Kikovuk

I have done already over 3200 miles in this car. BTW I am averaging 42-46mpg which is OK considering the size of the engine.

The new Lexus arrived yesterday and I decided to share my first impressions. I ordered the basic Lexus IS300h with comfort pack in black metalic. The car came with the standard features including Tahara Seats, keyless entry and rearview camera. On the outside the car looks great and I definitely prefer it to the Mercedes C300h which in my opinion has started to look a bit outdated. The interior is also much nicer and the quality of the materials used in the Lexus are far more superior. I never liked the tablet style display on the Mercedes so the built in screen was a welcoming feature. The seats are rely comfortable and the synthetic Tahara leather feels really nice to the touch, time will tell if this will last. I love the clock which in the evening has really nice background glow. The drive is very different to the previous car, the Lexus feels heavier but more solid and stable on the road. The Mercedes was quicker when accelerating but also the diesel was making it very noisy when accelerating quickly. The Lexus has a complexity different style of accelerating, it seems slower but I think this is only because of the ‭CVT gearbox and the way the engine works under heavy load. The steering is also bit heavier, it feels the same as the Merc when switch to Sport+ mode, I did like the lighter steer in Eco or Comfort when parking but I think I will get used to it. I can’t comment on the stanav and the stereo yet but it looks and sounds ok. I don’t think the satnav can beat my phone though (I use Waze on my journeys) but at least it can offer some alternitve options when needed and it is very similar to the one in the Merc. I liked the way the Mercedes had their software, it was simple and quick to navigate from one screen to another, what I saw in the Lexus was not that far off but i will need some time to work it all out. The rear space looks similar and the booth in my opinion is better, I think it might be a bit bigger but I will find out later in the week. In the Mercedes the floor was slightly raised and sloping at the back so I had to constantly rearange the luggage as it kept moving around. In the Lexus the floor is flat and it looks like it will be easier to stack suitcases there. One thing I noticed in the merc was the top of the boot area was left with bare metal and few cables were stuck and clipped to the surface, where in the Lexus everything is padded and better protected. Overal I think I made the right choice, the Lexus is slightly better car in my opinion and I think it is better built and has few more features than the merc. There are bits which I will miss from the Mercedes like the 360 camera, break hold function, automatic electric hand break, auto folding mirrors when locking the car, lighter steering, sunglasses compartment, the little horn noise when looking the car, electric booth opening and closing and the kick open function (btw I had to have the motor replaced in the merc as it stopped working and would’ve cost £1000). I suppose I need to mention that the cost of the Merc was around £40k and the Lexus IS only £33k so if you go for the higher spec model all these features probably would’ve been included. The Mercedes went back today and after two years I managed to cover around 84k miles. The car overall was very reliable and never let me down, I had the booth repaired (as I mentioned it would’ve cost around £1k if it wasn’t under warrant), few sensors failed, and the suspension started to get a bit noisy when going over bumps in the last 6 months. The stereo was also a bit temperamental and sometimes would freeze and will need a reboot. The fuel consumption also dropped over the two years from 70mpg in the first year to 55mpg in the last 8 months. It is worth mentioning that I only had to replace the rear tyres once and the front were still the original with around 3mm left. I have to make few trips in the next week and hopefully will get some more idea on how it all compares and especially what the fuel consumption is as this was also a big factor when I was choosing the car. I hope all this helps, feel free to ask if you have any questions about the merc or the new Lexus.

Thanks Steve, this is exactly what you needed. The comfort packs adds leather seats, smart entry and rear view camera.

Thank you, I just did although I can see that Jules already asked them last month but didn’t get an answer. This is my first Lexus which will be replacing my 2 years old mercedes C300H, I hope I won’t be disappointed.

I am in exactly the same situation. My order was rejected last month and I just placed a new order of the standard IS300h with comfort pack but I don’t know what extras this will add. Any feedback will be appreciated.