FOR the third year in succession Lexus has claimed the Gold Award as the best-performing manufacturer in the J.D. Power and Associates UK Car Customer Satisfaction Study.

It succeeded in improving on its 2002 performance, scoring 861 points out of a possible 1,000.

The survey saw Lexus come top in three of the four categories that make up the study: Quality and Reliability, Vehicle Appeal and Service Satisfaction.

In each case, Lexus owners testified to the all-round excellence of Lexus product, performance and after sales service.

As well as the success of the brand as a whole, Lexus also celebrated its IS200 sport saloon being named the third best model overall and the top-rated luxury-executive model.

When it came to the Quality and Reliability assessment, the IS200 was the outright winner.

Lexus’s strength in depth is reflected in the fact second place in the study and the 2003 Silver Award were claimed by its sister brand, Toyota.

This year’s J.D. Power survey, presented in conjunction with What Car? magazine, was among owners of X and Y registered cars (1 September 2000 to 31 August 2001).