IS300h - how bad is the CVT gearbox?

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I went to have a look at a lexus IS300h the other day.

I didn't have time to drive the car while I was there (despite the salesman being very keen to offer me a 24 hour drive) so just sat in it in the car... it was really very nice.

The finance deals on PCP are also very compelling. When I got home I read a load of the reviews and watched some video reviews on Youtube, the distilled summary seems to be "nice car, shame about the gearbox"

I'd be really interested to hear from anyone that has one on how bad (or not) it really is, I'd be trading in a manual 2.0T audi.

my view, having driven neither car, is that the BMW 330e would be more fun to drive, but the PCP are coming out as nearly double a month compared to the lexus.

Thanks in advance.

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sleepera6 said:

A thread for me!

CVT box is great for town driving, awful on motorways. Give it a bit of poke and it hesitates ever so slightly, before surge.
Good box I say, so refined in town.

why is it bad on the motorways?

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sleepera6 said:

Compared to all my other cars, the CVT is noisier on motorways, hence I put "bad"

got it, thanks.

krisdelta said:

I've driven the older IS300 with the CVT and it was dreadful - lethargic and unpleasant. It wasn't quiet or powerful either so it didn't offer the "wafting" you might associate with a CVT. Recommend you invest in a test drive before signing paperwork.

thanks, I'd definitely do a test drive, I thought I'd post here to see if I got a torrent of 'its awful, don't touch it" - in which case, I probably wouldn't bother.

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Jag_NE said:

i had a 300h for a few months as a stop gap. initially hated it but it really grew on me and i would have another in a hearbeat

Can you tell me more about the 'initial hatred'?

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Loyly said:

CVT'S don't suit sporty cars ...

this may kill the deal for me.....

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Thanks for all the opinions - I'm trying to work out why the lexus appears so cheap on finance. Suspect a combination of low APR and the 3k they give you as 'deposit contribution'

I'm looking at a 330e, which seems more expensive, but also the Golf GTE - which also seems more expensive (per month) - the fact that a golf can cost more than a lexus is slightly counter-intuitive to me.

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Ali_T said:

Will there be an ISF, finally?

They had some sport cars in the showroom.... But they all have the same drive train and that cvt gearbox, I think they do fit special suspension to the sportier models though