upgrade
