xclream

Fake or real, I don't know, but we'll find out in 2 days.

I think overall it is ok, just the new headlight, looks fugly.

Personally I am not a fan of all the new Lexus headlights with the Nike swoosh underneath it.

Vihzel

I actually quite like their new DRL, especially with the upcoming ES refresh and new RX. It's quite amazing how such a controversial car like the IS would have such strong sales. Their 2014 calendar year was the strongest since 2007. Lexus must be doing something right.

Oh on another note... the "leaked photo" has now disappeared from the Facebook fan page where it originated. Now the image is nowhere to be found other than this forum. lol

xclream

more leaked photos including interior.

SW17LS

I see padded stuff on the console and wood there too, hopefully the wood makes it here. Like the new steering wheel from the RX. Bigger info screen between the front gauges.

I like it! Way to go Lexus. The 3/4 shot of the front shows the angles.

lesz

I have to admit that, after having seen the shots of the entire vehicle, I'm not quite as bothered by the front end changes as I was when all we could see was the front end by itself. Still, the grille would not be my first choice, and my feelings toward it are negative for the same reasons that I don't like the grilles on the new Camry or the 2016 Avalon. Those reasons are based on my bias toward the understated and toward minimizing the use of chrome, and I've had the same biases for decades. The part of the front that I especially dislike is the fog light treatment. That said, after having seen the exterior of the entire vehicle, I don't think that the changes would stop me from buying the 2016 ES, which is something I thought they would have done when I first saw only the front end pictures.

With regard to the changes in the interior, we have no way of knowing if those changes will be the same in US vehicles, but I have mixed felings, in particular, about the console. While the addition of the wood on the console might be a nice touch and while it is certainly more practical than the piano black with regard to showing scratches, if Lexus was going to add wood to the console, I think it would have been better to carry the wood through the entire console area. With the mixture of wood, piano black, and the plastic-like material, the console strikes me as a hodgepodge that doesn't know what look it wants to have.

TechNut

I keep trying to like the exaggerated new grills that Lexus is using on all their models. I don't know why they had to supersize the grill on this sedan. I have to think they are targeting a more youthful market with the new designs and I would think that would be more appropriate for the IS model. I am just glad we bought before they gave it that DustBuster look so I know we have years of enjoyment before I have to worry about it. For the record, I like the "shape" of the spindle grill very much, I just don't like the "size" of the more recent interpretations. That exaggerated snoz just looks out of place, like a copy of Audi's ugly design language. Just my opinion.

Oh, and I am pretty neutral on the headlight changes. I neither particularly like or dislike what they are doing there. I think the current design looks very distinctive coming down the road towards you and the new one looks like it will blend in more. That's not a bad thing necessarily. I will wait until I see some on the road to form an opinion on that.

Vihzel

Is it wrong to say that the exterior just looks like an upscale Camry?

dxerg3770

I quite like the new changes. Its not really over the top like the new RX.

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

LOL! I'm a fan of both, the 13's since they made away with the blob look that sort of followed on the 07-12's since the 2004 body style...

No. An understated look is what they did with your 05, and that year range was the ugliest "ES" ever... sorry. Sales wise it wasn't impressive either, since 02-06 the sales totals were 356.4k units over 5yrs. The 07-12 did 340.8k. LESS, yes, but the 4g ES was being sold during a time of the worst recession since the great depression, and yet came close to selling as much as the bubble ES the years before?

It looks like a lump of melting playdoh in all aspects, the shape, the headlight/tail shape, even the interior... the car was just "bleh". The ES NEEDS sharp lines... If you're looking for appliances there's many lovely bubble camrys, from 07-11 out there that need loving!

My '01 was much sharper than the 04-06, since the lights were cut sharply - and this is what the 2016 is trying to achieve.

The ES has ALWAYS been an "upscale camry"... You can spend "x" for a full load camry, or a standard ES for "y"... "y" being a difference of a few thousand plus taxes.

Sorry if this is news to you....

Arty101

Thanks Xclream for those updated pics. The interior doesn't look too different other than a larger nav display. I wonder if the North American model will get the wood treatment on the center console.

I'm still not a fan of the larger spindle grill, but that appears the direction that Lexus' lead designer is headed: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/grille...062759643.html
Lexus is trying to capture the younger target market.

lesz

I'm not sure that the navigation display is larger. I can't tell for sure from the picture, but, to me, it looks like it is filling the same portion of the recess as did the navigation displays on the 2013-2015 ES vehicles. What is larger is the information display between the speedometer and the tachometer.

Arty101

You may be right about the nav display. Too dark to tell, and like most of the interior, it doesn't like much different nor too improved. The display on the dash is definitely improved and larger if it carries over to this market.

chromedome

Looks like interior changes are limited to a slightly larger nav screen, a much larger driver display, padded hip-level surfaces a la NX and extra wood paneling. I'm happy about the larger displays, it's sad when a cheap Nissan has a much larger and brighter display than the tiny thing that ES drivers get. I don't like the wood trim at all but that's because my car comes with piano black trim with dark gray panels and gray seats, not like the weird hodgepodge of colors and patterns in the leaked pictures.

As for the exterior, they didn't change anything behind the headlights. It also looks like the headlight and bumper cut lines to the front fenders are the same as before so a pre-2016 car could have a face transplant to get the new look. Could be a very expensive swap though.

It's also funny that facelifted or otherwise, a low angle front 3/4 view makes the ES look like a bloated Camry

LexRuger

It surprisingly looks good. Better than the GS refresh actually.

Kijug

A little more wood on the center console...that's nice. The grill, tho, I still think it too much black. I like the current ES design where the colored bumper breaks up the all black grill. I think the IS-F looks...well...strange. I think it should be an option. Some are going to like it, others not. Oh well. I enjoy my '14 ES!