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12 stouffrille suntribune thursday oct 162003 wheels two millionth civic page 14 an a d v e r t i s ing section of t h e e c o n o mist sun thursday october 16 2003 buick rainier is300 is truly front and rear views of the lexus is300 standard is a bevy of features that include cruise control autolevelling headlamps heated power mirrors key lock out protection and security system with engine immobilizer by neil moore lets do a little word associa tion think lexus and what words come to mind if you say refined reliable even reserved youre probably in the majority but brash or edgy well not until the is300 debuted in 2000 could any lexus be described in those terms this car was truly unlike its siblings it had aggressive lines short over hangs customlooking tail lights and a wide bore exhaust to com pliment its bad v boy appearance and like its german rivals the is300 was propelled by an inline six fear drive configuration but despite au that this car still lacked a key ingredient to be seen as a serious contender among european sports sedans a fully man ual gearbox but that problem waslickedwhena5- speed manual version was intro duced in the 2002 model year with that the is300 was ready to rtake on the audi a4 and the 3- series biirimer v my tester for the week was the 2q03 special edition oneup frorritrie base package listing at 39075 it was a mere 1300 extra for which you received a limited slip differential coloured rear spoiler performance sum mer radials and 17inch alloy wheels although there were plenty more options available to jbririg this car to the 46000 mark i never felt shortchanged vin a lesser model whose maker is legendary for -its- quality and attention to detail the is300s ulterior is all busi ness with details that speak to a younger market its drilled alu- page 19 ers in the a pillars woofer and midrange coaxial units in the rear parcel shelf and fullrange speakers in the doors eight in all max webster fully cranked never sounded better also standard is a bevy of fea tures that include cruise control autojevellirig headlamps heat ed power mirrors key lockout protection and security system with engine immobilizer interior rbom although less than injts k300 sibling is still adequate for four adults i found r aplenty of space in the l i 2 i front arid my passen- gers were corntortable ifn the l back trunk capacity although hot cayemous passed the test neatly swallow- ihg rriyyintage 1975 monster golf bag and cart with some room to spare but enough about efeatufe corhfbrtsf theis30q isajdriver car and i was eager to hit the road information you needed at a at 215 horsepower and 218 glance as well as a nifty little 0 lb ft of torque the 30 litre six gauge that measured realtime was a pleasant surprise ft fea- fuel consuniptibninuters minum pedals and foot rest not to mention the wellbolstered seats with threedimensional fabric reflect the cars perform ance image i liked the stainless steel shifter knob but found it got a little tqasty after a few hours in the sun fortunately we werent experiencing- a heat wave atthe time what really caught my eye was the detailed chronograph- style msihunerit layout it resembled ranexperiive diver watch and provided authd basic at 215 horsepower cin21swiftiorquef the 30 litre six was a pleasantsurprise it features variable valve timm overhead cams and 24valyes ive driven v6s boasting similar numbers but they lacked the authority of ty km if youre a leadfbbt youll knowit when the needle is up in the high teens i rather than the 132 l100 km city8l7100 km highway you should be get ting l the center console houses the cars automatic climate con trol system complete with dust and pollen filters these really do work as i found out after a week of driving to and from my office oh roads which were being ripped up for anew water arid sewer system there was plenty of dust on the paint but little inside on the dash the sound system befits the is300s raucous reputation this 240watt amfmcd cassette stereo includes titanium tweet- 6verheadearhs and ive driven v6s boasting similar numbers bufthey lacked the authority of tffiviniirieenginejt may besilky smooth atidle and when tooiing around town but punch the accelerator and youre rewarded with a conspic uous growltorquebiiilds quick ly and is availableacrpss a wide rpm range as you climb through the gears thiscar feels like if has another 40 or 50 horses under thje ljood jj v v the fivespeed shifter offers quick precise gear changes- in my opinionas good as- youll get in a 3series bimmer a five- speed automatic with formula see contender page 19 m ac auto zx5 premium- fog lamps leather wrap steering speed control power heated mirrors antitock brakes weather package aoldohc 16vzetec engine stodc3f0p674 j 7 pass air power group remote keyless roof rack cassette co speed control tilt rxrvacy glass i t stock 330205 x air auto amfmcd 46 v8 17 allterrain tires xtr appearance package electric shift skid plates sliding rear window cloth captain chair tower two tone paint stock 336406 advance tracmoonroof 17 chrome wheels 6 pacaudiopkle system nudo leather power driverpass heated seats stock 283573 two to choose from 21 main street unionville 4- kennedy r0ad 1 block north of hwy 407 ah cash pricesleaso payments are plus freight al taxes licorice and fees oac ah factory to dealer credits and rebates applied factory to i dealor credits 0 and toaao offers are not commnable ii 0 financing choson ca eg wmlstar oott back 5200 factory to ck i interest rate b 62 economist sun readers ghoico award lease rayments are eabesedm 2095 knvn 20000 kmryrwfmekm tfijetslsatk