Category: Exotic Sports 
Price Range: £23,060 to £54,490
Immensely powerful yet civilised; looks great; clever eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Hard ride; not much steering feel; limited rear-seat space.
A well thought-out alternative to the M3 and RS4, conceding nothing in its performance.
Back in 1999, Lexus introduced its BMW 3-Series rival, the IS. With rear-wheel-drive and a choice of powerful straight-six engines, it was clearly influenced by the class-leading BMW. It's taken until now for Lexus to attempt to challenge the M3 - but the IS F (the 'F' stands for Fuji Speedway, where much of the car's development work took place) has been worth the wait.
Like the M3, the Audi RS4 and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, the IS F has a V8-formation engine, delivering 4969cc, 417bhp and 372lb ft of torque. Top speed is limited to 168mph, though it's clearly capable of much more, and 0-60mph acceleration is in 4.8 seconds. Yet it's relatively economical, giving 24.8mpg. Most importantly, the highly-tuned engine makes all the right noises when revved hard but sacrifices none of the expected Lexus refinement when you want to take it a little easier.
The IS F is not a hard-core, all-out sports car, but it is an impressive and very complete all-round proposition that should be easy to live with. Obviously, it also comes with a high level of safety equipment and all the expected luxuries, gadgets and accessories for a car at this price - a cool £51,000. UK deliveries start in April.
