Lobbying for Lexus!
As inviting as a hotel foyer and just under 50 grand, this is a real winner
THERE was a time when Lexus made cars that were a great deal nicer on the inside than they were on the outside. The old LS400 was the most comfortable car I ever drove but it was the library in a gentleman’s club, all leather and wood, cunningly disguised as a tank.
Fast forward almost 20 years and Lexus has gone to the other extreme, with all of its models now boasting thrusting front ends and delicious nips and tucks, curves and creases, all over the bodywork.
For purists, these details are a little too bling for comfort, but for me they show bravery and imagination, a willingness to go against the executive saloon template and appeal to the heart that presumably still beats under that three-piece pinstripe suit.
The ES, which replaces the old GS, is a fine example. It’s long, at almost five metres, but also low and lean, and with its mad front grille and finely tapering and very pert rear, it manages to look sexy and stylish without overly advertising those qualities. The low profile and coupé styling make it stand out among the Audis, BMWs and Mercs with which it competes, giving it a very clear identity that shouts aloud it is not part of the herd. In short, it’s rather beautiful.
But while Lexus has sallied forth with bravado on the design front, it hasn’t forgot its core principles, namely providing a refined drive that’s calm and quiet.
Lexus is the only full-hybrid range among all premium car brands and what that means is that starting the car is whisper quiet, literally. The company says you can expect to cover over 50% of city journeys in electric mode only, but even when the petrol engine kicks in, the impact on noise in the cabin is minimal, and the nearest you’ll come to feeling a vibration is if you turn up the volume on the stereo.
If I have one criticism, it’s an old one when it comes to Lexus. The ride is so sophisticated and so smooth, you sometimes feel disengaged from the joy of actually driving, but the compensation comes on the motorway, where you sail along in the utmost comfort (and even can take your hands off the wheel every now and then and let the lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control keep you on course and at a safe distance from the vehicle in front).
The car is powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine and small electric motor, powered by a self-charging nickel metal hydride battery that has been reduced in size and relocated under the rear passenger bench to free up space in the boot, which now offers 454 litres of storage, and to stabilise the car’s centre of gravity.
Safety is well addressed, with pre-collision warning, automatic braking, pedestrian detection day and night, cyclist detection in daytime, adaptive cruise, lane departure warning and lane-keep assist, road sign assist and automatic high beam with self-dimming operation.
Standard features on the entry-level Executive trim include 17-inch alloys, LED headlamps and daytime running lights, sunroof, rear spoiler, headlamp cleaners, front and rear parking sensors, hill start assist, rearview camera, eight-inch infotainment screen, 10-speaker audio system, satnav, heated and power-adjusted front seats, drive select mode (eco/normal/sport) and power adjusted steering wheel.
My F-Sport test car came with 19-inch alloys, triple LED headlamps, auto-retractable mirrors, adaptive variable suspension, an addition driving mode (Sport+), front and rear performance dampers, rain-sensing wipers, wireless charger for compatible smartphones and exclusive Tahara leather upholstery.
The question I get asked most frequently is whether you should be buying a hybrid or electric car right now in readiness for the coming phasing out of traditional internal combustion engines. Well, we’re certainly getting to that place, because the talk is of 2030 as the deadline.
If you’re the type of driver who holds onto cars for years (my own Saab 900 is 21), then you definitely should be considering hybrid at the very least, if you’re not quite ready to adopt full electric.
Toyota and Lexus have been making hybrids for longer than just about anyone, and have the technology down to a fine art. It has reached its apogee here to deliver an urgent drive that still feels astonishingly refined, in an environment that could not be more pleasant for driver and passengers alike (the rear legroom is terrific).
This ES is not a gentleman’s club on wheels, but more like a chic hotel lobby, and it certainly isn’t disguised as a tank. Instead, it’s an artful eye-catcher, and a snip for under 50 grand for the entrylevel grade.