The Bottom Line: The IS300 is light on its feet and pleasantly un-stodgy, but at this price, it needs to offer a better balance of performance and refinement to stay competitive.
I test-drove a Lexus IS300 5-speed at a local dealership. My test drive lasted about half an hour, and covered city streets, the freeway, and a secondary winding roads.
Performance
I found the IS300's 3.0-liter six a bit of a disappointment. For a car whose styling so clearly expressed a mission of sport, the engine seemed a bit out of character. It was very quiet and extremely smooth--there were almost no engine vibrations to speak of--but acceleration felt a bit soft, and the engine wasn't the least bit exciting or involving.
When I gave the throttle a shove on a freeway on-ramp, acceleration felt adequate, but nothing special, despite its commendable published 0-60 time of 7.3 seconds. The car built up speed progressively, feeling a bit weak at the low end, but developing a mild push in the back as it revved into the midrange. The IS300 is one of those cars where you can see the speedometer climbing, but have very little sensation of speed or excitement as the needle climbs.
Further frustrating sport-minded drivers like myself is the half-inch of soft mush in the top of the gas pedal's travel. It's ostensibly there to provide a luxuriously gently throttle tip-in, but on my test drive, it added an unsatisfying layer of imprecision to throttle inputs. All of these attributes--smoothness, quietness, and adequate acceleration--would be great in a family sedan, but in a relatively expensive sport sedan like the this, I expected more.
Transmission/Clutch
The IS300's shifter and clutch were much better than the engine. On my test drive, the shifter slotted from gear to gear easily and crisply. Throws were fairly short, and had the satisfying, mechanical feel that I personally prefer--others might find it a bit harsh-feeling or "clunky." The clutch was also quick and precise in operation, with a natural-feeling take-up that made smooth shifts easy.
Steering/Handling
The IS300's handling was probably the car's best feature. On my test drive, its responses were impressively quick and agile. Body lean was imperceptible in moderately fast driving--I didn't even notice any until I pushed the car hard on a winding road--and the chassis felt eager and grippy in corners. Unlike many other sport-luxury sedans, this car's chassis seemed to emphasize sport as its first priority. It was more involving, with less body motion and more of a sense of immediacy.
Still, it didn't feel like a sports car. The IS300's steering was quick and sharp, but it lacked the precise edge and weighting of many of its rivals. The power-assist was light and fluid, so it took only a gentle touch to bend the car into corners, but there wasn't much resistance, and the wheel's return-to-center motion felt weak. The steering felt precise around town if I tried to ignore the loose feel of the power assist, but when I got on the freeway, I found that the IS300 is also a bit fidgety at high speeds, and doesn't hold a straight path very well. This slight layer of imprecision means the IS300's handling falls just short of excellence.
Ride
The IS300's ride came as a bit of a surprise to me. In spite of the car's unexpected concessions to luxury (muffled engine, light steering) the ride was quite harsh and noisy. It wasn't that ride motions were especially stiff--in fact, they were quite subtle and well-controlled, with none of the hobbyhorse bucking that plagues many sporty cars. But whenever the IS300 encountered bumps in the road, noticeable amounts of impact harshness and tire noise made their way up through the seats and body structure.
Large bumps produced irritating banging noises and slight quivers in the car's body. The structural shudders were tight and quick, with little of the Jell-O feel that plagues many convertibles, but these vibrations were still noticeable enough to be distracting. On patchy concrete freeways, the noise and shaking was endless.
Interior
The IS300's interior was anything but typical Lexus, which is good and bad news. On the positive side, the IS300's cabin looked youthful and exciting, with an edgy design that kept things interesting in the driver's seat. I liked the sporty, three-spoke steering wheel, and the chrome, rubber-dotted pedals looked racy and felt grippy underfoot. The silver-on-black color treatment and chrome shift knob were also satisfying, setting a sporty, import-tuner mood that was especially appealing to my college-age sensibilities. The cabin also had a tight, close-fitting feel that I found pleasantly sporting. Everything nudges close to the driver, and the seats hug your body tightly and offer firm support.
But there were downsides to the IS300's youthful cabin. While I found the interior design exciting, I can't imagine Lexus' usual customer base being similarly enthused. The look is cool, but not classy--it may come off as contrived or garish to buyers with more mainstream tastes, and I doubt it will still be fashionable in five years.
Moreover, the materials quality wasn't what I've come to expect from Lexus--while most of the interior appointments felt slick and rich, there were also some surprisingly cheap, hard plastics on the dashboard and console. The plasticky feel of the cubby lid on top of the dashboard would have been out of place in a Corolla, let alone a $30,000 sport sedan. Finally, while I rather liked the tight dimensions of the cabin, I can also see it coming off as too tight and narrow-feeling to other drivers--the small-car feel isn't what most people expect in a $30,000-plus sedan.
Practicality
Practicality wasn't much of a strong suit for the IS300. While there's certainly more usable space than a similarly-priced coupe, the IS300 felt rather small compared to other sedans. The rear seat was a tight fit for me, and while I'm a little tall at six feet, I still can't imagine getting three average-sized adults back there comfortably--I think even two would probably start feeling cramped on a long trip.
Trunk space was also in short supply. You'll find considerably more room in most any other sport sedan, and even the trunks of economy cars like the Honda Civic make the IS300's cargo bay look puny. There is a wagon version of the IS300 available if trunk space is a priority, but it only comes with an automatic transmission--a major letdown for the sport-minded drivers the IS300 aims to attract.
Reliability
Like most other Toyota/Lexus products, the IS300 has excellent reliability, with a Better Than Average rating from Consumer Reports. This means the IS300 should be practically flawless in operation, and it's also worth noting that the Japanese-built IS300 will have considerably lower maintenance costs than its European competitors when it does go into the shop.
Overall
I came away a bit confused by the IS300. It's clearly intended to compete with sport-luxury sedans from BMW, Audi, Acura, and the like, but it doesn't seem to be clearly focused on either sport or luxury. It's not a real sports sedan because its engine is too quiet and anesthesized, and its steering too light and uncommunicative. But it's not really a luxury sedan either, because of the tight dimensions, extroverted interior design, and the harsh, noisy ride. Either way you look at it, the car is compromised by one extreme or the other.
Although I didn't dislike the IS300 at all, I imagine that older, more sedate customers would prefer the superior refinement and more-luxurious interiors of the IS300's European rivals, and that younger, sport-minded buyers like myself would be more interested in the higher-performance Subaru WRX or Mistubishi Lancer Evolution. Or, if a compromise is what you're looking for, you'll probably prefer the deftly-balanced Acura TSX or Infiniti G35.
Still, despite the presence of better alternatives, the IS300 deserves its share of credit--in many ways, it's a fine car. It's good-looking, handles with surprising agility, and has a comfortable (if controversial) interior. It could be just right for people who like a fast-and-furious image and young-looking styling, but don't want the high-strung nature of a high-performance sport sedan. For these buyers, I would recommend giving the IS300 a look. But personally, I think the IS300 would benefit from a clearer sense of direction, and a stronger commitment to either sporting responses or luxurious comfort. The current car has plenty of merits, but doesn't strike me as excellent value when compared to its like-priced, better-integrated rivals.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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