02 Lexus IS, 4 dr., AT, silver, 68K

[enzl]

As someone who's lucky enough to get to drive lots of vehicles for brief periods, I recently had one of the above for 2 weeks and 1000 miles.

Pros: Great engine (too bad its' dissappearing), fun slot car feel, everything you touch regularly feels special, who could hate suede??.

Cons: Very little interior space, Black hole atmosphere inside, really hard plain black plastic--over the entire interior---

Averaged about 22 MPG in 50.50 city/hwy mix

Overall: 8/10

[Nick]

My sister has one...When we were test driving them, for the most part they all had that horrible black plastic all over. Luckily my sister found one with the silver/aluminum style trim and the difference is night and day. It is a neat car though....a bit gutless, but there is a pretty good aftermarket I would assume being that it is a supra motor (correct me if I'm wrong), and from what I hear, all those cars need is a turbo.

It handles pretty well though out of the box, and from what I gather, all it needs is a strut brace because supposeldy they get a lot of flex.

[Bimmer325]

I had an '01 and absolutely loved the car (totalled in March).

In many ways, I preferred it over my mom's 325i and my sister's 325Ci. The Bimmers are tighter and offer more precise handling, but the IS' 2JZ engine (yes, it's heavily related to the Supra's) is smoother and a hell of a lot faster than either of our 3ers ('03 and '06). My IS was also noticeably more stable at high speeds, and while it didn't match the 3er's precision, it handled itself smoother overall.

I even prefer the IS' more-aggressive styling, and who can argue with reliability? My IS had 50,000 completely trouble-free miles (not a single issue), whereas my mom's '03 3er has gone through 3 sets of brakes, electrical issues, burnt-out taillamps and key fobs, a useless wiper-fluid dispenser, and countless other niggles.

Nick, if you're sister's IS has metallic trim it's an '01 like mine. The all-black '02+'s actually have significantly higher-quality interior plastics than those with metallic trim.

[bobo]

The '01 IS has a greenish tint to the black plastics. The '02 got the upgraded plastics, but the '04 got the silver plastic trim.

Most people love the engine--it is smooth--but it's not the most powerful thing around, and it doesn't have the greatest fuel economy. But overall, I love my car. I thought the ride was too harsh at first, but it tracks extremely precisely.

[Nick]

Nick, if you're sister's IS has metallic trim it's an '01 like mine.  The all-black '02+'s actually have significantly higher-quality interior plastics than those with metallic trim.

It is an 01, but it's interesting you say that...We test drove several IS's ranging in years, and I really hated the plastics in the 02 and 03 we drove...Didn't look nearly as good in my opinion as well.

[enzl]

My limited seat time has been lots of fun.

I was a little surprised at the plastics, but, as I'm considering picking up a SportCross at some point, I'm interested to hear recommendations as to year and interior options...I'm thinking tan interior, since the black is like a cave (and I've got a brown and white dog who made the IS look like a lint brush after a brief ride.

Also, has anyone got info on the wheel offset and compatibility with other Lexus stock alloys....I'm going to need to mount winter tires 5 mo./yr. and I'd like to get a unique look that's still 'stock'?

[Flybrian]

I was a little surprised at the plastics, but, as I'm considering picking up a SportCross at some point, I'm interested to hear recommendations as to year and interior options...I'm thinking tan interior, since the black is like a cave (and I've got a brown and white dog who made the IS look like a lint brush after a brief ride.

Geez, good luck with that search. I've seen maybe six SportCrosses ever.

[Nick]

Lately I've been seeing quite a few sportcrosses for some reason...

[ocnblu]

Sorry, I didn't quite hear that. Lately you've been doing a lot of LaCrossing for some reason?

[bobo]

The SportCross was available between 2002 and 2005, but I've seen maybe only half a dozen of these things. I got the tan ecsaine fake suede stuff, and I love it. It's much better than leather. Vehicles with limited-slip differential are hard to find. I had to forgo that option when I got my car. I'm not even sure if it was offered on the SportCross.

[enzl]

The SportCross was available between 2002 and 2005, but I've seen maybe only half a dozen of these things.  I got the tan ecsaine fake suede stuff, and I love it.  It's much better than leather.  Vehicles with limited-slip differential are hard to find.  I had to forgo that option when I got my car.  I'm not even sure if it was offered on the SportCross.

I'm always looking, so I've seen a bunch...had one on the lot. Lasted 48 hrs., so somebody must like 'em....

Definitely going in the tan Esc. direction....LSD is an interesting point. Gotta look into that....