Faults:

Nothing so far, in the first 7 months of ownership.

General Comments:

This is an extremely well-built, comfortable car.

I previously had a BMW 523 SE; the new company car tax rules meant that when I came to replace it, it was going to cost more in tax that I was prepared to pay. I spent about 8 months looking at alternatives, and test drove the BMW 320i, the Saab 9-3, the Audi A3 and A4 (both 1.8T), and the Mercedes C class (2.3 litre CDi) and C class coupe (2 litre kompressor).

I eventually chose the IS 200 Sport, and am entirely happy with my decision. It turns heads wherever it goes, as it is still a rather unusual sight on UK roads (though rapidly becoming more popular).

The build quality is excellent; the instrument cluster comes in for some stick, but all I can say is that I rapidly got used to its unusual design, and every passenger I have ever had in the car has commented favourably on it.

A somewhat contentious issue with car is whether or not it is underpowered in 2 litre guise. I have found that it has all the power I need (though I do notice the difference from a BMW 2.5 litre engine!) and the road handling is noticeably better than the beamer. My one and only gripe would be that, with a six speed box, the frequent gear changes on winding roads can be tiresome, but this is the price you pay for the better acceleration and overall performance you get with a six-speed box.

I was really keen to ensure build quality was good, as we have to keep our company cars for 4 years. From what I have seen so far, it is on a par with the BMW and better than the Mercedes E class I previously had.

Faults:

Front brakes had to be replaced at 20,000 miles.

All four tyres needed replacement at 20,000 miles.

General Comments:

This car is a fantastic motorway cruiser, very smooth and quiet and after adjusting to the seats, can be quite comfortable.

There's a little extra bit of luxury with the baby Lexus which just isn't present with BMW 3 series or Audi A4s. Hard to define, but highly noticeable.

On board equipment is superb, although the climate control is a bit unpredictable. Personally I prefer manual control, as it either gets too hot or too cold, and the fans seem to settle on too high a setting.

Economy wise, for a 6 cylinder engine its quite good, with around 32mpg on a run, and 27 around town.

I'm surprised that the tyres and brakes have needed doing so quickly though, as 60 % of my journeys are on decent motorways, although the 40% spent in traffic in London probably explains the brakes wearing so soon. The front tyres have worn quicker than the rears, but even so, for the cost of replacements I'd have expected at least another 5,000 out of them.

Apart from that, I would highly recommend the IS200 to anyone thinking of buying a compact exec car.