2019 ES 350 F Sport Finally Gets a Performance Model

LFA-Inspired Cockpit

The 2019 Lexus ES 350 F Sport is offered with all of the premium luxury goodies that you would expect; such as a huge infotainment system screen with a handy touch-pad control, automatic climate control, and a booming Mark Levinson speaker system. But this performance model does have a handful of unique interior features that make it feel more like the LFA supercar and less like a midsized luxury sedan.

When you climb into the driver’s seat of the F Sport, there are a few key differences that immediately jump out at you. Most notably, the F Sport package features racing-inspired front bucket seats that are a great deal like the seats in the new LC coupe. These seats have deep side and hip bolsters to keep the driver and front passenger firmly in place during stints of spirited cornering, while of course being wrapped in soft leather and equipped with power controls and both heated and cooled surfaces.

As someone who prefers the sportier models, I find that the F Sport seats look better and feel better than the standard seats, so were I shopping for a midsized luxury-sport sedan, these seats are a definite upside to this ES 350.

The next interior feature that goes a long way in enhancing the sportiness of the cabin is the thicker steering wheel with paddle shifters, and the gauge cluster design from the LFA. That’s right, like the Lexus LFA supercar, the 2019 ES 350 F Sport has an active gauge cluster assembly which puts the key information right in the middle of the panel with nice, big numbers that are easy to see while hammering through the corners.

With the push of a button on the steering wheel, that large gauge slides to the right and extra menus appear on the left. In the long run, this is really just a fancy gadget, but I think that this cluster design is among the coolest on the market today in every vehicle in which Lexus offers it.

Finally, the designers of the 2019 ES 350 F Sport interior came up with an interesting metal trim design that has an angle-cut look that is intended to mimic the blade of a Samurai sword. This brushed metal finish runs across the dash and into the upper door panels. While it is a subtle change, it also goes a long way in bolstering the performance feel of this package.

As is the case with the exterior, the interior of the 2019 Lexus ES 350 doesn’t have a long list of changes from the non-F Sport, but the changes that the design team made do make a big difference, especially for the driver. As soon as you get into the F Sport and take a hold of the steering wheel, you can feel the sporty nature of the package before you even pull out onto the road.

Continued…

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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