I HAVE driven many, many, cars but have rarely guessed the price so wrong

It's perhaps a measure of how good the Lexus GS 250 is that I added substantially more before seeing the list price because of a vast array of standard luxury equipment on this car.

But you still have to acknowledge that £36,000 is no small sum of cash.

However, when you spend some time inside the the Luxury version of the GS250 you start to think it's a bit of a bargain with the only real negative being the blindingly obvious fact that it will be an expensive car to own and run.

The only fitted extra is metallic paint, which sets you back £610 on top of the basic £35,995 base price.

And the interior is as spacious as it is luxurious and not a lot has been left off the list of standard specification.

There are huge comfortable leather seats that come complete with heating, air conditioning and electric adjustment.

There is also a stylish piano black trim matched to the logically laid-out and easy to use controls. But it's the computer style mouse that controls the brain of the car.

Lexus has named it the 'remote touch interface'.

The dial, similar to the ones found in Audis and BMWs, is very easy to use and controls everything from the sat nav to the sound system.

The central screen sits high on the left of the smart digital dash and houses the rear view reversing camera, the DAB digital radio and CD player with 12 speakers and navigation system.

There is also rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, steering-wheel controls and gear changing paddles behind the steering wheel.

On the outside the big imposing Lexus has stylish 18-inch alloys a large ‘L' on the grille and a huge body that almost overlows most car park spaces.

The looks on the outside are sharp and stylish, if not particularly thrilling.

The cavernous boot is opened from a hidden button and there are bi-xenon headlights and folding, heated, auto dimming mirrors, that have light up warnings if anyone is in your blind-spot.

The only baffling question, when you consider all of that kit together is why on earth Lexus charges an extra £610 for metallic paint.

The safety spec is comprehensive and includes ABS with brakeforce distribution and brake assist, traction control and vehicle stability control.

There is also an array of driver, passenger side and curtain airbags and even knee airbags for the driver and the front passenger.

The big 2.5-litre V6 engine is plenty powerful and the car is surprisingly agile.

It returns an eight-second sprint time for the 0-60mph dash, which is not bad at all for its size while changes from the automatic gearbox are slick and almost unnoticeable.

There is also a driver mode switch on the centre console, which adjusts the settings between Eco, Normal, and Sport.

Turn it to Eco and it regulates engine output and gear selection for economy and even adjusts the air-conditioning and seat heaters in its efforts to reduce consumption.

There is also a snow setting and a decent sport mode for when you need the extra punch.

The Eco mode is the one you are most drawn to in a 2.5-litre petrol. It brings the mileage figures back into sensible territory and is particularly good for motorway driving.

In fact, the motorway is where this big comfortable car really belongs. It is built to cruise along at higher speeds and hardly any noise sneaks into the cabin.

The GS 250 averages just a claimed 31.7mpg and the CO2 emissions top 207g/km.

The hybrid GS 450 model fairs much better in the fuel and CO2 stakes but that is far more expensive and neither versions can really compete with the diesels from Audi and BMW.

Where it does compete, and in fact wins, is that it has a more luxurious look than some of the European competitors and levels of standard spec that outstrips all of them.