2003 LEXUS ES 300

LEXUS Reviews:    • LX SERIES    • GX470 WAGON    • LS SERIES    • ES SERIES    • SC SERIES    • IS SERIES    • GS SERIES   Read Feature Story   Read New Car News   Read Brand Reviews   Read Car-Truck Test Reviews   Return to Guide's Homepage

LEXUS

Lexus, elite upshot brand from Toyota of Japan, promotes luxurious high-performance machines cast as elegant sedans, sporty coupes and rugged yet refined sport-utility wagons. For 2003, the Lexus line expands by one with the introduction of GX 470, a mid-size SUV with three rows of seats for seven and forceful V8 power. GX 470 fits in size between the Lexus compact-class RX 300 and full-size LX 470 wagons. A new five-speed electronic automatic transmission with gated shifter comes with GX 470 and also applies to LX 470, which shows new exterior designs and optional Night View that penetrates darkness with infrared-sensing vision enhancement equipment. Flagship LS 430 sedan, with full-size measurements and the lavish appointments of an ultimate luxury car, gains perforated leather upholstery on base trim plus larger standard wheels and tires for 2003 models. New wheel and tire packages also go to the compact-class IS 300 sports sedan plus a SportCross five-door wagon variation. Further, the stunning drop-top SC 430 sports car returns with optional Lexus Link telecommunications, as the mid-size ES 300 sedan adds optional power adjustable accelerator and brake pedals, and a new palette of colors works on the mid-size GS series of sports coupes.

LX SERIES: A full-size sport-utility wagon by Lexus features an enormous passenger compartment with seating for seven on three tiers. The cabin, lathered in leather and wood and luxury fittings, amounts to the best with the most. Its four-wheel-drive (4WD) system has a center differential with limited-slip capacity to distribute engine torque to front or rear wheels. Add a locking mechanism to the center differential plus limited-slip rear differential and you get maximum potential for traction. A big V8 delivers five more power points this year to 235 hp and it links to a new five-speed electronic automatic transmission. Current designs reveal new exterior styling with revamped grille and bumper plus new headlamps and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Also new is the controllable variable gear ratio steering (VGRS) system, plus electronic brake force distribution (EBD), a voice command feature applied to the navigation system and options for Lexus Link telecommunications and new Night View vision enhancement system.

GX470 WAGON: A new mid-size Lexus sport-utility wagon seems like a version of the LX 470 only in reduced scale. Like the larger wagon, the new model uses the big Lexus V8 for 235 hp and connects to a new electronically-controlled five-speed automatic transmission rigged with uphill and downhill shift logic. There are three tiers of seats in the spacious passenger compartment, with trimmings in leather and fine hardwoods. The 4WD system, permanently engaged, has a center differential with limited-slip capacity to distribute engine torque to front or rear wheels. More Lexus innovations aboard extend to active traction control (ATC), adaptable variable suspension (AVS) and downhill assist control (DAC). In addition, options include an exclusive Mark Levinson premium audio system and Night View.

LS SERIES: The full-size Lexus flagship sedan draws strength from the high-tech Lexus 4.3-liter aluminum V8 engine linked to an electronically-controlled five-speed automatic transmission. LS 430 rates as one of the most luxurious environments in the world of cars, yet it's also a sophisticated space filled with high-tech equipment and power-activated gadgets designed to make the experience of driving and riding safe, comfortable and sometimes even sensuous. An optional Ultra Luxury Package adds extra equipment like a laser-guided cruise control system, sonar-based parking guide and a navigation system with DVD-ROM database and dashboard touch screen. Further luxury touches with the package include an internal blower in front seats to circulate heated or cooled air, and a heat element for the rear bench with back massager and seatback power adjustments. A power-operated sunscreen stands at the rear window, with manual screens in rear doors. Issues for 2003 gain perforated leather upholstery on the base model plus Intuitive Parking Assist (IPA).

ES SERIES: As the only Lexus sedan oriented to FWD, the ES 300 has been a staple for the line and the price-leading sedan. A third generational treatment emerged last year with a longer and taller package size plus dramatic new exterior and interior styling, refined suspension tuning for an enhanced ride quality and forceful power directed through a five-speed automatic transmission. It returns for 2003 with optional power adjustable accelerator and brake pedals. Power stems from an aluminum 3.0-liter V6 good for 210 hp. Passive safety features extend to side curtain air bags plus frontal and seat-mounted side air bags. The Lexus VSC system is also available, as is an adaptive variable suspension.

SC SERIES: With its top raised, the dramatic Lexus SC 430 sports coupe reveals an arching profile that looks energetic up front but retro in the rear with its roly-poly rump vaguely resembling some vintage car like Porsche's 356 Speedster. With its hardtop dropped, the convertible version appears fluid and fast like a modern racy roadster. It's a daring design influenced by the elongated wheelbase, squatty stance and sensuous skin stretched tightly around exaggerated wheelwells. It's also a dramatic, head-turning statement that seems quite different from the quiet styling of a Lexus sedan. The squatty stance sets up a flat-footed posture in the manner of a classic sports car with all of the right components aboard: A stiff chassis with elongated wheelbase, short overhangs in front and back, good weight distribution with the engine up front and all torque applied to the back wheels, independent suspension at all corners plus fast rack and pinion steering. And there's a big engine aboard. The aluminum V8 displaces 4.3 liters and produces 300 hp. With the big V8 translating so much power to rear wheels, the car captures the essence of an aggressive two-seat roadster. However, it also raises the roadster image to a new level because Lexus lined it with high-tech hardware for safety and performance, as well as elaborate electronic displays and lavish (even for Lexus) appointments. The standard audio package comes from Mark Levinson. A 240-watt amplifier combines with nine speakers, a cassette deck and six-disc CD changer mounted in the dash.

IS SERIES: 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.

GS SERIES: The GS sports sedans contain high-output engines plus high-tech handling gear. They combine world-class performance with incomparable Lexus-style luxury elements under the guise of a daringly unconventional exterior shape. The external package, with wheels pushed outward to the extremities and radical sheetmetal panels of curves and flat faces worked around a form with blunt nose and stubby tail, presents an aggressive face with unusual oval headlamp clusters flanking a classy front grille. Concealed behind the slick skin, sophisticated engines for the pair of GS models shape their sporty personalities. The ultimate edition -- GS 400 -- packs the twin-cam Lexus 4.3-liter V8 good for 300 hp. A second version -- GS 300 -- uses a dual-cam six-cylinder plant with in-line layout and displacement of 3.0 liters to muster 220 hp. Both cars employ a dazzling electronically-controlled Lexus automatic transmission, which provides five forward gears and intelligent shift logic. Latest paint shades include Parchment Crystal, Mystic Gold and Blue Marlin Pearl.