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The reviews have generally been positive. Much reduced NVH, the hybrid is given the latest and greatest and increased interior space,, the biggest plus is that pricing is reasonable given the economical and tariff environment. Styling is subjective, but it's no longer bland and I quite like that Lexus designers took risks and added some character to the styling. I can see this generation ES be very successful.
Not sure if you read the article, but I intended to touch on the reasons why the new ES is more like the original LS than the original ES.
I read the article, this new ES is not anything like the LS. The platform, price and overall vehicle is worlds apart. Stuffing the ES with upper end options and accessories doesn't turn it into an LS.
I read the article, this new ES is not anything like the LS. The platform, price and overall vehicle is worlds apart. Stuffing the ES with upper end options and accessories doesn't turn it into an LS.
It does in most people's minds. Almost no one cares about the actual car vs the number of screen and tacked on bullshit
It does in most people's minds. Almost no one cares about the actual car vs the number of screen and tacked on bullshit
Hmmm not sure I agree. The current LS barely sold because the car has too many compromises, it doesn't have that LS aura. For a $60,000 car sure but for a flagship people demand more. LS and ES used to be understated luxury now I have no idea what they are going for.
Hmmm not sure I agree. The current LS barely sold because the car has too many compromises, it doesn't have that LS aura. For a $60,000 car sure but for a flagship people demand more. LS and ES used to be understated luxury now I have no idea what they are going for.
Its hard engineering was quite good but the issue was they just ended up making a worse panamera in all ways so it invited the comparison that killed them. If they made the F version that they canceled I would have one right now instead of my Audis.....too bad Lexus gave me a reason to look elsewhere because I'm not coming back now that I've tasted better.
As a longtime LS owner I can tell you I would never consider this ES as any sort of successor or replacement for the LS. Doesn't mean its not a nice offering, I think it is...but its not an LS on any level.
Just wanted to clarify that, despite using an LS photograph on a shared slide, I never claimed that the new ES literally replaces or levels up to the LS.
What caught my attention was that the ES, in distancing itself from the Camry, and in a world where the LS is dead and gone, the new ES is thematically replicating what the first LS managed to do -- delivering a refined, luxurious vehicle that offers more value than its listed MSRP.
Its definitely not a LS replacement. The LS will be something else entirely in the future. This being one of the only 2 sedans in the lineup, it had to appeal to a wider audience by going bigger. It just needs a plug in hybrid option and it will be very well rounded.
Its hard engineering was quite good but the issue was they just ended up making a worse panamera in all ways so it invited the comparison that killed them. If they made the F version that they canceled I would have one right now instead of my Audis.....too bad Lexus gave me a reason to look elsewhere because I'm not coming back now that I've tasted better.
What killed the LS was it decided to not be a LS. It decided it wanted to be a Japanese CLS or some kind of weird coupe sedan that nobody asked for. Interior space was tight and smaller inside than an ES. Downright claustrophobic tbh. It alienated its entire buyer base that has been chomping at the bits for a new LS.
2026 Lexus ES Review: Lexus Re-Embraces Founding Principles
