When Lexus launched their first IS-badged model, in 1998, it made quite an impression. Just as the LS400 of ten years earlier had shocked the motoring establishment with a luxury saloon that was a credible rival to the Mercedes S Class at the first attempt, so the IS200 took aim at the BMW 3 Series and scored if not a direct hit then certainly far more than a glancing blow. Badges as the Toyota Altezza in its native Japan, the model was awarded the Japanese Car of the Year for 1998-1999. European sales started a few months later and the car was equally well received. You only have to go to a variety of car events even now and see that this car (often now, somewhat modified) is still well-liked by its owners. A rear wheel drive compact sports saloon with a creamy smooth six cylinder engine that was genuinely good to drive, the initial IS200 was soon joined by a more powerful IS300 and a distinctive estate car like model called the SportCross. The second generation IS model appeared initially in pre-production form at the 2005 Geneva Show, with the production cars debuting a few weeks later. A larger entry-level engine, new couple-like styling and an interior that was more geared to luxury than sportiness should all have helped the new IS to find greater levels of success, but somehow these cars never quite captured the same level of enthusiasm in Europe, and even the addition of a monstrous IS F, a serious and well-respected rival to the BMW M3, did not help move sales in the right direction, nor did the addition of the all-important (at the time) diesel model. The Americans saw things differently, and, like all Lexus models, sales of a brand only created in 1988, continued to increase. The Lexus range started to fill out, though and the launch of a family-sized crossover, the RX, saw a change of emphasis and priorities that is even more evident today than it was then. The third generation IS arrived in 2013, making its debut in the US, which shows where the car’s most important market was likely to be. Visually, more of an obvious evolution of the second, this generation reinforced the moved away from true sportiness, by the absence of a replacement for the slow-selling IS F, and the addition of hybrid-powered models confirmed that Lexus was no longer really serious about competing with the dominant German trio of compact executive cars. Lexus sales in Europe had stagnated, with the bulk of them coming from the RX and later NX crossovers, but the third generation IS was offered from mid 2013, but the car is a relatively rare sighting on British and European roads. It has fared rather better in the US, though, despite the limited number of versions on offer. During the years following its launch, Lexus have made a number of changes to the car, with the usual visual tweaks that are hard to detect and by changing the engines, going from the initial 2.5 litre IS250 and 3 litre IS300 cars to bringing a smaller 2.0 litre turbo four and a larger 3.5 litre V6. A heavy revamp was announced in 2020, which stops short of being an all-new car but comprises changes to the appearance of the car. This version is not offered in Europe where sales would be paltry but it is starting to appear on US roads. I’ve not seen any of these latest cars in the Hertz fleet, but on my November 2021 trip, I did spot a couple of slightly earlier versions parked up, so added the IS300 to the of cars to try to sample, and this time, my luck was in and I was able to secure a car for a day’s testing to see what I though of it.
Despite the name, these days the IS300 does not actually have a 3.0 litre engine, no mater which version you select. The rear wheel drive cars, such as this one, have a 2.0 litre four cylinder turbo that generates 241 bhp, which is enough to give the car reasonable performance, but certainly not sufficient for you to feel that this is a fast machine. It is, however, exceedingly smooth and refined, and overall noise levels are very low, meaning that this is the sort of car that you could take on a long journey without it feeling like an endurance test. There is keyless starting, and the engine is very quiet at idle. Acceleration is, actually, perfectly adequate. There is an eight speed automatic gearbox, with paddles if you want to change the gears yourself, and this seems well matched to the engine, so the car was always in the right gear and the ratio changes were pretty hard to detect. Proof that a relatively large engine in a car driven at steady speed can be surprisingly economical comes from the figures from my test. I drove a total of 333 miles and the Lexus needed 8.36 gallons to fill it, which works out at a very impressive 39.83 mpg US or 47.54 mpg Imperial, a very impressive result indeed. The only slight sting is that it does need premium fuel.
If you are expecting this to drive like a BMW, or even a Mercedes or an Audi, you are probably in for a disappointment. The Lexus, despite its sports saloon billing is more about comfort and relaxed cruising. The steering does have some feel, and is nothing like as light as you will find in most Toyota products, but it certainly does not have the precision that you will get in almost all of the car’s rivals. The same can be said for the handling. Neat and tidy in the corners, and pleasingly little body roll, but this is not really a car that will encourage you to take the twisty road home. The test car came on what for the class are small wheels, 225/45 R17, and these help it to ride quite smoothly, even on some of the more challenging road surfaces of the Greater LA area. The brakes are powerful and effective. The car features a foot operated parking brake, which seems particularly strange now, and would even have been a bit odd when the car was launched. All around visibility is about as good as you get these days, with the standard rear-view camera helping when parked up. There is a Blind Spot Warning System, which is useful.
Lexus always tend to score highly on the quality of their interiors with impeccable fit and finish and some good quality materials being used. The IS300 is no exception. There is lots of leather on the dash and the door casings and the matt wood inlays look far more classy than some of the plastic wood-effect material or carbon fibre that feature in the car’s rivals. There is a chunky leather-wrapped steering wheel that is pleasant to hold. The dash layout is pretty conventional. There are two large dials in the instrument cluster for the speedometer and rev counter and two smaller ones outside these for fuel level and water temperature. There are a range of trip computer displays with buttons on the right hand steering column spoke to select what you want. Also here are audio repeater and cruise control. Twin column stalks are used for indicators and wipers as well as the lights. The indicators are those irritating one touch things that most manufacturers who have tried have now abandoned. The centre of the dash contains the infotainment screen, which is mounted quite high so it is easy to see. By the standards of 2020 when this car was built, this looks a bit old fashioned. You operate it using a thumbwheel in the centre console, and it is not as easy to use as that in most other cars. The IS 300 still does not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility. Instead, owners can connect with Siri Eyes Free, or opt for Lexus Enform Remote and access certain functions of their vehicle through smartphones. That extends to the navigation system which you when you select it informs you that you have to connect your phone and use phone services to get it, which I found disappointing. Beneath the screen are the controls for the dual zone automated climate control, which uses a mix of buttons and sliders and which was rather fiddly to operate. I have already mentioned the foot operated parking brake, which seems a bit of an anachronism for 2020, as well.
Perhaps as part of the intent to emphasis that this supposed to be a sporting saloon, you do sit quite low inside this Lexus. That means there is ample headroom, even with the sunroof fitted. The seats are leather trimmed and electrically adjustable through quite a wide range. The steering column telescopes in/out as well as up/down, so it was not hard to get the driving position to suit. I did quite a long haul out to the Palm Springs area and the seat proved comfortable to sit on.
This Lexus is one of the least spacious cars in its class. You have to duck a bit to get in the back. Once there, legroom is only really OK if the front seat is set well forward. There is a large central tunnel and the console protrudes quite a long way back, so space for a middle seat occupant would be pretty tight. There is just about enough headroom. Occupants here do get a drop-down central armrest with cup holders in the upper surface and there are map pockets on the back of the front seats, but there are no bins on the doors,
The boot is also not very big. It is shallow and is not that long from the front to the back. More space can be created by dropping down the asymmetrically split rear seat backrests. There is a detachable net to help anchor items in place. Under the floor there is a space saver tyre but there is no space around it for any odds and ends. Inside the cabin there is a rather modestly sized split-level glovebox and a number of other stowage places, none of which are that useful thanks to the size. There are slim door pockets, the tray in the console small and there is only a small armrest cubby.
Lexus offers the IS 300 in four available trims: the IS 300 RWD, IS 300 F Sport RWD, IS 300 AWD and IS 300 F Sport AWD. The main differences between them are evident. The IS 300 RWD is rear-wheel-drive and the IS 300 AWD is all-wheel-drive. The F Sport package adds a sport-tuned suspension, a gaping mesh front grille, and seats with additional side bolstering. While rear-wheel-drive models are equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (241 bhp, 258 lb/ft), all-wheel-drive models step up to a bigger 3.5-litre V6 (260 bhp, 236 lb/ft). The IS 300 RWD sends its power through an eight-speed automatic transmission that isn’t fast but does enhance an already smooth ride. The base model also nets you standard equipment such as dual-zone automatic climate control, two front USB ports, Bluetooth connectivity, an eight-speaker audio system and a sunroof. Safety is a priority with automatic emergency braking, lane departure alert with steering assist, and adaptive cruise control. Upgrade to the IS 300 F Sport RWD if 18-inch wheels, heated and ventilated front seats, and the tuned suspension are more your thing. Upgrading to the IS 300 AWD doesn’t add many creature comforts, but there are some changes. It sends its V6 power to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission instead of the rear-wheel drive’s eight-speed. The IS 300 F Sport AWD also gets all-season tyres as opposed to summer tyres on the RWD trim. All models can be had with the Comfort package, which includes a power tilt and telescoping steering column, rain-sensing windshield wipers and blind spot monitor. Lexus also offers a Navigation package that adds a 10.3-inch infotainment screen with the frustrating controller, plus one complimentary year of the Lexus Enform Destination Assist concierge that includes directions from a live agent. The real prize is the Mark Levinson package and its phenomenal 15-speaker audio system, though it automatically comes with the Navigation package. The exceptional audio quality may ease the pain of living with the controller. In the US, the IS300 models are notably cheaper to buy than their German rivals.
Having driven the IS300 for a day, it is not hard to see why the decision was taken to pull the model from the European market. It is not a bad car, even if the relatively tight rear accommodation, small boot and old-school infotainment system do count against it, but as others have also found, this is a difficult sector of the market that is utterly dominated by the 3 Series, C Class and A4 and even with excellent products like the Alfa Giulia and Jaguar XE, breaking in has proved to be almost mission impossible. Lexus tried hard with the previous generation IS220d, when a diesel engine was what really mattered, but failed, and then tried again with a hybrid before the market was ready for one, and then lacked a PHEV when these became the sine qua non for cars in this sector for fiscal reasons, so just like Infiniti (who were even less successful), have backed away to concentrate on the models that they can sell, which means crossovers. This IS300 certainly has its strengths, especially around value, refinement and quality. and as a long term ownership prospect would probably be a far better bet than the German cars, all of which are exhibiting worrying trends for costly failures in later life, so if that is important to you, then I can see why you might opt for a Lexus IS300. But if you are just renting a car for a few days, you would probably have more fun if you can get one of the Lexus’ rivals, and at present, there are several different options in the Hertz US fleet, from 3 Series and C Class to A4, Jaguar XE, Volvo S60 and even – allegedly, though I’ve yet to see one – the Alfa Giulia. Personally, I would actually take any of those over the Lexus.
