What can HK$1.398 million get you these days? A 700 sqft flat on Lantau, or about 127 taels of gold, or approximately 186,400 Mars bars. Or, more stylish than bricks and mortar, more manoeuvrable than bullion, and less fattening than confectionary - a Lexus LS460L, which just so happens to be a long wheelbase five-seater.
Skipping over, for the moment, the veritable orchestra of whistles and bells that come with this particular motor vehicle, and with a nod to the Christmas season, here's a brief glimpse of what it's like to sit behind the wheel. Imagine you are aboard a luxuriously padded covered sleigh, being pulled across an almost perfectly smooth ice rink. Tap the accelerator, and Prancer, Dancer, Dasher, Vixen et al - in this instance in the guise of a V8 Four Cam 32-valve Dual VVTi 4,608 cc engine - and surge forward in such a way as to generate instant excitement. If anyone thought Lexus was just about face with a capital F, it's also about fun too, two of the primary elements if you're going to splash this much cash on travelling Hong Kong's 2,040 kilometres of paved road.
If you're going to test drive a Lexus, you might as well head for Lexus country, which of course is the refined purlieus of Shek O. To get there, rather than look at a gazetteer, street signs or enquire of passing yokels, an ever so slightly bossy-sounding lady on the voice navigation system issues a string of instructions in concert with a map on the screen on the dashboard. The chicanes thoughtfully set up by the Highways Department along the route to the Island's most exclusive seaside community add a diversion along the way, and the ultrasharp corners allow the Lexus to demonstrate its silky handling abilities.
The car park behind the beach is choc-a-bloc, so it's on to Big Wave Bay, where - with only a little prompting on the touch screen - the LS460L reverses itself into a parking space, an application that must be a boon to those unable to put their head over their shoulder and shift into reverse gear and breathe, all at the same time.
Had I had time, I'd have popped into the back seat to watch a DVD - Mad Max Road Warrior or Priscilla Queen of the Desert for choice - but, instead, I powered back (with an exceptionally neat surge overtaking a bus just after Tai Tam reservoir) to the traffic jams of Wan Chai. Attempting to squeeze from one lane to another, a near cousin of the computerised parking system beeped a warning, saving me from a dent or scrape and enormous loss of face.
'This is a car that appeals to top executives for its premium comfort,' said Daniel Chan, the sales general manager of Lexus. 'One of our customers commented that it's like having a presidential seat inside a luxury car.' If I had the option, I'd bypass the apartment and move into a Lexus right now.
