Luxury Reviews

While the hybrid range appeases a green conscience with performance as well, the brand lacks a hero. The IS F is deigned to be a halo car for the Japanese brand that the bulk of its opposition already has - BMW has its M cars, Benz has AMG-badged weapons and Audi offers S and RS performance models, many which have character and soul in spades.The IS bearing the F badge - inspired by the Fuji Raceway track that was used in the model's development - aims to change that for Lexus, taking the V8 from the petrol side of the LS600hL hybrid, giving it to Yamaha and asking for some singing and dancing lessons.The brand says it has always had an element of performance within the bulk of its range but has never made a big deal about it - with the ISF the company has what it calls a new breed of Lexus and compares its significance to that of its 1990 launch.Lexus Australia chief executive John Roca says the performance market is new for Lexus, but the Japanese company has not entered the segment with a carbon-copy of its opposition.Its a lot of pressure on the car but we have to, being as conservative as they’ve been in the past, if it wasn’t for Yaguchi-san (chief engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi) this car wouldn’t be here.The board made a decision in 2002 - when he first talked about this car - not to develop a performance arm to the brand they felt it wasn’t what Lexus was all about, smooth quiet, well-crafted but he's an enthusiast, he wanted something he would like to drive.They will go easy with this car until it is successful, being cautious in terms of production and supply it has to succeed because if it doesn’t there wont be any more F models.The F started life as something of a side project for Yaguchi, a 25-year veteran of the company and its Toyota parent.Within the huge carmaker development approvals are not won easily but after experimenting with various mules the car was given the green light in 2004.Driving fun was more the aim, rather than outright lap times, says Yaguchi-san, with Yamaha, Brembo and BBS among the suppliers, the IS F has taken shape.Using the hybrid limo's V8 within an IS300 shell, Lexus has massaged every bit of the car and produced a four-seat four-door offering 311kW, 505Nm and a claimed thirst of 11.4 litres per 100km.The five-litre powerplant boasts variable intake, port and direct fuel injection, valve timing and a raucous note change at 3600rpm - 0-100km/h times of 4.8 seconds and a top speed limited to 270km/h are the claims and track work suggested those numbers were achievable.The eight-speed conventional automatic has two top gears for fuel economy and the remainder are closer-set, with a torque-converter lock-up between 2nd and 8th for better response; shift times are 0.1 of a second on up-shifts and 0.3 of a second on the downshift, complete with throttle blip.Yaguchi-san said the small development team had limited time and funds, making the brand's existing eight-speed automatic a more viable option than trying to develop a double-clutch automated manual now being used by BMW.At 1700kg it's no featherweight, but it's by no means the porkiest in the segment, says Lexus, which defends the weight figure in deference to a comprehensive features list.Full leather trim, heated sports front seats, a satnav-equipped Mark Levinson fourteen speaker sound system, radar cruise control, switchable stability control are all standard in the four-seater.It also has plenty of clever aerodynamic and cooling tricks, including 19in wheels - 30 per cent lighter than the 15.5kg 19in wheels from the LS600hL - that are directional and specific to front and rear axles, for pushing air onto the large vented and cross-drilled Brembo brake package.As a first-up effort in the prestige compact performance segment, the IS F does most things in a way that will put it on the shopping list occupied by BMW's M3 and the C63 AMG - Lexus certainly now has its hero car. DRIVINGThe high-performers of Lexus have been hybrids up until now.The little four-door sedan has a V8 that sings, quietly at first but 3600rpm is when it opens up and really belts out a note.The tune is accompanied by plenty of thrust, more than enough to whop the eight-speed auto into a frenzy and see off 100km/h in around five seconds.The ride quality is firm and on the abrupt side, big yumps and bumps are relayed with little compliance.It's not bone-jarringly bad but M, RS and AMG are a little easier through road imperfections.The steering has a nice feel to it, gathering extra weight in sport mode to make the driver take charge; the paddleshifts are crisp and generally smooth, although in sport mode there's a little more shift-shock than some double-clutchers sampled in recent weeks have displayed.The seats aren't large but they are supportive and comfortable, with little numb-bum displayed during the launch drive; the racetrack showed the lateral support, which felt ample on the road corners, was up to the task on the racetrack.The IS F was bred for trackwork and it shows, lapping the Phillip Island circuit with considerable pace and plenty of balance.The firm ride quality that slightly tarnishes the on-road performance is paid for in spades by its abilities in the corners, with minimal body roll, decent turn-in and plenty of grip.Switch the electronics off and there's plenty of fun to be had - the track's two tight corners can be easily dispatched with plenty of attitude and a session on the skid pan demonstrated the electronic stability system's prowess, as well as its ability to be completely turned off, something its German counterparts could look at closely.Lurid powerslides and other activities that would get the IS F confiscated on public roads can be indulged in with impunity on a racetrack skidpan, with plenty of smoke.The circuit work showed the IS F has what it takes to corner quickly and gobble up straights in competitive time.While absolute straight-line speed and outright pace point-to-point might still have a German at the top of the podium, the IS F is on the money. 

What I need is a time machine like Doctor Who's TARDIS, to cut travel times down to nothing.But while the TARDIS car doesn't exist, Land Rover does have the next best thing, which is a Range Rover Sport. This is a car “conceived”, to use marketing-speak, as a sports tourer. In other words, it is meant to achieve the diametrically opposed goals of being a sports car and a 4WD. In lieu of a TARDIS, that'll do.This has been tried many times before but, where others pretend, the Sport starts to succeed.This is because the car can be tailored to the terrain; the air suspension means it can sit low on the road to minimise body roll, yet raise ride height when off-road. It can change throttle response and gearshift points with terrain response.Around town the Sport is an auto diesel, so you don't get an instantaneous response, but it's nimble enough. The 11.6m turning circle is good, and if you drop the air suspension it's less than 1800mm tall, so car parks are no problem, especially with the great all-round visibility.Friends who own sports cars made rude remarks when they discovered the RRS weighs 2400kg, offers 140kw, is diesel and regally achieves a 0-100 time of 12.7 seconds.All-out acceleration does not leave the driver a gibbering mess, innards pulped by g-forces asthe car hurtles towards the horizon. The tyres begin to squeal at cornering speeds that a sports car would consider a warm-up.In short, on a racetrack the Sport would be left floundering well behind any ordinary sedan.But the Sport is not about track days. It is about real-world speed, when you need to be somewhere else, rather quickly.And when I am in that sort of situation, my preferred teleportation device would be a Sport or other quick 4WD, not some snarling sports mobile. For two extremely good reasons.First, not all roads are smooth, especially the ones I find myself on. For example, on the way home some maintenance workers have cut the bitumen to install a pipe, leaving a temporary gravel patch. In the Sport, I didn't even slow down and barely felt the bump.A sports car driver would have left a trail of plastic body parts all the way to the chiropractor. Rough roads? Again, the Sport simply wafts over seriously damaged roads, which would see road cars gingerly crawling in second. If we remain in the real world, at real speed limits, let's also assume you are going to drive quickly, but safely.As you arrive at a hairpin, standing on the excellent brakes, you glance sideways, and see that the apex and exit is indeed clear. Then you can attack the corner, secure in the knowledge that the suspension, tyres and all-wheel-drive will help deal with any mid-corner irregularities.In, say, the Lotus Elise, you glance sideways and get an excellent view of the tops of grass blades, with the local insects peering down at you.Whatever dangers the corner may hold will not be apparent until you're almost through it. Then you also quickly discover the road is not quite as smooth as it seemed from within the Sport, and that does nothing for confidence.And what if you're in a hurry and your back country short cut suddenly turns to dirt? In a Sport, you'd laugh. In a highly strung sporty car you'd cry. I've been with friends in this situation; we were overtaken by a farmer in a ute full of hay.Hence my contention that a quick 4WD is often quicker, real world, than a quick sports car.I might add that the Sport can be loaded with all my digital SLR kit and much more, whereas the Elise is chockers with a small digital camera.But enough about on road. By definition, every all-rounder is competent at lots of things. But they also tend to have a speciality, and for the RRS it's low-range work.There are other 4WDs that can match or exceed it for at-speed dynamics. But the only ones that can keep up with it in the rough would be blown away like confetti on the smooth stuff.For an indie suspension car, the Sport has long wheel travel with cross-linked height-adjustable air suspension. Translation; clearance is not a problem. It's manoeuvrable.Ample torque and, thanks to the tailored throttle response, you can request another quarter-Nm and it is delivered instantly, thank you, sir. Good traction control. The car just works off-road, and I now believe the Land Rover exec who told me it was better than the Defender.My litmus test is simple: with all-terrain tyres, would I hesitate to point the car's nose down any 4WD track in the wet? Not in the Sport.If the RRS is to be your personal transport, you'll be spending a lot of time at the wheel, and that's no bad place to be. But there are niggles.First, no external input into the CD player — but it is MP3 compatible. The dials are clear, but the rest of the dash is looking less than modern, and no sat-nav. You can't secure it on a hill as the park brake only locks the rear wheels. The auto can be slow to shift, so use the manual override. Another 100kW wouldn't go amiss, or more boot space.But all of this is like wandering into the Garden of Eden and noticing that the grass hasn't been cut in the past week. It's forgivable, in the big scheme of things, because the Sport has that most desirable of features: desirability.

But not if we’re talking of the 10,000 who since late 2005 have looked hard at the previously German-dominated compact prestige sedan segment, thought a bit, ruminated some, then said “bugger it” and bought a Lexus IS 250 – the updated version of which Carsguide is the first to drive.The lion’s share of attention has of late gone to the IS-F and IS250 convertible. Worthy embellishments to the range that these are, it’s V6 sedan range that comprises Lexus’s core business. And although the circa $60K competition has only become tougher in the past two years – the latest entry-level C-Class Mercedes-Benz is no longer a try-hard’s car and Audi’s new A4 is finally a worthy contender – the baby Lexus narrowly remains our choice.As to BMW’s 320i, well, we might live in a nation of nanny state speed limits but we’d like at least the theoretical ability to get to 100km/h before another birthday comes around. The 320d (diesel) slays its petrol sibling, but then there’s all those perennial 3 Series grievances. The cabin is about as welcoming as a customs inspector at Frankfurt airport. Runflat tyres afford a ride that’s all too terse for many. And to these eyes, at least, the exterior looks are not winsome, but wince-inducing.Not that the Lexus retains its title by default. Equally it isn’t necessarily outstanding in any one or two respects. Rather it remains the best all-round package, with incomparably the best level of standard kit in the class. That applies to all three iterations, including the base model.Available now, the upgraded IS line-up has new front and rear bumper styling, a lower intake design and chrome grille surround. More functionally, those big side mirrors (rear three quarter vision is this captivatingly shaped car’s downfall) include indicator signals, new tail lights and a redesigned under-body to improve air flow beneath the car.The top shelf Sports Luxury model – the one we drove – cops a new set of 17s and further colour choices of Molten Copper (sounds a bit naff) and Arctic Blue (which looks right nice). But aside from losing the reversing camera (a pity) and the standard sunroof (actually a bonus if you’re 185cm in height) it’s the entry-level IS that makes the best case. Indeed, the smaller 16-inch alloys would make for a generally more pleasant ride.Within the centre instrument stack and switchgear have been revised for increased usability. Rear vision is helped out a whole lot with foldable headrests when the back two places (and the IS really is a four-seater) are unoccupied. It’s still tight in there though, as it is upfront if you go for that headspace munching sunroof.Most importantly, VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management entails stability control, anti-lock brakes, traction control and steering) is standard in all 250s. It cannot be entirely deactivated and boos of the purists aside, this is as it should be for most that set sail in her.Both manual and automatic transmissions have been upgraded and while we can’t speak to the former – a manual IS is very seldom seen – the tweaks to the auto are appreciable and welcome. A common criticism of the previous model was that the gearstick had to be slotted into sport mode before the shifting paddles could be engaged. Now there’s temporary manual override in Drive, with full auto mode resumed by holding the upshift paddle for second or two.Downshift times have been almost halved to 0.8 seconds. Given that the IS has never had bags of twist down low, this response makes a quick gear grab a genuinely useful thing to do. In manual mode it holds gear on redline till meltdown. And if it still doesn’t equal the 3-Series’s benchmark ZF auto, the Lexus slusher now runs it closer.In general running this enhanced alacrity can but adds to an already enjoyable drive. At around 1600kg the IS is a hefty thing by class standards, but the well-balanced and highly accessible rear-wheel-drive dynamics come to the fore with a decent length of slack extended before the VDIM system beeps censoriously. Weighting through the steering is light without being over assisted.The 153kW/252Nm 2.5-litre V6 is something of an analogy for the whole car – sophisticated and efficient. While outmatched by the bigger capacity bent sixes of Audi and the inline jobbies of BMW, it’s elegantly sufficient for most of us. That mid-eight second 0-100km/h time is more than enough squirt in those states where a mere few klicks over the limit costs one quarter of one’s license.In all, the IS is a fine thing smartly enhanced. Which means the next 10,000 are going to be even more right to buy it.

And it’s that – sporty, sexy and swift. But it’s also everything we’ve always thought Lexus was: refined, restrained and (even in this guise) still responsible.In some ways, the IS-F is for Lexus what the Celica was for its parent company, Toyota … a saucy little package designed to lure a new buyer to the badge.But where the Celica was mainly seen as being style over substance, the IS-F has a fair dose of performance to back up its appearance.The car has been developed with that focus in mind, and the project included considerable track testing, mainly on the challenging Fuji circuit – owned by Toyota, and for which the F in the car’s name stands – but also at famed spots like the Nurburgring, Laguna Seca and (closer to home) our own Phillip Island. Lexus says it was also tested over the appalling bitumen of Sydney’s Double Bay, a suburb that – despite its middle-class obsession with appearing upmarket – has some of the worst surfaces in Australia.The IS-F returned this week to Phillip Island as part of its Australian launch, which has been held over by Lexus until it could kick off with the lightly revised model rather than the initial one.The revisions are largely a slight face-lift to visually enhance the car interior and improve functionality of some of the switchgear.ExteriorThey should be able to hold off for a while in having to upgrade the sharp body styling – much of which has been designed to increase downforce — with its wide air dam and strong crease lines flowing from the grille along the edge of the bulging bonnet and through to the flanks.Among the best cues on the car are the arch-stuffing 19” turbine wheels – each one of the four cast slightly different to pull heat away from the 360mm front/345mm rear six-piston Brembo brakes – and the functional gilles behind the front wheels.Then there are the staggered oval quad exhausts tips in their mesh housing, which both sets them off and camouflages that they aren’t really connected to the pipes. Lexus admits this is partially a cosmetic feature but says it’s also functional and that the flow travels from pipe to tip. And there’s a diagram demonstrating that somewhere in Japan.InteriorSprinkled with F logos, the cabin is handsomely upmarket, except for the silvered carbon-fibre accents on the centre console that unfortunately survived the face-lift. Yes, it’s the genuine material, but cunningly disguised to look like a cheap plastic transfer.The front seats are well-sculpted with high side and wing bolsters to hold you snug, while the back is deeply divided into two wells that firmly restrict this to a four-seater.EquipmentThe list of goodies for the IS-F is lengthy, but the star turn is the brilliant Mark Levinson audio system, which has been given 1000 hours of tuning to match it to car’s acoustic characteristics.Supporting roles are taken by the likes of a touchscreen nav, Bluetooth and power-controlled everything, including memory seat settings for both driver and front passenger.EngineThe engine is the most powerful to every be carried by a Lexus – a dual-injected 5-litre quad cam V8 related to the unit in the LS460 but bored to the larger size and given a unique cylinder block, heads, crankshaft, pistons, conrods, intake and exhaust.The unit develops 311kW of power at 6600rpm and 505Nm of torque at 5200rpm, redlining at 6800rpm.The engine’s titanium inlet valves allow faster opening speed to boost performance, with timing controlled by the dual VVT-I (which was outlawed and removed from the 5-litre Lexus race engine used at Daytona).It has been tuned for sound as well as fury, and with the first dual intake on a Lexus, the secondary port opening gives a great induction snarl at 3600rpmWhile it prefers the higher octane, the engine will run on 95RON, and Lexus claims an economy figure of 11.4L/100km.TransmissionOutputs are delivered to the wheels via a new eight-speed transmission – also developed from the one in the LS460 — with paddles on the steering wheel and a simulated manual mode that Lexus says can give up shifts in 0.1sec and downshifts in 0.2 sec, helped by a throttle blipping control that matches engine speed to the gear.The transmission can be used in normal mode, snow mode or – for all-out fun – F sport mode in manual, which locks the torque converter from second to eighth gears to unleash the beast within, and the system changing throttle characteristics, steering assistance and the dynamics control settings.SafetyKey to safety in the IS-F is the integrated dynamics system (VDIM) that dovetails stability, traction and throttle controls with anti-skid brakes, brake assist and force distribution. The system is intended to anticipate when you are likely to skid out of control and bring the technology into play to prevent it. The stability control (VSC) can be switched off, leaving only the limited slip differential and ABS in control.The car rolls on Bridgestone Potenza tyres, which Lexus admits may not have ultimate dry grip but are judged by them to have the best wet/dry compromise.SuspensionUnlike rivals such as the Audi RS4, the Lexus doesn’t have adjustable suspension, but works with an independent double-wishbone front and multi-link rear system with coil springs and gas dampers. Lexus believes that unless you can adjust both spring and damping rates, you shouldn’t risk having adjustable suspension.However the system has been given a different calibration to the IS250, with stiffer springs and stabiliser bars, plus larger dampers to give a sportier result.Pricing and salesWhen the car was first shown at the Sydney Motor Show a year ago, there was strong inquiry and deposits were taken on an estimated price of $150,000. However the final tag has emerged as $129,000 – an aggressive swipe at targeting the BMW M3 at $157,00, the Audi RS4 at $164,500 and even the Mercedes-Benz C 63 at $146,000.While the price may make it attractive, there could be a dampener in the waiting time. With just 25 a day being built by specially trained workers at the Tahara plant in Japan (where another Lexus rolls off the line every 87 seconds) – and about 6700 sold in the first year – the Australian queue stretches out to February delivery.DRIVINGThe Lexus engine voice up to now has always been a restrained purr, so the note of the IS-F unit came as a stirring surprise as it opened its throat in a wonderfully undignified induction snarl and an angry blurt at the auto-blip on the downshift.There’s plenty of urge there to match, too, with the engine responding forcefully to requests. We managed 0-100km in just a smidge over 5 seconds in a very rough test, so the Lexus claim of 4.8 under proper test conditions looks more than reasonable.Gear changes are swift and smooth, and the ability to use the paddles while still in full automatic mode offers a good option for the occasional times when you need an extra burst of power of engine braking in highway cruising or city traffic.And the well-weighted steering is the best we’ve seen on a Lexus, although there’s still a feeling that it’s missing the absolute directness of some of its more expensive rivals.But we were able to throw it around with a lot of satisfaction, and a bit of time on the skid pan switching between the varied options of the stability control system proved not only the benefit of the technology but that you could have your safety in whatever degree you felt comfortable with.All this adds up to a very good car. But if there was one aspect that undermined it, you could feel it in the seat of your pants – or any other part of the body that was jolted around by what turned out to be a surprisingly bumpy ride.We expected it to be firm – the price you pay for sportiness – but it was also far more jumpy than we would have imagined at this price. 

Rain deluges the northern Italian plains slowing even the autostrada, so the three Maseratis take to the hills, roaring onwards into the Apennines and ever upwards through the grey cloud curtain.Braking hard into and punching assertively out of the endless succession of second gear corners carved into the mountainside, the Trident-badged missiles finally roar into the pale late autumn sunlight that bathes the uppermost of the tiny hamlets studded on these green peaks.Oh, such sweet music these Masers make, each V8 singing in a different state of tune, but very much from the same songbook. Taking lead tenor is the recently-released (or unleashed) GranTurismo S whose aural report is but one reason to wonder if you really need to graduate to Ferrari - not least because the Maranello-sourced engine has been trained to an operatic pitch by Modena's acoustic engineers.The visual impression is every bit as empathetic. Already one of the world's most beautiful cars, the GranTurismo appears positively sinister in S guise, a dark metallic predator that looms out of the cloud bank for a moment and promptly vanishes. Its sonic register is always audible as every one of the available 331kW and 510Nm are called upon in this superbly executed 4.7-litre combination of sky high revability and low down twist.“When we design an engine we want it to have a very male sound,” says Maserati product development manager Benedetto Orvietani, smiling ruefully at the incorrectness, but absolute desirability, of this. “It is important for car to have the right voice.”But this piece of auto erotic is mainly here to provide context. In less emphatic, but scarcely less resonant voice than the luxury sports coupe, is the pair of luxury sport sedans that are our main objects of interest today; the mildly revised Quattroporte and the new Quattroporte S.The now five-year-old base model - if one priced from $286,000 can be so defined - retains the highly-adapted and wholly simpatico ZF automatic transmission. It gains LED lights and literally brilliant Xenon lamps which that night will distinguish the car from hundreds of metres back on a storm beset autostrada.Cosmetically the interior wood and leather trim is somehow even more opulent. The trademark clock is present and correct. The tactility of this magnificent cabin is such that fingertip pleasing strips of material are laid behind the chrome gearshift levers.Against that the satellite navigation systems remains enigmatic to put it politely. In all, the enhancements are of the sort likely to be appreciated by Maserati aficionados without dismaying current owners.In that vein there's no outward indication of any sort that the $323,800 Quattroporte S is in any manner worthy of a premium over its lesser sibling sufficient to buy a new Golf GTI. Only on the road does its worth become (abundantly) evident.By no means though can the lesser car's 295kW/460Nm 4.2-litrre V8 be considered an underperformer. The version that reinvented and reinvigorated the marque remains an absolutely no apologies required and altogether more stylishly Italian alternative to comparatively ubiquitous Germans.Remarkably unremarkable in urban deployment (“You can take it to the supermarket,” suggests Orvietani) it's almost unfeasibly entertaining on the tight, treacherously slick surfaces on were pedaling with some abandon. Unfeasible because despite being nearly two tonnes unladen and giving away a significant output deficit, it does a job of keeping the GT-S in sight.The Pirelli Rossos for which the suspension is specifically tuned exert exceptional grip in these intimidating circumstances. The Quattroporte's sport mode is among the more meaningful weve encountered, containing this hefty four-doors natural propensity to body movement under duress like an electronic corset and allowing full enjoyment of the near ideal weight distribution.Yet as pleasing as it is in isolation, there's no doubt that what must now be called the entry-level Maserati is labouring to do what the Quattroporte S is taking in its stride. The absence of readily accessible torque means were not often out of second gear here, and so the slightly slower car is the first of the three to see a petrol warning light.It's also the first to run out of brakes. Never the Quattroporte's strength, the required anchor abuse all too soon sees the stop pedal in perilous proximity to the floor. Not something to cause concern in normal running, but a glaring defect when compared to the S model with its unperturbed Brembo six-piston dual cast discs.Yet the ability to stop resolutely and consistently is the least impressive aspect of Maseratis range topping sedan. While it shares the equivalent S coupe's bored out 4.7-litre capacity, the 317kW/490Nm output is not the equal of the two door. For that matter it's not significantly greater than the lesser four-door and at a claimed 5.4 seconds to 100km/h from standing it's a bare two-tenths quicker.The Quattroporte S proves, however, that it's not so much a matter of what you've got as what you do with it. Whereas the base sedan (and coupe) wants for a bottom end, the S model summons some 82 per cent of its torque total from 2500rpm and revs for a further five grand.This more obtainable oomph makes it all the easier with which to live. “The engine,” Orvietano tells us, “has reached its best configuration.”Indeed the Quattroporte S entails the best of Maserati's two model world, approximating the attack of the GT-S while affording the facility and comparative discretion of the saloon.As to how it could be further developed, Orvietano says “there's no technical reason” why Maserati should not emulate Ferrari in climbing aboard the twin-clutch transmission bandwagon. And while he deflected with much charm questions as to an AMG-fighting Quattroporte, a member of our party saw two test variants in duct-taped disguise howling through the pre-dawn near Modena.Such a thing would, of course, be wasted in the 19th century road conditions and attitudes that prevail in our wide, bland land. So is, to a too great an extent, the Quattroporte S. But surely it's churlish to quibble with a car that's both more efficient and ferocious than the base model.Of course, you can always order one of the latter and use the $40K premium towards relocating to Italy, where there is a silver lining on even the cloudiest driving day. 

The coupe is a slingshot and the roadster version is not far behind on pace — just 0.2 of a second slower to 100km/h at 5.4 ... but a world ahead on atmosphere.Where the coupe can be a little claustrophobic with the close-set roofline — the price paid for such a spunky profile — the 60kg heavier TTS Roadster opens up to provide the two occupants with a feeling of open-air rejuvenation. The icing on the cake and something that turns other drivers green with envy is the ability to open or close the roof at suburban side-street speeds below 50km/h.The passenger can enjoy the open-air motoring, the ear-belting sound system and the comfy (but optional) baseball-mitt leather seats.Audi calls it “Chennai brown seat upholstery with matching moccasin seams and Espresso coloured stitching” — priced at $2650. Thankfully it's not the other sort of moccasin. What the second occupant doesn't get is the amusement factor found behind the wheel.They're busy looking for grab handles and pointing out potential road hazards, or commenting on the dirt being tickled by the left-hand wheels mid-corner. The car's colour is not Kelvinator white either, rather an off-white pearl-ish hue that looks good on the convertible and a colour being adopted by more and more brands.The back-road canter has not bothered the stability control's electronics at all. Leech-like grip on the road — thanks to a wide-track as well — in all road conditions is delivered by the all-wheel-drive system that uses a multi-plate clutch (between the front and rear axles) that apportions drive to the rear hydraulically as required.Audi says the system delivers the extra drive in milliseconds — twice as fast as it used to, courtesy of a new pressure reservoir feeding the system.Stretching the legs of the TTS droptop a little more, without a passenger, shows just how talented the roadster is. Even without resorting to the sport setting on the magnetic suspension, the TTS rips through a series of bends with out concern — sport mode tightens things up but removes the compliance required on some of our roads. The 2.0-litre turbo snorts and huffs with gusto under deceleration, as the double-clutch gearbox blips delightfully down through the gears. While the corners don't push back heaps of feel — there are only a few Audis that do — the TTS fires out of bends and devours straights.A Porsche Boxster is still a more precise instrument, but you'll need an S to match the Audi for pace.Mercedes-Benz's new SLK 350 has much-improved steering, as well as the pace to match the Audi, as does the Z4 M Roadster, but it's a tie between the spunky little Audi and the Porsche in the beauty pageant.A freeway stint with the roof up showed that even rag tops can be half-quiet. Indeed the noise level in the cabin isn't bad. The uprated 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder does emit some interesting snuffles and braps, the kind the driver wants to hear. Roof down please — 12 seconds later, the problem is solved — the soundtrack improves and with windows up and electric wind-blocker in place, entertaining open-road work has an extra aural element.The Hungarian-built TTS Roadster we're sampling has the optional dual-clutch six-speed automated manual, which can be left to its own devices in normal or sport modes, with paddleshifts on the back of the steering wheel's spokes. Shifts are slick and sharp, removing drive from all four wheels for only a blink — the best of both worlds; around town these gearboxes are getting better for low-speed carparking duties as well.The xenon headlights are joined by the de-rigeur Audi LED daytime running lights and it's an impressive look, particularly at night. The bottom lineWith a price tag on the other side of $100,000 it's most definitely an indulgence, but an entertaining one that is easy to make use of day-to-day. SNAPSHOTAudi TTS Roadster 2.0 TFSIPrice: from $103,265Engine: 2L/4-cylinder turbocharged 200kW/350NmTransmission: 6-speed S tronic direct-shift, 6-speed manual0-100km/h: 5.4 seconds, manual 5.6secondsEconomy: 8L/100km (manual 8.2) 

We haven’t got give five clicks down the road from the six star pub Ferrari is using as a launch pad for its all new California before its carbon ceramic brakes come sharply into play.A posse of Sicilian urchins, apparently inflamed by the ripping V8 of the first car out that morning, essentially bushwhack us, scampering out in front of the oncoming missile, hands upheld. Bandit country though this once was, these pre-pubescent Don Corleones mean us no harm. Gesticulating, grinning and gibbering, they want to touch and feel the unobtainable for just one moment.We’ve been lent this circa $450K motor by Ferrari with the thinly veiled implication that our continued well-being hinges on its safe return. Realising that it’s not going to be boosted, we lower the windows – the retractable lid’s still up - shake each of the half dozen out thrust hands and suggest that standing back might now be wise as we oblige their wishes by taking off as though we had indeed stolen it.There’s an instant of fishtailing, deftly curtailed by electronics, a stunning engine blast, and four seconds or so later triple kilometres an hour have been obtained.So it is that before the fifth klick has been reached, we’ve grasped both the fulsome aural and accelerative response of this marvellous 4.3-litre direct injection V8 and the efficacy of Ferrari’s traction control system, without which the hideously expensive ultra low profile tyres would soon be incinerated.All day the California does its work of widening eyes, dropping jaws and exciting sessions of barely understood yammering. This Mediterranean island might be at the toe of the Italian boot, but this week Sicily is getting all the kicks.Yet for all the fulsome response and over excited locals, this is the Ferrari that according to all forecasts is supposed to be the dully pragmatic take on the prancing pony marque. The lack of an alpha-numeric name’s no accident. This one’s supposed to be for the state that gave us soft rock (and a certain “dreamy” song that only dullard journalists play on), a state of the union which happens to be Ferrari’s biggest market. That the roof is made, not of fabric, but aluminium, is a gesture to the freezing winters of the US north-east - their second biggest market.Moreover, the California comes with a seven speed twin clutch transmission, which essentially means it’s going to be an automatic just about all of the time. While the lines are svelte by the mark of its siblings, the newcomer weighs in at a porky, all-too American, 1735kg. And perhaps worse in the eyes of Fazza fanatics, the newcomer courts illegitimacy by having that 338kW/484Nm V8 mid-mounted at the front. Yes, the California rides the rutted road surfaces of Sicily (all too reminiscent of our own) with quite exceptional poise. Yes, induction and exhaust noises come from opposing ends, not both from the rear. And, yes, it is almost too easy to drive purposefully. And so what? The California embodies not compromises, but improvements in terms of daily usability and even future viability. That engine has the same 4.3-litre capacity as the F430, but the resemblance to that assault weapon end there. This is an almost entirely new unit which feature, for the first time in a Ferrari, direct fuel injection. The chief purpose of this is to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions – down to 306 grams of Co2 per km – but it also imbues the California with a chest-punching bottom end without cheating on the glorious revability so synonymous with the marquee.You’re going to love how it looks or damn it with faint praise. It’s probably fairest to suggest that they’ve done a pretty good job of designing a package that has a metal roof which folds in without eating boot space while retaining an exotic veneer. Suffice to say, it looks best in black rather than traditional testo rosso or the new kind of blue shade.Any misgivings that the Italians have gone PC on us are rapidly blown away. Capable of dispatching the 0-100km/h sprint in a tested time of less than four seconds, the California is blazingly fast for a road car, thanks going in no small part to the brilliant transmission. It’s a twin-clutch a bit like a common Volkswagen’s DSG, but the difference is immeasurable. Designed by Getrag to Ferrari’s design, this one is devoid of the least hesitation, a blindingly slick mechanism abetted by the manetinno mechanism mounted on the steering wheel.You can keep grabbing gears through the paddle shifter, achieving speeds that might as well be science fiction for all the application they have in Australia. But then you can always just paddle about at 80km/h in seventh and still the California will pull with immense assertiveness. That’s all in Comfort mode.Flick manetinno to sport and it’s a whole different ball game. It instantly feels more alive. Suspension is tauter and traction control looser. Response sharpens. Margins diminish. Gears hold on redline. It points into corners with altogether greater authority.Mind you, get on the gas too enthusiastically on the way out, and you’ll know it. As to going into CSD mode, which withholds all electronic safeguards, well, not on the greasy roads of Sicily, grazie very much. Maybe not even on the track at Fiorano unless you’re a certain Michael Schumacher who participated in the California’s development.Indeed, unless you are him, you’ll surely find this all the car you can handle and a whole lot more. It also happens to be one which is not ashamed to hold comfort and driver accessibility as virtues not vices. While those on the 200-strong, two-year waiting list that already exists in our apart of the world won’t be given access to the 2+2 version with its joke back seats, the two-seater is almost decadently luxurious within.If only it were a bit easier to see out. Pretty much impossible to reverse safely, fat A-pillars and the high waistline restrict forward and flank vision as well. At least you can see up soon enough – the roof drops at a button’s push in 14 seconds.A Kiwi colleague joked that the California is Ferrari’s first multi-purpose vehicle. So it is; a relaxed boulevard cruiser, a freeway eating grand tourer and a B-road bully to boot. And it’s completely beguiling in any guise - if not quite enough to make you want to step out in front of it.FERRARI CALIFORNIAPrice: $450,000 (estimate)Engine: 4.3L/V8; 338kW/484NmEconomy: 13.1L/100km (claimed)Transmission: 7-speed twin-clutch

BMW might like to disagree, given its V10 M5, but it's hard to disagree with Audi when you look at the spec sheet that includes a twin-turbo V10 engine, quattro all-wheel drive and Audi's dynamic ride control suspension.The RS6's 5.0-litre V10 engine also packs a considerable punch, with 426kW and 650Nm.Like all Audi RS models, the Avant _ Audi speak for station wagon _ was developed by quattro GmbH.It will cost $270,946 when it hits local showrooms next month.An RS6 sedan will follow early next year.The newest RS6 Avant comes with a long heritage attached to it.The very first Audi RS2, launched in 1993, was built exclusively as a wagon.With 1660 litres of luggage space, not only is the newest Avant versatile but it will challenge its fellow German rivals for power and performance.The 5.0-litre V10, sourced from Lamborghini but reworked by Audi, bundles together FSI direct fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication and twin turbochargers.With up to 1.6 bar of boost, these technologies provide a smooth delivery of power and performance.Peak torque of 650Nm comes in from 1500 to 6250 revs while peak power of 426kW is generated between 6250 and 6700 revs.The V10 catapults the car to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and has an electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h.Power flows through the new-generation quick shifting six-speed tiptronic transmission with paddle shifters.The dynamic ride control has three damper settings, sport, dynamic and comfort and also reduces pitch and roll using purely mechanical means via hydraulic lines and valves that connect diagonally to opposing pairs of shock absorbers.When cornering, the flow of fluid to the damper of the compressing outside front wheel increases, providing firmer support and reducing roll.The electronic stability control has a higher activation threshold and in Sport mode it can also be deactivated entirely.The Avant gets 20-inch alloys shod with 275/35 tyres.Up front, six-piston fixed aluminium calipers, painted black and decorated with RS badges, clamp down on 390mm brakes front and 356mm rear.The rear axle features single-piston floating brake calipers.The brakes have large cooling ducts and axial perforations for enhanced performance and less weight.Visually the Avant sports several distinctive RS features.There is the single-frame grille, large air intakes, Xenon-plus headlights, adaptive light and LED daytime running lights, flared mudguards and deep side skirts, rear diffuser, a spoiler integrated into the rear hatch and the twin exhausts.Standard equipment includes a colour monitor and TV reception, advanced key entry, electric glass sunroof, satellite navigation, dual-zone deluxe automatic air conditioning plus, front and rear parking sensors, three-spoke, multi-function leather sports steering wheel with flat-bottomed rim and a Bose surround sound system.A boost pressure indicator for the two turbochargers in the driver information system rounds out the instrumentation.

The standard V10 turbodiesel, complete with diesel particulate filter, offers up 850Nm in a mountainous surge, backed by 258kW of power - increases of 100Nm and 28kW.VW's high-performance version of the Touareg warps minds with such outputs, delivered thanks to turbo and engine management tweaks.How well it qualifies as a serious off-roader might be a good argument starter.It retains the low-range transfer case, height-adjustable suspension, electronically-lockable diffs and electronic traction, stability and hill descent and holding trickery of the Touareg range.But the R50 rides on 21in alloy wheels with 295/35-profile tyres, for which it might be tough to get off-road rubber - there is an option for 19in wheels and 45-profile tyres.The tyres do a helluva job putting all the grunt to ground on sealed surfaces, keeping electronics busy as its rears up getting away from standstill.The torque surge doesn't abate either, with the 2.5-tonne VW belting past the 100km/h mark in a claimed 6.8 seconds.Even on unsealed surfaces the drive-train gets the grunt, although the driver needs to keep a handle on things through dirt-road corners - the V10 can prompt attitude change at will.The six-speed automatic and the big beefy brakes cope manfully with the outputs but the paddle shifters are nigh on useless - the transmission over-rides the driver's choices so what's the point.Plus, with that amount of torque the transmission can be left in D or Sport mode and there's always a strong surge on offer without bothering the kickdown switch.The paddles also get in the way of the indicator and wiper stalks.The height-adjustable suspension has a good range within its three modes and provides half-decent body-roll control, but even the comfort mode lacks compliance feels a little wooden.Something that has happened before in the VW off-roader reared its head again - the foot-operated park brake sticks on, requiring a double-flick of the release lever.The features list includes power-adjustable front sport leather seats, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, front and rear parking radar, filtered quad-zone climate control and neat touches like clever driver-operated kid locks the door armrest.The test car also had the optional 10 speaker Dynaudio premium sound system, sunroof, a rear camera and the satellite navigation system among its features.But - and this is almost unforgivable on a $130,000 vehicle - there's no standard Bluetooth, it's on the accessory list. Volkswagen Touareg R50Price: from $129,990.Engine: five-litre bi-turbo diesel V10Transmission: six-speed automatic with paddle shifts, four-wheel drivePower: 258kW @ 3500rpmTorque: 850Nm @ 2000rpmPerformance: 0-100km/h 6.8 seconds. Top speed 235km/h Fuel consumption: 12.6litres/100km, on test - 17.2l/100km, tank 100litres 

Well, of course they can. More than this number is wrong every 12 months. Otherwise there would be no ancient Daewoo Kalos disguised as a Holden Barina.But we’re talking here of the 10,000 who since late 2005 have looked hard at the previously German-owned compact prestige sedan segment, thought a bit, ruminated some, then gone “bugger it” and bought a Lexus IS 250 – the updated version of which Carsguide is the first to drive.Although competition has only become tougher since ’05 – the latest entry-level C-Class Merc is no longer a try-hard’s car and Audi’s new A4 is finally a worthy contender – the baby Lexus remains our choice.As to BMW’s 320i, well, we might live in nation of nanny state speed limits but we’d like at least the theoretical ability to get 100km/h before another birthday comes around. The 320d (diesel) slays its petrol sibling, but then there’s those perennial 3 Series grievances – a cabin that’s about as welcoming as the ride on runflat tyres is comfortable and looks that are not winsome but wince-inducing.Not that the Lexus retains this title by default. Equally it isn’t necessarily outstanding in any one or two respects. Rather it remains the best all round package with incomparably the best level of standard kit in any iteration.Available now, the upgraded IS line-up has new front and rear bumper styling, a lower intake design and chrome grille surround. More functionally, those big side mirrors (rear three quarter vision is this captivatingly shaped car’s downfall) include indicator signals, new tail lights and a redesigned under-body to improve air flow beneath the car. Sports Luxury models – such as the one we drove – cop a new set of 17s and further colour choices of Molten Copper (sounds a bit naff) and Arctic Blue (which looks right nice). Within the centre instrument stack and switchgear have been revised for what Lexus says – and indeed - is increased usability. Rear vision is helped out a whole lot with foldable headrests in back when the back two places (and the IS really is a four-seater) are unoccupied. It’s still tight in there though, as it is upfront if you go for the headspace eating sunroof. Most importantly, VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management entails stability control, anti-lock brakes, traction control and steering) is standard in all IS 250 models. It cannot be entirely deactivated and boos of the purists aside, this is as it should be for most that set sail in her.Both manual and automatic transmissions have been upgraded and while we can’t speak to the former – a manual IS is seldom seen – the tweaks to the auto are appreciable and welcome. A common criticism of the previous model was that the gearstick had to be slotted into sport mode before the shifting paddles could be engaged. Now there’s temporary manual override in Drive, with full auto mode resumed by holding the upshift paddle for second or two.Downshift times have been almost halved to 0.8 seconds, a response that given that the IS has never had bags of twist down low, makes a quick gear grab a useful facility. In manual mode it holds gear on redline till meltdown. If it doesn’t equal the 3-Series’s benchmark ZF auto, the Lexus jobbie now runs it closer.In general running this enhanced alacrity can but add to an already enjoyable and desirable device. At around 1600kg it’s a hefty thing, but the well-balanced and highly accessible rear-wheel-drive dynamics come to the fore with a decent length of slack extended before the VDIM system beeps censoriously.The 153kW/252Nm 2.5-litre V6 is something of an analogy for the whole car - sophisticated, efficient and while outmatched by the bigger bent sixes of Audi and the inline sixes of BMW, it’s also elegantly sufficient for most buyers. And that mid-eight second 0-100km/h time is more than enough squirt in this legislature.In all, the IS is a fine thing smartly enhanced. Which means the next 10,000 are going to be even more right to buy it.