With plenty of room in the front and rear, along with a decent sized boot perfect for golf clubs or large suitcases, there is no doubt that this is a car that will fit in nicely with all lifestyles.
Safety-wise the Lexus comes with ABS, traction control and no less than eight airbags, all guaranteed to deploy if you hit a bollard.
Mechanically, the IS 300h is everything we ' ve come to expect from Lexus: engineering precision, power where needed, but with efficiency also, and of course the hybrid tech builds on this core requisite. Lexus have moved away from diesel engines, as favoured by peers Audi and BMW, and have gone hybrid.
Incidentally, in case you ' ve missed this new technology, it ' s not actually all that new. Submarines have employed it since World War II, using diesel engines when surfaced and electric motors when underwater. And there have also been bicycles using a hybrid combination of electricity and leg-power since the 1970s. What ' s more, since the scary news that we are heading towards a time when fossil fuels will be depleted, there has been huge developments and a real focus on hybrid technology in cars.
With a 2.5-litre engine, plus hybrid drive( electric motor as we used to call them...) delivering a total of 219 BHP, the IS 300h F- SPORT has plenty of bottle despite any apprehensions the word ' hybrid ' may give to techno-sceptics out there. As you wind her up along a straight road, going from electric to petrol engine as you do so, acceleration from 0-62 MPH occurs in a not-too-shabby 8.4 seconds, accompanied by the most fascinating engine sound. Powerful but controlled, this could well be the sound of the future.
In fact, incredibly it ' s the sound of a synthesised engine noise delivered through a speaker, and it ' s not as crazy as it first sounds! The IS 300h really is a hybrid car, using engine technology that renders it very, very quiet indeed, yet at the same time proudly wearing a sport badge. This creates a potential problem, as any racing driver will tell you paying attention to engine noise is a big part of getting a car to perform at its optimum level.
So this digital noise is designed by the clever folks at Lexus to give the driver feedback when driving enthusiastically into corners or around roundabouts. And it works superbly. When the road is less straight, the Lexus, despite being a good sized car, handles amazingly, giving you plenty of confidence out on those country lanes and making for a very enjoyable drive indeed.
A CVT gearbox means that the car stays at its optimal revs whilst changing through the gear, therefore contributing to the car ' s amazing fuel efficiency. The IS 300h F-SPORT boasts a most impressive combined fuel consumption figure of 60.1 MPG and cO2 emissions of just 107 G / KM.
There are three driving modes to choose from: eco, normal and sport, and choosing between them will change the way the electronic speedometer looks. This is really cool.
The new incarnation of the IS 300h F-SPORT not only does a perfect job of balancing style and subtlety with economy and sportiness, but it takes hybrid technology further into a place where it is a realistic alternative to diesel motors. As Alan P might conclude, the Lexus ' IS ' a great car.
Lexus Tunbridge Wells 01892 700400 www. tunbridgewells. lexus. co. uk
PRICE AS TESTED: £ 40,230 TOP SPEED: 125 MPH 0-62 MPH: 8.4 SECONDS ECONOMY: COMBINED 60.1 MPG ENGINE: 2.5-LITRE HYBRID PERFORMANCE: 219 BHP COMBINED CO2: 107 G / KM
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