2003 LEXUS IS300

Recently I traded in my 2002 Mercedes Benz C240 on a brand new Lexus IS300. I opted for the crystal white paint scheme with a full tan leather interior. I chose the 17" graphite polished wheels, rear deck spoiler, E Shift Automatic Transmission and power sunroof. The only options available that I did not order are the navigation system and limited slip differential. The vehicles price with options was just over 33,000 dollars.

Driving the IS300 I am reminded of driving an BMW M3 less the horsepower and torque. The IS300 handles like its on rails and definitely is very fun to take through the corners and winding roads. The 215 Horsepower inline six stolen by Lexus from the GS300 and detuned, is very disappointing with the E Shift Automatic. Though I real say it would run off and leave the MB 240 I traded in. The overall ride reminds me of an C4 Corvette. You will feel every bump in a IS300. Interior noise level while driving at highway speeds is very low and definitely a credit to the engineers at Lexus.

Luxury appointments for the IS300 are sparse. If you buy an IS300 I highly suggest that you do not purchase one with the leather/escalane interior. Recently my wife took here GS400 in for service and was given a IS300 with the leather/escalane interior to drive as a loaner. The seating surfaces are very uncomfortable and after about six months of daily driving the escalane really looks horrible. I do not know where the designers at Lexus came up with their idea for the upper dash design. It is nothing short of hideous and must of came about from having no more money to spend on interior appointments. The shifting mechanism is cheap looking and flimsy. The chrome ball is definitely not a nice touch and looks cheap. I was able to replace said ball with a leather shift knob assembly from Lexus for just over a hundred dollars. Money very well spent. The strong points of the interior appointments is a premium sound system built by Samsung Electronics for Lexus. This system is definitely one of the nicest I have ever heard in any vehicle to date. In simple terms, it flat blows away the previous upgrade of Nakamichi audio that Lexus offered for quite some time. If the new Mark Levinson audio system was available for the IS300, I do not believe that it could sound any better. The chronograph dash is easy to read and definitely gives the IS300 a high tech look. I was happy to see aluminum brake, gas and a cornering pedal included with the IS300. Even the door handles inside are brushed aluminum. This should really upset some die hard Porsche fans who receive plastic instead of aluminum. The IS300 continues to excel in safety features which include driver and passenger airbags and side impact curtains. The high discharge headlamps really light up the road at night and standard driving lamps are included as well.

Overall, for the money you can not complain about this car. Though the upper dash and shift assembly are cheap looking, it is not enough to just make you hate the car. In all respects this is probably the nicest styled Lexus to date. If you can live with some cheaper Japanese pocket rockets leaving you in there exhaust wake, then the IS300 will definitely not upset you. A whole lot of luxury and high end sports car handling for the money. Definitely recommended for those who do not wish to shell out 40k plus to buy its only real competition, a BMW M3 and or a BMW 330. Mine is on its way to a performance shop for a twin turbo charger application like the Japanese version of the GS300. For less then 5,000 dollars, I will be leaving M3's, Corvettes and the 330 smelling my exhaust wake. When you consider overall cost, it is still cheaper then buying the Beamers.