Lexus hits the bullseye with IS250

The Japanese ritual of yabusame is the ceremonial warrior art of shooting arrows at a stationary target from the back of a galloping horse, a custom that goes back 1000 years.

To hit the bullseye, the archer and horse must move as one. A natural two-way communication is essential.

Mazda used yabusame in developing its MX-5 sports car. It is the bond between car and driver.

Lexus designers and engineers did the same with its new luxury sports sedan, the second-generation IS250.

Chief designer Suguya Fukusato says of yabusame: "The rider has to hit three targets. But if he aims at the target when he sees the target ... too late.

"That means once he places his hand on the saddle, before he even gets on the horse, he must imagine the whole scene, right through to the shot.

"Only then will he succeed. The archer must also depend completely on the horse.

"In this way there is a strong connection with the IS. When a driver puts his hand on the door handle, he can imagine or anticipate the entire driving experience. The car, like the horse, is also your most trusted companion in the most challenging circumstances."

The bond between the IS250 and its driver also extends to its audio system. The standard system is Pioneer, with a Mark Levinson unit a $3000 option. Lexus says Levinson shares its philosophy: the pursuit of perfection.

Fukusato, 55, is many things - engineer, rally driver, actor, endurance cyclist (his mountain bike was built by a Formula One designer), opera-lover.

But what he likes most is music. He built his own stereo system, with specialist Tannoy speakers 1m wide and 1.3m high. "I use them when I listen to classical music." He likes jazz, too. Not so keen on country.

One of Fukusato's goals early in the IS project was to provide the purist audio sound possible in a car. Critical were the 13 speakers (14 in the Levinson unit).

Fukusato set out to find the right paper for the speaker cones. To get that he had to find the right water for the paper. "Pure water makes the cleanest sound."

He tested about 10 water sources - including those used by saki brewers in Japan - before settling on water drawn deep from a 200-year-old mountain spring in China. The paper in the IS speaker cones is made with this water.

For more purity of sound, the sun visors have tiny holes, similar to those in the walls of a sound studio. Fukusato says that design helps prevent the sound being bounced around the cabin.

Fukusato set out to eliminate noise at the source.

Body panel gaps have been further reduced to cut wind noise. The windscreen has an inner film with high noise-dampening characteristics.

Sound insulation and absorption materials around the cabin have been arranged according to acoustic requirements.

Insulation materials have been placed on the floor tunnel, floor, roof, dashboard inner and outer, door trims, behind the rear seats and on the cargo deck in the boot with polycarbonate material under the wheel arches to eliminate noise caused by watersplash and stones.

Air quality is important, too. Pollen is a pain. The air-conditioning system in the IS automatically extracts any pollen which might have entered the cabin through open windows and doors. This happens as soon as the engine is fired up.

Another of Fukusato's goals was to avoid a benchmark car and he deliberately set out to make the IS better than a Benz or BMW, for example. "The benchmark for the IS was in my mind. I wanted to make it youthful, sporting and fun."

The new IS extends the new Lexus L-finesse global design philosophy first revealed in the Lexus GS range earlier this year. Lexus says it is a "dynamism based on the visual contrast between simplicity and elegance."

Fukusato sees the powerful stance of a samurai swordsman at work in the car's lines - a clean cut there, a broader slash here. The thick and thin brush-strokes of Japanese calligraphy are there, too.

The body styling and underbody aerodynamics help the IS displace air efficiently - the coefficient drag ratio is 0.27.

Aerodynamic testing took place in the clammy air of Australia's Northern Territory and in the wind tunnel used to develop Japan's famed bullet train.

Lexus says the improved aerodynamics also result in increased fuel efficiency and reduced interior noise levels.

The car has a low centre of gravity, a broad stance and near 50:50 front-to-rear balance.

The IS is 4575mm long, 1800mm wide and 1425mm high - 175mm longer, 75mm wider and 5mm higher than previously.

The IS250 replaces the IS200 and IS300 in the Lexus line-up in New Zealand. Three models are available: IS250 Sport ($69,900) with six-speed manual transmission, IS250 Sport ($75,740) with six-speed automatic with manual mode and paddle-shift levers, and IS250 Limited ($80,980), with the same six-speed auto unit.

The engine is the same in all three, a high-tech 2.5-litre V6 engine producing 153kW (205bhp) at 6400rpm and 252Nm of torque at 4800 rpm. A bigger engine, a 3.5-litre V6, is not available here.

Safety equipment includes the usual braking, stability and traction aids and adaptive headlights which can "see" around corners.

The top-range Limited model includes a pre-crash safety system using radar and cruise control. This is a $5500 option on the Sport models.

The car comes with 10 airbags - including knee airbags for the driver and front passenger, head impact protection, and a twin-chamber airbag for the front passenger which, along with the driver's airbag, deploys in two stages depending on the severity of the impact.

The speedometer and tachometer in the hooded instrument panel each have a circular display which illuminates and changes colour when road speed and engine speed reach levels that have been pre-set by the driver.

All models have a "keyless" smart entry and start system where the doors unlock when the handle is gripped. The engine is started using a button on the dashboard.

Lexus New Zealand expects to sell about 225 of the IS250 next year.

The new model has far more character than the outgoing car. It looks better, full of menace front and rear. It steers better, rides and handles better, certainly on the throttle over a couple of hours of good and bad roads north of Sydney.

The chassis and suspension components have been redesigned and there's a larger road footprint.

The wheelbase has been increased by 60mm and the front and rear track by 40mm.

All models have 18-inch alloy wheels, and they are the first Lexus models to have different tyre sizes on the front and rear wheels - 225/40 on the front and 255/40 on the rear.

And all have a 65-litre fuel tank and a recommended petrol octane rating of 95 or higher.

Lexus says the IS is the "finest production car ever built".

The design of the switchgear in the centre console might be a bit busy for some. Others might think the dash in front of the passenger seat is characterless, too clean.

But attention to detail and build is outstanding - one reason why Lexus wins so many customer satisfaction awards.