Video highlights of this vehicle

Even though it sports a Lexus badge, this is no luxury car. From the gimmicky chronograph-style gauges to the nice-looking but cheap-feeling dash materials, the interior is like the work of a talented but poor starving artist who scrounges for materials in the junkyard to express himself.

The dash is wholly composed of hard, hollow-sounding plastic, and there's no option for even a sliver of wood. A slapfight ensued as to whether or not the costly ecsaine is real suede or a reasonable facsimile; we contacted Lexus public relations to settle the deal. Turns out that it's a synthetic material. The fake stuff. For $1,705. The costly package comes bundled up with power driver and passenger seats and Homelink, which is little more than a glorified garage door opener.

Yet, somehow, the IS 300 landed smack dab in second place on our editors' lists of Personal Picks, the car we'd choose for ourselves if given the resources. And here it is, tying for third place overall with the venerable Volvo. How did it place so high?

It moves, baby. Whether it's chomping up the tarmac during performance testing or arcing around mountain curves, it struts and shakes its stuff and is graceful doing it. It's as tossable as a kooshball and literally begs for more, which accounts for its first place finish in the slalom run at 64.3 mph. It actually scored higher than the BMW (by two percentage points) for the ineffable "Fun to Drive" category. Editor-in-Chief Christian Wardlaw practically had a conniption when faced with the prospect of losing his turn at driving it, so desirous was he of this talented vehicle. Light, agile and nimble, one editor commented that it reminded her of a feral tomcat.

Some of the spice of the secret recipe lies in a perfectly balanced chassis that seemingly pivots at the midpoint. You'd expect a harsh ride, given its prowess on curvy roads, and yes, it transmits more harshness than would be desired in a luxury sedan, but the sophisticated double wishbone front and rear suspension also gives you an amazing amount of communication from the road, and the ride around town ain't too shabby, either. And oh, the joys of steering — turn-in is razor sharp, and we felt as if we were wielding a surgeon's scalpel as we ripped down the side of a hill.

The Lexus is powered by a 3.0-liter 215-horsepower inline six engine with 218 foot-pounds of grunt. Although its 0-to-60-mph time of 7.5 is unspectacular, power is abundantly available from any point on the rev band, and its delivery is as smooth as Johnny Walker Red straight up, with an exhaust note worthy of a Verdi aria.

The satiny power is meted by the excellent five-speed transmission; and we had fun just caressing the chromed gear knob. The Formula One-inspired, steering wheel-mounted E-shift took a bit of time to get used to; it takes concentration to find the buttons when you're in mid turn and seeking an upshift. We acclimated to it, however, and we started to appreciate that our right hands remained on the steering wheel instead of having to come off to use the transmission shifter. Shift action was crisp and precise; this is how an automanual is supposed to work, with positive, immediate engagement.

Lexus has the gold standard in terms of brakes. In almost every comparison test we have performed that has included a Lexus, or cars from parent company Toyota, they've generated the best braking numbers, and the IS 300 is no exception — it stopped in an ultra-short 117 feet. The four-disc brakes were perfectly modulated, with phenomenal pedal feel that bestowed utter confidence.

Truly, the drivetrain gives the BMW a run for its money; in terms of pure driving dynamics, the BMW shouldn't rely solely on past laurels of being the Ultimate Driving Machine. However, living up to the Lexus badge, and its sedan status, requires more than thrills. This is where the IS stumbles.

The driver may forgive the garish, cheap materials that comprise her environment, but her passengers will be shouting their disapproval. Its 30.2 inches of rear legroom would discomfort Emmanuel Lewis, and our two broadest-shouldered lads were whining to be let out. It was also the most incommodious for the baby seat, with barely enough room to clear the handle and lots of side-to-side slop. Plus, the seat belt kept bunching up, impeding perfect installation.

Make sure you get all your valuables away from the gooseneck hinges — not that much can fit in the trunk, anyway. At 10.1 cubic feet, it has the smallest trunk space of any car in the test. The obtrusive wheelwells and bumpy load floor further cut into space, but at least a ski pass-through comes standard. Other storage cubbies around the cabin are laughable in their puniness, except for a nicely sized glove box.

The in-dash six-disc changer is a convenient feature, as are the xenon headlamps. Climate controls and stereo buttons are all but ninny-proof. We're still not sure why the IS 300 wasn't released as a performance-oriented Toyota, which we're certain would be met with less scrutiny. As a less-expensive Toyota, we could overlook the non-telescoping steering wheel, inexpensive cabin trimmings and the conspicuous lack of a center console and center armrest.

Eh, well, we didn't mind too much. Everything was screwed in, glued on and bolted down with typical Lexus precision, and we couldn't find anything to fault, as we had expected. Of course, the majority of us are single, with only ourselves (and possibly our significant other) to worry about. If that's the case for you, the IS 300 is a rip-roarin', tire-burnin' good time.

Second Opinions:

Associate Editor Erin Mahoney says:
If the Volvo was the most serene car of this test, the IS was by far the most fun. I drove the Lexus immediately following the Millenia and the LS, and the difference in handling through the switchbacks was like night and day. This pup felt perfectly nimble and taut through canyons and sweeping curves, but lost some of its appeal over rough roads, where damping and sound-deadening wasn't quite up to snuff for an entry-luxury sedan.

All of the hard plastic gracing the IS 300's interior likewise didn't scream "luxury," but the "sport" aspect of this sedan is well communicated with suede inserts, faux-drilled aluminum pedals and a grippy steering wheel.

While pure, brute power from the inline six wasn't overwhelming, it was more than sufficient. Mashing the gas pedal on the highway resulted in a progressive and rapid pull up toward license-endangering speeds, even if the tranny hesitated just slightly before downshifting.


Senior Editor Brent Romans says:
Lexus is left in the uncomfortable position of being too good. Most manufacturers are lucky to have one product that competes in the near luxury sedan market. Lexus has two — the ES 300 and the IS 300 — and that's certainly a big reason for its third-place finish in this test.

When we last conducted a near-luxury sedan test in 1998, we felt the ES 300 was too soft and too similar to the Camry. This time, we snagged the harder-edged IS. Sure enough, the IS was a stellar performer, and it would be very high on my list of cars that I would personally buy (especially when the manual transmission becomes available). But most consumers in this segment want luxury. There's not much of that in this car. There's not much "near luxury," come to think about it.

If you prefer a sporty sedan and don't care much about feature content, this is your car, especially since it's relatively easy on the wallet. But our comparison test was designed to seek out the cars that could manage both sport and luxury. Where's Goldilocks' "just right" bowl of porridge when you need it?


Editor-in-Chief Christian Wardlaw says:
Don't buy this car if you want something luxurious. The Lexus IS 300 coddles like Joseph Jackson or Kit Culkin. This is a serious driving machine, decked out in Corolla-grade cabin materials and looking like a slammed Accord. It's a kid's car at an adult's price point.

Still a kid at heart? The IS 300 will happily satisfy your need for speed, as easily, and in the case of the astounding steering, more competently than even the vaunted BMW 3 Series. A 3.0-liter straight six matches the BMW in terms of refinement and power delivery, and they've decoded the Germans' formula for providing an absorbent ride with outstanding handling. Otherwise, Lexus has improved upon the Bavarians' recipe for fun, spicing it up with razor-sharp steering, astounding brakes, and a lightning-quick transmission equally happy loafing around town or blasting along a two-lane road.

My single gripe with the hardware package is that the automanual transmission's "E-Shift" buttons are located on the steering wheel spokes, making it hard to upshift when powering out of a turn if you shuffle steer the way I do. But, once you learn the car's powerband, it's relatively easy to acclimate to the system.

If only the IS 300's interior could match the 3 Series in terms of comfort and quality, and the exterior styling managed the same sense of balance and grace, I'd say the folks at BMW had trouble on their hands. As it stands, the Lexus IS 300 is little more than a hot-rodded Toyota with a luxury badge on the grille.

If the first number on the tag of your Levis is higher than 36, the Lexus' thickly bolstered front seats won't be kind. The rear seats are the smallest in this group of cars and aren't easy to clamber into and out of. Wind and road noise are excessive and constant, and the entire dashboard is constructed of hard plastic. If the Celica GT-S were available as a sedan, the IS 300 is likely the form it would take.

So then, Lexus is heavy on the performance and light on the luxury, landing the IS 300 mid-pack, in my opinion, in the race for best entry-level luxury sport sedan.

Stereo Evaluation - 2001 Lexus IS 300