Hi everyone,
After having driven Mercedes cars for several years (W204 C220 CDI, W204 C350 CDI, W212 350CDI, W212 6.3 E63AM Performance Pack) and BMW for over a year and half (F10 520D SE), I was thinking of changing my car with something more environmental friendly and ULEZ free (since I live in London) and above all, I wanted another car with no Diesel engine - I have read a lot of posts and articles about dirty diesel and shockingly all diesels even new cars emits too much NOX including the EURO 6 Diesels! In fact, they should be banned on the road in my honest opinion. So, it was no brainer that LEXUS got my initial interest since they do not make any Diesel engines anymore and that they have been mastering the self-charging Hybrid technology - So I had my interest with the IS300 H F sport, which I had been looking around but in the end, I actually found a beautiful GS450H (2014 Luxury) with my local Lexus dealership, which looks absolutely beautiful, understated and very comfortable and roomy inside (with a very powerful engine combined with electric engine).
I finally got the car on the 24th Dec 18 and I can honestly say that it is by far the best car I have ever driven - it is simply such a luxurious car to drive, far more smooth than the BMW I drove and the seats are so comfortable. Lexus has done a wonderful job here and I am perplexed that it is not getting more credits from the press (lots of journalists are so pro German cars).
Lexus is different for sure and for the best actually. Here are my honest views so far:
EXTERIOR LOOK AND ENGINE
Simply beautiful and understated at the same time, no one would know that this car is a very powerful machine 3.5 V6 but with the electric power it feels like a 4.5 V6. In fact I took it for a spin on the motorway and was blown away with the amount of torque it delivers (it reminded me of my E63 AMG!). In town, it drives so smoothly and the suspensions are definitely smoother than my predecessor BMW car. The car is silent and it is clever actually, as it encourages you as a driver to drive gently (as opposed to BMW) to benefit the electric power.
INTERIOR AND SAT NAV SYSTEM
Again, it is a breath of fresh air and love the simplicity and luxurious feel of the leather around the dashboard. the seats are superb and more comfortable than the BMW and a bit more elevated than before, but I am happy with the visibility around. I love the leather gear box, it feels solid and glad it is in the centre console (Mercedes have made a terrible mistake to put the gear behind the steering wheel).
The SAT NAV system is very different to any system that I have had (Mercedes and BMW) and heard a lot of bad press about it with the mouse pad, but frankly it actually exceeded my expectations: it is fine using the mouse pad (after a bit of practice) and the system is actually a good one to use and for many reasons I can say it is a brilliant system: I can receive my emails, sms texts, live traffic information at no extra cost - with BMW, you would have to pay an annual subscription of £140 to receive emails, sms, RTTI (real Traffic Time Info). Really pleased with the system. I can use bluetooth connection (Spotify) and USB (iPod) to listen to my music and the sound system (basic system with 10 speakers) is actually very good and clear. The sat nav is ok to use also - BMW has a better graphic with 3D but overall, the Lexus sat nav does the job well.
DEALERSHIP SERVICE
I bought the car from LEXUS Edgware Road and so far, the staff have been brilliant ensuring I am happy with my Lexus car.
It will be returning to the dealership this week, so that my alloys are refurbished (a few scratches were found when car was for sale), including a paint job to be done at the back of the bumper. So, they will provide me with a courtesy car until all jobs are completed. If I had waited for the jobs to be done, the car would only have been ready on 9th Jan, so I could not wait this long and wanted to drive it as quickly as possible.
Overall, I am extremely excited to be part of this exclusive brand and I am looking forward to many months of driving this machine...