Unfortunately Lexus did extremely bad. Plus the video shows that the ES driver door was completely ripped off...
http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr081412.html

video


Also i thought ES350 had standard side airbag...hmmm

 

Answer: Just don't hit anything.

Bad week for the ES. This fiasco followed the news (reported last week in the Wall Street Journal) that Toyota was seriously considering moving the manufacture of the ES from Japan to the US since the ES has a similar drivetrain to the Camry and Avalon. That would be a deal-breaker for me. One of the reasons we bought Lexus was because they were built in Japan. Oh well......

 

FWIW in this test the ES350 was rated "Poor" in the "Small Overlap Front Test".

It was rated "Good" in the "Moderate Overlap Front Test".

Also rated "Good" in the other two measured tests.

 

Didn't look to me like the side curtain airbags deployed at all

 

Looked through a few of the follow up videos - only the Acura TL seemed to throw the side curtains and pillar bags out. Volkswagen and Mercedes didn't....

 

well Volvo had side curtain deployed too..yeee for Volvo!!!

 

Volvo wrapped the front quarter panel frame with the A frame to the front bumper for maximum structural support. None of the others did that. Was rather embarassed when I saw the frame of the IS bend in half

This is a new test, car makers will react and fix. Safety costs money, remember each brand is just a business and looking at their best interests being money and numbers.

Buy the way this is the 2012 ES. I heard the 2013 did just as bad.

 

It's amazing that Volvo is still one of the safest cars on the road for so many years and a new owner or two.For some reason I didn't think Volvo was still so safe.

 

This is disturbing. From time to time, I'll notice the SRS labels around my interior and feel a sense of security. After seeing the findings from these tests, that feeling is not as strong as it once was.