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Lexus is fielding a limited edition IS 250 model to entice would-be customers who might otherwise be looking at Audi A4, BMW 3 Series or Benz C-Class.

This comes as Audi is on the eve of launching its new A4 and Benz is riding high on its Wheels Car of the Year success with the new C-Class.

The up-spec compact Lexus gains a fair bit of gear over all IS 250 models, bar the $79,000 Sports Luxury version.

Equipment improvements over the mid-level IS 250 Sports include leather seats, satellite navigation, rear view camera, punchy 14-speaker Mark Levinson sound system and hands-free Bluetooth telephony, yet the IS 250 X is $3000 or so less.

The special edition Lexus, which rides on stiffer sports suspension to compliment the swish new 18-inch alloy wheels, is also picked out by its "sports" pedals, metallic scuff plates and X badging.

Lexus says its last special edition IS 250 sold out in six weeks, so the reckoning is that anyone keen to grab one of the 450 to be built should step up right now.

The IS 250 X comes in six-speed manual from for a recommended retail price of $64,790 and as a six-speed sequential automatic for an RRP of $67,390. Even though the price differential is only around $3000, compared with an IS 250 Sports, Lexus claims the extra gear in the IS 250 X equates to a saving of around $10,000 over a similarly equipped IS 250 Sports.

The animalistic Lexus IS-F, complete with five litres of 300kW V8, is due to match wits with the likes of BMW M3 and Benz C63 around October this year – priced accordingly. The 2.5-litre V6 in the IS 250 produces 153kW.

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