Lexus IS 300h review

December 19, 2020December 29, 2020 EV Central team 4405 Views electric car, ev, hybrid, lexus is300h, review, Toyota

You’ve heard the adage that everything old is new again, right? It could have been written about the Lexus IS 300h.

Lexus’ electrified mid-size sedan might look new – and, objectively, rather handsome, too – but beneath all those shiny body panels and new cabin equipment lies the same core mechanicals – engine, gearbox, platform – as the car this vehicle replaces.

Is that a bad thing? Or can the IS 300h still mix it with the best in the business?

Value

Ostensibly offered in two trim levels – Luxury or F Sport – the IS 300h can also be had with a smattering of enhancement packs that increase the range to five options.

Those choices begin with the IS 300h Luxury, yours for $64,500, which arrives with 18-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing LED headlights and LED DRLs, puddle lights, keyless entry and start, heated wing mirrors and auto wipers.

Inside, expect faux-leather seats that are heated up front, dual-zone climate control, rear air vents and heated front seats, while tech duties are handled by a 10.3-inch touchscreen (yes, an actual touchscreen – so there’s now no need to use the Lexus control pad), a 10-speaker stereo, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation and digital radio.

Springing for the Luxury with Enhancement Pack ($66,500) adds a moonroof, while the Luxury with Enhancement Pack 2 ($70,000) ups your alloys to 19 inches, improves your stereo to a 17-speaker Mark Levinson system, and wraps your seats in real leather, which now get ventilation up front.

You can then step up the sportier-feeling IS 300h F Sport, which starts at $73,000. That spend buys you F Sport-styled 19-inch alloys, a new-look front and rear bumper and rear spoiler, and a redesigned grille. Inside, you get sports seats, a sportier steering wheel, and new and angrier drive modes (Sport+ and Customise).

Finally, you can have that same car with its own Enhancement Pack ($76,100), which gives you a moonroof, that Mark Levinson stereo and an electric rear sunshade.

Inside

It all depends on which one your sitting in, really. For mine, the Luxury cars don’t feel overly special in the cabin, but really, no IS models want for much in terms of interior equipment.

Perhaps the biggest change – or at lease the one you’ll appreciate everyday, is the inclusion of a touchscreen infotainment unit, which finally negates the need to use the brand’s clunky, mousepad-style controller.

The latter is still in the cabin, presumably to cater to the three people who enjoyed using it, but you will find yourself ignoring it, particularly if you use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, both of which are designed to pair best with a touchscreen.

Design-wise, the cabin hasn’t changed too much over the outgoing vehicle, and it does lack some of the tech wow-factor you’ll find in a comparative Mercedes-Benz, for example, but it’s a clean, functional and comfortable space.

Speaking of space, there’s slightly less of it in the hybrid models, with the inclusion of batteries sucking up some boot space (450L vs 480L in non-hybrid models), and the rear seat does feel a little tighter than you might expect. We’d recommend three across the back row for children or for adults you’re not overly fond of.

For the record, the Lexus IS 300h measures 4710mm in length, 1840mm in width and 1435mm in height.

Performance and efficiency

The IS 300h is still powered by a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, which alone produces 133kW and 221Nm. But the ‘hybrid’ part of the equation arrives courtesy of a 105kW and 300Nm electric motor and a nickel metal hydride battery.

The power is channeled through a CVT automatic (with six artificial ‘steps’ built in) and sent to the rear tyres. Combined, the hybrid system will produce some 164kW, with torque somewhere north of 250Nm – though Lexus hasn’t confirmed the official number.

The IS 300h is equipped with a 66-litre fuel tank, and Lexus says it will sip just 5.1L/100km on the combined cycle, while emitting some 116g/km of C02.

Charging

You’ll find no plugs here, friends. While some of Lexus’ key rivals have introduced PHEV models, the Japanese brand has remained steadfastly HEV with the IS.

That said, the brand has now confirmed full EVs for our market – the first being the UX300e that will arrive next year – and has identified “opportunities” with PHEVs, like Lexus NX 450h+, so watch this space.

Ride and handling

Ah, now we’re to the real crux of this tale, because Lexus has made a Very Big Deal about how much they’ve improved the driving dynamics for this new IS range.

In fact, this car debuts what the brand is calling its Lexus Driving Signature, a new sense of fun behind the wheel honed on its mini-Nurburgring testing facility in Japan.

The IS is the first to get it, and it will feed all future Lexus models, too. A little like Toyota, then, it seems Lexus has suddenly discovered new-found love for driving dynamics.

But unlike Toyota, the Lexus will have to do it with its existing platform, as well as engine and gearbox. Instead, the brand has worked on the suspension and damping, as well as the chassis rigidity, to deliver a sportier feel from behind the wheel.

Those changes still mostly focus on the F Sport model, and we can report that it mostly lives up to what it says on the label, with the IS feeling solid and dependable through corners, with confidence-inspiring steering and a commendable unwillingness to rock from side to side like a tall ship in rough seas.

Elsewhere, though, the IS range ticks those premium boxes. It’s quiet in the cabin, and the interior – while not as future-focused as some – feels solid as a rock and like something that will stay rattle-free for some time yet.

That said, the range does feel heavier, and so less athletic, than its competitors at times – and with their CVTs, the hybrid models are less focused on out-and-out performance – so you’re better off putting all this new engineering to work at cruising speeds, or through nice flowing bends, where the various components work together seamlessly.

Talking point

You can’t help but feel this is all kind of a moot point, really. Lexus has put a lot of effort into improving the IS range, but in world of SUVs and dual cabs, will anyone actually buy one?

That’s not a slight on Lexus, of course – almost every brand is singing the same sedan story, with the once dominant body style now on the ropes in Australia and around the world.

Safety

There’s plenty of safety kit here, with even the cheapest IS 300h getting 10 airbags, a reversing camera, blind-spot monitoring and parking sensors, as we as AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, Lane Trace Assist, Road Sign Assist, auto high beam and rain-sensing wipers, stolen vehicle tracking and SOS function should you have an accident.

Verdict

The Lexus IS improves the brand’s mid-size formula, even if it doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It looks better, drives better, and has better stuff, which is hard to argue with, really.