Rare groove

Lexus ES300h F-Sport £38,150 WE SAY: WEIRDLY STYLED? CHECK. HYBRID? CHECK. CVT GEARBOX? CHECK. IT CAN ONLY BE A LEXUS

The Lexus range can be a bit confusing at the best of times, but now there’s a new one to add to the list: ES, a replacement for the GS, but actually a mid-sized saloon that has existed for some time outside of Europe. In fact, it’s now in its seventh generation, having sold some 2.3m units since ’89.

We’ll get it in the UK with a single engine and transmission package (ES300h) and a fairly keen set of trims and packages (ES300h, F-Sport and Takumi). It’s front-drive, hybrid, biased more towards economy than performance, and with bold front-end styling which appears to have been based on a pair of semi-drawn curtains. Yep, it’s a love-it-or-loathe it aesthetic, but you can’t complain that it doesn’t look different.

Then there’s the drivetrain, a new combination of clever 2.5-litre, Atkinson-cycle, 4cyl petrol and neat electric-motor/smallish-battery arrangement, coupled to a new E-CVT ’box. The car isn’t awfully powerful, kicking out a combined 215bhp/221lb ft, but coupled with that endless-ratio ’box, is capable (on the smallest wheels/tyre combo) of just 100g/ km of CO and nearly 60mpg on the stricter WLTP cycle. For a car of this size, that’s spectacular, and the advantages for business users are obvious.

It rides very well indeed, is chapel-quiet on a constant throttle and steers nicely. The F-Sport gets adaptive damping and some other tweaks that makes it more positive and confident, and driving gently, the ES is very competent. The interior is also nicely judged, with a lovely stereo. After that, it gets less impressive. There’s just about enough power and torque, but it feels like the ES has much less, thanks to a CVT that robs the car of response and an engine that just drones on in the background like a monotone blender. There are paddles. God knows why, because they didn’t seem to do much. In short, it’s the equivalent of having a large bowl of plain salad for dinner: it’s a bit boring, but it does the job, and is generally green.