Introduction: The Lexus ES has been in the Lexus lineup since the very beginning. The original LS400 got all the glory, many often forgot about the ES250 that was also available as an entry level car into the brand. Initially many saw the ES250 as just a Camry with a more expensive badge as it costs very close to Toyota's current flagship the Cressida, sales of the ES250 was disappointing far lower than the more expensive LS400. As a result the Cressida was discontinued while a new ES was introduced being the ES300. Steadily the ES sales have risen, its now currently the best selling product in the Lexus lineup.
I've never really understood the ES, its essentially a Camry but it costs more. This problem is compounded with the introduction of the Avalon which is also a Camry but much bigger yet costs pretty much the same as the ES. I've assumed its supposed to be a higher quality version of the Camry. I'm not sure whether its worth the extra money, the most expensive Camry costs $36,000 so I have to determine whether its worth the extra $6000.
Performance: The Lexus ES350 comes in only one engine, a 3.5L V6. The 350 corresponds to the size of the engine, which is why the previous ES which had a 3.3L was called the 330. Anyways this engine produces 268 hp and 254 lb.ft of torque with regular fuel, Lexus says 272 hp but this is if you put medium octane fuel where if you put premium its 280 hp. The reason I don't list octane rating is some viewers come from areas that use RON instead of AKI, it'll be confusing if I say 87 Octane when the RON number is 91. On acceleration this engine moves this car from 0-100 km/h in about 6.5 seconds. As a result this car moves pretty quickly. However when I take this on a acceleration run, I find the 6-speed automatic hesitates so the first few milliseconds don't feel that quick but all the sudden the power arrives abruptly. The brake pedal is very mushy in feel, it doesn't seem to react as quickly as you'd expect from frankly any other car. Otherwise its a very nice engine its very quiet and surprisingly fuel efficient for a rather large displacement engine.
My Score: 9/10 - Overall a very good engine...the transmission is a weak link though along with the brake pedal feel.
Handling: As a luxury Camry I'm not expecting the ES to be very good on the corners. I wasn't disappointed, it handled as I expected, not well. When taking the ES into the corner you'll feel the body roll early, the faster you go the understeer gets worse. The steering...is pretty awful. Its very light but absolutely lacking in any feel which provides no accuracy. Unlike some of the other cars that handle badly though the ES is very comfortable so the suspension is working hard to not let you feel the road imperfections. Overall though its not a car you'd want if you don't live in a grid system. Not a fun car.
My Score: 3/10 - Comfortable, but the steering is terrible and the handling is poor.
Interior: This is where I expect the ES to wow me...I'm afraid it doesn't. Its not the worst interior but its not an interior I expect for a car costing $42K. First problem, the lack of leather in the trim or metal. Yes it has leather seats which are comfortable, but the quality is a bit lacking they'll produce creases overtime. The rest of the interior however is mostly hard plastic and faux wood plastic. I'm surprised that I find more higher quality material in a Volkswagen and a Hyundai than this Lexus. Second problem its not full of luxury features you can't get on the Camry or anything in that class. There is more trunk space than the G37 and a bit more interior space as well, however its identical to those of the Camry and less than the Avalon which are both Toyota vehicles. Bad features...the seat warmer switch is something you'd find from a 1980s radio, there's no dome light its been replaced with two puny LEDs which unfortunately can't illuminate much in the rear. The good news, the interior has a lot of sound deadening which is bad for weight but great in reducing wind noise, engine noise and tire noise. The build quality is also very good, no problems whatsoever with assembly. The Lexus ES is made in Miyawaka, Fukouka, Japan.
My Score: 5/10 - Leather is so so quality and not readily available, too much plastic, poor illumination in the rear, average space but the build quality is excellent and sound engineering also good.
Styling: I must admit this is the best looking Lexus ES ever, it not only looks modern but it has a rather sleek shape. The rear is a bit average, the front is reasonably nice and the side profile is also decent. No real issue with the styling, not blown away by it but can't say Lexus didn't try.
My Score: 7/10 - Acceptable styling.
Value for money: I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed with the ES here. I didn't see anything in the car that was worth $6000 extra over the Camry. Its not even worth more than the Avalon which is $1000 less than the ES. The ES350 competes against primarily the Cadillac CTS and the Infiniti G37. There are a few things the Cadillac doesn't do extremely well on, but for the most part its nice to drive and nothing in GM's lineup is an exact equivalent. The Infiniti G37, frankly is superior to the ES in every way except for engine noise levels, rear seat height and less trunk space. Those were sacrificed for a faster, more agile, fun, comfortable, nicer looking, high tech and generally more luxurious car. The Infiniti is actually a nicer car to drive than the Maxima or Altima, its worth its badge. The Lexus ES is not, I feel people have been ripped off by buying this car. If you go with a Toyota option you get pretty much this car for less money, if you don't you get a nicer driving car.
My Score: 1/10 - $6000 extra for a Lexus badged Camry V6 XLE...no thanks.
Overall: 25/50 - Its not a bad car on the face of it, but its a bad car when you pay $42,000 for what's really a $36,000 car. This is a profit generator, nothing more...GM wished its badge engineering was this successful.
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