2003 Lexus IS300 SportCross - Cars Worth Noting - Brief Article

Automotive Industries, April, 2002 by John Peter

Remember the name game, that insidious old song that kept us snickering like school children. Banana-fana-fo fexus...me-mi-mo-mexus, Lexus. Lexus seems to be playing a little name game of their own with the new IS 300 SportCross. Lexus says that the new IS 300 SportCross "is somewhere between a sedan and a wagon." Hey, Lexus, we call that a 5-door sedan. You might think that you've invented a new niche, but you've actually created a great car line with the addition of this new model to the fold.

To IS300 owners the view from the driver's seat doesn't change. You can still see that sweet sports-watch influenced instrument cluster, and you can still shift the 5-speed automatic from the steering wheel. (Sony guys, but the new 5-speed manual is not an option on the 5-door...er...SportCross.) The 215 horsepower I-6 launches the SportCross from 0-60 in 7.4 seconds, one-tenth slower than the sedan. The ride is firm, but not harsh and the SportCross handles corners like the sedan. In fact, if you don't look in your rear-view minor, you'll never know the difference.

You will notice the difference as you come up from behind. The sweeping C-pillar of the new body-style adds 11.7 cubic feet of extra cargo space, (and one speaker to the premium audio system). The fifth door opens up to a good size cargo area, and with both back seats and passenger seat folded down, the SportCross can swallow up a lot more.

Call it what you want, the SportCross is just as much fun as the sedan, and now you can take the dog along for the ride.