Lexus IS 300h review: Hybrid, yes. Hijinks, no

Singapore

IN MANY ways, the new IS 300h embodies the best that Lexus has to... PLEASE OBEY ALL TRAFFIC REGULATIONS... Oops! Pardon the interruption, but the new IS range comes with a built-in nanny, and it pipes up whenever it thinks you ought to be driving more obediently.

It's impossible to turn off the synthetic female voice that chimes in so helpfully, which is slightly maddening. You can lower it to a whisper, but it's always there, watching your every move, ready to pass judgment.

Accelerate with some vim, for example, and there it is: "Please obey all traffic regulations."

Frankly, the person at Lexus who thought this would be a good idea should be suspended immediately. From the ceiling. By his thumbs. The last thing I want in a car is for it to hector me about my driving. I'm a married man, so I already have that part of my life sorted.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the new IS 300h is what Lexus does best, distilled into one beautiful package. It has the smoothness and quietness of a petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain. It feels as if it were built to last a hundred years.

It zips around corners with breathtaking poise. And it looks like something from the future, assuming cars from a distant tomorrow are designed by sculptors deftly whittling at solid metal with laser swords.

Much of this is particularly impressive because the IS isn't a new car, but a heavy facelift of a model that first sallied forth into the world a full eight years ago. That makes it ancient in car years, and it shows.

The cabin might have a large new touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, but it doesn't have the digital instruments or fancy ambient lighting that add so much razzle-dazzle to its rivals from Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Compared to competitors, it feels cramped in the back, too.

Yet, in some ways, the Lexus IS is a better BMW 3 Series than a BMW 3 Series. It has lovely steering that's perfectly-weighted and pin-sharp, and it darts through corners with so much grace and confidence that... PLEASE OBEY ALL TRAFFIC REGULATIONS... For goodness' sake, I was only savouring how much grip and feel the chassis has to offer!

Anyway, Lexus' parent Toyota opened a gnarly new test track in the hills of Aichi Prefecture two years ago, and it's there that the new IS gained its handling prowess.

It rides firmly over bumps, but it feasts on corners and is always up for seconds.

In hybrid form, it's not a particularly fast car, but Lexus has got petrol-electric propulsion down to a fine art, and it's admirable how well the IS 300h's drivetrain works.

The motor provides the quietest low-speed experience this side of a Rolls-Royce, and when the engine chimes in the Lexus doesn't miss a beat. Battery and fossil fuel power are juggled with perfection here.

If you prefer excitement, the IS 300 variant has a turbo engine that helps it cover the sprint to 100km/h in 7 seconds, 1.5 seconds quicker than the IS 300h.

The IS 350, with its V6 engine, is quicker still. But if the Lexus is always chiding you about driving too fast with the slowest, gentlest hybrid engine, then imagine what life would be like in the faster versions.

It beats me why anyone would make a car this good to drive, then add a feature that admonishes you for going at it like an enthusiast would.

Objectively, the Lexus IS 300h is a desirable car, especially if you can look past the old-school interior (or better still, if you consider analogue instruments a plus in this overly digital world) and can appreciate the solid engineering underneath the eye-catching metal.

And given Lexus' impeccable record for quality and reliability, the IS 300h would probably be a joy to own. You just have to make sure you please obey all traffic regulations.

LEXUS IS 300H LUXURY

Engine 2,487cc, inline 4 Power 178hp at 5700rpm Torque 221Nm at 4200-5200rpm Gearbox Continuously Variable Transmission Electric Motor 140hp/300Nm System Power 219hp 0-100km/h 8.5 seconds Top Speed 180km/h Fuel Efficiency 5.4 L/100km Agent Borneo Motors Price S$207,800 with COE Available Now