LexFather

Here is my humble 1sickreview on the ES This ES 350 was provided by the wonderful folks at Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett

For this particular review it was motivation to give the best review I can focusing on what the car is aimed for instead of comparing them to Ferrari Enzo's like the hopeless media seems to do with every car review. Quite frankly the ES 350 deserves a damn good glancing and review. Why? Its only the best selling Asian luxury sedan in history, its only been copied left and right and it only continues to be one of the best cars in class. It also rarely gets mention and if it does it is insulted for being perfectly great and happy at being non-sporty. It seems its another case of success being hated on and overlooked. Do you know how hard it is for a business to keep being on top in a particular segment for two decades? Look around, how many cars have done that? Not many. Well the ES is one of them. Its not glamourous sporty but does not apologize for it.

Mind you I am not here to fap off to the ES 350. After a day I was ready to drive something else. My ES 350 days are done and its goals and mine are vastly different. That said I am not STUPID enough to compare it to A SPORTS SEDAN. That is not the cars purpose or intent.

This vehicle had slightly under 6000 miles and was a nice silver finish with black leather and the new darker wood, expresso. You walk up to it and this car has aged brilliantly for being 6 years old. Its simply a handsome car without needing anything drastic to yell "Look at me". Its a shame people bash this blindly for whatever reason. It looks great. My favorite angle is the C-pillar with the nice detailed indention in the stamping. The least successful bit to me is the updated fascia seems less cohesive. You might hate to admit it but the size and styling influence many other cars and why not, the ES has been a smashing success since 1992, no small feat!

The interior is just a pleasing place to be after a long day with ample wood and soft touch, rich plastics, better than my 3GS. Its a comfy car so you sit ON the seat on IN it (like the new CT). Think Cadillac . The steering wheel moves to you, something you take for granted when you drive a car without that features. I have never been a fan of the dash layout and the added chrome during the MMC is not my style. There seems to be chrome strips randomly everywhere. That said surely its MARKET likes it. The wood is well done of course, REAL WOOD and we take for granted something simple like cooled seats in Lexus loaners. Do you know Acura just added it as an option on some huge package to the TL for the first time? The ES has had it for sometime now and its on some cheap package to get. Ventilated seats are great, period.There is simply tons of room front and rear and the trunk is huge and well shaped at 14.7 cubes. With 4 or even 5 people it a comfy car to be in, which is important for many that want a nice size car with room for others without having to spend LS type money. This is an old school Lexus where the ***** and controls and dash look right at home. No remote touch, no Germanish interior lines. Its very easy to get to know.

Dimensions are 191 inches long, about 72 inches wide, 56 inches high with a near 110 inch wheelbase. Its actually slightly longer than a GS with a smaller wheelbase. It also weighs around 3500lbs which is pretty light. It has a big 18.5 gallon fuel tank for good road trips.

Tires are 17" in size and help make the ride a little harsher than the previous near floating on a cloud ES. Make no mistake about it the ES is still a relaxed car that rides soft with not much sport at all in it. Compared to the previous gen it is sportier but still focused on comfort, WHICH IS FINE. Steering response is light which matches the ride. The steering wheel with the wood feels good and luxurious (REAL WOOD) in your hands. This is not a car to push and it doesn't tempt you! No matter driving around 35 MPH or 80 MPH this is a cruiser. On the highway it does not like quick changes, what it does like is small changes as it breezes you through traffic in comfort and the luxury of a Lexus.

The car does 0-60 in high 6s-low 7s. It has 268hp, 4 lower than before but takes REGULAR FUEL!! WHich is something I forgot until the end of the week as I kept using Premium This is a great move by Lexus IMO, if it does not require Premium don't make people use it. MPG is pretty awesome, I averaged 23 MPG which is 1 over the rating when I was driving hard speeding. When I relaxed and matched the ES's nature, I got 27 MPG AVERAGE, not on the highway. It really gets superb milage. What is not superb to me is the tranny, which seems to shift hard after the first gear and is good after that. I swear every ES I've driven since 2002 or so has been like that. Also not sure why there is a MANUAL mode. It is so awfully slow to kick-down that its nearly useless for any aggressive shifting. Great for engine braking though. The brakes are more than enough to stop the car and felt confidence inspiring though only 11 inches in diameter. They are more than enough for around town.

The ES debuted this generation in fall 06 as an 07 model. It sold over 70,000 units its first year, the MOST Of ANY ES Model or of ANY Asian luxury car. It still sells solidly after 6 years and has established itself after 2 decades as THE choice for the comfort minded luxury buyer in the 35-45k price bracket. So many companies aim for the ES and why not? Yet the ES gets nearly no credit or kudos. Do you know how hard it is to excel in this class for 20 years? Maybe only the 3 series can also say that and thats about it! The ES excels at pleasing its audience which seems to **** people off to insult it. The ES laughs off into the sunset as it retires and the 6th generation arrives.

Overall I smiled as I turned the ES back in, knowing its not for me but its perfect for those not like me. I can only tip my hat to the ES, it was my first Lexus and here it is nearly 25 years later still leading, still kicking *** and taking names in its class. Everyone I know with an ES loves the car and is always complimentary toward it. It also is as reliable as ever built with high quality standards. It also is a very safe vehicle with TEN airbags.

Whats next? The ES hybrid is coming and dealers seem really hyper about the looks of the next model. I've also heard very very recently its not Camry based but I'll see that to believe that. What I do know is Lexus will likely have another ES hit on their hands.








Farewell 5th generation ES (5ES).

RXSF

I agree that is has aged very well. I share a lot of opinions with you on the ES. It is just a great car overall for those who don't need a sporty ride. Whenever I get this car as a loaner, I admire (like I do with the RX everyday) how easy it is to live with. You have huge legroom in the rear seats, and a huge trunk -- and its not even that big of a vehicle.

I have not been in the ES since the refresh but I agree the extra wood and chrome strips are a bit gaudy. I never liked the circular design of the dash. But the gauges have been beautiful since day one. Another area that I dislike is the front cup holder flip up cover. Whenever you have those type of covers, Lexus uses this wood colored reddish paint to paint the middle areas.

Which auto show does the 6th generation debut?

Fizzboy7

Solid review on a great car. I totally agree, the ES350 has been a huge success for Lexus. The fact that it is still selling very well this late in it's life just proves how desirable it is. I liked my loaner so much, I'd seriously consider the next generation as my daily driver. The powerful engine, high mpg's, smooth ride, luxury treatments, and sleek body style are hard to deny.

ArmyofOne

Mike,


I want to sincerely say, on behalf of ALL of the staff, myself and the community...

Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an awesome review. Were I in the market for a sedan such as this, the ES would be at the top of my list.

LexFather

Thanks.... I want to say the ES debuts in Detroit or NYC...



Thanks Josh!

I8ABMR

I love the current generation ES. I remember when I bought my GS and had ES loaners I used to wonder if the GS was really worth the extra money. I loved the RWD on the GS and the added sporty feel, but the ES had a nicer interior, more trunk space, and was still pretty damn quick.

Fizzboy7

ES = unsung hero, a great value, providing no hassle, luxury transportation for real estate agents, retirees, executives, business class, classy people, smart people with some money, and for those who want something special and modern without worrying about making a big statement.

LexBob2

When the current gen ES350 came out (late April/early May 2006) in 0-60 tests C&D reported 6.2 sec. and CR 6.4 probably on premium. Very decent times.

That's in a straight line, steering and handling are something different. If you know what you're getting into it's a great entry level luxury car for the money. I've had two of them.

Blackraven

IMHO
While the HS250 is garbage (and I'm glad Lexus Manila doesn't sell it here), the ES350 is a real gem and a perfect choice for those who want to upgrade from something like this:



With the MMC facelift (which adds turn signal mirrors and 17 inch FIVE-SPOKE wheels), I believe this car has become better. I personally like this facelifted ES 350.

Some would say that it's just a "glorified Asian Camry". True, those claims have some validity. However, for me, I'd still choose a Japan-built ES 350 over an Asian Camry that's made in Thailand.

Don't get me wrong, the Asian Camry is great (and it's the topseller in the region). However, I've seen too many Asian Camry on the roads already so for me, the ES 350 is a welcome change of pace

And it's surprising, the ES 350 is one of the top three best selling vehicles of Lexus Manila. See it to believe it?

P.S.
@1SICKLEX/Mike

You said "farewell 5th gen". Is the 5ES already nearing the end of its life?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_ES_(XV40)

Hmm......so the car was built since year 2006. Hmm......I guess it makes some sense........though I could've sworn that the MMC facelift felt like it was a year old or something :P

Alucard

Is the next ES to be hybrid only? That would be cool.

I wish Lexus would bring back some of the special editions for the ES: Platinum, Coach, Black DIamond, etc.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

if i were to pick, it would be es350 over hs250h any day. bigger, better styling. i think the es350 looks great, just that the quality is a bit disappointing but still acceptable for its segment

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

The camry?
I thought it would be more like the avalon

mmarshall

Excellent review, Mike......as usual. Your opinions of this car (and of the idiotic way the auto-press constantly pushes sportiness on cars that aren't supposed to have it) are pretty much the same as mine. I still think, though, that the last-generation ES330 was a nicer car, overall, inside and out....even after the 2010 interior-trim-upgrade that the present-generation model got. But the ES330 was plagued with ECU throttle-response and transmission-shift problems for several years.

Blackraven

Perhaps........but we don't have the Avalon here in Asia-Pacific.

As I mentioned earlier, we have this instead:


And probably to give you an idea (in case you didn't know):


Hence why I said "Asian Camry"

ABC

Great review! I really like the ES a lot and am excited to see what the hybrid ES will offer in terms of power/mpg.