The Lexus ES Series: A Real Bread and Butter Sedan for Toyota's Premium Divisions

The Lexus ES series has become a real bread and butter sedan for Toyota's premium divisions, so it's not a car that's begging for big changes. However, for 2013, there are changes we're talking about in the ES lineup. Specifically, an updated and revamped ES350 and the first ever ES hybrid, the 300h, will be available. We've got the new 300h right here, and it shares much of the overall architecture of the front-wheel drive ES350, except for the hybrid powertrain.

The outside sheet metal delivers some new and eye-catching revisions, particularly with an aggressive grille that features a sideways hourglass shape. What you can't see is that the platform of the new ES is now a variant of the longer Toyota Avalons, not the Camrys as before. This means it's a more substantial car all around. Another piece of evidence that points to those Avalon underpinnings is the increased legroom in the back seat, which has gone up by a whopping four inches. The space under the front seats has also been bumped up, so backseat passengers can really stretch out.

The ES series has always provided plenty of electronic recreation, and the 2013 edition doesn't disappoint. The optional navigation screen has its own unique dashboard perch above the main control panel, and the Lexus Remote Touch Command System uses a mouse-like controller to click through all the functions. However, there are no changes under the hood of the conventional ES350. The 3.5-liter V6 engine with 268 horsepower and a six-speed automatic transmission have been carried over from 2012.

But it's a whole new ballgame in the 300h. There's a 2.5-liter Atkinson four-cylinder engine, combined with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that doesn't shift gears. Instead, they work together with Lexus Hybrid Drive Technology to produce a net 200 horsepower plus. The 300h also features four drive modes: Normal, Sport, Eco, and EV Sport. The EV Sport mode gives you a little bit more performance, while the Eco mode enhances your fuel efficiency, and allows you to run straight off the battery pack but only for short distances and at reduced speed.

This results in an extremely broad range of fuel economy options for the ES. The conventional ES350 rates 21 miles per gallon city and 31 miles per gallon highway. The 300h, on the other hand, steps it up to 40 miles per gallon city and 39 miles per gallon highway. It's still too soon for the new ES series to be subjected to government crash tests, but with all of the advanced safety features built into the ES sedans, we feel some genuine peace of mind while driving this baby.

The conventional ES350 is priced at just over $36,000, which is a great entry point for anyone looking for a luxurious sedan. The 300h hybrid will come in at a $2,750 premium before options, but it's still an incredibly affordable option for those who want to experience the benefits of hybrid technology without breaking the bank.

The Lexus ES series has been a major league success story from the moment they debuted, and we've got to applaud Lexus for cooking up some new entrees like this 300h. With its sleek design, advanced safety features, and impressive fuel economy options, the 300h is sure to be a hit with car buyers looking for a reliable and efficient hybrid sedan.

Looking for comparisons? Well, there's the Buick Lacrosse that costs less and comes standard with a mild hybrid system. There's also the Acura TL, which stickered for a little less but doesn't come in a hybrid version yet. And then there's the Hyundai Azera, which was just redesigned and offers a lot for the money at a lower price point than the ES series.

In conclusion, the Lexus ES series is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a luxurious sedan that also happens to be fuel-efficient. With its impressive range of hybrid options, advanced safety features, and sleek design, it's no wonder why the ES series has become such a success story for Toyota's premium divisions.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe lexus es series has become a real bread and butter sedan for toyota's premium divisions so it's not a car that's begging for big changes but for 2013 there are changes we're talking about in the es lineup there's an updated and revamped es350 and the first ever es hybrid the 300h we've got the new 300h right here and that shares much of the overall architecture of the front-wheel drive es350 except for the hybrid powertrain the outside sheet metal delivers some new and eye-catching revisions but the aggressive grille with a sideways hourglass shape is really kind of striking what you can't see is that the platform of the new es is now a variant of the longer toyota avalons not the camrys as before and that means it's a more substantial car all around here's another piece of evidence that points to those avalon underpinnings there's a lot more room inside especially in the back seat where legroom has increased a whopping four inches and the space under the front seats has been bumped up so backseat passengers can really stretch out now the es series has always provided plenty of electronic recreation and the 2013 edition doesn't disappoint the optional navigation screen has its own unique dashboard perch above the main control panel and the lexus remote touch command system uses a mouse like controller to click through all the functions no changes under the hood of the conventional es350 as the 3.5 liter 268 horsepower v6 with a six-speed automatic are carried over from 2012. but it's a whole new ballgame in the 300h there's a 2.5 liter atkinson four-cylinder engine and cvt or continuously variable transmission no shifting of gears they work in concert with lexus hybrid drive technology producing a net 200 horsepower plus there are four drive modes normal sport eco and ev sport gives you a little bit more performance eco enhances your fuel efficiency and ev allows you to run straight off the battery pack but only for short distances and at reduced speed so es fuel economy has a very broad range the es350 rates 21 miles per gallon city 31 highway while the 300h steps it up to 40 city 39 highway now it's still too soon for the new es series to be subjected to government crash tests but with all of the advanced safety features built into the es sedans we feel some genuine peace of mind driving this baby now go for the conventionally powered es 350 and the price of admission is just over 36 000. the 300h hybrid will come in at a 2 750 premium before options either way a six year 70 000 mile warranty covers the es powertrain and a generous eight year 100 000 plan takes care of the hybrid related components in the 300h looking for comparisons well there's the buick lacrosse that costs less and comes standard with a mild hybrid system while the acura tl stickers for a little less but doesn't come in a hybrid version yet and there's also the hyundai azera which was just redesigned and offers a lot for the money at a lower price in the es like we said up front the lexus es series of sedans has been a major league success story from the moment they debuted we've got to applaud lexus for cooking up some new entrees like this 300hthe lexus es series has become a real bread and butter sedan for toyota's premium divisions so it's not a car that's begging for big changes but for 2013 there are changes we're talking about in the es lineup there's an updated and revamped es350 and the first ever es hybrid the 300h we've got the new 300h right here and that shares much of the overall architecture of the front-wheel drive es350 except for the hybrid powertrain the outside sheet metal delivers some new and eye-catching revisions but the aggressive grille with a sideways hourglass shape is really kind of striking what you can't see is that the platform of the new es is now a variant of the longer toyota avalons not the camrys as before and that means it's a more substantial car all around here's another piece of evidence that points to those avalon underpinnings there's a lot more room inside especially in the back seat where legroom has increased a whopping four inches and the space under the front seats has been bumped up so backseat passengers can really stretch out now the es series has always provided plenty of electronic recreation and the 2013 edition doesn't disappoint the optional navigation screen has its own unique dashboard perch above the main control panel and the lexus remote touch command system uses a mouse like controller to click through all the functions no changes under the hood of the conventional es350 as the 3.5 liter 268 horsepower v6 with a six-speed automatic are carried over from 2012. but it's a whole new ballgame in the 300h there's a 2.5 liter atkinson four-cylinder engine and cvt or continuously variable transmission no shifting of gears they work in concert with lexus hybrid drive technology producing a net 200 horsepower plus there are four drive modes normal sport eco and ev sport gives you a little bit more performance eco enhances your fuel efficiency and ev allows you to run straight off the battery pack but only for short distances and at reduced speed so es fuel economy has a very broad range the es350 rates 21 miles per gallon city 31 highway while the 300h steps it up to 40 city 39 highway now it's still too soon for the new es series to be subjected to government crash tests but with all of the advanced safety features built into the es sedans we feel some genuine peace of mind driving this baby now go for the conventionally powered es 350 and the price of admission is just over 36 000. the 300h hybrid will come in at a 2 750 premium before options either way a six year 70 000 mile warranty covers the es powertrain and a generous eight year 100 000 plan takes care of the hybrid related components in the 300h looking for comparisons well there's the buick lacrosse that costs less and comes standard with a mild hybrid system while the acura tl stickers for a little less but doesn't come in a hybrid version yet and there's also the hyundai azera which was just redesigned and offers a lot for the money at a lower price in the es like we said up front the lexus es series of sedans has been a major league success story from the moment they debuted we've got to applaud lexus for cooking up some new entrees like this 300h\n"