21 Sep 01
Lexus, Toyota's luxury car division, tends to have a one-size-fits-all philosophy. It offers a small range of cars, usually with one engine option and little left to ponder over other than the choice of colour. Invariably, Lexus cars have more kit, if not more kudos, than certain German prestige brands. They are top quality and top spec - and, judging by recent consumer surveys, so are the dealers.
The IS200 saloon was launched in 1999 as a 2.0-litre attack on the BMW 3-Series. It was stylish, impeccably well built and good to drive; the only real gripe from some users was that the smooth, in-line, six-cylinder engine could use more power, especially at lower revs. Thus the 2.0-litre, 153 bhp IS200 is joined next month by the 2997 cc, 211 bhp IS300.
And there's more. Lexus has reworked the saloon backwards from the rear doors to create a five-door. The SportCross apparently introduces crossover styling, which means it falls into a class of posh semi-estate cars with odd names and not all that much space. The C-Class Mercedes is probably the best bet for a flat-pack dining table, followed by the Audi A4 Avant and the BMW 3-Series Touring. The lovely Alfa 156 Sportwagon is more of a baguette carrier and the IS300 SportCross occupies similar territory, being a good looker (better in the metal, incidentally) but not a big hauler.
The SportCross is longer than the saloon but the wheelbase is the same. It's good enough for hampers, golf bags, sports bits and small dogs and makes a stab at being a handy carrier by having a boot floor with two heights and lots of underfloor storage. However, the rear suspension mountings are so large they can accommodate two speakers (presumably for doggie hi-fi). Anyhow, if you have £28,450 to spend on a car and you don't need to build your own furniture, the SportCross could be for you.
