2002 Lexus IS 300 3.0

Summary:

The real "ultimate driving machine"

Faults:

The dealer gave a very hard time with a minor transmission problem. A letter to Lexus corporate offices quickly resolved this problem.

The tires wear quite quickly, but I think this is due to the tire brand.

General Comments:

A very connected car - great feedback and road feel, but still isolated from bad pavement and potholes. Basically, an excellent luxury ride without the floaty feel of most large luxury-boats.

Quite quick, could use more power though.

Really cool interior, especially the instrument cluster.

Excellent reliability.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd May, 2005

2002 Lexus IS 300 3.0

Summary:

6,000 +$27000 = worth every penny

Faults:

The stock bridgestone tires were showing the cords on all 4 tires at 12,000 miles.

I have since replaced the stock tires with Pirelli P6000SS.

They are a slight bit more noisy, but they handle excellent,wear is no longer an issue and I saved $40 per tire

I can now leave my flat driveway when it snows 1/4 of an inch here in Maryland.

General Comments:

Overall, this vehicle is superb.

Traction control is a bit sensitive.

Handles excellent.

MPG is lower than expected - about 18MPG.

Braking is unbelievable as well as cornering and stability.

This vehicle will cruise at 110mph as easily as 55mph

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st March, 2004

3rd Jul 2007, 13:00

18mpg, have you been putting in Regular octane fuel? I have a 2002 IS300 auto and average around 22mpg mostly city driving, but I am in a small town in Florida. Only reason I can think of is I only put in Premium fuel - try that for improved gas mileage.

2002 Lexus IS 300 E-shift 3.0 inline six

Summary:

Best performance bargain in its class!

Faults:

Some creaking noise produced by the dash board and the left side pillar.

General Comments:

This car handle and perform very superbly.

And also in my opinion this car has the best brake in its class.

Seats are very comfortable, always looking forward to drive this car after a tiring day from work and activities.

Rear seats are a little bit tight, but it will still fit 5 people reasonably.

Has the best dealer ever experience to date, Lexus definitely outperform others in this segment.

The only back draws will be the slightly too much use of plastic for the dashboard.

A slight increase on the power-band will also be much appreciated.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd December, 2002

2002 Lexus IS 300 3.0L inline 6

Summary:

Best sports sedan for the money

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong yet. Build quality seems very good.

General Comments:

This car has a great interior. Climate controls are laid out in a simple easy to use fashion. Seats aver very supportive eight way adjustable driver and passenger seats. Stereo is very nice in dash 6 disk changer. Nice chrome accents in the car are tasteful. The back seats are nice, a little short on space, but seats 2 fine. I drove twelve hours strait in this car the day after I bought it, and enjoyed the whole trip. I was always comfortable. HID lights are a nice touch. Heated seats are nice it would be nice if they had a dial for degrees of heated instead of on or off. I have used the heated seats almost ever day so far this winter.

The brakes feel great. The engine is silky smooth. The car is respectfully fast. Corners very well. Fully independent suspension is very nice over bumps. Traction control is a little sensitive. It can be disabled, which makes for more spirited driving.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th October, 2002

29th Oct 2002, 15:09

I'd have to disagree, the new Infiniti G35 is far better than any Lexus IS300.

12th Feb 2004, 01:08

The G35 is a good car, but the cheap plastic that was used inside of it turned me off to it. I own a 02 Lexus IS300 with a Peter Farrell Supercars stage 2 turbo kit running 407 horsepower to the wheels. This car can outperform, out maneuver most cars on the street. Love the styling of the IS300 more than the G35. I also own a Acura TL-type S and would say its equal to the G35 more. The tunability of the IS300 far succeeds the G35 hands down. The infamous 2JZ engine is a great powerplant to work on.