With a new F Sport Trim, this seventh-generation ES also adds some sports car characteristics.
The Natchez Trace Parkway spans 444 miles and carries cyclists, motorcycle riders, and drivers through the states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. According to the National Parks Service, driving it takes you across land that was once traversed by Native Americans, European settlers, soldiers, and even future presidents. By the time you’re done, you’ll have traveled through 10,000 years of history.
Last week, Lexus flew me out to Nashville to experience its all-new, seventh-generation ES. I spent most of my driving time on the NTP, winding through giant, lush, green hallways of trees. I didn’t have time to drive the entire parkway and all of its 10,000 years of history, but the second I got behind the wheel of the ES, I arrived at the current endpoint of 30 years of ES development.
The 2019 model is not just a stage in the evolution of the ES, it’s a revolution in the way the brand designs and builds its best-selling sedan. The automaker began what the brand calls the “Future Chapter of Lexus,” one in which its vehicles would be more emotionally engaging and exciting, with the LC flagship coupe. The LS 500 marked the next part of the chapter. As I discovered at this year’s Texas Auto Roundup, both vehicles are a fine start to the rest of Lexus’s story as a brand that values both comfort and driving dynamics. The 2019 ES continues it, albeit with a front-wheel drive plot twist.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
