Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £25,670 to £25,670
A stylish and high-quality alternative to the usual German line-up.
Diesel not as refined as it should be, rear space not great.
A hugely competent follow up to the original, the latest IS isn't a class leader but does deserve a place on buyers' shortlist.
Lexus is becoming well and truly part of the prestige establishment, reflected by the excellent residual values predicted by value monitoring organisations such as CAP. They reckon a three-year-old Lexus IS will be worth more than the equivalent BMW 3-Series, which was once the gold standard (oversupply has dented that reputation, though).
With an eye firmly on the company car market, Lexus has also done a huge amount of work to reduce ownership costs. The cost of replacement parts has been brought down compared to rivals - one reason why insurance groupings are relatively low, starting out at just 12E for the entry level IS220d.
