Summary
- The Lexus ES is a reliable choice, thanks to Toyota’s reputation for building durable and long-lasting vehicles.
- The ES offers a well-equipped interior with advanced technology features, including a touchscreen infotainment system, safety features, and a generous warranty.
- While the ES may lack in performance compared to rivals like the BMW 5 Series, it excels in providing a comfortable and smooth ride, making it perfect for those seeking comfort over sportiness. Additionally, it offers impressive fuel efficiency and is priced more competitively than its competitors.
The mid-size luxury sedan space is not one that’s short of options. From the involving BMW 5 Series, the luxury-oriented Mercedes-Benz E-Class and even the Audi A6, and a few others, there’s something for practically everyone. These are all options that give you a good mix of driver involvement and luxury, and settling on any one of them will be a worthwhile investment.
But there is another option that’s flying under the radar. The Lexus ES range might not immediately come up in conversation when you’re discussing mid-size luxury sedans, but that hardly means that it’s not worthy of your time. Typical of Lexus, the ES goes about its duties without a fuss and excels in a few key aspects. It lacks the kind of mass appeal that’s associated with an equivalent BMW or a Mercedes, but there are some very good reasons to take a closer look at Lexus’ offering.
All the information in this article has been sourced from Lexus’ website.
The ES Will Not Let You Down
No one looks forward to the day when their car breaks down by the side of the road, regardless of how accessible roadside assistance might be. The chances of that happening to an ES are fairly remote. Let’s not forget that Lexus falls under the Toyota umbrella, and the latter is widely regarded as the most reliable automaker in the market.
While there are exceptions, the Japanese manufacturer generally tends to favor function over form, giving practicality and efficiency precedence over esthetics. It’s also common practice for them to over-engineer every aspect of their cars until they break. The parts that do tend to break are taken out of circulation, reinforced, and tested again. Only once they’re satisfied with the structural integrity of a part is it put into mass production.
Another interesting point to note is that Toyota and Lexus follow a philosophy they call “Jidoka”, which loosely translates to crafting automation with a human touch. This means that while robots are tasked with doing the actual assembly of their vehicles, there is always a craftsman on hand to blend clinical automation with human touch.
What it all boils down to is the reassurance of being in a vehicle you can be certain has been built to last. This peace of mind is invaluable, especially when it’s something you’ve put your hard-earned money on.
The Lexus ES Has A Well-Equipped Interior
It’s logical that luxury sedan buyers will be looking forward to an in-car experience that offers the latest tech, and the ES doesn’t disappoint in this regard.
The car has a number of trims on offer, but regardless of which one you spec, there’s a standard 8-inch touchscreen infotainment on offer with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity options. You could spec an optional 12.3-inch touchscreen, too, and there’s a 10-speaker sound system that’s standard.
Additionally, there’s a Wi-Fi hotspot available, Amazon Alexa compatibility, Bluetooth phone and music streaming, Scout GPS Link navigation, an intelligent assistant system, and a head-up display, among many others.
This being a Lexus, there’s also no dearth of safety features. To that effect, your ES will come standard with Lexus’ Safety System+ 2.5, which is their way of bunching together driver assistance features such as pedestrian and cyclist detection, automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot monitoring. A lane departure warning system and lane-keep assistance is also standard.
Lastly, to give you even more peace of mind, Lexus’ warranty coverage is better than most of its rivals. The limited warranty extends to 4 years or 50,000 miles, and the powertrain warranty covers 6 years or 70,000 miles.
The ES’ Performance Is Not Its Strong Suit
As mentioned earlier, the ES might have a lot of things going for it, but one of them isn’t performance. In comparison to its rivals like the BMW 5 Series or even the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the ES prioritizes passenger comfort and ride quality over outright performance. This is a conscious effort by Lexus to give its buyers what it feels they really need.
Given all that, the ES does have a few powertrain options to choose from. The mid-size luxury sedan’s base spec, the ES 250, comes powered by a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 203 horsepower and comes standard with all-wheel drive.
Take a step up to the ES 350, and you get a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 302 horsepower, but it’s only front-wheel drive. If hybrids are your thing, the ES 300h might be a good option to pick. The hybrid system makes a total of 215 horsepower, and power is put down to the front wheels via a CVT.
Lastly, there’s also an F Sport trim you can opt for with the ES 300h or the non-hybrid ES 350. The difference here is larger wheels and suspension tuning to make it more performance-oriented, but that’s moving away from the real purpose of the ES.
While its power output is not insignificant, the ES has been known to compromise on driver engagement. This is not a car meant to corner carve or chuck enthusiastically into corners, even if you factor in the F Sport’s suspension upgrades. It’s more focused on giving its occupants a comfortable ride, and for many buyers, that’s just what they want.
The ES Is Excellent Value For Money
The Lexus ES impresses with its comfort-oriented outlook. And while it may not be striking to look at compared to its rivals, there are plenty who prefer its understated looks. This is also a sedan that’s feature-loaded, has a fair number of safety features, and is comfortable on the inside for longer journeys.
What’s more, the ES range also boasts some impressive efficiency figures. The base ES 250 gets you a claimed combined estimate of 28 mpg, which is above average for a mid-size luxury sedan. The hybrid variants, as you’d expect, are even more efficient, and have a claimed combined efficiency figure of 44 mpg.
But perhaps the most endearing aspect of the ES range is its pricing. The 2024 ES lineup starts at $43,190. The ES 300 h Luxury, which is the entry-spec hybrid trim, pushes that figure up to $49,760, while the most expensive variant, the ES 300 h Luxury, goes for $53,480.
Compare that to the BMW 5 Series, which only starts at $57,900 for the entry-spec 530i, and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which also starts at a similar $56,750. The ES, as mentioned earlier, may miss out in a few places compared to its competitors, but a price gulf of nearly $13,000 is not insignificant. For the money, it’s harder to get a begger bang for your buck than the Lexus ES.
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