It's supposedly Lexus Malaysia's bread and butter model. Did they get the formula right? I had to find out for myself.
So here it is: The Lexus ES 250 Luxury. A car I've always considered to be the replacement to my IS 250. In contrast to the IS 250 which targets young executives and small families, the ES 250 offers more space and appeals to the matured you.
Age-wise, I'm flirting with the wrong side of 30s. Allegedly, this is the time when you're supposed to take things slower, dial down the pace of life and slowly take your lead foot off the pedals. I'm prepared to trade in some of that hard-nosed brisk performance for a vehicle set up for comfort and relaxed cruising, while losing none of the onboard gadgetry the IS 250 offered.
So let's take the Lexus ES 250 for a spin. If Lexus got their calculations right, this car should speak to me like a mother cooing at her newborn for the first time.
Lexus has used the interim 27 years productively on the ES 250, and the first place to appreciate where all that time was spent is in the cabin. It looks every bit more premium than the IS range and certainly holds a candle to the more expensive GS. And while it can be said to be affordable compared to its siblings, sit anywhere in the ES, and it's hard to tell Lexus cut corners.
The dashboard is wrapped in stitched leather, there's wood abound which surrounds 360 degrees, just below the shoulder line. Granted, even in the ES 250 Luxury, Mark Levinson isn't specified (that's the exclusive domain of the Lexus ES 300h, while the ES 250 Luxury gets the eight-speaker Lexus Premium Audio system), but the analogue clock gives it that premium touch, and all the buttons click with the right amount of feedback. It's a nice place to be in, this cabin.
Likewise, the engineers spent a lot of time insulating occupants from outside world, ensuring that, blind-fold, you can't tell the difference had you been sitting in the higher end Lexus GS.
The hallmark of a Lexus is, of course, the way it glides over surfaces, like covering everything the road throws at you with a blanket of silk. For this test drive, I decided to engage the Sport mode on the whole time, to see if the engine responded differently under heavy acceleration.
It's not a BMW; but wait, hear me out. The Sport Mode was never intended to turn this luxury cruiser into a performance-centric saloon. And that's not a bad thing. Gear ratios are electronically controlled to be closer, so the gear changes happen faster and at higher revs, to allow you to hear the growl of the engine - if ever there was one. But it has Lexus DNA; don't make the mistake of thinking Lexus has created a Jekyll and Hyde, an engine of sorts with two different temperaments. It's not like that. It's sporty as far as Lexus goes. I could live with it, and honestly, I do believe most people can.
The beating heart of the Lexus ES 250 is a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder engine, offering 181 bhp at 6,100 rpms. Sadly, most drivers of the ES 250 will therefore never get to feel the full beans because you have to work it hard to get there. But remember the target market his car is aimed at? Chances are they're not bothered about hitting that target output.
Just like my IS 250, this transmission is up to the job of imparting the sensation of driving a more expensive car. There's also hardly little roll around corners, as the car's suspension works hard to keep it level.
Road noise has been suppressed to a minimum, making family driving more relaxed and comfortable, so you can engage with your wife at your side or the kids in the back, instead of the motorists who are raining on your parade. It's every Lexus party piece - no matter the speed, you don't have to raise your voice to hold a decent conversation.
Weirdly, I do prefer the backseats of the ES to the GS. The leather feels just as supple, you still get the same backseat controls for the music system, both headrooms accommodate six footers easily, but you get so much more legroom. When driving long distance, it's common practice to take a short break at the highway services to stretch your leg. In the ES, you don't need to do this. You can literally stretch your legs inside the car while it's moving.
This left me with mixed feelings - Lexus claims that the rear legroom in the ES easily rivals the Mercedes S Class, which I won't dispute. But in doing so, have they inadvertently given customers one reason more not to get the more premium GS? The ES measures 4,900mm long; the GS 4,850mm. Personally, the smart money is on the ES.
And hey, your kids at the back will be entertained to no end with the armrest mounted controls for the sound system and air conditioning. I can imagine many, many moments of arguments when I'm listening to a particular song, and the brat at the back changes the music because, if it's not Taylor Bieber or Justin Swift, "Daddy's not keeping with it."
And to keep them entertained, the controls also include automatically-folding rear sunshades. The sunshades on the doors are, however, manually operated.
I loved my time with the Lexus ES 250 Luxury. It's more than just a competent saloon; in many ways, it is the ideal replacement I've been looking for. Did this car speak to me? Yes. It's more spacious than I imagined, has enough gadgets to keep the family happy, and from certain angles, looks like a grown up IS 250, more fitting with my age. On roads, I found it to be a highly civilised cruiser, definitely suitable for long distance driving. And all that in a package that's significantly cheaper than the IS, at RM293,900.
I just have one question: With the Lexus IS 200t out in the market, and the upcoming launch of the Lexus GS 200t on the horizon, there's a logical question begging to be asked:
Where's the ES 200t?
Cheers!
All Lexus
So here it is: The Lexus ES 250 Luxury. A car I've always considered to be the replacement to my IS 250. In contrast to the IS 250 which targets young executives and small families, the ES 250 offers more space and appeals to the matured you.
So let's take the Lexus ES 250 for a spin. If Lexus got their calculations right, this car should speak to me like a mother cooing at her newborn for the first time.
We're off to a great start. The model I picked up was dressed in Sonic Titanium - classy, subtle, understated. I've never liked silver because it's too plain, while grey has always been too sombre. This isn't like that. The sun skids off the surfaces of Sonic Titanium and tints it like matt chrome. Lovely.
Do you like the newly designed daytime running lights? Together with the new chrome embellishments around the spindle grille and this shard of glass-like DRLs, the Lexus ES 250 Luxury looks the business in a corporate car park, KLCC valet or even the country club. Wherever it goes, it fits.
While the IS and GS saloons enjoy more upmarket image, the ES wins ground on pedigree neither can match. In fact, the history of the ES 250 can be carbon-dated back to 1989 when the first generation ES appeared. Does that date sound familiar? That was the year the first generation LS 400 - the first ever Lexus - appeared on the automotive stage. Just a few months later, the ES was born. In 1989, Lexus was a two-man show: The flagship LS and the ES. That's it. What you see here is the first ES's offshoot, six generations down the line.
The dashboard is wrapped in stitched leather, there's wood abound which surrounds 360 degrees, just below the shoulder line. Granted, even in the ES 250 Luxury, Mark Levinson isn't specified (that's the exclusive domain of the Lexus ES 300h, while the ES 250 Luxury gets the eight-speaker Lexus Premium Audio system), but the analogue clock gives it that premium touch, and all the buttons click with the right amount of feedback. It's a nice place to be in, this cabin.
Likewise, the engineers spent a lot of time insulating occupants from outside world, ensuring that, blind-fold, you can't tell the difference had you been sitting in the higher end Lexus GS.
The hallmark of a Lexus is, of course, the way it glides over surfaces, like covering everything the road throws at you with a blanket of silk. For this test drive, I decided to engage the Sport mode on the whole time, to see if the engine responded differently under heavy acceleration.
It's not a BMW; but wait, hear me out. The Sport Mode was never intended to turn this luxury cruiser into a performance-centric saloon. And that's not a bad thing. Gear ratios are electronically controlled to be closer, so the gear changes happen faster and at higher revs, to allow you to hear the growl of the engine - if ever there was one. But it has Lexus DNA; don't make the mistake of thinking Lexus has created a Jekyll and Hyde, an engine of sorts with two different temperaments. It's not like that. It's sporty as far as Lexus goes. I could live with it, and honestly, I do believe most people can.
The beating heart of the Lexus ES 250 is a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder engine, offering 181 bhp at 6,100 rpms. Sadly, most drivers of the ES 250 will therefore never get to feel the full beans because you have to work it hard to get there. But remember the target market his car is aimed at? Chances are they're not bothered about hitting that target output.
Still, I was surprised how urgently the engine galloped to full speed. My IS 250 had 204 bhp, technically 23 bhp more than the ES 250's 181 bhp. But somehow (and I can only imagine they weaved black magic in the factory), this powerplant felt more urgent, I kid you not. There's no low-grunt, let's not kid ourselves. But it gathers momentum more briskly than I expected and even though official figures quote a 0-100kph time of 9.8 seconds, in reality it feels much faster.
In city driving, the ES 250 handles in a very dignified way, like it could ferry heads of states in unparalleled prestige - this is the kind of thing it's good at. And you'll be hard pressed to feel the gear changes; there's no state-of-the-art 8 speed transmission, just a stock standard 6-speeder.
People do look at you when you're driving a Lexus, and this was certainly the case here. Malaysians, for the most part, are still curious about the Lexus brand; for better or worse, it has a rich tow-kay whiff about it because spec-for-spec, it is more expensive than a comparable BMW or Mercedes. Their curiousity stems from two angles: 'Who has the kind of money to buy this over a German saloon?' or 'What does he know about a Lexus that I don't?'
Road noise has been suppressed to a minimum, making family driving more relaxed and comfortable, so you can engage with your wife at your side or the kids in the back, instead of the motorists who are raining on your parade. It's every Lexus party piece - no matter the speed, you don't have to raise your voice to hold a decent conversation.
The ES 250 Luxury also comes with a moon roof; this is just an extra feature to distinguish the base model Prestige from the Luxury. In no way is it meant to enhance the perception of an airier cabin; even without the moon roof, the cabin already feels cavernous, black leather interior notwithstanding. It's certainly a nice feature to have, though I wonder if the Luxury edition compromises ever so slightly on cabin noise.
This left me with mixed feelings - Lexus claims that the rear legroom in the ES easily rivals the Mercedes S Class, which I won't dispute. But in doing so, have they inadvertently given customers one reason more not to get the more premium GS? The ES measures 4,900mm long; the GS 4,850mm. Personally, the smart money is on the ES.
And hey, your kids at the back will be entertained to no end with the armrest mounted controls for the sound system and air conditioning. I can imagine many, many moments of arguments when I'm listening to a particular song, and the brat at the back changes the music because, if it's not Taylor Bieber or Justin Swift, "Daddy's not keeping with it."
And to keep them entertained, the controls also include automatically-folding rear sunshades. The sunshades on the doors are, however, manually operated.
I can't sing enough praises about this car. The wife would be happy too because it has a commodious boot, which would swallow all her shopping in its 490-litre capacity. And when she's stuffed it full, would she have to pull the bootlid down? Oh no... that's so old school. The ES 250 Luxury comes with a power boot. But of course it does.
I loved my time with the Lexus ES 250 Luxury. It's more than just a competent saloon; in many ways, it is the ideal replacement I've been looking for. Did this car speak to me? Yes. It's more spacious than I imagined, has enough gadgets to keep the family happy, and from certain angles, looks like a grown up IS 250, more fitting with my age. On roads, I found it to be a highly civilised cruiser, definitely suitable for long distance driving. And all that in a package that's significantly cheaper than the IS, at RM293,900.
I just have one question: With the Lexus IS 200t out in the market, and the upcoming launch of the Lexus GS 200t on the horizon, there's a logical question begging to be asked:
Where's the ES 200t?
Cheers!
All Lexus
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