THE Lexus IS 300h hybrid compact sports and executive saloon has been a massive success for the Japanese luxury car manufacturer.

This sleek business express has sold a million units and is now enjoying its third generation having been treated to a major revamp.

Retaining its refreshingly sporty outlook on life and coupe looks it now features a much more powerful image with a characterful grille, large air intakes on the bumpers, LED lights and much more.

With new alloy wheel designs in the options list the car is keeping pace with the relentless drive to attract the high earners into showrooms.

This particular car was a Sport version featuring a mix of 2.5 178bhp petrol power and a 105KW electric motor giving a top speed 125mph and a 0-60mph sprint factor of 8.4 seconds.

One of the biggest plus points of this car is its commendable pulling power with bags of torque all handled very smoothly through an electric CVT automatic transmission.

It also pays heed to the need for bang up to date interior and communications, featuring a large, centrally mounted high-resolution screen with Lexus navigation, Bluetooth, rear-view camera, a CD player and audio fed through six speakers.

But the most eye-opening feature of this car is its combined fuel-economy of 61.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 107g/km which puts it right into the list-topping zone when choosing a car of this type.

There is a distinct crackle of excitement about this car because an active sound control unit allows the driver to select engine sound into the cabin using a dedicated speaker behind the audio unit.

In fact, other than the complete silence when using the car in electric drive only it is just like being at the wheel of a six-cylinder premium saloon of the past with bags of punch and supremely smooth operation.

What you do have to remember that in electric mode the IS 300h is so quiet that you have to be aware that pedestrians in close proximity may not hear its approach and may veer into its path in places like supermarket car parks.

Full marks go to comfort with plenty of room for rear seat passengers. The boot can accommodate 450 litres of luggage.

By moving the rotary control dial at the rear of the transmission selector the driver can move through Eco, Normal and Sport modes and the readouts adjust accordingly. The console even flashes up a traditional rev counter when in sports mode.