2001 Model Year
2002 Model Year
2003 Model Year
2004 Model Year
2005 Model Year
- New Models:
- E-Shift IS300 introduced, no 5-Speed Manual option
Exterior: - Four horizontal bars on front grille, emblem molded into grille
- Chrome taillights only
- Initial colors offered:
- Auburn Sky Pearl (ASP)
- Black Onyx (BO)
- Diamond White Pearl (DWP)
- Graphite Gray Pearl (GGP)
- Imperial Jade Mica (IJM)
- Millennium Silver Metallic (MSM)
- Spectra Blue Mica (SBM)
- Solar Yellow (SY)
Interior: - Seating choices are Black Fabric and Black or Ivory Leather/Ecsaine
- Optional Lexus Luxury Package includes:
- Ivory Leather/Ecsaine Interior with Tan Piping
- Black & Ivory instrument panel
- Walnut Switch (door) Plates
- Power Seats & Homelink - For all Black & non-Luxury Package Ivory interiors, black dash and center console with gray trim extending from above the lint tray down around the shift knob and also above the steering column and glove compartment for (this color matches the AC and radio knobs' trim)
- Floormats Have Lexus "L" Emblem and read "IS300"
Mechanical: - Underbody panels (plastic) prone to failure
Other: - Tool tray in trunk (two-piece) constructed of styrofoam
2002 Model Year
- New Models:
- 5-speed manual transmission available on sedan
- New SportCross 5-door offered (automatic transmission only), has 7.5x17" rear rims, foglights are much flatter
- L-Tuned Edition available late 2002, includes:
- L-Tuned body kit (full front bumper with round 55 watt fog lights, rear valance, side skirts, rear spoiler and carbon fiber-style grille)
- L-Tuned 18x7.5" +42 rims in Silver or Gunmetal (Rays Versus Campionato SS7 with custom blue Lexus "L" center cap)
- 225/40ZR18 Michelin Pilot Sport tires
- L-Tuned sport muffler & larger-diameter exhaust (60mm pipe diameter & 105mm tip diameter).Adds 8 hp over stock.
- L-Tuned springs (1" drop, made by Eibach)
- L-Tuned sway bars (Made by Eibach)(28mm front/17mm rear)
- L-Tuned exterior and interior badging
- L-Tuned floormats
Exterior: - New exterior colors are:
- Absolutely Red (AR)
- Cibola Gold Metallic (CGM)
- Crystal White (CW)
- Electric Green Mica (EGM)
- Intensa Blue Pearl (IBP) - Discontinued exterior colors are:
- Auburn Sky Pearl (ASP)
- Diamond White Pearl (DWP)
- Imperial Jade Mica (IJM)
- Spectra Blue Mica (SBM) - Tail lights receive smoked finish on the following five exterior colors:
- Absolutely Red (AR)
- Black Onyx (BO)
- Electric Mica Green (EMG)
- Graphite Gray Pearl (GGP)
- Intensa Blue Pearl (IBP) - Three horizontal bars on front grille, down from 4, detachable clip-on emblem backplate
- Grille color darkened from medium gray to almost black
- Rear spoiler, optional on sedan, standard on SportCross, third brake light removed if spoiler is installed as a factory option
Interior: - Front side curtain airbags standard
- Optional Lexus DVD Navigation (pop-up screen & remote controls located between the front seats)
- 6.5" speakers in door panels now have a chrome ring around the speaker grill
- Auto-dimming electrochromic driver's side outside and inside (center) rearview mirrors
- Compass in center rearview mirror for vehicles without DVD navigation
- Front center armrest standard (Black or ivory leather)
- Optional leather shift knob
- Black dash/center console with gray trim no longer available
- Floormats have Lexus "L" emblem and read "LEXUS" instead of "IS300"
- Driver's side floormat now has two retention hooks to prevent sliding
- Lexus Luxury Package discontinued
- Optional Full Leather interior in ivory or black, trimmed with piping
- Seat piping now standard with Leather/Ecsaine Seats
- Two-tone Black and Ivory dashboard & center console now standard for Ivory interior vehicles with Full Leather or Leather/Ecsaine seats
- Walnut Switch Plates now a stand-alone option
- Standard fabric interior available in Ivory
- Automatic climate control now switches A/C on and off
Mechanical: - Overall height raised 0.6" (from 54.9" in 2001 to 55.5")
- Minimum running ground clearance increased from 4.9" for 2001 to 5.3"
- Spring rate increased for 5-speed manual
- Optional Vehicle Skid Control (VSC) (Automatic transmission only)
- Brake Assist
- Steering revised as follows:
- Overall Steering Ratio from 15.7:1 for 2001 to 14.5:1
- Turning Circle decreased from 34.1' for 2001 to 33.4'
- Turns Lock-to-Lock decreased from 3.25 in 2001 to 3
Performance: - ECU programming update
Other: - Tool tray material in trunk changed to plastic, now one-piece
- Underbody panel (plastic) material changed; failures significantly decreased
2003 Model Year
- New Models:
- SportDesign edition sedan available, package includes:
- 11-spoke 17" SportDesign rims
- Thundercloud Metallic exterior color (Black Onyx and Graphite Gray Pearl also available)
- Black pearl badging with Sport Design emblems
- SportDesign front grille
- SportDesign smoked gray fog lights, tail lights and headlights
- SportDesign exhaust
- Full leather Ash Gray interior (Black also available)
Exterior: - New 7-spoke design for 16" wheels
- 215/45R17 all-season tires available
- The following exterior/interior combinations are discontinued:
- Absolutely Red with Ivory Fabric
- Cibola Gold with Ivory Fabric or any Black interior
- Electric Green Mica with Ivory Fabric or any Black interior
- Graphite Gray Pearl with Ivory Fabric
- Intensa Blue Pearl with Ivory Fabric
Interior: - Redesigned front cupholders
2004 Model Year
- New Models:
- SportDesign changes for 2004:
- Alabaster exterior paint option (Thundercloud Metallic and Black Onyx carry over from 2003. Graphite Gray Pearl no longer available on SD)
- 11-spoke wheels are Charcoal finished with TCM and BO exteriors, Silver finished with Alabaster exterior
- Double-stitched Smoke Gray leather interior (Black leather w/Gray piping carries over from 2003)
- Euro-tuned suspension on manual models
Exterior: - Headlamp, fog light and tail lights available in smoked gray (same as Sport Design)
- New exterior colors are:
- Bluestone Metallic (BSM)
- Indigo Ink Pearl (IIP)
- Savannah Metallic (SM) - Discontinued exterior colors are:
- Cibola Gold Metallic (CGM)
- Intensa Blue Pearl (IBP)
- Solar Yellow (SY) - New mist-type windshield washer nozzles
- New design 11-spoke, 17" wheels available (no longer SportDesign exclusive)
Interior: - Drivers seat two-position memory available with power seats
- New storage compartment with retractable lid in center dash (vehicles without Navigation)
- CD changer redesigned
- Bright silver replaces dark silver on window switch plates, instrument cluster background, climate control dial rings, audio volume and tuner rings and steering wheel stitching
- Black replaces dark silver on audio plate surround, A/T housing plate surround
- New leather door inserts replace Alcantara on full leather interiors
- Black Fabric interior no longer available with Graphite Gray Pearl or Absolutely Red exterior
- Ivory Fabric interior discontinued
- Imitation suede (Ultrasuede) for interiors now referred to as Alcantara (European name) instead of Ecsaine (Asian name)
- Walnut Switch Plates now available only with full leather interiors
- Scheduled maintenance indicator light
- Speed-sensitive, shift-linked automatic door lock/unlock
2005 Model Year
- Mechanical:
- Limited-Slip Differential is no longer available with the manual transmission. (This actually took place during the course of the 2004 model year)
Interior: - Black Fabric interior no longer available with Bluestone Metallic exterior