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Lexus IS200 SportCross

It seems Lexus believes that good things come in small packages - especially as far as building estate cars is concerned. On sale now, the new 2.0-litre IS200 SportCross is a sporty machine aiming to rival the BMW 3-Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant

By Martin Sharp

October 2002

It seems Lexus believes that good things come in small packages - especially as far as building estate cars is concerned. On sale now, the new 2.0-litre IS200 SportCross is a sporty machine aiming to rival the BMW 3-Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant. Looking more like an extended hatchback, it's clear that load-lugging is not this car's number one priority.

Costing ΂£21,990, the newcomer arrives hot on the heels of its more powerful brother, the ΂£28,450 IS300, which is virtually identical but equipped with a 3.0-litre engine.

On first sight, there's no doubting the visual appeal, but with all the seats in place the boot looks full when only one suitcase is in it. Folding down the 60/40 rear seats increases stowage space from 340 to 620 litres, but if you want to take anything substantial you will need to fill the car to its roofline.

This lack of load-carrying capacity is explained by Nobuaki Katayama, the IS range's chief engineer. "Identity and handling are the strong points of the original IS200, and we knew we couldn't dilute those for the sake of more space," he said. So to succeed, the newcomer must deliver on the firm's promises of performance, handling, sharpness and stability.

Fortunately for Lexus, the SC does not let anyone down. The six-cylinder 154bhp engine propels the lifestyle estate from 0-60mph in 9.5 seconds, and on to a 134mph top speed. Company car drivers might find the C02 figure of 233g/km disappointing, but the IS200 is excellent value. It's also great to drive. The addition of a boot hardly affects the handling, and the car corners as well as its saloon brother. Our only gripe is that the cabin feels rather cramped. But the firm's other weapon in the sales war is an impressive spec list based on that of the IS200 Sport saloon. The SportCross might not be big, but it's definitely clever.

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FIRST OPINION

    This good-looking estate car may not be the most practical on the market, but it is excellent to drive and the introduction of a six-speed manual gearbox adds another dimension to the IS200 SportCross's performance. A very real challenger to the old order.
 

AT A GLANCE

    IS200 SportCross is on sale in UK now, priced £21,990
    Six-disc CD player, air-con and six-speed gearbox standard
    Top speed 134mph
     
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