The previous generation ES, codenamed XV60, was sold from 2012, underwent a facelift in 2015, and remained on sale until 2018. In 2018, LS was replaced, and then ES was also replaced, so this generation of ES, codenamed XV70, naturally brought a little "small LS" halo, because GS also ushered in the discontinuation, so it became natural for ES to take into account a part of GS's market share, and it is not difficult to understand that the shape design of this generation of ES has a little sporty orientation.
This generation of ES uses the GA-K platform, when you see GA, you should know that it is the GA of TNGA, and the eighth-generation Camry, Avalon and the next-generation Rav4 share this platform. The GA-K ES has undergone significant changes in size, with a wheelbase that is 50 mm longer (2,870 mm), 65 mm longer (4,960 mm), 45 mm wider (1,865 mm), and 5 mm lower (1,445 mm) taller. The changes in the dimensions of this generation of ES are expressed in centimeters, and the visual impact of this size is much stronger than that of the previous generation model.
This generation of ES is still divided into three sets of powertrains, namely the ES 200 with 6AR-FSE with Aisin 6AT, the ES 260 with A25A-FKS with U881E 8AT, and the ES 300h with A25B-FXS with E-CVT, and the ES 350 with 2GR-FKS and 8AT abroad. Lexus changed the ES 250 to the ES 260 for the same reason as Mercedes before, because consumers in the northern region will feel that the 250 number does not mean well.
ES 200 follows the powertrain of the previous generation, that is, the same model of the Camry 2.0, with a zero hundred score of 12 seconds and a price of less than 300,000, which is the most cost-effective model, but the configuration in all aspects will be lower. The ES 260 uses the same powertrain as the eighth-generation Camry 2.5L model, and the 000 score is about 9 seconds, which is faster than the 200, but it is also very slow in its class. Compared to the sporty appearance, the ES models are not sporty, and the only model that is closer to the sport is still 350, with a 0-96km/h time of 6.6 seconds. Regarding the 260 powertrain, there is no need to worry about the smoothness of shifting, but it is said that the gear ratio drop between some gears is relatively large, which will be a small disadvantage.
With the same powertrain, the ES is the casing Camry. This statement is very wrong, the suspension system of the new ES is the front MacPherson rear multi-link, Camry is also in this form, the performance of the entire chassis is already very good, whether it is the shock filtration performance or the limit of the chassis, it is the first-class level of the same class, and the shock absorber cylinder used by ES is more advanced than Camry, it has a set of Dynamic Control Shocks system in it, and the filtration of small vibrations is more decent. The ES has also improved the chassis sound insulation by a significant margin, with improvements in the material and position of the sound insulation material, which, according to the official statement, can reduce chassis noise by 93%, compared to 75% for the previous generation ES.
The interior of the new ES is the least highlighted part of this generation, because the interior of Lexus has not disappointed, as long as it can maintain the level of the past, although there are many leather materials on the car, but it is not used everywhere, leather is used as far as the eye can see or where the arm can touch, the texture and workmanship are of a very high standard, and there are many places that are not usually touched or hard plastic is used, which is slightly cheap. The central screen of the low-end model is 8-inch, which can meet the use, but it is indeed inferior to the 12-inch screen of the high-end model. The new ES central control system is better than the previous generation ES, but in the same class, it is still not as good as the BBA central control system, which is the inherent disadvantage of Lexus's touch control system.
There is nothing to be faulty about the cabin space of the new ES, and the design of the seats is also excellent, except for the inability to adjust the backrest angle, the rear seat experience is not much worse than that of the LS, if not a rear-seat buyer, between the low-spec LS and the high-spec ES, the ES may be a more suitable choice.
The rear seat cushions of the ES are made of V-shaped metal reinforcements, so the rear seats cannot be flattened, leaving only a narrow passage to facilitate the rear passengers to pick up and place items from the trunk, but this is not a big problem, because the trunk volume of the ES is 473 liters, and the space is very abundant, even if it is a hybrid model, the battery is placed under the rear seats, and it does not encroach on the trunk space.
In terms of quality, the ES is a car that makes almost no mistakes, and its reliability is top-notch. According to Consumer Reports, the performance of the 10-year-old ES does not deteriorate much, almost the same as the performance of many brands in the first two years. Except for some glitches in the entertainment system for about 6 years, I can't find any fault with the ES. Perverted and stable quality, coupled with thoughtful and professional after-sales service, is the charm of Lexus.
Lexus is also the industry benchmark for safety performance. In 2016~2018, Lexus ES 350 participated in the IIHS evaluation, and its performance was excellent in frontal small-angle overlap collision, frontal moderate overlap collision, side impact, top impact, headrest and seat, and the Lexus ES with active safety system obtained the highest safety level of the same type: TSP.
Lexus ES 260 test report