Mondeo Hybrid vs Lexus IS300h
Discussion
Hi guys
I was wondering if anyone of you have had any experience of a Ford Mondeo Hybrid looking at around 2015/2016 cars that are in my budget.
I’m torn between these and a Lexus IS300H.
Anyone had any experience of these cars?
Running Costs/Maintenance Cost and reliability.
How many miles can i get out of a full tank of fuel with mixed driving mainly around town?
I was wondering if anyone of you have had any experience of a Ford Mondeo Hybrid looking at around 2015/2016 cars that are in my budget.
I’m torn between these and a Lexus IS300H.
Anyone had any experience of these cars?
Running Costs/Maintenance Cost and reliability.
How many miles can i get out of a full tank of fuel with mixed driving mainly around town?
The IS300H is essentially a Toyota Prius in a fancy dress, ours has been faultless over nearly 7 years and I expect it'll never actually die or break down for another 10 years+.
It will do 40-50mpg depending on winter or summer on normal unleaded, almost regardless of what kind of roads you drive on. £20 VED, £200/service, tyres that last 30k+ its about as cheap to run as you can get.
My wife owns ours, it does about 450 miles to a tank, but if you drive it for economy on Mways you can hit nearly 60mpg which will equate to 700miles+ per tank.
Be warned though, despite been built well, nice soft touch plastics, not that slow, comfortable, its about as engaging/interesting to drive as watching paint dry. My wife absolutely loves it, but I don't. If it was my car it would have been sold by 12 months if not earlier........Different people want different things from their cars, most people on this forum I suspect will end up feeling the same way about a IS300H, despite its very obvious capabilities, reliability, economy.
Put it this way, when I was met with an empty work car park covered in snow/ICE when leaving late a few years ago, it did a very good impression of been a FWD car despite the fact its RWD. I honestly have never driven a 'safer' more stable car - oh how I wished I was in an i3 that day. But that I suspect is not by accident, its the Lexus way.
It will do 40-50mpg depending on winter or summer on normal unleaded, almost regardless of what kind of roads you drive on. £20 VED, £200/service, tyres that last 30k+ its about as cheap to run as you can get.
My wife owns ours, it does about 450 miles to a tank, but if you drive it for economy on Mways you can hit nearly 60mpg which will equate to 700miles+ per tank.
Be warned though, despite been built well, nice soft touch plastics, not that slow, comfortable, its about as engaging/interesting to drive as watching paint dry. My wife absolutely loves it, but I don't. If it was my car it would have been sold by 12 months if not earlier........Different people want different things from their cars, most people on this forum I suspect will end up feeling the same way about a IS300H, despite its very obvious capabilities, reliability, economy.
Put it this way, when I was met with an empty work car park covered in snow/ICE when leaving late a few years ago, it did a very good impression of been a FWD car despite the fact its RWD. I honestly have never driven a 'safer' more stable car - oh how I wished I was in an i3 that day. But that I suspect is not by accident, its the Lexus way.
Edited by gangzoom on Friday 1st October 06:58
The Mondeo hybrid is a bit of a bargain - they are very cheap used and they are massive inside. The IS300h is roughly BMW 3-series sized but the Mondeo is closer to 5-series.
The biggest issue with the Mondeo hybrid is the boot space. The boot is heavily compromised by the battery pack, and the resulting space is unusable for large solid objects. The packaging is a disaster. You can really see that the hybrid version was an afterthought.
That was the deal breaker for me. I was planning to buy the Vignale hybrid version, and the dealer was offering a massive discount, but I just could not live with the boot space.
There is a hybrid estate version which is obviously much better in terms of boot space, but they are quite rare. They were introduced only recently (well after 2015/2016) and they sold very few.
Mondeo hybrid has folding rear seat, IS300h may or may not (check the individual model as others have said).
If you need/want a lot of interior space and a lot of car for the money then I would go for the Mondeo. If you value reliability then I would go for the IS300h.
The biggest issue with the Mondeo hybrid is the boot space. The boot is heavily compromised by the battery pack, and the resulting space is unusable for large solid objects. The packaging is a disaster. You can really see that the hybrid version was an afterthought.
That was the deal breaker for me. I was planning to buy the Vignale hybrid version, and the dealer was offering a massive discount, but I just could not live with the boot space.
There is a hybrid estate version which is obviously much better in terms of boot space, but they are quite rare. They were introduced only recently (well after 2015/2016) and they sold very few.
Mondeo hybrid has folding rear seat, IS300h may or may not (check the individual model as others have said).
If you need/want a lot of interior space and a lot of car for the money then I would go for the Mondeo. If you value reliability then I would go for the IS300h.
This is the issue i’m finding compromising.
There are major compromises to make, I’m 6ft and have long legs so I prefer the interior space of the Mondeo. The boot space and proven reliability makes me sway towards the is300h but it’s a little tighter in there.
The Mondeo shape looks very hatchback-esque idk why the decided to make it a saloon!
There are major compromises to make, I’m 6ft and have long legs so I prefer the interior space of the Mondeo. The boot space and proven reliability makes me sway towards the is300h but it’s a little tighter in there.
The Mondeo shape looks very hatchback-esque idk why the decided to make it a saloon!
Those two aren’t really that comparable apart from the hybrid element. I’ve had an is300h and thought it was a great car. That being said I think mondeos are also spot on. If your mileage is 10k+ I’d say the sweet spot for economy, space, value and drive is a diesel Mondeo. Just be sure to get a euro6.
Stereo is fine but there isn't much space overall in the cabin so sound staging isn't great. Overall refinement is no worse or better than any other car we have owned.
Forget the electric only mode, its a gimmick. Leave the car to sort out the switch to/from electric mode.
As a reliable, efficient, M-way cruiser the IS300H is great - 320D I believe was the benchmark Lexus used. Its just not an exciting car to own if you like cars. That said the ongoing maintenance/running costs are so low I cannot see us selling ours for a long while.
Forget the electric only mode, its a gimmick. Leave the car to sort out the switch to/from electric mode.
As a reliable, efficient, M-way cruiser the IS300H is great - 320D I believe was the benchmark Lexus used. Its just not an exciting car to own if you like cars. That said the ongoing maintenance/running costs are so low I cannot see us selling ours for a long while.
I need the rear seat space, otherwise I do quite like the Auris Estate, forgot to mention It’s for use as a Private Hire Taxi.
Currently own a Passat, & wanted to upgrade to the newer Passat’s.
But unfortunately local council are only allowing Petrol Hybrid & LPG. So No Euro 6 Diesel 😞
So i’m torn between the IS & Mondeo.
Currently own a Passat, & wanted to upgrade to the newer Passat’s.
But unfortunately local council are only allowing Petrol Hybrid & LPG. So No Euro 6 Diesel 😞
So i’m torn between the IS & Mondeo.
SRi Slim R said:
I need the rear seat space, otherwise I do quite like the Auris Estate, forgot to mention It’s for use as a Private Hire Taxi.
Someone on the IS forum runs one as a private hire. They rate it very highly for that job, the rear seats are actually reasonable and boot deeper than it seems.The GS300H is the same drivetrain but bigger with some more soft touch plastics, its quite nice actually but the extra weight is noticeable.
The IS is certainly nicer to spend time in compared to an Auris, however the key is the Toyota drivetrain they all share. There is a very good reason why the Prius makes such a good taxi, that same reason probably means you shouldn't need to think twice about the IS?
carte blanche said:
Not sure what your budget is but it may be worth considering a GS300h over the IS300h, the GS is much closer in size to the Mondeo and I would imagine be more comfortable for rear seat passengers.
+1 to this, or a GS450H - just sold mine, but because I want to consolidate to one car and the other is a lot cheaper to run, though will be upgraded to something between. Already miss it.Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff