Lexus ES: redefining comfort

By Miles Downard

When one compares sales volumes of the premium brands, Lexus is something of a red headed step child. In fact my mention of premium brands had most people thinking BMW, Merc and Audi exclusively, no doubt. We recently had the new ES 250 on test and have come away from the experience very puzzled as to why Lexus don’t sell a lot more of them – and by extension sell a lot more cars in general. Here’s why.

On the outside

The new ES is a vast step up over the previous generation. There’s some actual character here as opposed to ‘dressed-up-Camry’ syndrome it suffered from in the past. A unique grille and sharp lines at the front soften as the eye flows down the length of its long body. Only in person do you get a real sense of how big the ES is – think Audi A6 or BMW 5 dimensions.

On the inside

The Japanese manufacturer enjoys an interior design philosophy that’s somewhat different to its German competition. It’s quite minimal without going over the precipice where everything is controlled by the infotainment system. Commonly used controls are still operated by a few buttons and dials found on the dashboard. But while being minimal with clutter the ES actually has an interesting dashboard and instrument cluster.

The infotainment control mechanism is probably the most quirky element to the ES. One operates the mouse-like cursor on the screen via a touchpad reminiscent of a laptop, only this one provides haptic feedback. It takes some getting used to but works well enough.

Looking at the rest of the cabin it’s all about space and comfort for the ES. Seats are soft and generous, as is rear leg room with only tall rear passengers complaining of a lack of headroom. The boot will swallow pretty much anything you throw at it.

Behind the wheel

Powering the front wheels of the ES is a 2.5 litre, naturally aspirated four cylinder motor. No turbos here. On paper the 152kW and 243 torques sound alright. In reality who really cares? Just know that it gets on with the job adequately, no more, no less. This isn’t about traffic light race wars, after all. Best still is that it’s silky smooth, quiet and the 8 speed automatic gearbox is just right. Economic too, in real world terms with a fair bias toward town driving I managed around 9l/100km which in my experience is rather good.

Undoubtedly the ES’s biggest selling point is the quality of its ride. Lexus has done something rather clever with the shock absorbers here, a technology it calls Swing Valve. This innovation makes sure an appropriate damping force is provided when even the slightest movement is experienced in the car’s wheels and suspension, securing a comfortable, unruffled ride and a stable feel, whether you are pulling away slowly, or driving at speed on the highway. In my books comfort is the most important aspect in this segment and Lexus is ahead of the pack by a vast margin.

Pricing

Lexus don’t really do options list, which is rather refreshing. So for just under R600,000 in this ‘base’ model ES 250 EX you get pretty much everything you could want; aside from navigation, cooled seats and wireless phone charging, the rest is there. There’s a 7 year/105,000km maintenance plan to boot.

Verdict

Safe to say I think this new ES is a cracking car and when you consider its price tag, the value proposition is near off the scale. What I’d like you to do, should you be in the market for a premium saloon, is visit a Lexus showroom and give one a test drive. You won’t regret it.

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