I accept that it is unreasonable to compare a £22,000 car with one that cost over £50K new. However, the CT I was driving was a £27,500 car, only a few thousand less than my GS300 bought new in 2001. Also, what shocked me was that the CT was not only inferior to the LS, it was also inferior as a car to a 1.6L Diesel Golf I drove for quite a few hundred miles in Tuscany this year. The Golf had better real world performance, went round corners in a much more orderly manner (and faster) and was relatively quiet when cruising at 140kph.
Further, I recently drove a 1.4L Renault Clio from Alicante to Marbella and the only thing the Clio lost out on to the CT was performance. I have to admit I never ever thought I would enjoy driving a small car like the Clio again, but I did!
So the CT (from my personal point of view) compares very unfavourably with "inferior" cars from Volkwagen and Renault - That, surely, is a damning indictment of a brand new "high quality" car.
Frankly, if you want a "hooligan's" Lexus, I reckon the old GS430 fits the bill. That car goes like stink, holds the road, has a firm but comfortable ride and is very comfortable - I was very tempted by the GS430, and I would have bought one if I had been able to find one in really good condition.