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This is Lexus’s first rival to the BMW M3, and if it is to succeed it has to have superb handling far removed from that of the firm’s luxury barges and SUVs.

It was no coincidence, then, that Toyota chose Fuji Speedway – still coated in rubber from the Japanese Grand Prix 10 days earlier – to give journalists their first taste of the Lexus IS-F. Where better to show it off than the circuit where most of its development work was carried out?

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This is a difficult one to figure out. I reckon the IS-F looks great (though maybe not in purple) and I think it's a really appealing idea. But I can't bring myself to believe that Lexus will ever produce a car as focused as an M3 or RS4. It just seems to go against what I consider Lexus to be. Which is impeccably reliable, comfortable, and just a tiny bit dull (sorry Lexus).

I'd love to be proven wrong, but I suspect the IS-F will be a very rare sight on the roads.

I like Lexus, unassuming, quality, reliability, technologically advanced, dealer backup/service second to none, slightly left field to German offerings.

The IS-F seems slightly out of place with my view of Lexus, but I hope it succeeds. To gain credibility, they should enter a works backed team in the DTM series. With Toyota's backing they could bloody a few noses.

Vicky Parrott:

But I can't bring myself to believe that Lexus will ever produce a car as focused as an M3 or RS4. It just seems to go against what I consider Lexus to be. Which is impeccably reliable, comfortable, and just a tiny bit dull (sorry Lexus).

Agreed. I also think the rear exhaust configuration looks a bit daft. :-(

Vicky Parrott:

But I can't bring myself to believe that Lexus will ever produce a car as focused as an M3 or RS4. It just seems to go against what I consider Lexus to be. Which is impeccably reliable, comfortable, and just a tiny bit dull (sorry Lexus).

Images aren't everything, it seems. Some tests in the USA have proved the IS-F is capable of beating the competition. Car and Driver for example drove the IS-F with 71.6 mph through their '700-slalom', while the new M3 did 65.9 mph there.

The brakes seem to be a bit more supportive as well.

Having owned a new Lexus IS, one can only be impressed by what Toyota has achieved with this car. But you're absolutely right that, despite excellent dealer service, superb build quality, and unimpeachable reliability, somehow Lexus still fails to hold a candle to Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. The dynamics are flawed and the brand has no soul.

All that said, there was one aspect of Lexus that was extremely compelling: value. Compared to the Germans, most Lexus models are much cheaper. They come loaded with standard kit.  I was rather hoping that the IS-F would offer the same advantage. If it were to be priced around the £42-£45K mark, it would make an extremely convincing case for itself. Selling the IS-F for the same money as a new M3 or C63 just doesn't make sense. It smacks of arrogance bordering on stupidity.  

What I'm really saying is that while Lexus knows how to make decent cars, it knows nothing about marketing.

errr last time l checked the DTM series is solely for German marques.

That 51,000 price-tag is for the car 'ás tested'.

Does this mean it was a car fully packed with expensive extra's or is that a base-price?

It could make a big difference. Test cars are often full specced.