The Lexus ES has come a long way since 1990, when the entry-level luxury sedan was nothing more than an optioned-up Toyota Camry with a new grille, headlights and taillights. We recently sampled the 2013 Lexus ES and came away impressed at the progress the front-drive luxury sedan has made over the last 20 plus years.
In 1990, Toyota launched its premium Lexus brand with two models: the executive-level LS 400 and the volume model ES 250 based on the Toyota Camry family sedan. The ES 250 was powered by a 156-hp 2.5-liter V-6 mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. We found the Lexus ES 250 “a pleasant, if benign, little sedan with a light and polite feel, a car brimming with high quality and the latest technology but totally lacking the aggressive character and style sought after by enthusiasts.”
Two years after the Lexus ES 250 arrived, the premium automaker debuted the Lexus ES 300. More upscale features and options as well as a sleeker, more rounded body distinguished the ES 300 from the Camry. The ES 300 still shared the Camry’s engine, now a larger 185-hp 3.0-liter V-6. Transmission choices remained the same as the ES 250.
“The ES fulfills the promise of its new styling, delivering a balanced blend of sporty performance and spoiling comfort,” we wrote. “The V-6 is exceptionally smooth and quiet. Yet one stab on the accelerator will prove it’s not daydreaming under there.” We were also impressed by its ride, noting the Lexus “soaks up bumps without distraction” despite not being as cushy as the contemporary Camry.
1999 Lexus ES 300
Lexus continued to evolve the ES 300, and by 1999 the 3.0-liter V-6 now made 210 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque. We were impressed with the revised car’s performance saying, “At the track, the new car hit 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, two tenths quicker than our recently departed 1997 ES 300 long-termer. A quarter-mile pass of 15.9 seconds at 88.5 mph also topped that car’s 16.1-second/86.5-mph best effort. While a slightly improved slalom number (64.4 versus 62.9 mph) rightly indicates that transitional handling and responsiveness have been sharpened a tad for 1999.”
With the 2002 ES 300, Lexus added more pronounced bubble headlights similar to those found on the Toyota Celica. Mechanically a new drive-by-wire system replaced the throttle cable and a five-speed automatic transmission was new. We were pleased with its price-to-value ratio as well: “The ’02 ES 300 is a slick piece. Its velvety mechanical refinement and ride are unmatched in the $30,000-plus price range. … Although the target customers may need some time to get used to the avant garde front-end created in the company’s Japanese design studios, the new ES 300 is definitely an entry-lux knockout.”
Any pretense of sportiness was gone by the 2007 model year, despite the new 272-hp 3.5-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic transmission. We said the new engine’s power was “perfectly adequate” and that “the car is soft in corners, but well controlled over bumpy, uneven road surfaces. It’ll neither excite nor surprise, and except for some vague on-center steering feel, it won’t make the spirited driver feel out of sorts.”
2010 Lexus ES 350
“Those who want spectacular handling should look at a BMW 3 Series or an Infiniti G before the ES,” we said about the outgoing ES, but we suggested the Lexus may shine as a road trip car. “The soft suspension does a great job of absorbing bumps and potholes; combine that with the quiet cabin, and this is a car that would be a terrific place to burn miles on the Interstate.”
While the original Lexus ES was supposed to be the larger LS sedan’s cheaper stablemate, it “started life as little more than a Toyota Camry playing dress-up.” For 2013, the sixth-generation model now uses the Avalon’s platform instead of the Camry’s, with styling that “adds character and panache to a car that desperately needed a big dose of it, and the resemblance to the senior Lexus will surely appeal to social climbers.”
Courtesy of MotorTrend.com
No comments:
Post a Comment