The car looked fantastic as it sat in the car park, shiny and black with 18" alloys, a medium sized family saloon with striking, modern lines. 

Familiarisation with the controls revealed a number of impressive features, like the built-in Satnav, Bluetooth telephone system, Cruise Control and dashboard infographics. The bit I missed and took a while to work out was the location of the hand break, which turned out to be a foot pedal, which once mastered was very easy and convenient to use in this automatic model.

I had the car from Lexus Bolton for a weekend visit to London, so had a good length motorway journey ahead, followed by some heavy city driving, plenty of opportunity to evaluate the performance of the Lexus is300h, a 2.5 litre petrol, hybrid family saloon.

Leaving the proximity key in my pocket had allowed me to unlock the car with a simple touch of the driver’s door handle and pressing the 'power key' galvanised the vehicle into action, albeit silently, as the electric motor sprung into life. It was initially spooky as the car pulled away effortlessly but silently before the petrol engine took over as we accelerated away. 

I was fascinated by the apparently HD graphic dashboard display illustrating the flow of power, alternately between the petrol and electric drives to the cars transmission, demonstrating the cutting edge hybrid technology incorporated in the vehicle.

The car was extremely comfortable, with leather upholstery and ample room inside and the boot was a good size. All controls were easily accessible and the front seats positioning altered electronically by fingertip controls. The dashboard infographics also allowed effective control of the cabin temperature, individually setting the climate around both driver and passenger.

Overall we enjoyed the experience delivered by the Lexus is300h, smiled as the satnav seemingly directed us by the location of an appropriate pub and was reluctant to return it on Monday. 

As family saloons go, in my opinion, the Lexus is300h is a great car, delivering a good degree of luxury, comfort and style, with technology in excess of the norm. With acceptable fuel consumption of around 44mpg over our weekend, I think you'd need to go a long way to better this car and I thank Lexus Bolton for giving me the opportunity to taste the Lexus experience.

If you're looking for the perfect car for you, give  Lexus Bolton a call on 01204 689624 or pop in to their showroom on Bury Road!