A few months ago I decided it was time to change my beloved 4 year old Jaguar XF 2.7D, whilst it still had a reasonable trade in value. Other factors influencing my decision to change were the fact that since purchasing the Jaguar I had retired, and my annual mileage had fallen to about 7000 miles, consisting mainly of short journeys, so I was concerned that I was risking expensive DPF problems. Also, the Jaguar was not cheap to run, with annual road tax at £260, Jaguar extended warranty at £1060 per annum, service agreement at £430 per annum, and an average of about 32mpg (those short trips again!).
My criteria for selecting a new car were that it should be petrol driven, yet provide good economy, be good to drive, and it should be refined, well built, reliable and well equipped. I had looked at a Lexus IS220D some years ago, and loved the build quality, but it was far too high geared to provide an enjoyable drive. However, the new 2013 Lexus IS300H hybrid looked interesting, despite a number of reviews criticising the CVT gearbox. I must admit I was also heavily influenced by Lexus’ reputation for reliability and excellent customer service. As I would be buying the car myself, and expecting to retain it for several years, this was very important to me. I had a short test drive, and was impressed. The Lexus dealer was happy for me to have another test drive of several hours so I could confirm my impressions. When they obtained an F Sport version, again they let me have it for a day to try. Later, after had test driven a BMW and a Mercedes, Lexus again gave me a car for the day to confirm my decision.
I must say, my experience with the Lexus dealer was far better than with either Mercedes or BMW. Lexus were extremely helpful without being pushy. The BMW dealer sent me out for a test drive in a car (328iGT) with an empty tank, as I discovered a few miles down the road! When discussing figures, the BMW salesman did not know about the finance offers advertised on the BMW website. Mercedes left me with the impression that they were doing me a huge favour to arrange a test drive. After waiting several weeks for the local dealer to organise something, I e-mailed Mercedes UK headquarters for help. Their response was “talk to your local dealer”. Eventually I did get a test drive in an E class coupe, and whilst the car looked stunning, on the standard AMG sports suspension the ride was rock hard, so that was a no –go. (And if anyone is wondering why I did not try an Audi, I walked out of my local Audi dealer 10 years ago vowing never to return after receiving appalling service).
So, I decided to go for the Lexus, the IS350H Premier. The fact that Lexus offered me the best trade in price on my Jaguar was a bonus. Also, to equip a German car to the same level would have pushed the price to several thousand pounds more than the Lexus. I took delivery in September 2013, and have now done about 2500 miles in it. So far, I am extremely pleased with my choice. I like the fact that I am driving something that is different to the ubiquitous Germans. The styling is distinctive and striking. The superb build quality is apparent inside and out. The cabin is a lovely place to be in, with extremely comfortable seats and high quality materials. The Mark Levinson stereo with DAB radio has stupendous sound quality. I also like the fact that I can plug in my i-Player and control it from the central screen, and even the album artwork is displayed on the central screen. Whilst talking about the central screen, it can be configured as a single screen, or a two section split screen or a three section split screen. I tend to use the later, with the sat-nav, radio and energy monitor all showing. A single click with the mouse changes any one of the split screen sections into full screen. Some reviewers have criticised the mouse used to control the main infotainment system: it does take a bit of getting used to but now I find it straightforward to use. The reversing camera is the clearest and brightest I have ever come across, and the guide lines that move as you turn the wheel show you exactly where you are headed.
The most noticeable feature of the car is how very quiet it is. It still surprises me after four months. There is hardly any wind noise or engine noise, (and when running in electric vehicle mode, no engine noise at all). So that leaves only tyre noise, and since changing to winter tyres that has diminished noticeably. On a good smooth stretch of tarmac the car is essentially silent. This can lead you to underestimate the car’s speed, and you do need to check the speedometer when approaching a corner. On one of the test drives, my son was having a stint at the wheel. On an uphill section of dual carriageway, with a 50 mph limit, he put his foot down and pulled out to overtake a car doing about 40. As we passed the slow car, he said to me “This is not very quick”, then he looked at the speedometer and said “Oh s***, I’m doing 85”.
The handling is a joy; it goes round corners like it is on rails, with nicely weighted steering. The suspension is slightly on the firm side, though it is still comfortable.
So that brings me to the bit that every professional reviewer has criticised: the CVT gearbox. Yes, it is different, and it takes a bit of getting used to. In normal mode, if you put your foot down hard there is a slight but noticeable lag before the engine responds – perhaps half a second. You also hear the engine revs rise, and that is the one time that engine noise is noticeable. Switch into Sport mode and using the steering wheel paddles to “drop down a gear”, and the car accelerates instantaneously and quickly.
In terms of fuel economy, I am averaging 45 to 47 mpg, which is about what I realistically expected since the official test methods unduly flatter hybrids. Town driving and motorway driving both give about the same at 45 mpg, whereas on cross country routes (a mixture of A and B roads) the economy is better at 51 mpg. Using the air conditioning knocks 3 to 4 mpg off the figures.
It is costing me about the same to insure as the Jag, but when I come to renew the road tax it will be £20 instead of £260.
What don’t I like? Well, I’m not a fan of the foot operated parking brake: the console mounted switch in the Jaguar was far more convenient to use. The audio controls on the steering wheel are a bit small, and it is too easy to hit two adjacent buttons at once. I would prefer the cruise control switch mounted on the steering wheel rather than on a stalk. I don’t like having a tin of “gloop” instead of a spare wheel, and whilst you can buy a spare, it takes up a substantial part of the boot space. And that’s it for gripes.

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