I disagree.

Wait to flame..

Why would this car be competition to the M3? Because it's front engine V8, rwd? If you were an M3 owner, you could argue this isn't even in the same league. The M3 is a Sports Coupe with a big engine in it. The Lexus is a Luxury Sedan with a big engine in it. Big difference, different league.

I would probably compare this closest to Audi. 4 Door Sedans with Big Engines. The difference being that Audi is more sports oriented than Lexus. Advantage..Audi for AWD on the S4/RS4. But then you could argue that the S4/RS4 competes with the M3..true..but maybe that will change with the S5/RS5 coming out.

Anyone else notice that the article says it will compete with the Cayman..but in context of the sentence they only state prices? So in terms of a price point, yes it is competing with the Cayman...doesn't mean it will do well, or that it's in the same performance category...just that it competes with it..pricewise.

And finally..I agree. This thing probably won't be considered by someone looking for a Cayman. They're completely different cars. The closest thing Lexus has to being in the same type of class is the Lexus SC. As soft as it is and non performance oriented, it is their smaller, convertible/coupe car. Which is what the Boxster/Cayman vs Z4/M4 vs Audi TT comparisons come in regardless of how different the layouts, engine/drivetrain/trans configuration.