The classic layout for sports car control, with the engine up front and its power sent to the rear wheels, has been optimized in a balancing act on the IS 300 by setting the inline-6 powerplant toward the rear of the engine compartment and mounting the hefty battery against the rear firewall. As a result, about 54 percent of the IS 300's weight rests on the front turning wheels and 46 percent loads on the rear drive wheels; this provides good chassis balance. When coupled to wheels suspended independently and capped with sticky tires, it produces a neutral stance but uncanny agility.

In effect, the firm ride quality and controlled handling traits of the IS 300 closely mimics a BMW 328i sedan. Yet it also packs sophisticated Lexus safety and comfort systems and delivers a new power standard for compact sports sedans.

The IS 300 is capable of keen acceleration and can charge through corners, as we discovered while driving a prototype of the IS 300 across the Santa Ynez Mountains in California near Santa Barbara. Hugging the potholed blacktop, our car clawed through off-camber curves on the narrow and winding Stagecoach Road, an ancient trace more suited to horse-drawn wagons than slick performance cars.

The suspension maintained a relatively flat stance through hard curves. It uses a double-wishbone design with front upper control arms mounted high to prevent front dive when braking hard while blocking lateral roll in corners. The rack-and-pinion steering, which offers power assistance tied to engine speed, seemed stiff at highway pace but continually fed back the nuances of the road.

Brakes, with big ventilated discs in front and solid discs in back, monitored line pressure to prevent lockup through an electronic brake distribution (EBS) system. Wheel spin was checked by anti-lock brakes and traction control.

The inline 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine in the IS 300 develops 215 horsepower at 5800 rpm and 218 pound-feet of torque at 3800 rpm. It uses the intelligent Lexus continuously variable valve timing system optimizing valve overlap. Lexus says the 3270-pound IS 300 can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 7.1 seconds and past the quarter-mile post in 15.3 seconds.

Active and passive safety measures in the IS 300 include an energy-absorbing structure surrounding the passenger compartment, three-point safety restraints with locking retractors for five seat positions, frontal and side-impact airbags for front seats, a collapsible steering column plus HID headlamps and daytime running lights.