The Lexus has gone. So how well did it perform as a good value banger? Those of you who have been following my weekly ramblings will already be thinking "Very good".
Every time I close the fridge door, or boil my kettle, I never thing of its workings or how well it silently performs its duties without trouble. These appliances are always there doing what we purchased them for. The only time we have reason to think specifically about them is when they fail.
The Lexus is like my fridge in that respect. It never ever let me down; nothing broke, nothing more than a single fuse needed replacing, the tyres were wearing well and even the brake pads still had plenty of life in them. Fuel consumption aside (more on this a little later) it wasn't expensive to run either. It was just so competent in nearly every area it was often forgotten about. You can rely on one of these time and time again.
So as the light fades earlier each day and the temperatures drop, I will miss the excellent headlights, the heated seats and fuss-free windscreen wipers with adjustable intermittent wipe. I will also remember that six-speed gearchange as having a nice weight, throw and accuracy - once you stop selecting reverse instead of first of course. The seats were comfortable, while the heating and air conditioning system ran faultlessly. Demisting the windscreen was over in seconds as opposed to minutes in most cars. The air conditioning still threw out Arctic temperature cold air when required and the sound system was equally excellent. It was easy to get comfortable in, the handling wasn't bad and refinement was pretty good - except for the failed rear door seal allowing wind noise to creep into the cabin at motorway speeds.
Just as no car will ever be perfect in every way for everyone's lifestyle and tastes, the Lexus was not perfect for me. Which brings me to what was not so great about it.
First up, the fuel economy. In times where the cost of fuel is on all our minds the IS 200 was a disappointment, even considering it has a V6 petrol engine under the bonnet. In the total 6,900-odd kilometres I have covered in the Lexus since buying it, I have averaged 9.4 litres/100km (30mpg). The best I got was 7.45 litres/100km (37.9mpg) and that was by sticking to 80km/h and having a queue of traffic cursing me behind. Economical it isn't.
The other concern I had was with the steering. It was very light, too light for my personal liking. The engine also had to be revved hard to get anything like respectable performance from it; pulling out from junctions and roundabouts had you pushing the accelerator further and further, which in turn hampered the already poor economy figures. I would always wonder how such an engine could feel so flat and sparkle free. True enough it was turbine smooth and linear in its power delivery and as such easy and drama free to drive; it just lacked what I would call soul or character.
If you had a couple of small children and wanted something reliable, safe, comfortable, spacious enough and well equipped you could do a lot worse than get one of these. They are at rock bottom prices currently and for the money they will last you longer than any equivalent age BMW or Mercedes-Benz, I'm sure of it. For around €1,000 you can get into one with tax and some NCT left.
What's more, if you bag the Sport version with the 17-inch alloy wheels and the limited slip differential, turn the traction control off and it may even be a bit more involving and perhaps even fun - if you like that sort of thing.
Of course if you just want fuss free reliable motoring then you probably are not concerned with its performance and you may like the light, easy steering feel. In that case, if you can live with the fuel consumption, it makes a top banger for next to no money.