Arty101

It use to be German cars, including BMW and Mercedes used hard plastics and were pretty austere. Maybe Lexus is regressing

Vihzel

BMW is still pretty austere and utilizes an ample amount of hard plastics. Not sure what Audi will bring with the 2016 Audi A4, but I assume they will also increase their interior quality, but keep the design austere and minimal. It's Mercedes that has knocked it out of the park with their latest C-Class; it's really absolutely breathtaking what they've done. I'm sure it will force the other Germans and the Japanese to really amp up their interior quality to play catch up with what Mercedes has accomplished in the same price range.

I don't think Lexus is regressing. I really love their interiors on their other models. I do feel they made some unfortunate missteps with the current ES, which was noted in almost every car review I read/watched. I'm sure the refresh will help bring it up to where it should be.

I only suspect that we'll be seeing higher and higher quality of materials for the same price as time goes on.

chromedome

I agree on the new C, it's a beautiful car inside and out. I saw a C200L parked next to a E300L and the baby Merc wasn't much smaller, while it made the older car look so dull.

I sat in an LWB Nissan Teana the other day and it had more soft touch surfaces than my ES, although the ES wins on the actual material quality and overall design. I think Lexus are going for a more austere but well-finished look with sharp lines, like a simple gray suit cut out of the best wool and made to fit the wearer perfectly.

It's the same trend as with computer interfaces, Android Lollipop and iOS8 have flatter and bolder designs compared to before. I hope Lexus moves towards better smartphone integration with its in car systems, something with Android Auto or CarPlay, instead of the ugly blue custom interface that looks like it came from 1999.

Vihzel

Much agreed. Also, just in case anyone doesn't know, Nissan Teana = Nissan Altima.

jollick

Vihzel

Speaking of being environmentally responsible, has things changed regarding the environmental impact of the NiMH batteries that Lexus uses in its hybrid cars? It's been a long time since I've read stuff about it, but from what I last remember, the extraction and production of these big batteries were pretty bad for the environment and not nearly as environmentally friendly as Li-Ion batteries.

Also, the reveal of the refreshed ES should be coming out soon. If you live on the East Coast, Shanghai time is exactly 12 hours ahead. I would suspect the reveal would be in the morning, so there should be articles popping up soon.

SW17LS

As for the interior being environmentally responsible, if I wanted that I'd buy a Prius.

jollick

I suggest searching the internet for your answer. see this site to start:

http://business.inquirer.net/124193/...nmental-impact

A paragraph from the site:
“Our data shows that the total carbon dioxide production of hybrid vehicles is roughly more than 35 percent smaller than the CO2 production of conventional cars, and that after 100,000 kilometers on the odometer, the total carbon footprint is up to 35 percent smaller than conventional cars,” he said.

And this one: http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/...batteries.html

Not to mention the environmental savings of emissions while the car is sitting at a light or in stop and go traffic.

LSG89

Interior of the ES is pretty good, but exterior is boring, but I understand its a car made for older demographic or people that just want to move from point a to b. Like others said, the Grille should have not been put on this car at all. It needed a much simpler grille ,right now its trying to be aggressive with the Grill, but does not go well with rest of the car.

lesz

What I find interesting is the way that Toyota and Lexus seem to want to remake their image to one of a company that makes "bold" and exciting vehicles.

Toyota put the "bold" (to me, ugly) grille on the new Camry, and all of the advertising of that vehicle is based on the theme of the "bold new Camry". Still, no matter how many times Jan talks about the bold new Camry or how many commercials show her driving the Camry as if it were a BMW, I'm still going to have a hard time thinking of the Camry as a bold or exciting vehicle. The Camry is an excellent car, but it really is a stretch to think of it as bold or exciting.

Toyota seems as if it is going to follow the same pattern with the 2016 Avalon. They put another big and ugly grille on the car, and I'm confident that their marketing approach will be similar to what they are doing with the Camry.

The same approach seems to what they are taking with the 2016 ES, and, just like with the Camry and the Avalon, the ES is an outstanding vehicle, but putting a big and ugly grille on it does not change my image of the vehicle.

I'm sure that Toyota and Lexus are hoping to attract a younger demographic, but I'm not sure that putting big grilles on cars that were designed to be comfortable and dependable is going to make them appeal to that demographic.

I'm also not sure that going with a "bold" look actually translates into creating a more exciting image. BMW, which may well have the vehicles that have best created an image of excitement and as being "drivers'" cars, has designed its vehicles with an understated look, and they let the performance of the vehicles build the image. Even with the "more exciting" Lexus vehicles, like the RC and GS, if I were looking for a driver's car, I would have a preference for the more understated look of the regular RC and GS than I would have for the look of the F-Sport versions of those models.

atoyota

I think the new Toyota efforts have more to do with pressure from Korean cars like the Kia Optima and Cadenza, which arguably have more stylish ("exciting") looking exteriors. I have a neighbor who went with an 2014 Optima hybrid over a Camry or Avalon just because she felt it looked better than either of the two Toyota offerings. The interior is certainly as nice as the Camry or Avalon. Some people do choose styling over other considerations like reliability, etc.

That being said, I wish Toyota and Lexus would just commit fully to one style or another and do so with consistency. As someone else in this thread or the other refresh thread said, the overly aggressive nose and front of the car are in stark contrast to to the rather bland body and rear sheet metal. Either be bold or be conservative. I don't think they can please both groups at the same time.