Lexus ES Saloon 300h Takumi E-CVT auto 4d Owner Review

I think this car a masterpiece of engineering. The car moves constantly between electric power and petrol motor without the driver detecting it – no vibration, no sound, only the instrument panel gives it away. The engine is virtually silent at all speeds, with the revs mostly being between 1000 and 1500 at anything up to the legal maximum speed limit (and beyond!). Under hard acceleration the revs go up briefly but the sound is still muted and not at all intrusive. Despite the sound proofing there is tyre noise at speed on coarse motorway surfaces but not such as to be unduly troublesome. Apart from that the tyres are hushed. As to comfort, the seats are some of the best in any car I have been in and most of the bumps in the road are ironed out and don’t seem to exist. I have got used to the remote control pad for the screen, although I think I still prefer the controller in my GS300h which I traded in. But the Takumi has a magnifent head up display which once you have had it you would not want to be without. Fuel consumption has been displayed as 60mpg on motorway journeys and 55mpg on a combined cycle, with a full tank giving a range of 550 miles - twice that of the best electric cars. To summarise it is a lovely quiet and comfortable way to travel, and well designed for an age of climate change.