Lexus ES 350 Sports Luxury

It's been absent for a while, but Lexus has finally reintroduced the ES model range, and it's a welcome addition. The long wheelbase ES 350 is everything a luxury car should be. Big, stylish, imposing, quiet and comfortable, a marvellous interstate cruiser.
In fact you will struggle to find a car that's quieter. On the move there is no wind or road noise. Bumps and road irregularities are barely noticed, such is the poise of the suspension.
The ES 350 is not a heavy car, at just over 1600 kg, and is relatively nimble when pushed through the bends. There's not a great deal of steering feel however.
Most owners will leave the suspension adjustment in Normal, but there's also a Sport and Eco mode should you want to try those.

At 60 kmh in the suburbs and at cruising speeds you could almost hear the proverbial pin drop in the cabin.
The electric windows rise and fall rapidly with an eerie silence, and the power boot lid operates in a similarly muted fashion.
The 3.5 litre V6 is also amazingly quiet, producing 204 kw and 346 nm. Even when the throttle is floored there's barely a murmur from beneath the bonnet. The six speed automatic gearbox swaps cogs unnoticed.
There are no steering wheel paddles for manual gear shifts, just the console lever, which is fine, the ES isn't a racing car.. 
The boot is large but quite shallow. There's also a full sized spare in there.

I like the shape of the new car, and its distinctive front grille treatment. There's no shortage of leg room in the ES, even with the driver's seat adjusted for my 183 cm height, there's still plenty of room behind. The driver's seat moves back automatically for easier entry and exit.. a good idea.

You can really sprawl out in the rear seats in 1000 mm of space, rivalling an S class Mercedes or Skoda Superb. 

Rear seat passengers get their own seat heat adjustment, access to audio controls and he rear window sunblind as well, in the central armrest. They also get their own ventilation outlets. The ES 350 has a foot operated parking brake, which owners will get used to. The system is not my favourite, I prefer the electronic auto release/engage type, or handbrake lever.
The extremely comfortable front seats are heated and ventilated, and electrically adjustable. There are three memory positions for driver and front seat occupant.

Lexus is renowned for its build quality and everywhere you look or touch in the interior has a premium feel about it.
Generously padded armrests on console and doors help you settle in for long hauls, and the 15 speaker 835 watt, Mark Levinson sound system is among the best, although the digital radio is not quite as impressive as that fitted to the recently tested BMW 5 series and X5 M.
With Lexus it's all in the detail. There are sun blinds for the rear doors and even the tiny quarter window next to the C pillar has it's own sunshade. An electrically operated blind takes care of the rear window. A sunroof is standard.
There are blind spot warning images in the wing mirrors, and a snazzy Lexus clock in the well designed dashboard.
There are numerous interior lights both overhead and in the foot wells as well as downlights in the wing mirrors. With the keyless entry system, they all light up when you approach the car at night. It's a nice welcoming touch.
There's also active radar cruise control, and Park Assist sensors as well as a reversing camera.
However there are some things left out that buyers might expect at this price point.
Self parking is a feature found on many cars these days including the VW Golf and Ford Focus. The ES 350 doesn't have it. It also doesn't have the now common idle /stop fuel saving feature.
Nor does it have auto door locking, or auto wipers, but headlight operation and rear view mirror have auto settings. The xenon headlights themselves are penetrating and dazzlingly bright on either low or high beam.
The centre console "mouse" does all the work to navigate through various car functions on the large 8 cm screen and it's easy to use.

  
                                   
At around 85 K the Lexus ES 350 Sports Luxury is about the same price as some C class Mercedes Benz.
In many respects it is just as good.
Peter Sellen