Most car reviewers test cars like they have to race it everywhere thinking they have to prove something and most are not very skilful because they don't like anything complicated with lots of gadget. I had one of these cars and I loved it. I don't realy care about mpg but I still got average 40 to 50mpg over a period of one year. The electric motor is to assist the petrol engine for torque, so when cruising at 70 -80mph the rpm is sometimes below 1500 to save fuel and at low revs this make the car quieter. Average 45mpg at this speed The EV model is for when you are stuck in traffic and it has the silence to give you a stressless ride. I get about 65mpg when in slow traffic on the M25. All my friends who have diesel cars admire how quiet and comfortable this car is compare to their BMW Audi, Mercedes Evoque. It took me months to get to know the all the kit in this car, so I never got bored with it. Now I have a Lexus RX which is even better. People don't understand the Lexus brand until they own one. The main reason Lexus uses a hybrid for their cars is comfort, the rest are bonuses. Their buyers don't even want a plug in. It is all about stress free motoring. I am glad that most people don't like Lexus. I don't want this brand to be as common as chips.
I'm a Lexus fan and have had 4 during the last 10 years. Also had BMW 5 series, Jags and Mercedes. I'm driving a Lexus IS300H right now and love it. It's different and bold, the driving position, steering, finish and quality of build is fantastic. The Hybrid engine works for me, I spend most of my time driving on the motorway...its quiet and responsive.
I think you guys missed it. Lexus is not to be compared with an e-golf. With vw you’ll be in the garage within 2 years for all kinds of weird things. And as for the cvt noise if you floor it, i don’t understand that people find it normal that a normal automatic first thinks about what he will do and then goes back 2 gears to eventually speed off. How many times do you floor it? If you don’t floor it, then ALL of the times the cvt is more quiet and has no gear changes (which you always feel especially when flooring). You only get that if you drive it for a good amount of time. Lexus is also worry free in technical problems, try that with other premium brands. And the is300h keeps its value much better too. Just for the record i had bmw 5 and 3 + audi a6 and a4 + mercedes e and c-class. Never had any car that lasted trouble free for several years, now 5 years and going strong (not even a light bulb changed).. It’s just what you find important i guess. Best of luck!
Strewth, this was more like a Top Gear road test, circa 1980. I get the impression that they wrote the script before they even got in the car. If he only got 34mpg, he must have forgotten to take the handbrake off. They obviously don't like Lexus cars.
Why so much hate on this car? we own one for nearly 4 years now and its one of the best cars we've ever had... the CVT isn't that terrible at all, cus you don't floor the gas everytime you accelerate so the 'horrible cvt sound' is quite OK.. its very comfy and not that slow, but remember this isn't a sports car. Also this car cannot be compared to full electric cars.. this car is made for combined city/highway, full electric ones are mostly for city... so before making comments 'oh what a sh*t car, get behind the wheel of one and enjoy it...
NathanCelica I think that due to the inefficiencies in the CVT transmission and the very low EV range and capabilities when it's advertising pretty high eco credentials puts people off. As we pointed out, the car drives fantastically and has excellent reliability and this was never in question.
@@Jamesandkate thanks for the video, I personally like this car and willing to buy although it is still worth to hear some feedback from EV lovers. Please let me point out that hybrids are not EV cars, they are petrol cars designed to keep the consumption down compared to normal petrol cars while keeping the performance up. It is not meant to be a great fun to drive but to be your best friend on daily use. The fact that in some circumstances it can drive on electricity only doesn't add much to the fuel economy, it only comes from the nature of the system so there is no point to compare to an EV as the magic comes from the high thermal efficiency combustion engine, the electric motor is only added to increase performance when needed. Consumption should be compared to the non hybrid version of this car to understand the difference. I don`t understand how you got so low mileage as it should be around 50 on the roads I saw you driving and many other sources confirm that. There is no way that you would get similar mileage to an ST, I think there must have been a glitch during testing. The sound of the car is an other interesting topic because it is one of the reasons why i am not watching formula E... wonder what it may sound like in a road car when you floor it. I think that there is going to be a great battle between hybrid and EV cars for survival in the next few decades. Hybrids must become more efficient while EVs must extend range without extra costs of money or charging time. I buy cars for freedom and therefore EVs are out of my view for years even if they are fun to drive. Thanks for sharing your experiences again and all the best for your future videos, regards from Hungary.
Afraid you rather lost me when you dismissed the CD player as irrelevant. Maybe for your age group or demographic but for those of us not much older we still use cd’s on a regular basis and I think it is to their credit they still offer it. This isn’t an EV or anything like it. The EV use is handy for early risers who don’t want to annoy their neighbours as they leave in the morning!! The hybrid isn’t just a bolt on its a valid addition to the engine that adds mpg in the real world. I have sold quite a number of these cars and everyone is amazed by them and their refinement plus the mpg figures they get driving normally far exceeds what you claim. Not a dig just observation
BMC specialist I’ve watched most of your videos on the cars your selling, and I really enjoy your honest reviews, and I must add you always have excellent cars in stock and I would actually buy a car from you blindfolded.
You take hybrid - drive it like petrol or diesel and complain about consumption. What a brainless approach. You DO NOT drive them hybrids normal way. They are built to encourage legal driving - not what majority of road user do and You do while filming. Just have a look at fully charged - he does 53 mpg - now that IS an example not what you do trashing it.
Marcin H This car was driven as I would drive any car. I understand it promotes a calmer driving style but even driven this way it still got poor results. The hybrid system is designed to assist you're driving style and it doesn't do this. I will add that we test cars properly, not with a feather foot and unrealisticly. If I wanted to drive this way I could achieve the same results in a full ICE car. The hybrid system here is dated and makes little, if any difference to the fuel consumption figures unless, as you stated, is driven in a very very sedate manner.
You have a point. I admit. XD Although I must add that I drive Prius daily last 2 years and get 53 mpg rock solid while not being a problem for others on the roads and pulling off junctions in quite surprising speed while later annoyed with engine steady out the throttle... And I was considering Lexus as driving mostly in a city would be better off than with diesel? Then occasionally longer journey fe 300 miles. Should be ok I think? I did find out with Prius that using cruise control on motorway gets all this engine noise mostly cancelled (obviously driving around legal limit :-)
Marcin H I've previously driven the Prius and the new Prius plus and they're far better than the set up in the Lexus and I also noticed better fuel consumption figures. Maybe due to weight????
Sorry to tell you James, but you guys don't know how to drive an hybrid. I'd say even more, jusdging by the way you accelerate and break in your videos, you guys don't know how to drive, period. Hybrids are SUPPOSED to be driven gently and with antecipation, which is how all cars should be driven, BTW. Of course that if you have an agressive driving style, you'll never get the most out of any hybrid because 1) You accelerate too hard instead of trying to maintain a constant speed, so the petrol engine is always kicking in 2) You break too hard instead of antecipating traffic and such and letting the car slide/ break gently to recover as much energy as you can When people who don't know how to drive economically hop into hybrids, what they get is your review. The problem isn't with the car, it's with the people who don't undertsand how it works and how to drive it properly. Sorry for the rant, but it's true. In all of your hybrid videos you get considerably lower MPG than most other drivers get with their cars (actually in this one you got close to what most get, but this is a general rant), so the probem mustn't be (and it isn't) with the vehicle. You have to understand that these aren't full eletric vehicles, where you can smash the accelerator all you want and still drive in EV.
+mftgdeserteagle being an EV driver i completely know how to drive economically. The problem with this car is that you have to drive unlike an actual car to get the best from it and that just isnt acceptable to pay a premium for a car that you have to drive differently to any other. The fuel co sumption figures are awful and can be achieved in cgeaper full ICE cars. As you probably know here in Europe we are renowned for being quick drivers, probably why this car doesn't sell and Lexus have such a small market share.
Yes, the engine comes in but in conjunction with the electric motor to reduce fuel consumption. My brother-in-law has one and commutes to bear London, from Leicestershire, regularly and does normal local driving and consistently gets 55mpg and so you might have a bit of a heavy right foot. There is a technique to driving petrol hybrids.
You are comparing the Lexus with an EV, but it is not an EV, it's an Hybrid, that's a common mistake people do, the performance compared to a petrol car is there, 8 seconds for a 0 to 60, is not that bad, but you compare it to your Tesla, that's not really fair. I'm a Prius Driver myself, the question I always get asked is how many kilometers can I do with the battery, sorry, but that's not the purpose of it.
tchouzebra the funny thing is, this car comes with an EV mode that I personally think is misleading and advertises the ability to drive on the traction battery alone under speeds of 40mph. The thing is, it doesn't do any of those, and compared to your Prius or the new Auris it's miles off. It's a shame because the car is very nice, but as a hybrid it's just not that good, unless driven in a way I consider unrealistic. Sorry, just my opinion. Thank you for your input though 😊👍🏻
James and Kate you have no reason to be sorry, you express yourself, I do too, I thought your conclusion could be a bit biased because you, beeing used to the best EV there is, on a daily basis, could be wanting more than it is designed to do. Lexus Hybrids are more on the sporty side than on the economical side, that's more the toyota's hybrids role, you can see this by comparing an auris with the lexus CT and how they are setup being basicaly sister cars... that said, I enjoy your reviews, not sure I'll get an EV that soon, unfortunately, France is being late on the charger stations installation, but looking at the market, I think hybrids are a nice step up from petrol only cars... An for the EV button, I agree with you that it's a marketing error, it should be advertised as what it is good for in the first place, moving your car from your garage without waking up the house, not much more than that... Toyota didn't put the EV button on US sold Priuses (2nd Gen) maybe by fear of a court issue, given how the americans are prone to sue for anything...
Thats a good point reference the set up. I have to say i didn't consider this and probably should have. I assumed they'd be the same, my mistake. I was under the impression France was on top of the infrastructure? I did see plenty of rapid chargers at services there in the summer and again in the winter last year. That said, we need saturation, not a few, and France isn't small :-/
James and Kate if you ask some of the Lexus Employees or read the EV MODE definition in the manual (whic I doubt anyone reads manuals anymore) they will tell you that the car is a hybrid and not exactly a full electric car in EV mode as it's made to be a hybrid and nothing else really which is why they have a range of petrol cars too
BMW has released a new hybrid series which I suggest if you also like more technology and more updated tech like auto parking, pre collision warnings and braking, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, night vision etc.
The noise you heard was probably from the ACS mode, which you can turn off. You must be really heavy footed, as we get and average of 52-53mpg. I haven't seen the IS promoted as an EV, it is purely a Hybrid, and a very good one at that. Best you stick to your favourite German cars.
What a biased review! I drive one and I love it. It gives me about 48 miles mpg urban and upto 55 mpg on motorways. It is quiet, smooth and luxurious. it is definitely nippy on Sports mode and it is not noisy at all. I love the sound it makes on sports mode. Sorry, I cannot agree with your biased review.
worst review i've ever seen and I drive a BMW 520D. I'm not a Lexus fanboy. How does the Hybrid seem like an add on? This is basically a luxury toyota prius and the hybrid system works beautfully. Most people are getting 50mpg+ Very biased review.
asianskywalker the hybrid system does work beautifully, but achieves results that an ICE car can achieve. Therefore rendering the initial outlay worthless and you'll see no better results unless driven like a fairy. I diesel focus easily achieves these really when driven normally and the cvt is awful.
@@Jamesandkate diesel is going to be banned, it is a much more polluting fuel and that's not even taking the German fiddling of the figures into account. Prices of diesels are already falling and the depreciation on those luxury models is horrendous.
05:53 Since you _really_ don't like that EV mode is short range, it sounds like you needed a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) instead. A way to visualise the EV ranges (in miles) for hybrid/electric vehicles is as follows: *HEV* (conventional hybrid, like the Prius) -> single-digit to low double-digit EV range. *PHEV* -> Double-digit EV range (usually 30 to 50 miles, or so). *Full EV* (e.g. Nissan Leaf) -> Triple-digit EV range.
A friend of mine has one and loves it. If you drive it in a smooth manner it is fabulous and I think it is a great looking car. If you start thrashing it the engine noise is tiresome. On the plus side they offer it instead of a diesel. That is rubbish fuel consumption you get, my friend does much better than that but he does drive very slowly. I do like your totally honesty and twin points of view on your reviews.
The trouble with EV fanatics is that they overlook the overall efficiency of the system. A lump of coal delivered to your house for the fire or boiler is still 100% energy as it came out of the ground - when burnt you get about 30% of the original. Similar with gas and oil. If these fuels are turned into energy at a power station, yes it is more efficient but it is then transmitted over long distances, transformed, reduced and distributed to your house, achieving about 30% (again) of the original potential. You then top up your EV battery (more loss) and then turn it back to motion (more loss) and of course the battery itself loses energy. And then there is the production and disposal of the batteries using some very unpleasant materials... So, yes some electricity is generated by non-fossil fuels but don't get too puffed about your environmental credentials - look at the whole picture.
Hey J&K, First, learning how to drive hybrids for fuel efficiency is something you need to learn how to do properly and it takes a bit of practice. Second, what you said in 8:20 about a car slowing down to "recapture energy" what Lexus is doing as actually saving more energy that way and this is why: When a car is slowing down intentionally to convert it to energy, it takes away from the current kinetic energy, and converting it to electricity. However this kind of conversion includes serious energy loss and when you then use this electricity to gain kinetic energy you are again losing energy via conversion (it's called conversion efficiency factor). So if for example the factor is 0.5 then the 2 conversions amount to 0.25, i.e. you gain only a quarter of the energy you lost while decelerating. So if you wish to keep your momentum and speed, and the car slows down you need to invest more energy to gain it back than you've created. Simple rule of physics ;)
After all that I still bought the Lexus NX 300h for my wife and we love this hybrid system better then the diesel Audi I had. We are getting 40 mpg. And what noise from the CVT its smooth like any other car.
It's like getting a vegan to review a steak... The fact that you have no idea what a ECVT is and that you managed to get only 34mpg shows that you guys.. and i mean no disrespect... have as much knowledge about cars as I do about space ships... stick to your little Tesla's and Leaf's and leave the Lexus to the people that know what it's all about...
They clearly have no idea of how to drive a hybrid. Read about coasting and you'll find the reason why it doesn't slow down like other cars when you let go of the throttle.
What did you do to get 34mpg? Were you carrying some breeze blocks in the boot or something? My wife has a Toyota Rav4 with the exact same Hybrid system, but it's a much heavier and less aerodynamic car obviously. The lowest mpg we have ever seen is 42. The highest was 48. I get the distinct feeling you are strongly biased against hybrids.
I recently drove a few 100 miles out of Sydney in a Toyota Camry hybrid - essentially the same engine and hybrid system as the Lexus. I pretty much agree with all your comments. The only thing I will say is that I was pleased to have the hybrid upgrade rather than a standard petrol. It was nice to (slowly) glide in and out of the car parks in EV mode, and the engine did stay off a fair amount of the time on the main roads and even motorways at 70-80mph. Although you can't select EV mode, even at 75mph it will still kill the engine if you're not trying to accelerate hard and it will use the electric motor under small acceleration for a few hundred metres until you come to more than a slight uphill or use up the paltry battery. When you want to power up hills the electric motor assist gives the engine a boost, so you get a bit of that instant torque feel. The Camry also had a B mode on the gearstick for extra regenerative braking. We did just manage to beat the manufacturer's quoted 5.2 l/100km or 54 mpg (Imperial). I wouldn't say it was a terrible car but then I also wouldn't buy one, for the same reasons you gave!
nettlesoup that's impressive figures, maybe I should have kept it for the week, but felt I'd got all I needed. Glad you agree in the most part though 😊👍🏻
Interesting review. Two things occured to me: 1) with my Auris hybrid (2015 facelift) to switch to electric drive you push the pedal to reach the speed you want to maintain (it uses the petrol engine) and when you reached the speed you ease off on the pedal for a second and then gently push it again. This way I can maintain a 68-70 km/h speed and keep going until the battery deplets and petrol engine turns on again. With lower speed (50 km/h) I can go through not so small villages with only using the battery. In city driving it also works. I routinely make 6-10 km long city trips with 3-3,5 l/100km average. This is with normal driving, not blocking the traffic with slow driving. You can use this technique in any driving modes - eco, normal, power (sport is this Lexus). I don't know why this did not work in the Lexus you tested. 2) It was odd to hear that this Lexus let the car roll freely instead of slowing down when the pedal wasn't being pushed. This is absolutely not how thing work in my Auris hybrid. If anything, the slowing down is very pronounced, it almost feels like engine brake. My other car (an automatic diesel with 2L turbo engine) does not slow down... Maybe your EVs use a more aggressive regeneration - sure, they need all the help they can get since they are not hybrids.
I own a 2015 Rx450h and I agree. I really regret not just buying the regular petrol version. I barely get better gas mileage and also I must use premium gas (where the regular Rx 350 only requires 87 octane). And having to always worry about the high volt battery failing and costing thousands of dollars. Just not worth it.
Sorry guys I respect your opinion but this wasn't a fair review I'm looking to buy one a Premier model to of the range. When I test drove one for an hour it was showing me 46mpg I don't think you was driving it wright and I've owned a 2nd gen prius for the last 8 year's which is giving me 53mpg. Hybrid cars are perfect for people like me who can't charge at home. I've spoken to a few privet hire drivers who clame to get nearly 600 miles to a tank of fuel really good I think. This makes more sense then a 3 series BMW or C class Merc,Audi A4 diesel equivalent. And you can't beat Lexus reliability the service cost will be lover then it's German rivals. You cannot compare this car to an EV I'd rather have this car then an overpriced Tesla which won't be as reliable and won't have the build quality.
Hi Guys, my brother has the F-Sport version of this car and i agree with you: the outside looks mean and has nice flowing lines, the inside is ok but not up to Lexus standards of old. He has managed to get 50+ mpg out of it on long motorway runs and the noise can be turned up or down by the means of a dial on the dash (not a lot of difference tbh)....Great review as always & keep up the good work!
@@Jamesandkate finally a honest review among alot of other neutral reviews... you are telling it like it is, i like that :) having driven the prius gen 2 for a day, i can agree with your simular experiences. It is slow, noisy, and not at all economic. I like the design of the is300h, and would like it to be an alternative to a 3 series. But sadly the prising of the lexus gives my to little... it promises too much also. Toyota now calls their hybrids "self charging" wich is totally misleading. It doesent charge, as in getting enough to drive in ev mode. The ev button is a joke. If it only had a little more ev range and didn't start the petrol every time, then its a hybrid. But sadly this is not a hybrid as advertised, as you mention. This should have been advertised as; "This is a petrol car, but hav an electric engine to take load of the petrol engine and therefore make it better on mpg" the problem with the lexus is that it is expensive and not a drivers car like it looks like. A 3 series 320d is faster, way more economical, lighter, same priced, with a manual more fun to drive, and easy to chip even faster. In my country we dont have more road tax on diesel vs hybrid, also the diesel is cheaper to buy at the pumps. Yes, the lexus is guaranteed low maintence cost, but as a diy guy, i can live with the bmw. I have had bmw's in many years. Why buy an expensive is300h? I have a cheap 530xd 2007 manual. This car easily gets 50 mpg, have more space, can pull trailer, have a beautiful straight six sound and a reliable m57 engine. I just cant see why to buy a more expensive, new is300h compare to my bmw. I dont gain any in fuel economy as lexus say is their big selling points... the lexus is just pointless! Besides that it looks cool, have nice quality and good equipment, nice leather and a smooth drivetrain for slow driving/trafic jams. But why buy a 3 series type of car for driving grandma style just to get somewhere close to advertised mpg numbers?? My point is; this as a plugin hybrid but at the same price would been a perfect alternative to a 320d. Sadly it isn't...
Who listens to CDs anymore? I DO! I'm not going to throw all my CDs in the dustbin to replace them with downloads when I have already paid for the music tracks!
Your video suggests you aren't clear about the difference between a hybrid and an EV, not that finding an EV mode switch in a hybrid helps. I suggest that BEV's (and PHEV's) are broadly capable of EV acceleration and EV regen, whereas hybrids are capable of EV regen only, except in the case of garaging or car park crawling - this is clearly spelt out in the car handbook. As a long-time Prius owner, I find any hybrid instantly recognisable as a Prius in disguise, by its controls, gauges, performance and economy - after all, Toyota, through licensing or directly, is just marketing a broad range of vehicles for potential buyers who find the Prius too geeky. These alternatives are a bit more luxurious, a bit more roomy, a bit less efficient, and they sell well - Toyota isn't the world's most successful vehicle manufacturer by accident. Hybrids may well just be ICE cars with slightly "green" credentials, but they are affordable, cost a lot less at the pump, have no range issues, and are extremely reliable. I am also a Leaf owner, and drive it daily, but my Prius will need to be my backstop for many years yet - the EV revolution is still in its infancy.
harry bosch I agree with that, but I feel that since Toyota have been using this system for years they could have fitted a slightly bigger battery, therefore managing to achieve its 40 mph in EV only mode. This for me was completely misleading and incorrect. Having driven a Yaris with a similar system, I found the differences massive.
TS85 Hi, based on the advertising of Lexus it's fully misleading in that it has an EV mode, also weight isn't the primary factor to higher MPG it's drag coefficient so a little more weight would make no difference. Also this car does have a cvt gearbox which is less efficient than any manual/DSG and as you pointed out place the engine in a higher than normal state of rpm. Personally i feel VW's massively out perform this setup. Just to add, they do have a flywheel and injectors to.
Here’s the problem I have, I’m looking to buy used, looking at a 330e, I know it is faster and drives better but it’s hard to find a one that matches the equipment level of the Lexus and the Lexus looks a hell of a lot better will be more reliable as well, I don’t want a diesel and can’t really afford an electric car of the same standard, I have a ct200 now and actually like driving it, apart from the power that is. Ideal world I’d go for the 330e if I could a well equipped one but that’s unlikely, so I’m drawn back to the Lexus.
It's no looker is it. I think it was styled using one of those distortion apps. They took a regular car and smeared bits of it until it looked all wrong. Then someone said, 'more!', so they smeared it a bit more.
I'm swapping my IS300h for a Model S 60D very soon... I have the F-Sport which looks different but is basically the same car. Don't disagree with much, but I do think that the Hybrid is actually very well integrated, certainly compared to many. Sure it gives you no EV Range but it's very good in stop start traffic. Glad to see you got nowhere near the claimed MPG either :D Though I do get low to mid 40's.
Scott McKenzie have to say the way the system worked is seamless and very impressive. We have a friend waiting for a 60D also, a really good move. The best battery, for charging speed, usable storage and price. When are taking delivery...????
I have been very impressed with the Lexus. Mostly because it's not a very common car. Not the most sporty or best car, but a solid choice! I chose the 60 for the same reason - the good balance. I nearly ordered a 70 (it was that long ago) but was pleased when the 60 came out as I could get the D. It's due at the end of March - so quite excited!
You’re actually quite frustrating to watch. Don’t go compare the golf GTE being a PHEV with this car because they are completely different cars. The golf has a much faster electric motor whereas this has much smaller power from its electric motor so of course it’s not going to pick up as quick
This car can be driven in very different ways since it is capable of amazing acceleration, which is really fun (I have to plead guilty here, I'm no stranger to indulging in it myself every now and then). However, most of the time, I strictly stick to ECO mode and try to avoid the brake pedal as much as possible with the exception of unforeseen emergencies, of course. If you tend to use the brakes on a regular basis to slow down, think of it as the most inefficient way to throw away valuable energy, most probably because of poor anticipation.
55mpg (5.1 l/100km to be quite accurate) after spending over 2 weeks in Tirol... but I must admit it was slightly going up in the higher mountain pass roads (well over 2'000 m altitude). Probably not too good a mountain car as it is HEAVY, but great to cruise more or less flat territory.
dont forget some people cant jump to ev like me i live in london and in the flat so for me real option only hybrid. mayb e in the future the lamp post has chargers built in then yes everybody have evs but for now people drive what they can
Hi, great review, I have been thinking about trading in my 2002 IS200 for the IS300h, purely for the looks and comfort of the car. The EV I'm not bothered about as it looks as if its not even worth having. But another big thing I'm looking at is fuel econemy from the petrol engine, I'm currently getting 300 miles to a whole tank (£70 to fill up) not quite sure what that equates to in MPG, I would assume 25-30. I think you stated that it roughly gets 30-35mpg, which is not much better than my old IS200, pretty poor show I say for a car of 2017 that are supposed to be more efficient.
You have it spot on James and Kate. I have had an 1999 RX400h and now a 2000 RX450h. The RX450h is an excellent and smooth drive with loads of space for a family. I was expecting the latest Lexus models to build on the 90's innovation and come up with PHEV and Full EV options but.....nothing. Other vendors are completely out engineering them and it is disappointing to see that Lexus still have that frustrating function whereby the battery is always second best and the engine always wants to come on. Shame. I would be interested if you could get a drive in a BMW 225xe. Its a PHEV. Your thoughts would be welcome.
I agree with you on the dashboard James, too much going on. When I test drove this the first thing I noticed was the huge transmission tunnel/front centre console, quite off putting when you've driven the i3 with lots more passenger space there.
Aaron Cocker it's hard to beat an i3 to be fair. It's an utterly fantastic car. When they're covering 250+ miles a charge I think they'll be the top sellers. 😊👍🏻
James your EV mode driving experience matches my experience of 2015 Toyota Prius Plug-in. If it didn't have nearly full charge, then you couldn't even engage EV mode and even then I doubt i got it to go more than a few hundred yards without the ICE kicking in even though it was supposed to have an eleven mile EV range. It was winter I suppose and the only heating was to run the ICE.
Very nicely done, some drone bits, drive by clips and details like the boot trying to pass over the rear center tunnel 👌 Seems like someone thought the steering wheel adjustment knob required some extra protection 😅
This is the worst car review ive ever seen. I think theyve watched big channels like carwow and carbuyer and try to immitate. It all seems very cringy.
3 года назад+1
He's complaining about consumption of 34 mpg!? In a 2.5L luxury sedan!?
I recommend you to read some comments from owners as well... a sport car will never do better mileage than a hybrid... it is just not possible. Economical sport cars, non-economical toyota or lexus hybrids and aliens do not exist!
This is not the slow car you are making it out to be. The CVT makes the car accelerate gradually and look at he speedo when you think it not going fast. My F-Sport has surprised me many times. This is not a slow car it just needs to be driven differently as some comments have said here. Makes you a better driver too.
A few remarks here as I don’t really agree on your verdict I own a 300H F-Sport and driven about 6500 miles in 6 months EV button is useless agreed BUT let the computer decide when it activates EV mode trying to force it with the button is idd useless.Accelerating above 30 MPH or driving up hill will not work in EV. But I find the car daily activating EV mode at flat roads, downhill or exits up to 50 MPH The range however is limited to about 2 miles But on the other hand the battery will be fully charged again in about 4 or 5 miles Fuel consumption I average 40mpg to Max 45mpg driving it at legal limits and a few occasional sprints per tank. No one has used the horn to indicate I was to slow of the line. Considering the car weights in at 1600KG that is not bad but I admit I hoped to get 49mpg with driving moderate. To be honest there is no regular petrol car in this class that can match that. I can get the same results in my Suzuki Alto but that has tires like a bike and only weighs half the Lexus. With the same driving style in A4 diesel i will be able to get 49mpg max But that would cost almost twice a mutch to drive here (Holland roadtax). And will be a lot higher to maintain with all kind of exhoust EGR and turbo issues. About the sound This car is the quietest car I have ever driven and best in its class. It can match up to an E-class definatly more quiet than an a4, C-Class or 3 series. The engine sound u mention is mainly when u use sport mode. U can amplify engine noise through the speakers with a button which is stupid so keep the volume for that off at all time haha About the speed It does 0-100MPH in about 17/18 sec It’s not a Tesla nor a RS audi but should that not be more than enough by most standards ?
Ik hoop dat je me vraag kan beantwoorden. Ik ben sinds kort al soort van verliefd geworden op de is300h alleen ben ik zelf wel een sportievere rijder zoals bij. waar je 100 mag rij ik dan 120-140 km/h nou weet ik dat een lexus super zuining kan zijn mits je voet een beetje in bedwang houd maar hoe zit het met die 220pk is dat aan de slome kant of is het harstikke prima want ik zelf rij nu in een golf 7 1.4tsi met 122pk.
At 4.40 James mentions the plethora of steering wheel controls. Discuss this - Do steering wheels really need to turn more than 90 or 120 degrees (quarter or a third turn), making the controls all upside down, and un-intuitive even if you learned them?! As a biker, I am used to making all sorts of actions part-way into and through turns and roundabouts. My father once commented it made him feel uncomfortable me flipping levers and swapping gears in the car mid-roundabout etc. Actually, I got bored is the truth! However, serious point, how DO drivers operate these gizmo's buttons and rocker switches, when the steering wheel is angled more than say a quarter turn?! Handlebars have the curious advantage that your hands are always in the exact same location. With few exceptions, the controls actually NEED to be on the steering, or you gotta take a hand off. Cars, we are used to turning the wheel several times - should we carry on this way? Discuss! Back in the day, with no power steering, we had to gear the steering - hence lots of turns of the wheel to just make the road wheels turn 30 degrees! Is it time, that we had 'force feedback' steering wheels, such that actually, they do not rotate more than say a quarter or half turn absolute maximum? Then, the impossibility of figuring out which of the 13 controls is now located where, won't happen. I know, most people maybe don't twiddle with stuff while the steering is upside down, but the topic brings us to the issue of WHY steering wheels need to turn loads any more? Even our year 2000 little Renault Clio 1.2 Grande (fantastic car, can't speak highly enough of it) has power steering, we don't need a wheel any more, even, except it's a safety feature (drivers always come off best in accidents)? Lexus always struck me as bland...but in a secret agent kind of way? You know, James Bond drives an ostentatious eye-catching Aston Martin, but real spies want something decent but not drawing attention.
That’s not true my Lexus 2014 I am averaging 53 mpg and 615 miles on full tank of petrol ! This Lexus IS on of the best control on road in price market ! Not accurate your review !
James and Kate - it sounds like this power train is too easy to pull it out of EV mode, but yet you said it is capable of being driven many miles with the electric motor. City miles is where the hybrids really shine, increasing fuel mileage by about 1/3 overall if you spend 1/2 or more of your drive cycle at lower speeds. Strictly highway or steady speeds on flat roads - not much savings there. Cold temps don't help either, as the ICE is used for interior heat, so will run often. Fiddling with the throttle to manage the EV operation is just a part of the driving experience - call it a challenge! I think that the electric motor side of hybrids does need to be more powerful though, since those who may be driving behind you usually won't care for your lethargic acceleration from a stop - necessary to keep it in EV mode. Good video - really enjoyed the drone bits and your likes and dislikes.
The electric motors are more than capable of it, it's the battery that can't provide power on its own. Usually the engine supplements the generation of electricity for the motors under acceleration. If they used a lithium battery they'd be more powerful under electric. Toyota/Lexus just don't feel lithium for hybrids is quite there yet except for the plug in models.
A great, genuine review of what comes across as a vehicle not quite up to being a proper hybrid! Toyota(Lexus) need to be on the ball now and get an appealing BEV happening, they could well have had one coming about by now had they not, unwisely in my opinion, been so convinced that the Mirai was the way forward. God knows how much time, money and resources have been poured into that very niche fuel cell vehicle..
Adrian King it doesn't bear thinking about. They've recently announced a line of phev's and bev's, but we'll wait and see. I don't think anything will materialise soon sadly.
its literally the definition of a hybrid. The ev engine helps the petrol engine and you get about 50mpg in these cars. its not an ON and OFF ev/petrol car. Youre totally missunderstanding the whole design of the hybrid system.
I'm surprised it's so noisy, I drive an RX hybrid and the engine is very quiet except at full throttle in fact you can't tell when it cuts in. I find the eCVT transmission great, it allows the engine to run at its most efficient and smoothly puts down the power to the wheels. I agree it's EV credentials are rubbish but the marginally better fuel economy comes from a balance of electric motor and ICE power.
Peter Seddon I may have to test one of those. I feel that the only way I would manage to better my fuel consumption would be to drive in a manner that I wouldn't drive an ICE car, which surely isn't the way. Cheers commenting 😊👍🏻
People who appreciate Lexus quality and especially the mark Levinson hi fi fitted to Lexus cars, believe it or not , probably own a premium hifi seperates system in their home, which more than likely has a CD player and a record deck. Everyone can use their phones or mp3 to play music in all modern cars, but people like myself will also play their CD collection dating back to eighties, as CD quality , especially through a premium hifi set up, is far superior. It's comments like this from reviewers who probably do everything wirelessly and think Bose or bang and olufsen are real hifi because their marketing tells you so, are the reason record stores are closing on a weekly basis. And besides, why would anyone complain about a CD player that's built in as standard for the same price?
Great Video guys as are the rest of them, very informative. Could you do a review on the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, I would be interested to know your thoughts of it against the electric version if possible?
The cabin is confusing really? Ive driven a hybrid VW from the same era and it has like 20 different drive modes and is very overengineered and confusing. Lexus is very simple compared.
I thought Hybrid cars were all about being assisted by a battery, rather then fully or semi elec cars, unlike some plugs in like Golf Gte. I much appreciate the review altough your expectations of EV mode are too high for a vehicle that's not designed to be EV, especially at higher throttle loads. Driving with a heavy foot does produce negative opinions, but you should have tried this car in a heavy traffic, busy towns, when you lugging the car at low speeds bumper to bumper, and you will see where the EV mode excels.. After all, this was its main purpose.
When you say that there is no regenerative braking you mean that not applying throttle makes the car coast only, right? As I understand you get regenerative braking when you begin applying the brakes, and above a certain level it would even apply the friction brakes in combination of regenerative braking. But it will not brake as a forklift, that you lift your foot from the throttle and you would have very strong "engine brake". Do I understand well your comment, please?
donphobos yes I completely understand. The point here is that the motor setup is so underpowered and the battery so small it is not physically able to recapture the kinetic energy as a BMW i3 for example. Most are now recapturing 20% on braking. This one.... 8% 😳👎🏻
such a shame that the reviewers failed to find the 'off' switch for the synthesised engine noise in 'sport mode'.Having covered 7,500 miles in one of these cars in 3 months I can assure you that real world fuel consumption recorded properly tankful to tankful exceeds 42mpg. They criticised the lack of regeneration and engine braking when going downhill - Were they not aware of the 's' mode available from the gear lever? As for acceleration - this car will leave most hot hatchbacks standing and is a far better balanced car then the 2 Mercedes I have owned in the past 2 years. Oh and the build quality is streets ahead of the German premium brands. Never mind lets keep it a secret as Lexus owners enjoy far better service from their dealerships than MB or BMW offer -I have experienced all 3.
olliesgrandad Lexus has .5% of the market share here so they are likely to see better figures than BMW and Merc. 0-60 is 8.4 secs, Thats not faster than most hot hatched and with regards to the noise we were referring to the drone of the engine when bolted to the cvt transmission. Also our neighbour has 18.000 miles on his and achieves nowhere near the MPG so I'm guessing he's got the experience to advise us.
Another good honest review. Typical Lexus/Toyota CVT making the engine rev at the peak torque of 4000+. Another this is the engine drone, which seems to be a more common on recent Toyota in line fours. My old Mk1 Avensis had a more pleasing and quiet sound. Even when revved it sounded "nice". My Mk3 Avensis has this drone, but it is not too bad compared to some of the CVT cars I have heard. Since it is manual, I can get around this drone. Also my car has better fuel consumption and it is a petrol estate, driven normally. No hyper mile style driving. As a Toyota owner, I think the company needs to up it's game in the hybrid market, and not rest on it's laurels. Hyundai will be taking away sales with the Ioniq, especially hybrid/plug-in hybrid. Keep up the good honest reviews.
this is full hybrid. you have to learn how to drive that. it's very sensitive and intelligent. It's not just electric and just power. Most time it's working together, electric with petrol engine both at the same time. I am not sure if it's proper to compare with e-cars like e-golf or passat gte. It's not litteraly petrol car. it's not noise , it's just engine which start work while it was sleeping for 200 km :S och. The most of people who comment here does know ANYTHING about technical background of lexus hybrid systems. First, learn how toyota HSD works and then make "video"
Marian Polek I know exactly how the system work in great detail. And as you point out you have to drive it in a way that people unfortunately don't drive and don't want to drive. With an EV or petrol/diesel car you can drive how you wish and get the same results but with this system you must employ an overly timid driving style to achieve these results which is why their popularity continues to fall.
James criticises it for having too much going on but is there too much? I mean how many buttons do you have to click just to access something on a tesla
Chidi Dike when you said lenient I thought you meant easy. It's standard here, you just can't get a feel for a car in 20 mins I don't think. What do you get your way...????
I've read all the reviews, been for a test drive and now ordered one. I was very impressed with the smoothness and lack of noise. Of course I didn't put my foot to the floor, but I don't do that with my current petrol vehicle, I have to pay for the fuel! The steering is very precise and the cabin did not seem claustrophobic at all. Not sure why you don't like the reversing camera? In fact I found this review confusing as you seemed quite impressed at the beginning and then gradually dammed with faint praise before deciding it was rubbish. Oh well, we all have our own opinions.
Most car reviewers test cars like they have to race it everywhere thinking they have to prove something and most are not very skilful because they don't like anything complicated with lots of gadget.
I had one of these cars and I loved it. I don't realy care about mpg but I still got average 40 to 50mpg over a period of one year.
The electric motor is to assist the petrol engine for torque, so when cruising at 70 -80mph the rpm is sometimes below 1500 to save fuel and at low revs this make the car quieter. Average 45mpg at this speed
The EV model is for when you are stuck in traffic and it has the silence to give you a stressless ride. I get about 65mpg when in slow traffic on the M25.
All my friends who have diesel cars admire how quiet and comfortable this car is compare to their BMW Audi, Mercedes Evoque.
It took me months to get to know the all the kit in this car, so I never got bored with it.
Now I have a Lexus RX which is even better.
People don't understand the Lexus brand until they own one. The main reason Lexus uses a hybrid for their cars is comfort, the rest are bonuses. Their buyers don't even want a plug in. It is all about stress free motoring.
I am glad that most people don't like Lexus. I don't want this brand to be as common as chips.
Well said. Couldn't agree more
Well said ..
common as chips :-) excellent comment.
i realize I'm quite off topic but does anyone know of a good site to stream new tv shows online?
@Keenan Miles try Flixzone. You can find it on google =)
I'm a Lexus fan and have had 4 during the last 10 years. Also had BMW 5 series, Jags and Mercedes. I'm driving a Lexus IS300H right now and love it. It's different and bold, the driving position, steering, finish and quality of build is fantastic. The Hybrid engine works for me, I spend most of my time driving on the motorway...its quiet and responsive.
picking up mine tomorrow after my E46BMW issues
How is it with 3 kids in the backseat?
I think you guys missed it. Lexus is not to be compared with an e-golf. With vw you’ll be in the garage within 2 years for all kinds of weird things. And as for the cvt noise if you floor it, i don’t understand that people find it normal that a normal automatic first thinks about what he will do and then goes back 2 gears to eventually speed off. How many times do you floor it? If you don’t floor it, then ALL of the times the cvt is more quiet and has no gear changes (which you always feel especially when flooring). You only get that if you drive it for a good amount of time. Lexus is also worry free in technical problems, try that with other premium brands. And the is300h keeps its value much better too. Just for the record i had bmw 5 and 3 + audi a6 and a4 + mercedes e and c-class. Never had any car that lasted trouble free for several years, now 5 years and going strong (not even a light bulb changed).. It’s just what you find important i guess. Best of luck!
What's the mpg gives you is 300?
Strewth, this was more like a Top Gear road test, circa 1980.
I get the impression that they wrote the script before they even
got in the car. If he only got 34mpg, he must have forgotten to
take the handbrake off. They obviously don't like Lexus cars.
Despite your rotten review I am buying one. These are fantastic cars. The leaf and the other one you mentioned I wouldn't touch.
Why so much hate on this car? we own one for nearly 4 years now and its one of the best cars we've ever had... the CVT isn't that terrible at all, cus you don't floor the gas everytime you accelerate so the 'horrible cvt sound' is quite OK.. its very comfy and not that slow, but remember this isn't a sports car. Also this car cannot be compared to full electric cars.. this car is made for combined city/highway, full electric ones are mostly for city... so before making comments 'oh what a sh*t car, get behind the wheel of one and enjoy it...
NathanCelica I think that due to the inefficiencies in the CVT transmission and the very low EV range and capabilities when it's advertising pretty high eco credentials puts people off. As we pointed out, the car drives fantastically and has excellent reliability and this was never in question.
@@Jamesandkate thanks for the video, I personally like this car and willing to buy although it is still worth to hear some feedback from EV lovers. Please let me point out that hybrids are not EV cars, they are petrol cars designed to keep the consumption down compared to normal petrol cars while keeping the performance up.
It is not meant to be a great fun to drive but to be your best friend on daily use. The fact that in some circumstances it can drive on electricity only doesn't add much to the fuel economy, it only comes from the nature of the system so there is no point to compare to an EV as the magic comes from the high thermal efficiency combustion engine, the electric motor is only added to increase performance when needed.
Consumption should be compared to the non hybrid version of this car to understand the difference. I don`t understand how you got so low mileage as it should be around 50 on the roads I saw you driving and many other sources confirm that. There is no way that you would get similar mileage to an ST, I think there must have been a glitch during testing.
The sound of the car is an other interesting topic because it is one of the reasons why i am not watching formula E... wonder what it may sound like in a road car when you floor it.
I think that there is going to be a great battle between hybrid and EV cars for survival in the next few decades. Hybrids must become more efficient while EVs must extend range without extra costs of money or charging time. I buy cars for freedom and therefore EVs are out of my view for years even if they are fun to drive.
Thanks for sharing your experiences again and all the best for your future videos, regards from Hungary.
@@Jamesandkate
No, you’re so wrong. Every single word of this ‘review’ is a massive bullshit. You have no idea what the hybrid means.
@@Jamesandkate this is not even a plug in hybrid, there is no "ev range"
Afraid you rather lost me when you dismissed the CD player as irrelevant. Maybe for your age group or demographic but for those of us not much older we still use cd’s on a regular basis and I think it is to their credit they still offer it.
This isn’t an EV or anything like it. The EV use is handy for early risers who don’t want to annoy their neighbours as they leave in the morning!!
The hybrid isn’t just a bolt on its a valid addition to the engine that adds mpg in the real world.
I have sold quite a number of these cars and everyone is amazed by them and their refinement plus the mpg figures they get driving normally far exceeds what you claim.
Not a dig just observation
BMC specialist I’ve watched most of your videos on the cars your selling, and I really enjoy your honest reviews, and I must add you always have excellent cars in stock and I would actually buy a car from you blindfolded.
You take hybrid - drive it like petrol or diesel and complain about consumption. What a brainless approach. You DO NOT drive them hybrids normal way. They are built to encourage legal driving - not what majority of road user do and You do while filming. Just have a look at fully charged - he does 53 mpg - now that IS an example not what you do trashing it.
Marcin H This car was driven as I would drive any car. I understand it promotes a calmer driving style but even driven this way it still got poor results. The hybrid system is designed to assist you're driving style and it doesn't do this. I will add that we test cars properly, not with a feather foot and unrealisticly. If I wanted to drive this way I could achieve the same results in a full ICE car. The hybrid system here is dated and makes little, if any difference to the fuel consumption figures unless, as you stated, is driven in a very very sedate manner.
You have a point. I admit. XD Although I must add that I drive Prius daily last 2 years and get 53 mpg rock solid while not being a problem for others on the roads and pulling off junctions in quite surprising speed while later annoyed with engine steady out the throttle... And I was considering Lexus as driving mostly in a city would be better off than with diesel? Then occasionally longer journey fe 300 miles. Should be ok I think? I did find out with Prius that using cruise control on motorway gets all this engine noise mostly cancelled (obviously driving around legal limit :-)
Marcin H I've previously driven the Prius and the new Prius plus and they're far better than the set up in the Lexus and I also noticed better fuel consumption figures. Maybe due to weight????
Sorry to tell you James, but you guys don't know how to drive an hybrid. I'd say even more, jusdging by the way you accelerate and break in your videos, you guys don't know how to drive, period. Hybrids are SUPPOSED to be driven gently and with antecipation, which is how all cars should be driven, BTW. Of course that if you have an agressive driving style, you'll never get the most out of any hybrid because
1) You accelerate too hard instead of trying to maintain a constant speed, so the petrol engine is always kicking in
2) You break too hard instead of antecipating traffic and such and letting the car slide/ break gently to recover as much energy as you can
When people who don't know how to drive economically hop into hybrids, what they get is your review. The problem isn't with the car, it's with the people who don't undertsand how it works and how to drive it properly.
Sorry for the rant, but it's true. In all of your hybrid videos you get considerably lower MPG than most other drivers get with their cars (actually in this one you got close to what most get, but this is a general rant), so the probem mustn't be (and it isn't) with the vehicle. You have to understand that these aren't full eletric vehicles, where you can smash the accelerator all you want and still drive in EV.
+mftgdeserteagle being an EV driver i completely know how to drive economically. The problem with this car is that you have to drive unlike an actual car to get the best from it and that just isnt acceptable to pay a premium for a car that you have to drive differently to any other. The fuel co sumption figures are awful and can be achieved in cgeaper full ICE cars. As you probably know here in Europe we are renowned for being quick drivers, probably why this car doesn't sell and Lexus have such a small market share.
Yes, the engine comes in but in conjunction with the electric motor to reduce fuel consumption. My brother-in-law has one and commutes to bear London, from Leicestershire, regularly and does normal local driving and consistently gets 55mpg and so you might have a bit of a heavy right foot.
There is a technique to driving petrol hybrids.
You are comparing the Lexus with an EV, but it is not an EV, it's an Hybrid, that's a common mistake people do, the performance compared to a petrol car is there, 8 seconds for a 0 to 60, is not that bad, but you compare it to your Tesla, that's not really fair. I'm a Prius Driver myself, the question I always get asked is how many kilometers can I do with the battery, sorry, but that's not the purpose of it.
tchouzebra the funny thing is, this car comes with an EV mode that I personally think is misleading and advertises the ability to drive on the traction battery alone under speeds of 40mph. The thing is, it doesn't do any of those, and compared to your Prius or the new Auris it's miles off. It's a shame because the car is very nice, but as a hybrid it's just not that good, unless driven in a way I consider unrealistic. Sorry, just my opinion. Thank you for your input though 😊👍🏻
James and Kate you have no reason to be sorry, you express yourself, I do too, I thought your conclusion could be a bit biased because you, beeing used to the best EV there is, on a daily basis, could be wanting more than it is designed to do. Lexus Hybrids are more on the sporty side than on the economical side, that's more the toyota's hybrids role, you can see this by comparing an auris with the lexus CT and how they are setup being basicaly sister cars... that said, I enjoy your reviews, not sure I'll get an EV that soon, unfortunately, France is being late on the charger stations installation, but looking at the market, I think hybrids are a nice step up from petrol only cars... An for the EV button, I agree with you that it's a marketing error, it should be advertised as what it is good for in the first place, moving your car from your garage without waking up the house, not much more than that... Toyota didn't put the EV button on US sold Priuses (2nd Gen) maybe by fear of a court issue, given how the americans are prone to sue for anything...
Thats a good point reference the set up. I have to say i didn't consider this and probably should have. I assumed they'd be the same, my mistake. I was under the impression France was on top of the infrastructure? I did see plenty of rapid chargers at services there in the summer and again in the winter last year. That said, we need saturation, not a few, and France isn't small :-/
James and Kate if you ask some of the Lexus Employees or read the EV MODE definition in the manual (whic I doubt anyone reads manuals anymore) they will tell you that the car is a hybrid and not exactly a full electric car in EV mode as it's made to be a hybrid and nothing else really which is why they have a range of petrol cars too
BMW has released a new hybrid series which I suggest if you also like more technology and more updated tech like auto parking, pre collision warnings and braking, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, night vision etc.
Ive run an IS300H F Sport for 2 years of fun motoring.. Far to critical. Fantastic car in all respects
The noise you heard was probably from the ACS mode, which you can turn off.
You must be really heavy footed, as we get and average of 52-53mpg. I haven't seen the IS
promoted as an EV, it is purely a Hybrid, and a very good one at that.
Best you stick to your favourite German cars.
I totally agree, It’s unbelievable they did a review of the car and they don’t know even the basics
What a biased review! I drive one and I love it. It gives me about 48 miles mpg urban and upto 55 mpg on motorways. It is quiet, smooth and luxurious. it is definitely nippy on Sports mode and it is not noisy at all. I love the sound it makes on sports mode. Sorry, I cannot agree with your biased review.
worst review i've ever seen and I drive a BMW 520D. I'm not a Lexus fanboy. How does the Hybrid seem like an add on? This is basically a luxury toyota prius and the hybrid system works beautfully. Most people are getting 50mpg+ Very biased review.
asianskywalker the hybrid system does work beautifully, but achieves results that an ICE car can achieve. Therefore rendering the initial outlay worthless and you'll see no better results unless driven like a fairy. I diesel focus easily achieves these really when driven normally and the cvt is awful.
@@Jamesandkate a is250 petrol car will only get 22mpg however this car can get around 50 mpg
@@Jamesandkate diesel is going to be banned, it is a much more polluting fuel and that's not even taking the German fiddling of the figures into account. Prices of diesels are already falling and the depreciation on those luxury models is horrendous.
@@paulm2467 yes this week.
55 mpg out of mine!!!
05:53 Since you _really_ don't like that EV mode is short range, it sounds like you needed a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) instead.
A way to visualise the EV ranges (in miles) for hybrid/electric vehicles is as follows:
*HEV* (conventional hybrid, like the Prius) -> single-digit to low double-digit EV range.
*PHEV* -> Double-digit EV range (usually 30 to 50 miles, or so).
*Full EV* (e.g. Nissan Leaf) -> Triple-digit EV range.
Awesome car, gonna buy this car at the end of next year.
Dont buy it , performance sucks , gear box is awful , and its slow
@@S01-k9z you should replace the batteries in the Xbox pads
@@CynicznyNonkonformista I drive a BMW, much better
@@S01-k9z I feel sorry for you
@@CynicznyNonkonformista dont , I've done 112.000 miles , never cost me a penny except regular services , awesome to drive, fast , and excellent looks
Imagine comparing a Lexus IS to a Golf...
A friend of mine has one and loves it. If you drive it in a smooth manner it is fabulous and I think it is a great looking car. If you start thrashing it the engine noise is tiresome. On the plus side they offer it instead of a diesel. That is rubbish fuel consumption you get, my friend does much better than that but he does drive very slowly. I do like your totally honesty and twin points of view on your reviews.
Robert Smith thanks Robert, glad you enjoyed it 😊
The trouble with EV fanatics is that they overlook the overall efficiency of the system. A lump of coal delivered to your house for the fire or boiler is still 100% energy as it came out of the ground - when burnt you get about 30% of the original. Similar with gas and oil. If these fuels are turned into energy at a power station, yes it is more efficient but it is then transmitted over long distances, transformed, reduced and distributed to your house, achieving about 30% (again) of the original potential. You then top up your EV battery (more loss) and then turn it back to motion (more loss) and of course the battery itself loses energy. And then there is the production and disposal of the batteries using some very unpleasant materials... So, yes some electricity is generated by non-fossil fuels but don't get too puffed about your environmental credentials - look at the whole picture.
Hey J&K,
First, learning how to drive hybrids for fuel efficiency is something you need to learn how to do properly and it takes a bit of practice.
Second, what you said in 8:20 about a car slowing down to "recapture energy" what Lexus is doing as actually saving more energy that way and this is why:
When a car is slowing down intentionally to convert it to energy, it takes away from the current kinetic energy, and converting it to electricity. However this kind of conversion includes serious energy loss and when you then use this electricity to gain kinetic energy you are again losing energy via conversion (it's called conversion efficiency factor).
So if for example the factor is 0.5 then the 2 conversions amount to 0.25, i.e. you gain only a quarter of the energy you lost while decelerating.
So if you wish to keep your momentum and speed, and the car slows down you need to invest more energy to gain it back than you've created.
Simple rule of physics ;)
It's not an EV, it's a Touota Hybrid in Lexus body. You've found that out. And you don't have ti spend hours at charging stations.
After all that I still bought the Lexus NX 300h for my wife and we love this hybrid system better then the diesel Audi I had.
We are getting 40 mpg. And what noise from the CVT its smooth like any other car.
It's like getting a vegan to review a steak... The fact that you have no idea what a ECVT is and that you managed to get only 34mpg shows that you guys.. and i mean no disrespect... have as much knowledge about cars as I do about space ships... stick to your little Tesla's and Leaf's and leave the Lexus to the people that know what it's all about...
They clearly have no idea of how to drive a hybrid. Read about coasting and you'll find the reason why it doesn't slow down like other cars when you let go of the throttle.
What did you do to get 34mpg? Were you carrying some breeze blocks in the boot or something? My wife has a Toyota Rav4 with the exact same Hybrid system, but it's a much heavier and less aerodynamic car obviously. The lowest mpg we have ever seen is 42. The highest was 48. I get the distinct feeling you are strongly biased against hybrids.
Man! you both have really upped your video editing and cinematography game. Drones, , gimbals, good music...awesome!!
Minds Eye thank you, glad you liked it 😊👍🏻
I recently drove a few 100 miles out of Sydney in a Toyota Camry hybrid - essentially the same engine and hybrid system as the Lexus. I pretty much agree with all your comments. The only thing I will say is that I was pleased to have the hybrid upgrade rather than a standard petrol. It was nice to (slowly) glide in and out of the car parks in EV mode, and the engine did stay off a fair amount of the time on the main roads and even motorways at 70-80mph.
Although you can't select EV mode, even at 75mph it will still kill the engine if you're not trying to accelerate hard and it will use the electric motor under small acceleration for a few hundred metres until you come to more than a slight uphill or use up the paltry battery.
When you want to power up hills the electric motor assist gives the engine a boost, so you get a bit of that instant torque feel. The Camry also had a B mode on the gearstick for extra regenerative braking. We did just manage to beat the manufacturer's quoted 5.2 l/100km or 54 mpg (Imperial). I wouldn't say it was a terrible car but then I also wouldn't buy one, for the same reasons you gave!
nettlesoup that's impressive figures, maybe I should have kept it for the week, but felt I'd got all I needed. Glad you agree in the most part though 😊👍🏻
Interesting review.
Two things occured to me:
1) with my Auris hybrid (2015 facelift) to switch to electric drive you push the pedal to reach the speed you want to maintain (it uses the petrol engine) and when you reached the speed you ease off on the pedal for a second and then gently push it again. This way I can maintain a 68-70 km/h speed and keep going until the battery deplets and petrol engine turns on again. With lower speed (50 km/h) I can go through not so small villages with only using the battery. In city driving it also works. I routinely make 6-10 km long city trips with 3-3,5 l/100km average. This is with normal driving, not blocking the traffic with slow driving.
You can use this technique in any driving modes - eco, normal, power (sport is this Lexus).
I don't know why this did not work in the Lexus you tested.
2) It was odd to hear that this Lexus let the car roll freely instead of slowing down when the pedal wasn't being pushed. This is absolutely not how thing work in my Auris hybrid. If anything, the slowing down is very pronounced, it almost feels like engine brake. My other car (an automatic diesel with 2L turbo engine) does not slow down...
Maybe your EVs use a more aggressive regeneration - sure, they need all the help they can get since they are not hybrids.
34mpg? What? I've done 7000 miles in mine and the lowest I've got is 44mpg. Mine averages 50 (according to the car) which is actually about 48mpg.
No comments on safety features , No comments on Finish build quality , Just decide that its worse car and explain it in 11:55 minutes
Why are you comparing a car designed to be petrol first with assisted electric to a full electric car ? Ain't you missing the point ?
I own a 2015 Rx450h and I agree. I really regret not just buying the regular petrol version. I barely get better gas mileage and also I must use premium gas (where the regular Rx 350 only requires 87 octane). And having to always worry about the high volt battery failing and costing thousands of dollars. Just not worth it.
Sorry guys I respect your opinion but this wasn't a fair review I'm looking to buy one a Premier model to of the range. When I test drove one for an hour it was showing me 46mpg I don't think you was driving it wright and I've owned a 2nd gen prius for the last 8 year's which is giving me 53mpg.
Hybrid cars are perfect for people like me who can't charge at home. I've spoken to a few privet hire drivers who clame to get nearly 600 miles to a tank of fuel really good I think. This makes more sense then a 3 series BMW or C class Merc,Audi A4 diesel equivalent.
And you can't beat Lexus reliability the service cost will be lover then it's German rivals.
You cannot compare this car to an EV I'd rather have this car then an overpriced Tesla which won't be as reliable and won't have the build quality.
Hi Guys, my brother has the F-Sport version of this car and i agree with you: the outside looks mean and has nice flowing lines, the inside is ok but not up to Lexus standards of old. He has managed to get 50+ mpg out of it on long motorway runs and the noise can be turned up or down by the means of a dial on the dash (not a lot of difference tbh)....Great review as always & keep up the good work!
Carl Harvey cheers Carl 😊👍🏻
Couldn't stop talking about the VW Golf in this review!🤣🥱😴
They shouldn't have even bothered, this wasn't a Lexus review at all, (smh)🤔🙄
The EV Mode button... i thought that was just to get the dash to light up and say 'EV Mode not available, excess speed' - that's all it does on mine!
Think that just about sums it up :-)
@@Jamesandkate finally a honest review among alot of other neutral reviews... you are telling it like it is, i like that :) having driven the prius gen 2 for a day, i can agree with your simular experiences. It is slow, noisy, and not at all economic. I like the design of the is300h, and would like it to be an alternative to a 3 series. But sadly the prising of the lexus gives my to little... it promises too much also. Toyota now calls their hybrids "self charging" wich is totally misleading. It doesent charge, as in getting enough to drive in ev mode. The ev button is a joke. If it only had a little more ev range and didn't start the petrol every time, then its a hybrid. But sadly this is not a hybrid as advertised, as you mention. This should have been advertised as; "This is a petrol car, but hav an electric engine to take load of the petrol engine and therefore make it better on mpg" the problem with the lexus is that it is expensive and not a drivers car like it looks like. A 3 series 320d is faster, way more economical, lighter, same priced, with a manual more fun to drive, and easy to chip even faster. In my country we dont have more road tax on diesel vs hybrid, also the diesel is cheaper to buy at the pumps. Yes, the lexus is guaranteed low maintence cost, but as a diy guy, i can live with the bmw. I have had bmw's in many years. Why buy an expensive is300h? I have a cheap 530xd 2007 manual. This car easily gets 50 mpg, have more space, can pull trailer, have a beautiful straight six sound and a reliable m57 engine. I just cant see why to buy a more expensive, new is300h compare to my bmw. I dont gain any in fuel economy as lexus say is their big selling points... the lexus is just pointless! Besides that it looks cool, have nice quality and good equipment, nice leather and a smooth drivetrain for slow driving/trafic jams. But why buy a 3 series type of car for driving grandma style just to get somewhere close to advertised mpg numbers?? My point is; this as a plugin hybrid but at the same price would been a perfect alternative to a 320d. Sadly it isn't...
@@knutendreringhagen289
Petrol has been cheaper than diesel for over 10 years now...
@@attilab.2818 Not in norway
Who listens to CDs anymore? I DO! I'm not going to throw all my CDs in the dustbin to replace them with downloads when I have already paid for the music tracks!
A claustrophobic feel because of that central console!!!!!!!!, then you must render yourself catatonic in fear inside the minuscule Nissan Leaf!!!
Your video suggests you aren't clear about the difference between a hybrid and an EV, not that finding an EV mode switch in a hybrid helps. I suggest that BEV's (and PHEV's) are broadly capable of EV acceleration and EV regen, whereas hybrids are capable of EV regen only, except in the case of garaging or car park crawling - this is clearly spelt out in the car handbook. As a long-time Prius owner, I find any hybrid instantly recognisable as a Prius in disguise, by its controls, gauges, performance and economy - after all, Toyota, through licensing or directly, is just marketing a broad range of vehicles for potential buyers who find the Prius too geeky. These alternatives are a bit more luxurious, a bit more roomy, a bit less efficient, and they sell well - Toyota isn't the world's most successful vehicle manufacturer by accident. Hybrids may well just be ICE cars with slightly "green" credentials, but they are affordable, cost a lot less at the pump, have no range issues, and are extremely reliable. I am also a Leaf owner, and drive it daily, but my Prius will need to be my backstop for many years yet - the EV revolution is still in its infancy.
harry bosch I agree with that, but I feel that since Toyota have been using this system for years they could have fitted a slightly bigger battery, therefore managing to achieve its 40 mph in EV only mode. This for me was completely misleading and incorrect. Having driven a Yaris with a similar system, I found the differences massive.
TS85 Hi, based on the advertising of Lexus it's fully misleading in that it has an EV mode, also weight isn't the primary factor to higher MPG it's drag coefficient so a little more weight would make no difference. Also this car does have a cvt gearbox which is less efficient than any manual/DSG and as you pointed out place the engine in a higher than normal state of rpm. Personally i feel VW's massively out perform this setup. Just to add, they do have a flywheel and injectors to.
I have got a Toyota Auris hybrid it’s the way you drive hybrid cars 🚗
Don’t expect sport car performance
Also driven the Lexus IS 300h awesome drive
As James stated at the beginning, it seems it is just in the range to provide some green credentials. At £30K + wait for the model 3.
Craig Evans couldn't agree more 👍🏻
i do not like evs so rubbish and hate Teslas WITH A PASSION they go up in smoke well though
Here’s the problem I have, I’m looking to buy used, looking at a 330e, I know it is faster and drives better but it’s hard to find a one that matches the equipment level of the Lexus and the Lexus looks a hell of a lot better will be more reliable as well, I don’t want a diesel and can’t really afford an electric car of the same standard, I have a ct200 now and actually like driving it, apart from the power that is. Ideal world I’d go for the 330e if I could a well equipped one but that’s unlikely, so I’m drawn back to the Lexus.
It's no looker is it. I think it was styled using one of those distortion apps. They took a regular car and smeared bits of it until it looked all wrong. Then someone said, 'more!', so they smeared it a bit more.
Sport mode has a noise synthesiser which you can turn down or off. It's not nippy? Well what's it's 40 to 70 time? It's savage.
Its quite slow from standstill but if it gets speed its surprisingly fast. 80-120km/h times are something like 5s which is quite fast.
I'm swapping my IS300h for a Model S 60D very soon... I have the F-Sport which looks different but is basically the same car. Don't disagree with much, but I do think that the Hybrid is actually very well integrated, certainly compared to many. Sure it gives you no EV Range but it's very good in stop start traffic. Glad to see you got nowhere near the claimed MPG either :D Though I do get low to mid 40's.
Scott McKenzie have to say the way the system worked is seamless and very impressive. We have a friend waiting for a 60D also, a really good move. The best battery, for charging speed, usable storage and price. When are taking delivery...????
I have been very impressed with the Lexus. Mostly because it's not a very common car. Not the most sporty or best car, but a solid choice! I chose the 60 for the same reason - the good balance. I nearly ordered a 70 (it was that long ago) but was pleased when the 60 came out as I could get the D. It's due at the end of March - so quite excited!
You’re actually quite frustrating to watch. Don’t go compare the golf GTE being a PHEV with this car because they are completely different cars. The golf has a much faster electric motor whereas this has much smaller power from its electric motor so of course it’s not going to pick up as quick
I've driven mine for way over 5000 miles now: overall consumption reads..... 55 mpg. Cool, what?
we now have two in our street and both are well under that.
This car can be driven in very different ways since it is capable of amazing acceleration, which is really fun (I have to plead guilty here, I'm no stranger to indulging in it myself every now and then). However, most of the time, I strictly stick to ECO mode and try to avoid the brake pedal as much as possible with the exception of unforeseen emergencies, of course. If you tend to use the brakes on a regular basis to slow down, think of it as the most inefficient way to throw away valuable energy, most probably because of poor anticipation.
55mpg (5.1 l/100km to be quite accurate) after spending over 2 weeks in Tirol... but I must admit it was slightly going up in the higher mountain pass roads (well over 2'000 m altitude). Probably not too good a mountain car as it is HEAVY, but great to cruise more or less flat territory.
dont forget some people cant jump to ev like me i live in london and in the flat so for me real option only hybrid. mayb e in the future the lamp post has chargers built in then yes everybody have evs but for now people drive what they can
Terrible review. Thanks for putting off the chavs though.
Hi, great review, I have been thinking about trading in my 2002 IS200 for the IS300h, purely for the looks and comfort of the car. The EV I'm not bothered about as it looks as if its not even worth having.
But another big thing I'm looking at is fuel econemy from the petrol engine, I'm currently getting 300 miles to a whole tank (£70 to fill up) not quite sure what that equates to in MPG, I would assume 25-30.
I think you stated that it roughly gets 30-35mpg, which is not much better than my old IS200, pretty poor show I say for a car of 2017 that are supposed to be more efficient.
The problem is, with IS300h you can easily do 500 miles on a tank. Don't trust everything, you see on RUclips.
@@pozejstroniedrogi8702 I have IS300h. In summer temperatures I've driven over 1200kms with one filled tank.
@@AndyGrouch
As I said. This car is pretty efficient.
You have it spot on James and Kate. I have had an 1999 RX400h and now a 2000 RX450h. The RX450h is an excellent and smooth drive with loads of space for a family. I was expecting the latest Lexus models to build on the 90's innovation and come up with PHEV and Full EV options but.....nothing. Other vendors are completely out engineering them and it is disappointing to see that Lexus still have that frustrating function whereby the battery is always second best and the engine always wants to come on. Shame.
I would be interested if you could get a drive in a BMW 225xe. Its a PHEV. Your thoughts would be welcome.
Stuart Dawson I'll look in to that for you Steve, cheers for your comments 👍🏻
Steve? :-). Thats ok Bill...!
I agree with you on the dashboard James, too much going on. When I test drove this the first thing I noticed was the huge transmission tunnel/front centre console, quite off putting when you've driven the i3 with lots more passenger space there.
Aaron Cocker it's hard to beat an i3 to be fair. It's an utterly fantastic car. When they're covering 250+ miles a charge I think they'll be the top sellers. 😊👍🏻
Great review you put me right off it thank you in a good way.
James your EV mode driving experience matches my experience of 2015 Toyota Prius Plug-in. If it didn't have nearly full charge, then you couldn't even engage EV mode and even then I doubt i got it to go more than a few hundred yards without the ICE kicking in even though it was supposed to have an eleven mile EV range. It was winter I suppose and the only heating was to run the ICE.
Barry Haeger Yes I think they really need to improve on this. The very fact it has an EV button/mode is very misleading I feel.
Pretty poor review.
Sounds like you knew what you were going to say before you reviewed the car.
Stick to EV reviews.
Very nicely done, some drone bits, drive by clips and details like the boot trying to pass over the rear center tunnel 👌
Seems like someone thought the steering wheel adjustment knob required some extra protection 😅
Ferco glad you liked it 😊👍🏻
This is the worst car review ive ever seen. I think theyve watched big channels like carwow and carbuyer and try to immitate. It all seems very cringy.
He's complaining about consumption of 34 mpg!?
In a 2.5L luxury sedan!?
I think your assessment is excellent, and I've had performance sports cars that can do more than 35mpg . thanks James and Kate
Mark Tiller no problem, glad you liked it 👍🏻
I recommend you to read some comments from owners as well... a sport car will never do better mileage than a hybrid... it is just not possible. Economical sport cars, non-economical toyota or lexus hybrids and aliens do not exist!
This is not the slow car you are making it out to be. The CVT makes the car accelerate gradually and look at he speedo when you think it not going fast. My F-Sport has surprised me many times. This is not a slow car it just needs to be driven differently as some comments have said here.
Makes you a better driver too.
Strange way to review a car. I mean any car... but eventually neither of you two knows how to drive a Hybrid properly.
So true
From the people who 2 years later got the dad a rav 4 hybrid and waxxed lyrical about it
A few remarks here as I don’t really agree on your verdict
I own a 300H F-Sport and driven about 6500 miles in 6 months
EV button is useless agreed
BUT let the computer decide when it activates EV mode trying to force it with the button is idd useless.Accelerating above 30 MPH or driving up hill will not work in EV. But I find the car daily activating EV mode at flat roads, downhill or exits up to 50 MPH The range however is limited to about 2 miles
But on the other hand the battery will be fully charged again in about 4 or 5 miles
Fuel consumption
I average 40mpg to Max 45mpg driving it at legal limits and
a few occasional sprints per tank. No one has used the horn to indicate I was
to slow of the line.
Considering the car weights in at 1600KG that is not bad but
I admit I hoped to get 49mpg with driving moderate.
To be honest there is no regular petrol car in this class that can match that.
I can get the same results in my Suzuki Alto but that has
tires like a bike and only weighs half the Lexus.
With the same driving style in A4 diesel i will be able to
get 49mpg max But that would cost almost twice a mutch to drive here (Holland
roadtax). And will be a lot higher to maintain with all kind of exhoust EGR and
turbo issues.
About the sound
This car is the quietest car I have ever driven and best in
its class. It can match up to an E-class definatly more quiet than an a4,
C-Class or 3 series.
The engine sound u mention is mainly when u use sport mode.
U can amplify engine noise through the speakers with a button which is stupid
so keep the volume for that off at all time haha
About the speed
It does 0-100MPH in about 17/18 sec It’s not a Tesla nor a RS
audi but should that not be more than enough by most standards ?
Ik hoop dat je me vraag kan beantwoorden. Ik ben sinds kort al soort van verliefd geworden op de is300h alleen ben ik zelf wel een sportievere rijder zoals bij. waar je 100 mag rij ik dan 120-140 km/h nou weet ik dat een lexus super zuining kan zijn mits je voet een beetje in bedwang houd maar hoe zit het met die 220pk is dat aan de slome kant of is het harstikke prima want ik zelf rij nu in een golf 7 1.4tsi met 122pk.
At 4.40 James mentions the plethora of steering wheel controls. Discuss this - Do steering wheels really need to turn more than 90 or 120 degrees (quarter or a third turn), making the controls all upside down, and un-intuitive even if you learned them?! As a biker, I am used to making all sorts of actions part-way into and through turns and roundabouts. My father once commented it made him feel uncomfortable me flipping levers and swapping gears in the car mid-roundabout etc. Actually, I got bored is the truth! However, serious point, how DO drivers operate these gizmo's buttons and rocker switches, when the steering wheel is angled more than say a quarter turn?! Handlebars have the curious advantage that your hands are always in the exact same location. With few exceptions, the controls actually NEED to be on the steering, or you gotta take a hand off. Cars, we are used to turning the wheel several times - should we carry on this way? Discuss! Back in the day, with no power steering, we had to gear the steering - hence lots of turns of the wheel to just make the road wheels turn 30 degrees! Is it time, that we had 'force feedback' steering wheels, such that actually, they do not rotate more than say a quarter or half turn absolute maximum? Then, the impossibility of figuring out which of the 13 controls is now located where, won't happen. I know, most people maybe don't twiddle with stuff while the steering is upside down, but the topic brings us to the issue of WHY steering wheels need to turn loads any more? Even our year 2000 little Renault Clio 1.2 Grande (fantastic car, can't speak highly enough of it) has power steering, we don't need a wheel any more, even, except it's a safety feature (drivers always come off best in accidents)? Lexus always struck me as bland...but in a secret agent kind of way? You know, James Bond drives an ostentatious eye-catching Aston Martin, but real spies want something decent but not drawing attention.
That’s not true my Lexus 2014 I am averaging 53 mpg and 615 miles on full tank of petrol !
This Lexus IS on of the best control on road in price market !
Not accurate your review !
James and Kate - it sounds like this power train is too easy to pull it out of EV mode, but yet you said it is capable of being driven many miles with the electric motor. City miles is where the hybrids really shine, increasing fuel mileage by about 1/3 overall if you spend 1/2 or more of your drive cycle at lower speeds. Strictly highway or steady speeds on flat roads - not much savings there. Cold temps don't help either, as the ICE is used for interior heat, so will run often. Fiddling with the throttle to manage the EV operation is just a part of the driving experience - call it a challenge! I think that the electric motor side of hybrids does need to be more powerful though, since those who may be driving behind you usually won't care for your lethargic acceleration from a stop - necessary to keep it in EV mode. Good video - really enjoyed the drone bits and your likes and dislikes.
Dennis Lyon good points, I think had the battery been 2/3 times the size they could have had a pretty awesome hybrid. Thanks for your comments 😊👍🏻
The electric motors are more than capable of it, it's the battery that can't provide power on its own. Usually the engine supplements the generation of electricity for the motors under acceleration. If they used a lithium battery they'd be more powerful under electric. Toyota/Lexus just don't feel lithium for hybrids is quite there yet except for the plug in models.
Lexus Dealer experience was very good, i had a lot worst ? WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU WANT TO SAY ? Lost in a thought ?
And it's congestion charge free in London. love the drone opening titles :-)
Steve Lawrie I didn't know that, thanks for your comment 😊👍🏻
Guys... Thanks God it's only YOUR opinion.
thank you and thanks for Kate
Stick to fords, lexus don't suit some ppl
A great, genuine review of what comes across as a vehicle not quite up to being a proper hybrid! Toyota(Lexus) need to be on the ball now and get an appealing BEV happening, they could well have had one coming about by now had they not, unwisely in my opinion, been so convinced that the Mirai was the way forward. God knows how much time, money and resources have been poured into that very niche fuel cell vehicle..
Adrian King it doesn't bear thinking about. They've recently announced a line of phev's and bev's, but we'll wait and see. I don't think anything will materialise soon sadly.
its literally the definition of a hybrid. The ev engine helps the petrol engine and you get about 50mpg in these cars. its not an ON and OFF ev/petrol car. Youre totally missunderstanding the whole design of the hybrid system.
I'm surprised it's so noisy, I drive an RX hybrid and the engine is very quiet except at full throttle in fact you can't tell when it cuts in. I find the eCVT transmission great, it allows the engine to run at its most efficient and smoothly puts down the power to the wheels. I agree it's EV credentials are rubbish but the marginally better fuel economy comes from a balance of electric motor and ICE power.
Peter Seddon I may have to test one of those. I feel that the only way I would manage to better my fuel consumption would be to drive in a manner that I wouldn't drive an ICE car, which surely isn't the way. Cheers commenting 😊👍🏻
People who appreciate Lexus quality and especially the mark Levinson hi fi fitted to Lexus cars, believe it or not , probably own a premium hifi seperates system in their home, which more than likely has a CD player and a record deck. Everyone can use their phones or mp3 to play music in all modern cars, but people like myself will also play their CD collection dating back to eighties, as CD quality , especially through a premium hifi set up, is far superior. It's comments like this from reviewers who probably do everything wirelessly and think Bose or bang and olufsen are real hifi because their marketing tells you so, are the reason record stores are closing on a weekly basis. And besides, why would anyone complain about a CD player that's built in as standard for the same price?
Great Video guys as are the rest of them, very informative. Could you do a review on the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, I would be interested to know your thoughts of it against the electric version if possible?
upinder panesar I'll see what we can do but we have quite a few lined up atm so may be a little tricky. Glad you liked the video 😊👍🏻
The cabin is confusing really? Ive driven a hybrid VW from the same era and it has like 20 different drive modes and is very overengineered and confusing. Lexus is very simple compared.
I thought Hybrid cars were all about being assisted by a battery, rather then fully or semi elec cars, unlike some plugs in like Golf Gte. I much appreciate the review altough your expectations of EV mode are too high for a vehicle that's not designed to be EV, especially at higher throttle loads. Driving with a heavy foot does produce negative opinions, but you should have tried this car in a heavy traffic, busy towns, when you lugging the car at low speeds bumper to bumper, and you will see where the EV mode excels.. After all, this was its main purpose.
I agree with both of you on this and I'm a Lexus fan maybe you should have driven the GS300 or the RX 450h.
Beautiful Kate, beautiful car.
Another good review and I think the point about this type of hybrid is well made. FYI I use CDs but then again I do have a bus pass!
Michael OWEN no offence about the CD's, I've also still got a small collection 😂😂😂
Non taken - I'm looking out for a car that plays vinyl lol!
When you say that there is no regenerative braking you mean that not applying throttle makes the car coast only, right? As I understand you get regenerative braking when you begin applying the brakes, and above a certain level it would even apply the friction brakes in combination of regenerative braking.
But it will not brake as a forklift, that you lift your foot from the throttle and you would have very strong "engine brake".
Do I understand well your comment, please?
donphobos yes I completely understand. The point here is that the motor setup is so underpowered and the battery so small it is not physically able to recapture the kinetic energy as a BMW i3 for example. Most are now recapturing 20% on braking. This one.... 8% 😳👎🏻
I’ve got the I.S sport, I get 40 to 43 miles per gallon
I can't wait to see you review the model 3 when it's released!
m341ehw me too, but I think we'll be waiting a while 👎🏻
I test drove the hybrid 300h and came to the conclusion it's not a normal conventional car.
I have the same car, love my Lexus.
such a shame that the reviewers failed to find the 'off' switch for the synthesised engine noise in 'sport mode'.Having covered 7,500 miles in one of these cars in 3 months I can assure you that real world fuel consumption recorded properly tankful to tankful exceeds 42mpg. They criticised the lack of regeneration and engine braking when going downhill - Were they not aware of the 's' mode available from the gear lever? As for acceleration - this car will leave most hot hatchbacks standing and is a far better balanced car then the 2 Mercedes I have owned in the past 2 years. Oh and the build quality is streets ahead of the German premium brands. Never mind lets keep it a secret as Lexus owners enjoy far better service from their dealerships than MB or BMW offer -I have experienced all 3.
olliesgrandad Lexus has .5% of the market share here so they are likely to see better figures than BMW and Merc. 0-60 is 8.4 secs, Thats not faster than most hot hatched and with regards to the noise we were referring to the drone of the engine when bolted to the cvt transmission. Also our neighbour has 18.000 miles on his and achieves nowhere near the MPG so I'm guessing he's got the experience to advise us.
Another good honest review.
Typical Lexus/Toyota CVT making the engine rev at the peak torque of 4000+. Another this is the engine drone, which seems to be a more common on recent Toyota in line fours. My old Mk1 Avensis had a more pleasing and quiet sound. Even when revved it sounded "nice". My Mk3 Avensis has this drone, but it is not too bad compared to some of the CVT cars I have heard. Since it is manual, I can get around this drone. Also my car has better fuel consumption and it is a petrol estate, driven normally. No hyper mile style driving.
As a Toyota owner, I think the company needs to up it's game in the hybrid market, and not rest on it's laurels. Hyundai will be taking away sales with the Ioniq, especially hybrid/plug-in hybrid.
Keep up the good honest reviews.
konradc12 thanks for your comments, your spot on in my opinion. Glad you liked it 😊👍🏻
this is full hybrid. you have to learn how to drive that. it's very sensitive and intelligent. It's not just electric and just power. Most time it's working together, electric with petrol engine both at the same time. I am not sure if it's proper to compare with e-cars like e-golf or passat gte. It's not litteraly petrol car. it's not noise , it's just engine which start work while it was sleeping for 200 km :S och. The most of people who comment here does know ANYTHING about technical background of lexus hybrid systems. First, learn how toyota HSD works and then make "video"
Marian Polek I know exactly how the system work in great detail. And as you point out you have to drive it in a way that people unfortunately don't drive and don't want to drive. With an EV or petrol/diesel car you can drive how you wish and get the same results but with this system you must employ an overly timid driving style to achieve these results which is why their popularity continues to fall.
No seat belts??
Great vid, which Drone?
John vanDieken thanks. This is DJI phantom.
its all about coasting.., not driving on EV mode
I think I'm spot on when I say you should be highly embarrassed when you put up a review of a car like that..
Not really, found it pretty shocking in most categories apart from build quality.
@@Jamesandkate you don't know how hybrid works..
James criticises it for having too much going on but is there too much? I mean how many buttons do you have to click just to access something on a tesla
non, it's a touch screen.
James and Kate You missed the point
I must say vehicle test drives seem more lenient in the UK than America.
Chidi Dike How do you mean???
The average car dealership/individual in America would never allow a test drive of 100 miles.
Chidi Dike when you said lenient I thought you meant easy. It's standard here, you just can't get a feel for a car in 20 mins I don't think. What do you get your way...????
In my experience a test drive is less than 20 miles. So I usually go to multiple dealerships to test drive a particular car i maybe interested in.
Chidi Dike that sounds like a nightmare 😳 in some cases we do have this but it's rare.
Didn't like the Lexus at all but on a plus side Kate looked lovely 👍😂😂😂
monkeybollox66 Thank you 😊👍🏻
It's becoming a "Praise Kate" channel :D (Kate, you look lovely, though
Nino Dvoršak thank you 😊
Kate
OK James looked very nice too!
Do not start down this road...! James will only get jealous, we don't want him dressing moneysupermarket style to grab more limelight...
Nice review, very honest. :)
Ruben Kelevra thank you 😊👍🏻
another great review guys! Awesome. Future shoppers looking go buy this car that find your video will have a better idea of what to expect for sure.
TRY to HELP you thank you 😊 glad you liked it
I've read all the reviews, been for a test drive and now ordered one. I was very impressed with the smoothness and lack of noise. Of course I didn't put my foot to the floor, but I don't do that with my current petrol vehicle, I have to pay for the fuel! The steering is very precise and the cabin did not seem claustrophobic at all. Not sure why you don't like the reversing camera? In fact I found this review confusing as you seemed quite impressed at the beginning and then gradually dammed with faint praise before deciding it was rubbish. Oh well, we all have our own opinions.
Gave your video a like to :)