For the September issue, Matt spends a day on UK roads with our cover star to find out whether going all-electric can finally make Lexus’s executive saloon a contender in a class the German ‘Big Three’ have long dominated.
It certainly looks the part. At 5.2 metres long and 16.5cm longer than before, with half that stretch in the wheelbase, the ES pairs its trademark ‘spindle’ nose with new L-shaped lights and a fastback profile that hides a traditional saloon boot with a useful 512 litres of space. Lexus calls the new design language ‘Clean Tech x Elegance’, and it is a world away from the German and Swedish norm.
Inside, the news is even better. Rear legroom is limo-like, with space for a 6ft 5in passenger to sit behind a similarly sized driver, and top-spec Takumi cars add heated, cooled and reclining massage rear seats with a powered ottoman. Build quality is impeccable, and highlights include a wonderful pale bamboo trim with animated ambient lighting shining through it, plus hidden dashboard switches that only appear when the car is on and work far better than most rivals’ haptic efforts. Every ES gets 19-inch alloys, a panoramic roof, three-zone climate control, a 14-inch touchscreen and the latest Lexus Safety System+.
Then comes the catch. The UK gets a single powertrain, the front-driven ES 350e, with 221bhp, 198lb ft and a 72kWh battery. Officially it will cover up to 361 miles on the Premium model’s 19-inch wheels, or 329 miles on 21s, and Matt’s real-world testing returned between 265 and 285 miles. Respectable, but 0-62mph takes eight seconds and, in a segment where rivals charge at anything from 200kW to 400kW, the Lexus’s 150kW peak and 30-minute 10-80% top-up look distinctly off the pace.
On the road, the ES makes a virtue of taking things easy. The steering is quick and precise, the brakes need a higher regen setting to feel their best, and outright pace is merely adequate. But refinement is exceptional, with superb sound insulation and beautifully sorted damping that lets the big Lexus waft along, isolating its occupants whatever the road surface. In short, it feels exactly how you would hope an electric Lexus might.
The value case is strong too. The range opens at £59,345 for the ES 350e Premium, undercutting the Audi A6 e-tron, BMW i5, Mercedes EQE and Volvo ES90, which all start north of £63,000. The expected best seller is the £68,245 Premium Plus, while the flagship Takumi tops out at £72,545. Every version shares the same motor and battery, and Lexus backs the car with a warranty extendable to 10 years and battery cover for 10 years or one million miles.
The verdict? A thoroughly pleasant, hugely spacious and wonderfully comfortable car that is everything a Lexus should be, but one whose tech specs look weedy next to similarly priced alternatives offering more range, more power and much faster charging. Whether that trade-off makes sense is the question at the heart of a fascinating test.
To read the full article go to page 18 of the page-flip September issue.
