German TV Show D Motor compared the Lexus IS-F and Mercedes C63 in their latest episode, and no matter how tired you might be of this duel, this english-subbed feature is tops:

Just to be clear, host Tim Schrick did use the adjective “super cool” four times to describe the IS-F, you couldn’t fake that enthusiasm. And take a look at this screencap:

(Just curious, this show is obviously using Top Gear as a template, does anyone else find it weird how much this presenter looks like Richard Hammond?)

When the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) gathered together for their annual event to name the best vehicles for 2009, they brought in two Lexus’ to compete: The IS-F in the Best New Sports/Performance Car over $50k, and the LX 570 in the Best New SUV/CUV over $60k.

The LX 570 ended up being upstaged by the Mercedes M-Class Bluetec, but the IS-F took top spot in a category that featured some very fierce competition, with the BMW M3 Coupe, Cadillac CTS-V, Jaguar XF Supercharged, Mercedes-Benz C63, and the Nissan GT-R all eligible to win.

I was particularly surprised that the GT-R didn’t race away with the honor, no matter how much emphasis is placed on “real world” testing. In fact, I’d be inclined to call this an upset, but one I’m sure Lexus Canada is very happy about.

[Source: Canadian Driver (Thanks Jarrett!)]

Interbrand’s annual Best Global Brands study has been completed, and Lexus has ranked 90th overall, and 10th among automotive brands:

When compared to last year’s study, Lexus is moving up the ladder, climbing two spots. The value of the brand, calculated from combination of analysts’ projections, company financial documents, and qualitative and quantitative analysis stands at $3.588 billion, up from $3.354 billion. The automotive brands ranked as follows:

• 1. Toyota - $34B
• 2. Mercedes-Benz - $25.6B
• 3. BMW - $23.3B
• 4. Honda - $19.1B
• 5. Ford - $7.9B
• 6. Volkswagen - $7B
• 7. Audi - $5.4B
• 8. Hyundai - $4.8B
• 9. Porsche - $4.6B
• 10. Lexus - $3.6B

[Source: Interbrand]

David Booth, a columnist with Canada’s National Post, has posted up his latest column comparing the Lexus IS-F with the Nissan GT-R, and it’s just as expertly written and to the point as I’ve come to expect:

With the IS-F, you have time to prepare for the acceleration as the big 5.0-litre V8 gathers itself and builds up steam. If the Lexus feels like it’s being pushed out of the way by a 130-kilogram NFL lineman on his way to get a fresh libation from a scantily clad Budweiser girl, the Nissan feels like said Budweiser girl is his girlfriend and he smacked you, full-force, upside the head with a telephone book because he thinks you’re hitting on her.

It’s not that the Lexus is slow. Au contraire; it’s roughly as quick as BMW’s M3, which is plenty quick. It’s just that if you’re going to play with the GT-R, you’d better have one of those new supercharged ZR1 Corvettes or the very latest, 560-hp Lamborghini Murcielago.

The IS-F is as sporty as Lexus can make it without sacrificing one iota of luxury; the GT-R is as luxurious as Nissan can engineer it without sacrificing even a bit of performance. The IS-F is a slightly softer competitor to BMW’s M3; the GT-R is a stiffer, more committed alternative to Porsche’s 911 Turbo.

With both of these cars coming out of Japan and retailing within the same ballpark, it’s inevitable that comparisons be made. However, Booth’s last paragraph there accurately sums up the real competition and keys directly into the bigger picture — the Japanese have reset their eyes on performance, big time.

In terms of sheer entertainment, this clip from Fifth Gear judging the Lexus IS-F and the BMW M3 by how high they get a woman’s heartrate is pure dead brilliant:

A very enjoyable piece (and it’s duly noted that Tiff has to cheat at the end to get the M3 above the IS-F).

Update: Didn’t realize there was two parts to this comparison. Updated to reflect that.

A funny story from Singapore has surfaced on Club Lexus — Lionel Lim won the opportunity to compete for the Mercedes Benz golf trophy only to be disqualified because he was a Lexus salesman:

He works for Lexus, but this golfer won the Singapore Country Final of the Mercedes trophy. This has led to a court case as well as an awkward situation. The golfer is suing the Mercedes-Benz distributor - his firm’s rival - for refusing to send him to represent Singapore at its Asian Final to be held in Australia next week.

Daimler’s defence is that the Mercedes Trophy is a marketing effort aimed at its high net worth customers and potential customers, and having a senior sales executive of its rival there will ’cause a great amount of awkwardness’.

“It is unfortunate that the defendant should introduce the concept of accusations of spying and awkwardness. All keen golfers participate because of the thrill of competition, not industrial espionage,” he said.

Mr Lim also noted that notwithstanding his job, he is also a potential Mercedes-Benz customer. As for getting a first-hand insight into Daimler’s marketing style and management methods, Lexus has its own highly successful methods and does not need to imitate anybody else’s, he said. In addition, he has never been involved in marketing.

This was eventually resolved with some sort of compensation, but I still had to laugh at Mr. Lim’s jab about Lexus not having to crib notes from Mercedes’ sales events.