Lexus is losing me, a long-time Lexus owner.
It’s hard to get interested in a bunch of 4 cylinder Toyota clones or an EV sedan with a 300 mile range.
I might consider a GX or an LX, but this ES thing just doesn’t cut it for me.
I’m afraid Lexus won’t have the image or brand recognition it had in the past.
There is just too much competition out there, too many other options.

 

I get where you’re coming from.
Lexus built its reputation on refinement, durability, and effortless V6/V8 powertrains - and a lot of long‑time owners feel the shift to 4‑cylinder hybrids and EVs doesn’t carry the same identity.
The market has changed, and Lexus is clearly prioritising efficiency, emissions compliance, and global platform sharing.
That works for some buyers, but it doesn’t resonate with everyone who grew up with the older GS, LS, and V8 GX/LX era.
For people who still want that traditional Lexus feel, the GX and LX are probably the closest remaining options.
The new 8ES is competent, but it doesn’t deliver the same emotional or mechanical character that built the brand’s original following.
Competition is stronger than ever, and loyalty isn’t automatic anymore.
A lot of long‑term Lexus owners are reassessing their options - not out of anger, just because the product direction has shifted.
You’re not alone in feeling this way.

 

They can reduce displacement without resorting the inline 4 cylinders that have poor NVH.
Think outside of the box and make a V4, Flat 4, or small displacement inline 6s.

Make a small displacement engine that doesn't sound and feel like a wind up toy

 

Lexus is a luxury brand with a luxury price.
Lexus had a 2.5 L V6 years ago. At least it wouldn’t sound like a Corolla at wide open throttle.
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A 2.5 V6 would raise Toyota’s fleet CO₂, forcing them to offset it with more hybrids/EVs.

This is US emissions regulation.
It increases the fleet’s average CO₂.
That pushes Toyota closer to missing their emissions targets.
Missing targets triggers financial penalties or requires credits.

In other words, a 2.5 V6 would:
Burn more fuel than a 2.5 inline‑4 hybrid.
Emit more CO₂ per mile.
Reduce Toyota’s fleet-average efficiency.
Force Toyota to “buy back” the CO₂ hit with more hybrids/EVs.

 

I think you’re blending two separate claims.

First, it's not a foregone conclusion that a 2.5L V6 (or inline-6) is inherently less efficient than a 2.5L inline-4.
Cylinder count/layout alone does not settle efficiency.
Combustion strategy, friction, pumping losses, airflow, calibration, gearing, and whether the powertrain is hybridized all matter.
Comparing “V6/I6” to “inline-4 hybrid” is also not isolating engine architecture anymore; that is an engine-layout comparison plus a hybrid-system comparison.

Second, on regulation, you are directionally right that a less efficient vehicle can worsen a manufacturer’s compliance position.
But U.S. compliance is not as simple as “this forces Toyota to offset it with more hybrids/EVs.”
NHTSA CAFE and EPA GHG compliance both use averaging/credits mechanisms, and CAFE specifically allows carryforward, carryback, transfers, and trades.
So more hybrids/EVs are one possible offset, not the only one.

So the accurate version would be: if a specific 2.5L V6/I6 application actually consumed more fuel per mile than Toyota’s alternative offerings, it could modestly worsen Toyota’s fleet compliance position.
But that outcome is not proven merely by saying “V6” or “inline-6,” and it does not mean Toyota is automatically forced to “buy back” the hit only with hybrids or EVs.

 

This website below explains the emissions trading scheme in USA.
Manufacturers don't want it, but they are compelled - hence V8's and V6's replaced by small capacity turbos, hybrids and EV's.

https://www.epa.gov/emissions-tradin...ssions-trading

 

I do not disagree that U.S. regulations use averaging, banking, trading, and credit mechanisms, or that these rules influence manufacturer powertrain decisions.

My point was narrower than that. I was only saying that this, by itself, does not establish that a hypothetical 2.5L V6 or inline-6 would inherently be less efficient than a 2.5L inline-4. That is a separate engineering question.

I also think comparing a six-cylinder to an inline-4 hybrid blends two different variables: engine architecture and hybridization. A hybrid inline-4 may very well have a fleet-efficiency advantage, but that is not the same as showing that cylinder arrangement alone determines the outcome.

So I think the more precise way to put it is: if a specific 2.5L six-cylinder application ended up consuming more fuel per mile, then yes, it could modestly worsen Toyota’s compliance position. I just do not think that conclusion follows automatically from “V6” or “inline-6” by itself.

 

True.
It wasn't the extra frictional surface area and heat loss per displacement that caused phasing out of V8's and V6's, but they were phased out due to pure burning more fuel/mile and producing more CO2/mile, which dragged the manufacturer's fleet average upwards, forcing the company to offset with more hybrids/EV's.
On top of that, the 4 cylinders are cheaper to certify and build too.
The turbos and hybrids produce the same power for lower emissions.
Manufacturers realised that they can meet performance and emission targets, while reducing weight and cost - all at once.

 

I understand the economy and emissions issues, somewhat. I realize it’s complicated.
However this is a luxury flagship brand. At least it used to be.
Aunt Gertrude might love the new ES, not realizing exactly how number of cylinders or turbochargers or electric motors plays into all of this.
The paint is beautiful, the interior luxurious, and there are Lexus badges. It’s also longer. The ladies in her bridge club will swoon over her new ES.
Then there are those of us who are car enthusiasts, have owned some pretty nice vehicles over the years, who may not work on their cars anymore, but still know a dog when they see it.
Seems Lexus could just do its thing even if it does have to pay the gubmint extra for not meeting all of its rules. Lexus has dropped the LS. They should at least give us an ES model to help fill the void.
We aren’t competing with Chevys and Fords and KIAs and Buicks here.

 

Had a 2017 RX 450 h six cylinder that averaged 27mpg. For two years now have a 2024 RX 350h four cylinder that averages 38 mpg. The 24 is quieter and smoother and would never go back to the six cylinder.

 

Lexus could offer a V6 hybrid for those of us who like performance. LS500h put out over 340hp.

 

They do the RX 500h gets 27 mpg and has 366 horsepower with 406 lb.-ft of torque.

 

There is also the TX550h+ which uses a V6. 404 hp.
Now that would make a very interesting ES if Lexus would offer it.
With the demise of the LS500, Lexus needs a flagship sedan that has a lot of range.
The TX550h+ also has 33 miles of electric only range.

 

Long story cut short, they had to use ES500e AWD 0-60 5.3 seconds in place of 500h 2.4 Turbo Hybrid or 550h+ Plug-in Hybrid due to emissions carbon credit schemes all over the world including US, Europe, China and Oceana markets.

NX/RX/TX hi riding wagons are coming in 350e & 500e.
It's not if they're coming, but when!
Dictated by emissions and governments.
The new world is here.

25 years ago, many people hated the replacement of Kodak 35 mm film by dSLR cameras.
Today, many people are ruing the replacement of dSLR's by mirrorless cameras.
Life must move on...