We were alerted by one of our astute readers (Dan) to a possible marketing and PR faux pas on the Lexus website.

In the area 'Road test' of the Lexus IS section they have picked a review of the IS from the independent website newcartestrive.com.

Nothing wrong with that, right?

The whole idea is to promote positive reviews of this car against their competitors.

Well, we all know the main competition for the IS is the BMW 3-series.

So why on earth would Lexus post a review on their own website that says their car is good, but not AS good, as the 3-series?

Here is the exact quote:

'The all-new Lexus IS models are a quantum leap forward for the Lexus brand in terms of cutting-edge style and higher levels of performance. But BMW still has an edge when it comes to claiming itself the ultimate driving machine.'

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I don't think it means anything but a compliment. Lexus will do incredibly well with the new IS. And even the full loaded IS350 is a far better deal at a tick under $40g USD then the 3 series. IMO.

It really is... because if you go with a fully loaded 330i (and I mean loaded), the pricetag will be almost 47,000 grand. However, the day that Lexus becomes more expensive than a BMW will be the day that they have crossed the line

And that's the truth.

In regards to Warots post: From what I know the IS is close to being just as good as the 3, though it has another 40% or so of the way to go... No matter what, as long as Lexus is Japenese and BMW is German, as well as it is not a Toyota(Lexus will always be the latter), Lexus cars will continue to be priced below those of their German competition.

It's normal for them to posts reviews like this. It highlights the good points of both its products and the competition for the consumer to make an informed choice. Even though they would prefer biased interviews the consumers won't appreciate it.

All I've heard about the new IS shows it's a great car with good engines, and for people who don't care how well a cars goes so much, would make a good purchase getting an IS!

In the UK, we don't get the IS350, but get the IS250 and IS220d! So it isn't as fast as the 330i but is much better value! The diesel is a really powerful engine with 170bhp, which is the most powerful 2.0 litre diesel! I don't know how it compares to the 320d though!

For me Lexus is noowhere near any German car of the same class. I would even take the ageing C class over it. Comparing it to the class leading 3 series is just not fare for the poor IS.

Well, finally they admited the obvious.

It's a 177 bhp 2.2 litre, not 2.0 170 bhp.

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When was the last time you actually drove a Lexus? I know for sure that is it more than a competent car. Maybe you don't like the image or the looks but, trust me, this car is really not that far off the Germans now in terms of technology. Add reliability and good value for money, then you start seeing a true competitor.

Only problem is you'll sacrifice rear seasts