I was casually surfing the internet when I stumbled upon one of Lexus's new LFA ads. I decided to click on it and it of course linked me to Lexus's website.

I don't go to lexus.com much, but when I went to the homepage and watched the different slides on the front, I noticed something striking. Lexus spotlighted their two extremes. High performance F models and their hybrids. In each highlight, the cars of those two streams were pictured.

In the F performance picture, there was an F Sport IS-C , an F Sport GS, an IS-F and the LFA. In the hybrid picture was the HS, RX, LS, and GS. (Pictures attached below...).

In both pictures Lexus's top selling sedan is noticeably absent. That's when it struck me that the ES is neither F nor hybrid. It just... is. The ES doesn't have any halo effect from the F marque or the h marque yet it is recognized as the epitome of Lexus. Most people know Lexus for the qualities that the ES possesses and not the qualities present within the F and h marques.

The ES succeeds and excels without the halo, advertising, or marketing of any marque. In the long run there may one day be an ES hybrid or even F model, but for now the ES is the oddball of Lexus's sedans yet the most recognizable and the most successful.

 

Simple. The ES already sells. Lexus doesn't HAVE to advertise it.

 

Good thread. The ES halo is the LS. Its always been known as an 8/10ths LS.

Lexus knows as we know that their sporty offerings have always been overshadowed by their traditional offerings(ES/LS/RX). Their traditional offerings also outsell their sporty offerings (IS/GS).

Lexus has bread and butter in the ES, it has been either the #1 or #2 selling luxury Japanese sedan since 1992. That is near 20 years of success. The only Japanese sedan to give it sales trouble was the last generation TL. Lexus stayed the course with the ES making it slightly sportier but still a luxury cruiser (like the LS). Acura strayed far from the TL course, making it bigger, uglier, with optional AWD.Both cars start at 34k and end at around 45k. Well we have seen the results, the ES is by far the best selling Japanese luxury sedan and the TL which actually outsold the ES a couple of years in the last generation is selling at half the ES 350 rate.

Lexus has to see this and understand that they have a solid core ES audience that believe in the ES and Lexus and what it offers. The ES has no tricks, no AWD, no hybrid, no F variants as you state.

To me the ES is a "Throwback" to cars of yesterday. There was one way, one setting, one suspension, one everything. The automaker either got it right or wrong. Today we have cars with 8 settings (comfort to sport) and all these options for the sake of it.

The ES is simple and sometimes simple is superb! As I stated before Lexus stands for success. The ES is a prime example of it.

 

Lexus did advertise the ES quite a lot.The December to Remember had many ES ads on TV but haven't seen many lately.Seems the RX is the ad king now.
I had one and found the car to have a bit bland styling but a very smooth,quiet ride and comfortable interior.A great boulevard cruiser.I have to believe the '10 has the best ride quality in it's class.

 

TV ads, in general, are not necessarily aimed at the same people (and the same class of car-buyers) as Internet web sites. In general, the people surfing Internet sites are somewhat younger, and less-likely to buy the ES. RX buyers often tend to be female, though it also appeals to men (like me) who are looking for a good combination of refinement, AWD traction, vesatility, and reliability.

Check out the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse before you give the award to the ES. The new LaCrosse is is NOT the same car that it replaced by any means. The old model, admitedly, had a great ride, but wouldn't handle. The new model still has good ride quality, but sharp steering as well. The difference is amazing. The ES, like the new Buick, has a good ride, but, IMO, doesn't handle as well.

However, there's no arguement that the ES is built with better materials than the Buick....you'll notice that in the first 60 seconds or so.

 

Mike,I drove the LaCrosse before I bought the ES.Decent car but the ride in the ES was smoother and more luxury like to me and I'm all about a smooth quiet ride.
I also found the dash and interior to be a bit busy and gaudy.The handling was tighter,though.The Lacrosse is longer and kind of more bubble shaped to me.
I will admit I have a grudge against GM with the bail out stuff.So,the LaCrosse had to really impress me and it just didn't.

 

Yeah, to some extent. The LS, though, is RWD vs. the ES's FWD, and the difference in noise control, even over the already-quiet ES, is amazing. The LS460 is (arguably) the quietest vehicle I've ever driven....until you turn on that insane Mark Levinson unit.

I don't know of many cars in the ES class, however (entry-level luxury) that have that feature. That is usually reserved for higher-level sport sedans or luxury vehicles.

 

Nothing wrong with that. I'm with you on ride quality (always have been), but I'll take some handling with it if the automaker can successfully combine the two....Subaru, among lower-price cars, for example, does a good job of that. So does BMW, Mercedes, and, increasingly, Audi.

Agreed...I liked the old LaCrosse dash better.

We all sometimes change with time, though. At one time, Hyundais and Kias didn't impress me. Now, they do.

 

I agree with Mike about the LS being its halo. Heck, when this gen ES came out, Lexus made note that it was better in all ways, (quieter, more powerful) than the original LS. It will never have an F attached to it because it isnt looking for those customers. the ES excels at being a soft and comfy cruiser. Probably a hybrid though, seeing as how they said they will have a hybrid variant of every model soon.

 

haha, that's a big 2/10 gap honestly the es is ok, but it's far far from what the ls460 is.

on the other hand, the es sells very good as is, i don't see the need to make it "different" just to join those two lineup. it doesn't need sport, and hybrid wise it will collide too much with the HS i think

 

It's a good observation. The ES simply gets the job done. I'm 23 and I think that the ES is a great car, far from being a glorified Camry which the skeptics claim it to be. The ES even sells without AWD. However, one of the most frequent topics I see on here is that the ES needs a hybrid powertrain. Toyota has a far greater capacity than Ford does to produce MKZ hybrids. Lexus should really get on this.

 

Yeah, the ES is a great case of KISS....Keep It Simple Stupid...Mike what I am saying is it is the Lexus with the least drivetrain/tranny etc options and people LOVE IT. China does get a new 4 cylinder b/c 4 cylinders sell there (tax issue).

Its always funny people saying a car needs AWD, 5 engine choices etc for sales to go up, then it happens and sales stay flat or go down. I agree choice is GREAT but if what is offered in one flavor is a FANTASTIC FLAVOR well then, I am all for it.

With Lexus offering 3 distinct cars in the IS/ES/HS they don't need to try to turn the ES into something its not meant for. The ES can stay the baby LS.

 

You know what I love about the ES and pretty much every other Lexus model (from 1997 and up)? They use the best materials and have the best assembly quality in the industry, and they will last and LOOK AND FEEL NEW for years to come. The leather will stay soft and clean, paint will stay glossy, dash will not fade, crack or loosen, carpets will not fade, wood trim will not crack and fade, interior trim will not fade or separate. Combine that will solid reliability, safety, excellent ride, decent power and handling, excellent equipment, orgasmic stereo system, easy controls, and reasonable price tag - and its not hard to see why the ES has been such a success.

 

What happened to the interior bits that you had re-upholstered in your LS??

The Camry XLE V6 is a good buy with cash saved for home improvement & vacations.

 

I don't have the LS400 anymore. But in either case, the LS was stolen from me, and when I found it the interior was gutted. I decided to restore it, so I bought interior off a junked LS, which was in horrendous condition, and re-upholstered it with the kit sold by leatherseats.com, and then being disappointed with the quality I retrofitted LS430 seats and had a local shop reupholster armrest and shift **** with high quality leather.

P.S.

The first gen LS/GS didn't have very good materials. There were problems with leather, wood, and interior trim, but they solved them all with 2nd generation models.