This is a rather intriguing car. It’s the facelifted Lexus ES, a rival to the BMW 5-Series saloon.
Exterior changes are minor but quite a lot has been done to the bits under the bonnet.
So why intriguing? Because it’s not easy to put a finger on what Lexus is trying to achieve with this makeover.
Our test car is in F Sport trim which arrived with the revamp.
As the name suggests, this is intended to be the sportiest version of the ES range.
Not only are there cosmetic differences from the regular models, like a different grille design and dark rear light surrounds, plus bespoke alloy wheels and special F Sport seats, but this model gets adjustable damping with various modes to choose from.
All this in a car that isn’t particularly high performance.
It’s a hybrid, powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that uses the Atkinson cycle like many of Toyota’s engines. Total system power with the petrol engine and electric motor is 215bhp.
Top speed is 112mph and 0-62mph is 8.9sec, only averagely brisk by today’s standards.
Of course, it is fast enough for a family saloon. But forget all the talk of performance, what’s massively impressive about the Lexus ES 300h (to give it its full name) is the fuel consumption. A fairly spirited drive to the coast and back, using dual carriageway and only a bit of town driving, clocked up a very impressive 48.4mpg. It’s a good demonstration that downsizing engines doesn’t always improve economy. Sometimes a big engine working less hard is better. Another change with the facelift is the shifting of the hybrid system’s battery from the boot to underneath the rear seat, freeing up extra boot luggage space.
My coast trip included a couple of people in the back who were very impressed by the rear legroom in the ES.
I tried the Sport and Sport Plus modes but found them rather pointless and stuck with Eco which lived up to its name.
The engine drives through a CVT gearbox – as mentioned before in this column it’s a type of automatic gearbox that can encourage the engine to rev noisily. Not so in this vehicle, at least if you’re driving sensibly.
The dashboard and centre console is a curious mixture of different control mechanics. On the latter there is a touchpad that Toyota/Lexus has deleted from some of its other cars due to customers (and car critics) not being all that impressed.
Just ahead of the steering wheel and on top of the instrument binnacle are a couple of knobs that stick out like ears. One does the driving modes but I can’t even remember what the other one does.
There are plenty of analogue buttons for heating and audio controls – so although the controls are jumbled about a bit they’re easy to use.
Another change the Lexus engineers have made is to move the electric power steering motor from the steering column to the rack itself.
This they claim, improves steering response and feel. I’m sure it does but it’s impossible to judge without the old car alongside for comparison.
In general, the Lexus ES, while looking sporty (especially with our test car’s garish but quite cool red/black upholstery) is in truth an extremely well made, attractive and very economical machine that will have low running costs compared to its rivals. Not too bad value at £43,890, either.
You can spend more by adding bells and whistles in what Lexus calls the Takumi Pack, and even more if you go for the digital camera door mirrors. But without all that, the ES 300h is a perfectly pleasant motor.
The facts
Lexus ES 300h five-door saloon
Price: £43,890
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol hybrid, 215bhp
0-62mph: 8.9sec
Fuel consumption: 50.4-53.2mpg
Co2 emissions: 127g/km
