The IS 300 compact-class sports sedan looks like a high-strung rally car and acts like a road-hugging German touring sedan with its straight-six engine producing 215 hp. The six-pack whines a high-revving tune played through five speeds on the automatic transmission or optional manual five-speed. With the automatic there are toggles on the steering wheel that enable an aggressive driver to shift up and down sans clutch with only a flick of the thumb and without removing hands from wheel. For 2003, the sedan adds optional all-season tires on 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels. A five-door hatchback wagon edition goes by the badge of SportCross. It carries the same equipment as the sedan with automatic transmission, yet adds the rear liftgate and cargo bay plus a rear seatback that splits and folds to make more room for sports gear like a mountain bike. All versions reveal bold contemporary styling for the cockpit in a theme of high-tech metallic finishes, with drilled aluminum pedals, a polished metal ball shift lever and stainless steel scuff plates studded with rubber on doorsills.
