spwolfx

Just to confuse matters ..

The McLaren P1 ...... has a 727 BHP petrol engine and a 176bhp electrical engine. McLaren advertise this car as having 903BHP (http://media.mclarenautomotive.com/model/7/EN/doc/49/)

916PS (903 hp) generated by 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine coupled to an electric motor gives tremendous power and instant throttle response with an electronically limited top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph)

Therefore, I'm saying my NX has 362 BHP (154hp + 141hp + 67hp). I'd be wrong - and it will be the worlds slowest 362BHP car - but its going by the same math as what McLaren use lol

here is how it works - EV output is limited by Battery size. Bigger the Battery, bigger the possible output. Since NX300h is not a plugin, it has smaller Battery, so output is lower.

Lexus puts larger motors so they can recover more energy, faster.... recovery is very important since you can only use what you can recover. This is why in real life, Lexus/Toyota hybrids have much better mpg than VW ones for instance, which have much smaller electric motors for recovering.

So McLaren is a plugin hybrid, with lion Battery. Which means it has much bigger Battery and can output a lot more power. Thats all fine and dandy - problem comes when you are out of plugin range and you have to count on recovery to power the car, which likely means that once out of plugin power (which is 20-30km of EV range), McLaren loses some 120hp and its fuel consumption goes through the roof.

But you wont see any journalist talk about real life mpg or what happens when plugin power is out. They all quote "false" official info that doesnt point out

that the car spends most of the test in electric mode that does not spend any fuel.

So basically, all the data on McLaren and other similar performance plugin hybrids is valid only for first 30km of your drive... after that, it all goes downhill.

Hybrids are cheaper to service than conventional cars... for instances brakes last a lot longer, engine as well.... hybrid part of drivetrain is bulletproof, so no problems like IS220d for instance.

As to the color... thats why i would get red interior :-)

looks great, happy for you... I think part of the confusion is that these model designations are just marketing designations - they have various factory options which local Lexus distributor makes standard or not based on their own goals and plans. So "F-Sport" in UK, Germany and Sweden might be 3 different specifications with same name.

I thought the + on the selector is matched by the - to indicate that you are supposedly changing up and down the gears, rather than actually in a different mode. I looked at the instruction book to identify what needs to be shown on the dial to identify that adaptive suspension is on the car.

As Wicksy says, the rides fantastic anyway, and I'm not sure how much time I'd be spending in "Sport" mode anyway. I certainly hardly ever felt the need on my old IS250.

if there is no S+, it isnt there... if you are happy with suspension now, then great... as usual, AVS is extra maintainance item down the 100,000-150,000 mile road.

S+ in gear selector means you are manually changing gears, they call that Sport + mode.

Ian - what i remember for instance, was Autocar or AE review of Honda Accord... they said wonderful car but short of best german cars... they pointed out the boot not covered as one of the big cost cutting moves from Honda - while none of the 3 series have it covered for quite a while.

On the other side, then you get American reviews... they dont have any allegiance but generally they like BMW better because it has always been the sportiest. Now for both GS and IS, American reviews say Lexus has better handling and better interior than Germans and GS and IS win most tests in the class these days.

It is night and day difference.

I was trying to "sell" an F30 to my best buddy since the press crowned it as the best car ever built. It is certainly better than Passat CC he has right now, or so I thought. Then we go in, and ... disappointment - interior is pretty cheap unless you add everything to it (and who does that?), in fact, Passat CC probably has nicer interior than base/mid F30... then quality wise - i tried 7-8 F30's on the lot and all of them had at least one door thats hard to close... you literally had to slam the door. According to BMW forums, this is "normal" and it takes 12 months for seals to settle... what? Big disappointment. You never read this in any review and then I saw in Autocar, long term car, reviewer said that for some reason he has to slam to door very hard for them to close and which constantly makes everyone look at him as if he is crazy. In general, F30 felt like any other car in non-premium class, except for the badge... and they were discounting it heavily (we did like F10 btw).

When it comes to mpg, even I bought it - 320 ED gets amazing MPG according to press, barely spends any fuel at all - apperantly spends less fuel than city cars, and IS300h doesnt... then they test them and strange thing happens - IS300h is better. What?

These days I read UK press to laugh - no matter what the review says.

old boot lid was so heavy you didnt have to touch it to close... i hate it as every touch on the boot lid ends up slamming it. Not sure about Germans, because all of their interiors are worse than 3IS and on BMW you cant properly close doors, let alone the boot.

Hi Charles, Excellent choice of colour, it looks great in sunlight. I'm hoping to get a red IS300h early next year. I choose silver when I got my 2009 IS250 because it seemed the best for not showing small scratches and chips. I see Lexus uses self-healing paint on the IS300h so I'd be very interested to hear how you find the red stands up to the inevitable everyday minor stone chips, etc.

i think healing will work on small scratches and swirls but chips probably not... might be stronger than regular paint though.

AVS is Adaptive Variable Suspension. Internally, it has 9 different settings that it can change based on road conditions, they can be changed several times a second and thats how you get firmer suspension that handles pot holes and rough roads better than softer one. It is definitely something you want to have in your car.

Thank you, that's very helpful. Is it something you have to turn on, or if you have it you have it? And if it's a factory fit option, how do you know that you have it (particularly if it's "on" all the time)?

Hope this makes sense

it is always on, you can set several settings including Sport+ and thats how you know you have it.

Basically US reviews between 335i and IS 350 with AVS said that BMW crashes through pot holes while IS goes over them properly. This is due to AVS adjusting to the road conditions properly.

In fact, it is opposite of how older BMW's and Lexus's worked, where BMW was famous for its composed handling and Lexus wasnt... now tables have turned.

Very interesting, thanks again. I read somewhere that is was some early reviews of the 300 which were a bit critical of the ride that LED to Lexus including it on UK F Sports that have the Nav option. How true or not that is I have no idea, and it won't be until I take delivery on the 1st that I can be sure one way or the other.

it is hard to take UK reviews seriously as they are not being serious... all of them said that IS300h gets worse mpg than all of the german diesels and then AE tests them all and gets best mpg in IS300h.

And yet, the M Sport package fails to rectify our complaints about the F30 chassis. There’s more movement from both front and rear axles than expected, more than its predecessor exhibited and, notably, more than either the ATS or the IS displays. Even with the optional suspension, body control falters. Bumps that the Lexus absorbs and the Cadillac shrugs off with a single succinct compression and rebound make the BMW pitch and roll and fight to stay on-line. Compared with the other two cars here, the BMW feels immense and slow-witted. Its steering also seems comparatively lazy, too light and vague on-center; and what little feel there is to begin with disappears entirely in fast transitions.

And that is what’s most damning: The M Sport is capable, but it’s not as engaging as either opponent.

But charge into a series of quick bends and the IS completely changes its character. Turn-in is crisper in the Lexus than in either the BMW or the Cadillac, a fact borne out by its first-place slalom finish in spite of a mediocre skidpad performance. More important, the Lexus is utterly imperturbable. Bumps that send other cars skittering off-line or scrambling to maintain their course are absorbed and dispatched, but not kept completely hidden from the driver.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2014-lexus-is350-f-sport-page-4

I am willing to bet anything that you will not see this being written in any UK review

:-)

AVS is Adaptive Variable Suspension. Internally, it has 9 different settings that it can change based on road conditions, they can be changed several times a second and thats how you get firmer suspension that handles pot holes and rough roads better than softer one. It is definitely something you want to have in your car.

Thank you, that's very helpful. Is it something you have to turn on, or if you have it you have it? And if it's a factory fit option, how do you know that you have it (particularly if it's "on" all the time)?

Hope this makes sense

it is always on, you can set several settings including Sport+ and thats how you know you have it.

Basically US reviews between 335i and IS 350 with AVS said that BMW crashes through pot holes while IS goes over them properly. This is due to AVS adjusting to the road conditions properly.

In fact, it is opposite of how older BMW's and Lexus's worked, where BMW was famous for its composed handling and Lexus wasnt... now tables have turned.

AVS is Adaptive Variable Suspension. Internally, it has 9 different settings that it can change based on road conditions, they can be changed several times a second and thats how you get firmer suspension that handles pot holes and rough roads better than softer one. It is definitely something you want to have in your car.

red will probably have better resale than black as it looks great and is quite special in Lexus lineup... different colored interior may have worse resale only if it is done bad.... but if i buy used IS300h few years down the line, i will make sure that I get red interior.

so what does that 3 year plan offer in terms of servicing? Seems a lot more expensive than here in Eastern Europe.

When it comes to hybrids and cheaper servicing, it is further down the line than 3 years - for instance brakes wont need to be changed nearly as often but they are not including brakes in 3yr offer anyway.

you have 2 USB ports for the music, you can put a lot of music there.

once you know where parking button is, it is fine... although i gotta say, i never had to turn off mine as you can adjust distance reported in menus, so i always kept mine on for both my 2IS and 3GS.

there is no SD reader in Euro IS (only in Japan) - there are 2 USB ports that can take Iphone + usb for instance, or any other combination.... i like to connect my phone because it charges it as well, so it is always charged.

did the F-Sport have AVS?

IS300h might have hill assist option? not sure, but it can be activated by stepping on brakes hard for few seconds.... it will make brakes hold the car uphill without you applying the brakes anymore... and when you press gas, it will automatically release the brakes.

leather also gets memory seats and electric adjustment for steering wheel?

It shares your phones internet connection via Bluetooth. You dont have to actually buy separate 3G SIM unless you want that Lexus Hotspot - WIfi router. But you dont need to have it... just connect your phone and set it up and it should work easily.

Re economy, that's another thing the reviewers miss. I live eight miles from Belfast. On an average trip in and out, I exceed 50 mpg. In my wife's diesel I exceeded 50mpg driving to Amsterdam, but not in and out to Belfast!

Re options, am I right that even options are taxed down there? I noted they have an "Eco" trim level, which looks suspiciously like the bare minimum!

I think we've discussed the BMW thing before. I'm not sure Lexus should have led on the "driving experience" thing, not least because there is no manual. Even if it's true (and the Lexus driving experience *is* spectacular), no one's going to believe it, at least not in Europe. The truth is, I was never in the market for a 3-series - for me, the choice was C-class, S60 or IS (or A5 at a push). I suspect I provide a likelier hunting ground than brash BMW thrill seekers...

I genuinely didn't think the S80's seats could be beaten - one Dubliner even fitted out an entire home cinema with them! The 3IS beats them. Astonishing.

as to the European magazines, you are right, there is no chance that IS or GS can beat BMW in tests, they are automatically rated worse :-).

But Lexus main market is USA, and there GS has won plenty reviews against 5 series and 3IS is winning reviews over new 3 series too, which never happened before. C&D said IS350 was supple and firm at the same time while 3 series was crashing and disturbed over the bumps. Imagine Autocar writing that? Their hands would turn black and fall off! ;)

@Silver Arrow: Yeah the BMW 8 speed ZF box gets amazing reviews. And it's used many many other luxury cars so it's been well proven too. Agree on the rest of the sentiments. TBH the 8 speed in the IS-F is pretty trick and almost magical and could have been used on it's IS brethren :/ tho saying that it seems a 7 speed sport version is available in the US on the IS350 non-f-sport. Why do they not give us such nice toys here .... :(

GS250 doesnt get 7 speed in US, it is same 6 speed. 8 speed is in 3.5l engine.

I dont think the gearbox is the problem in GS250, it is engine that is not suited to the car at all. As to the materials, I find it heads and shoulders above A6/5 series (GS). But 2.5l is not competitive at all and after driving it, i would never get it.

Hitting 55mpg again today, over about 20 miles.

One minor niggle: the boot lid. This is not automated (as it is with Jaguar and some of the Germans) and is irritatingly designed in such a way that I rarely get it fully closed first time, always having to press down subsequently from above. Can't quite believe it is so basic on a car which is otherwise so advanced!

check other cars on dealer when you are next time there... with 2IS problem was that if you applied even tiny bit of force, they would slam shut... so you would have to tip toe when closing them. Maybe enough people complained or new one has aluminium boot, who knows... just make sure it is not your seal or something.

Ian - have you connected digital music to the car yet, via HDD, USB stick or what-have-you? If so, how is it represented on the main screen and the driver's screen (where the dials - or dial on F Sport - are... I'd call this a "DIS" in Audi terminology)?

Also, I have a question or two outstanding with Lexus, which they're finding difficult to answer (going to ask a specialist I've been told) - my question is this: "On page 37 of the IS brochure there is item 7, "Connected Services" that is said to be available as an option, or standard on some grades. Could you tell me more about this? This does not appear to be inextricably linked to the Lexus Hotspot on page 48 of the same brochure."

Do you, or anyone, have knowledge of this? It sounds like Google and various other on-line services can be used, but it's certainly not clear how that is achieved. I would expect via a 3G connection, which would - intuitively - use the (I believe unreleased) Lexus Hotspot - but the brochure is not clear (at least to me).

I've got an F Sport test drive booked for Friday and Saturday on the 16th. I test drove the A6 Black Edition last weekend - Sunday and Monday.

Apperantly if you have nav in 3IS, you get stuff like pics from google streetview...

The 7-inch screen is operated by Remote Touch or voice commands. With vivid 3D graphics and many mapping options, once parked, the system generates a QR code for your smartphone, with directions by foot to your final destination.

The IS offers next-generation services like Online Search, Google Street View® , Panoramio® or Connected Traffic. For extra convenience you can even forward a route from your laptop or tablet to your car’s navigation system

as to the iphone/ipad/usb, it picks up album artwork in the base unit....

I've taken a brief test drive in a rather good looking IS300h f-sport today. I have to say whilst the CVT is still very alien to the traditional driving experience and not ever what i'd want it was very nice. the interior in particular was beautiful and very appealing. It was very brief drive and whilst it never felt quick, it was very smooth, and the refinement of the 4 cylinder petrol is a huge improvement over the 1.8 in the CT.

One of the best improvements...........split folding rear seats, makes a saloon so much more practical.

Just wish I'd had longer to have a play with all the buttons......as the dealers representative who took me out, knew absolutely nothing about the car.

I may speak to them again to see if I can borrow one for longer.

Hi Mr W

I'm intrigued on how the "six step CVT box" actually works - I know it is supposed to mimic a traditional auto box but does this just happen when using paddle shift or does it also happen in normal cvt mode? - I agree with you re the interior although it does split the odd opinion here and there, someone on this forum mentioned that he is disappointed in the cheapness of the materials used

it does introduce "gears", but only unless you are at WOT... if you are pressing it to the metal, then it will disregard gears and give you best possible acceleration, which is actually by keeping it at best power rpm.

It is actually not CVT but rather PSD, and combines 2 electric motors inside... in theory experience is similar to CVT but again not really because you have 2 motors inside you get speed a lot faster than average 4cly cvt. If you look at both, they are very different devices.

speakers work always if they are on, as they are adjustable, quite possibly someone turned them off in the model he tried... it is a switch left side under the steering wheel.

Well apperantly IS300h is not so slow... despite slower off the line, mid-range acceleration is great and it beats C250 CDI by more than a car lenght:

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-third-generation/700545-well-the-is300h-is-no-slouch.html