"It's one great looking car and it's brilliant to drive too," enthused Duffy. "I enjoyed driving it so much that I made a point of always picking my girlfriend up from the station in the evening, even though it's only 200 yards from our front door!"

The new IS 250 looks the business, with its ultra-sleek and distinctive design. And underneath that eye-catching exterior it's a real enthusiast's machine, with a high-tech 204bhp 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine driving the rear wheels and a perfect front-to-rear weight balance for precision handling.

<2R>"Wherever you're driving, it's mightily impressive," added Duffy. "You know there's a lot of power under the bonnet, but it handles so smoothly. My Dad's old car was the only automatic I'd driven before, but that hardly compares to the six-speed gearbox on the IS. It's very slick and you can use neat racing-style paddles on the steering wheel to change up or down when you really want to have some fun."

Both players had special praise for the sophisticated satellite navigation system. In spite of being a state-of-the-art feature, which, using a single DVD, can guide you the length and breadth of Europe, it's designed to be simple to use with touch-screen controls and full-colour map displays.

"The sat-nav is just one of the features that I think sets the Lexus apart and it certainly works. I had no problem finding my way out to a personal appearance in Sussex on a dark, wet winter's night; the system never missed a trick," said Duffy.

For Abbott, the IS 250's creature comforts were particularly welcome: "I have to admit the heated seats really did it for me; it's a small thing but it really made a difference on those cold winter mornings driving to training."

"The sound system is spot on too, although when you're listening to Chris Moyles most of the time, the quality perhaps isn't that important!"

The multimedia system in the top spec' IS is designed by renowned hifi specialist Mark Levinson. No fewer than 14 speakers are strategically positioned around the interior to give the best performance, with 5.1 surround sound. There's also a six-disc DVD autochanger, so you can load up a season of your favourite movies for the ultimate in drive-in cinema.

"I'd never driven a Lexus before and my usual wheels is a Mercedes C-Class. To be honest the IS has been a revelation. I wasn't aware before of just what a good car it is," said Abbott. "The build quality throughout is superb. I looked really hard to try to find where some corners had been cut or where anything squeaked, but in fact the whole car is perfectly screwed together."

<3>Duffy's day-to-day transport is a Citroen hatchback. As another Lexus 'virgin' he was in gadget-geek heaven: "I'm a real fan of gadgets and the IS didn't disappoint me in that regard, with a whole host of electronic gizmos that not only keep you comfortable, but also keep the car on the road."

"Where safety's concerned, there's a whole raft of computer controlled systems that help keep the car under control should you hit trouble - not that I ever got to found out what happens when they kick in!"

Some IS models can be specified with an optional pre-crash safety system. This uses a radar to scan the road ahead and calculates, according to vehicle speed and direction, whether a collision is going to happen. If there's no avoiding an impact, it automatically tightens up the front seatbelts and prepares the brakes so that the moment the driver presses the pedal, full emergency stopping power is delivered.

The same radar governs the adaptive cruise control system, which ensures you keep a safe, pre-set distance from the car in front, which takes a lot of the stress and danger out of motorway driving.

Lexus cars have been criticised in the past for lacking identity, but the latest IS has a strong presence and looks like no other car on the road, thanks to a distinctive new design approach that's being applied to all new models in the range. What's more, it's also available with an ultra-clean 175bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine - the first to be offered in a Lexus.

Lexus IS 250 - the facts:
Engine: 2.5-litre 24-valve V6
Power: 204bhp
Transmission: Six-speed automatic or five-speed manual
Top speed: 141mph auto/144mph manual
Acceleration: 0-62mph in 8.4 seconds auto/8.1 seconds manual
On-the-road price: From £23,870

To discover the great deals available exclusively to Quins supporters on new, used or leased Lexus cars please contact Neil Barnes at Lexus Twickenham on 020 8892 2523 or visit www.lexus.co.uk for complete details on the complete Lexus range.