I honestly think all the cars that you listed are great cars. When I lease my IS300 last November, the other car that I looked at is MB C240/C320. I did not look at BMW 330i, because I know that it will be out of my budget. Tell you the truth, I did not even drive the C240 or C320 (I did seat in there and it just did not feel quite right) and I picked IS300 for the following reasons (first one been the most important factor).
1. I can afford it.
2. Great quality.
3. The seat fits me the best (I think been AZN have something to do with this).
4. Great looking exterior and interior.
5. Great service at Lexus of Santa Monica.
The cars that I have owned before the 2001 IS300:
¡¥79 Fiat X19 Inline 4 (1.5 or 1.6L?), 5spd stick
¡¦80 Ford Fremont 2DR V8, automatic
¡¦87 Toyota Pickup 2.2L 4spd stick
¡¦63 Pontiac Tempest 2dr. slant 4 automatic
¡¦7? Dodge Van, 318 V8, automatic
¡¦87 Isuzu P¡¦up (2.?L) 5spd stick
¡¦96 Chrysler Sebring Jxi convertible, V6 automatic
I have also driven (more than 24 hrs on each model) my cousin¡¦s BMW 524i, MB E320 (old style), E320 (new style), and C280 ¡¦96 (I actually like the ¡¥96 C280 better than the ¡¥01 C240)
As you can see, I have owned and driven quite a few different kind/type/style of vehicles, and tell you the truth, I don¡¦t miss the stick shift a bit. The e-shift is the greatest thing that they put on the IS300, on the twisty, this is a plus and I don¡¦t think I can shift better than the e-shift.