Another important car celebrating its European debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show is the new Lexus IS 300h. It is an important car, because if you ignore that gopping front grille, the rest of it is pretty damn competent. This is a good family saloon with a touch of sportiness, and a CO2 rating of just 99g/km.
The Lexus IS300h is powered by a hybrid system consisting of a 141bhp/105kW electric motor and a newly developed 2.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson cycle petrol engine with 178bhp/133kW. Together they sent an output of 220bhp/164kW to the rear wheels via an E-CVT transmission.
That power translates into a 0 to 100 km/h time of 8.3 seconds and a 125mph top speed.
But you don’t buy a hybrid for performance. Good news is, the IS300h excels at all matters economy. The base SE model fitted with 16-inch wheels offers a CO2 rating of 99 g/km which means it is exempt from road tax in most parts of the world. Higher F Sport and Premier grades do slightly worse at 109 g/km. All models have a zero-emission EV mode.
Speaking of the F Sport version, it includes sports-tuned suspension and electric power steering, as well as dedicated exterior and interior design features that distinguish it from the other models in the range.
