The Lexus ES 350 and ES 300h are available in four trim levels: Standard, Premium, Luxury and Ultra Luxury. The ES 350 is offered in both an F Sport variant, which no longer is merely aesthetic given its selection, and a new even more economical hybrid in the 300h. All ES 350 vehicles are equipped with a V6 engine producing 302 horsepower and 215 foot-pounds of torque. Added this year is an 8-speed automatic to replace the outgoing 6-speed. The ES 300h has a 2.5 Liter 4-cylinder Atkinson engine mated to a 29.1 kW motor, which is good for 215 system horsepower and a combined 44mpg.
The F Sport includes adaptive dampening control, which increases chassis stiffness in corners while maintaining comfort during highway driving conditions. Also added are unique 19-inch wheels, an F Sport grille, unique seat upholstery, Active Noise Control, a rear spoiler and Hadori aluminum interior trim.
Standard features across the lineup include 17-inch wheels, LED headlights and taillights, power moon roof, NuLuxe seating, power 10-way adjustable seats, push button start, dual-zone climate control, 10-speaker audio system, Amazon Alexa compatibility and four-zone automatic climate control.
Lexus offers a couple option packages for those wanting even more luxury. An aptly named Luxury trim includes heated side mirrors, wood trim, acoustic side glass and leather seats. The Ultra Luxury trim brings even more comfortable Semi-aniline leather seats, a power rear sunshade, front and rear performance dampers and a hands-free power trunk. Stand-alone features like heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, heads-up display, Mark Levinson audio, navigation with 12.3-inch display, Qi wireless smartphone charging and 18-inch wheels can be added at any level.
On the safety side, Lexus' Safety System+ 2.0 comes standard. Some of the features it includes are intelligent high beams, lane departure alert with steering assist, adaptive cruise control, 10 airbags, and a pre-collision system that also has low-light pedestrian detection, oncoming vehicle detection and daytime bicyclist detection. Optional safety features include blind-spot monitoring, park assist sonar with pedestrian detection and panoramic view monitor for added ease of parking and pedestrian mitigation.
Unique Exterior Styling
Exceptional Performance
Luxurious Interior
Award-winning Safety Features
Heading into its seventh generation the 2019 Lexus ES is being initiated into the Toyota New Global Architecture. It now shares this platform with the recently redesigned Toyota Camry and Avalon. The 2019 ES is longer, lower, wider and packs an additional 34 horses and 19 foot-pounds of torque. Also new this year, an 8-speed automatic transmission replaces the outgoing 6-Speed. Every new ES is proudly built in Kentucky, which is a first for the lineup. The 2019 ES sports a more raked roofline, familiar spindle grille design, angular headlights, and improved handling characteristics that overall should entice a wider audience to give the ES a chance.
The Lexus ES combines luxury, improved driving dynamics and bold new styling to help stand out in a competitive luxury mid-sized sedan crowd. Lexus has set its sights on the likes of the Mercedes E-class and BMW 5-Series offering comparable levels of luxury, with considerably less cost to the consumer. The ES starts at only $40,425 including destination cost while the E-Class starts a whopping $14,000 more making the ES a bargain when compared with the German status quo.
