Lexus IS200/300

Watch out for a lot of marketing from Lexus over coming months, because with the extension of the IS ‘starter’ BMW range to include a 2-litre SportCross, the model is now ripe for taking over a greater share of the compact luxury segment. The rear-drive and straight-six engine configuration mimics the main target Beemer, and the car looks good and handles well. There are now also a pair of 3-litre saloon and SportCross options. With a whopping low-end torque, these last are really capable and fun contender sfor the small sporty saloon best car around. That this is already the perception of the buyers of the 200s is shown by the fact that most are sold in manual form. You can’t get a manual 3-litre yet, but at that size an autobox is really the thing anyway. Though I still can’t get to grips with steering-wheel button ‘manual’ changes. That’s just me, I guess. Stars: 8/10

Lexus GS300-430

Before the arrival of the 2-litre SportCross, this was our favourite Lexus, with a lot of luxury and a high specification of tecchie goodies ranging from the way the steering wheel retracts out of your way when you switch off right along to how the (5-speed) automatic transmission senses when the car is going downhill and invokes some anti-overrun wizardry. There is, of course, all the stuff we take for granted, in even lesser cars nowadays but Lexus and elite competitors had a lot of it first, such as climate control aircon, cruise control and electrically adjustable seats. In a polluted area the air leaving a Lexus will be more pure than when it goes in, so good is their filtration/conditioning system. Once you put the GS300 on the move you are truly in a world of your own. The GS 430 has the bigger V8 engine that goes into the biggest LS 430, with even more push and hush. Stars: 8/10

Lexus LS430

The ultimate luxury saloon, some think. And I think they’re right, and I haven’t changed my mind on this one in the last 12 months. This is the safety-packed limousine with everything: supreme comfort and hushed refinement. The LS430 is also one of the most aerodynamic passenger cars built - a combination of low drag and tight panel fit virtually eliminate wind noise in the car. The serenely quiet superbly crafted cabin now boasts much more wood and soft leather and utter luxury like standard air conditioned front seats. There’s also an electric sunshade on the rear window, rear climate control, centre-of-dash mounted CD player, rear seats adjustable back and forth, eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat with memory settings that also ‘remember’ headrest and seatbelt mounting positions, steering wheel and exterior mirrors, and the list just goes on. Despite weighing two tonnes, the LS430 is a strong performing and terrific handling car. You’ve heard it all before. Stars: 10/10

Lexus SC430

It turned out that there were unacceptable ride and handling characteristics with this Lexus roadster, due largely to the hard-riding runflat tyres. But all owners here have been offered an upgrade kit to bring their cars up to the revised standards now in all new SC 430s. This is in line with the strong customer service ethos in the brand. This sexy coupe/cabriolet is still available only in very limited supply and is probably the ultimate boulevardier, yet it has the panache and the gizmos to make it perform as much as the driver is capable of, even on a race track. The folding hardtop makes it a fairly practical roadster for this market’s climate, if you can afford the bread to cast upon Lexus waters. It has the same engine as the LS 430. Stars: 8/10

Lexus RX300

A 3-litre V6, auto trans, and a big body, the RX300 is comfortably third after its Mercedes and BMW SUV equivalents, and has become decent competition in the luxury SUV stakes. It comes with a couple of proven pedigrees. The badge, of course, then there’s the 3-litre engine, well proven in the mid-ranger GS300 saloon as a smooth, tractable, and eminently civilised motor which can be gunned to fun if one feels like it. The auto trans in the RX300 is without frills, except for some software which smoothens the shifts even under said gunning. The shovel-angled nose is distinctive and inside it is quite practical - lots of places to take cans, cups, bottles and bits and plenty of room for occupants to rattle about in. High tech info systems and a no-nonsense interior finish means this one doesn’t have to be kept for a sunny day. Stars: 8/10