April 2018
Lexus ES revealed
The ES 300h is equipped with a new, fourth generation self-charging hybrid drive system. It couples an ultra-efficient 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle four-cylinder petrol engine with a lighter, more compact and more power-dense electric motor. Total system power is 215bhp/160kW and combined cycle fuel economy is from 60.1mpg.
The car is longer (+65 mm), lower (-5 mm) and wider (+45 mm) than its predecessor. The longer wheelbase (+50 mm) allows the wheels to be pushed closer to the car’s corners, with wider front and rear tracks (+10 and +37 mm).
F Sport models add a rear spoiler, badging and dark lower valance to add emphasis to the look. Three different 17 and 18-inch wheel designs are available for the standard ES models, with the F Sport versions running on 19-inch wheels1 that are similar in appearance to those found on the Lexus LC coupe.
The 17-inch wheels have 215/55 R17 tyres; 18-inch wheels have 235/45 ZR18 tyres and 19-inch wheels of the F-Sport have 235/40 ZR 19 tyres.
A palette of 12 colours includes new beige and green shades. Ice Ecru is designer to mimic light reflected off fresh snow, while Sunlight Green is inspired by ocean water in sunlight. Two exclusive colours – Heat Blue and F White – are available for F Sport models, complementing their high-energy design.
Starting point of cabin design was the Lexus Future Interior concept, which blends a driver-centric cockpit with a spacious and comfortable area for the front passenger. The driver’s focus is kept on the road ahead by locating the centre display screen, instrument panel and head-up display in a tight cluster within the field of view. Front passengers, on the other hand, have a more open, spacious and relaxing environment.
It is a "connected" space, with the availability of an optional navigation system with a range of connected services. This system also provides a 12.3-inch multimedia display and second generation Remote Touch touchpad control. Its voice recognition function includes a mobile assistant, enabling contactless control of the driver’s smartphone.
Rear passenger comfort is enhanced by a lower hip point and carefully configured headlining preserve headroom while the longer wheelbase ensures generous legroom.
The interior colour options include a new combination that reflects the “provocative elegance” design theme. The Rich Cream option matches cream upholstery with a brown headlining to give the cabin a modern, yet warm look and feel. Other choices include Black, Chateau and Topaz Brown.
For a higher level of dynamic performance, F Sport models are available with Adaptive Variable Suspension, similar to that found in the LC coupe. This adds adjustable dampers at each wheel with 650 levels of damping force to provide ultimate control on any road surface. Another element exclusive to F Sport is a Sport+ mode for the Drive Mode Select system, which engages the most responsive engine, transmission and suspension settings.
The 17-speaker Mark Levinson PurePlay system makes its debut in the new ES. Its world-first design architecture was created to immerse each individual in the most powerful, precise and pure audio experience yet.
September 2018
Lexus ES prices announced
The ES 300h makes its debut in a range of three versions: the entry-level ES, the ES F Sport and the top-of-the-range ES Takumi, a new grade which takes its name from the Japanese master craftsmanship that is applied to every Lexus vehicle.
The on-the-road prices are:
Lexus ES: £35,150
Lexus ES F Sport: £38,150
Lexus ES Takumi: £45,650
The Lexus ES can be specified with a Premium Pack, OTR price £3500. This adds smooth leather seat upholstery, front seat ventilation, power rear screen sunshade, Triple-eye LED multi-weather headlights with Adaptive High-beam System, 18-inch alloys, Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert with automatic braking.
The Lexus ES F Sport is available with a Tech and Safety Pack, OTR price £700. This adds Triple-eye LED multi-weather headlights with Adaptive High-beam System, wireless device charger and a heated steering wheel.
The Lexus ES F Sport can also be specified with a Takumi Pack, OTR price £4000, which includes all the elements of the Tech and Safety Pack plus a Mark Levinson surround sound audio, head-up display, Lexus Premium Navigation with 12.3-inch screen, power rear screen sunshade and a power bootlid with hands-free kick sensor.
Metallic or mica paint can be specified for £670, with more sophisticated Sonic White, Sonic Titanium and Azure Blue finishes available for £920 (both prices OTR).
September 2020
Lexus ES Premium Edition announced
Lexus says the Premium Edition comes with additional equipment features, together worth more than £3000, but carries an on-the-road price tag £550 greater than the entry-level ES on which it is based.
The details include 18-inch alloy wheels, 12.3-inch Lexus navigation with DVD player, heated steering wheel, wireless smartphone charger, automatic wipers, windscreen de-icer and aluminium scuff plates for all four doors. The on-the-road price is £35,750, keeping the model below the £40,000 threshold for additional Vehicle Excise Duty.
Extra content has also been added to the Tech and Safety Pack that can be specified to give the ES F Sport model even more appeal. It now comes with the 12.3-inch Lexus multimedia and navigation system, together with triple-eye LED headlights, heated steering wheel and a wireless smartphone charger.
The ES F Sport remains one of the best-value sports saloons on the market. Even with the addition of the Tech and Safety Pack option, its £39,255 price remains below the £40,000 “luxury” level, while its highly efficient hybrid powertrain delivers low CO2 emissions, securing a 28 per cent benefit-in-kind rating for company car tax-payers.
October 2021
Updated Lexus ES priced from £35,905
The Lexus ES 300h luxury mid-size saloon has been revised for 2022 with the introduction of new handling, styling, safety and specification features, reinforcing its performance and appeal.
The first UK generation of a model that has been long-established feature of the Lexus range in world markets outside Europe, the ES brings together the brand’s core qualities of brave design, exhilarating performance, takumi craftsmanship and imaginative technology.
The new model retains Lexus’s fourth generation self-charging hybrid electric powertrain that delivers excellent fuel and emissions efficiency with characteristically smooth, responsive and refined performance.
The new line-up continues to provide models with high specifications at on-the-road prices below the £40,000 threshold for luxury car VED rates, notably the new ES Premium Edition and the F Sport with the Tech and Safety Pack.
The ES’s multimedia system has been upgraded with a new 12.3-inch touchscreen, allowing operation by direct touch, using the Remote Touch Interface track pad, or voice control. All models equipped with Lexus Navigation will have the new touchscreen.
The new ES is the latest Lexus model to adopt the advanced BladeScan Adaptive High-beam System, which focuses the light beam from the LED headlights using a fast-rotating mirror to give a much wider field of illumination when using dipped lights. The system is part of a new three-eye LED headlight arrangement that is standard on the Takumi grade and included in the Premium, Tech and Safety and Takumi Packs.
The ES was the firsts Lexus model in the UK to offer a Digital Side View Monitors in place of conventional door mirrors. Available as an option on the Takumi grade, these have been revised to ensure clearer images are shown in poor light conditions – at night and when driving in rain, giving better light and shade definition.
Changes to the ES’s suspension have been made to deliver better dynamic performance, responsiveness and ride comfort. The braces in the rear trailing wishbone system have higher rigidity and greater torsional strength thanks to a new dual-sheet structure, resulting in linear response that is more closely aligned with the driver’s intentions, for example when making high-speed motorway lane changes.
The Adaptive Variable Suspension featured on the ES F Sport benefits from a new actuator and changes to the internals that together expand the range of damping force, improving the car’s response, stability and ride comfort, with more linear steering and suspension feel.
The level of detail invested in achieving the best results extends to changing the shape of the brake pedal pad to create a larger contact area for the driver’s foot, giving better controllability; steps have also been taken to reduce the vibrations felt when the pedal is depressed. The control parameters of the electronic braking system have also been revised.
The Lexus Safety System+ fitted as standard to all versions of the new ES benefits from new and improved functions.
The Pre-Collision System’s radar and camera sensors are now able to detect cyclists in daytime driving and pedestrians at night. It also adopts Intersection Turn Assist, which detects a high collision risk with traffic approaching from the opposite direction when making a turn, and pedestrians crossing the road in the car’s path of travel.
Emergency Steering Assist is a new addition which recognises when the driver is making an sudden manoeuvre to avoid an obstacle, such as a pedestrian in the car’s path. The system assists the steering movement, while keeping the car stable and in its traffic lane.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have been applied to improve the Lane Trace Assist, giving smooth and continuous assistance to keep the car optimally positioned in its traffic lane. Lane Trace Assist works in co-operation with the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control to manage the car’s speed for cornering while at the same time keeping it centred in its lane.
The cruise control system can now determine the appropriate speed for an approaching bend, automatically decelerating the vehicle. It has also gained an all-speed tracking function, controlling acceleration and deceleration to maintain a constant distance to the vehicle immediately ahead.
The new ES retains its familiar elegant lines, with exterior changes focusing on the front end, where the spindle grille has new look with fewer vertical bars and the introduction of new L-shaped motifs (the dedicated grille design for the F Sport model is unchanged).
Slimmer units are introduced for both the single-eye (monocular) LED headlights with Automatic High Beam and the new three-eye LED units with the BladeScan Adaptive High-beam System.
There are also new wheel designs: a striking arrangement of sharp, overlapping twin V-spokes for the standard 17-inch wheels and a five-twin-spoke design for the 18-inch rims featured on the Premier Edition and in the Premium Pack.
In the cabin there are new Dark Brown and Sumi Black walnut trim insert options and a Forest Brown upholstery choice, available across the Tahara man-made leather, smooth leather and semi-aniline leather options. For the ES F Sport, there is a new White Tahara option with contrasting black bolsters and seatback and cushion centre sections.
MODEL |
OTR PRICE |
ES (without navigation) |
£35,905 |
ES (with navigation) |
£36,795 |
ES Premium Edition |
£36,555 |
ES Premium Pack |
£41,105 |
ES F Sport (without navigation) |
£38,370 |
ES F Sport (with navigation) |
£39,060 |
ES F Sport Tech and Safety Pack |
£39,280 |
ES F Sport Takumi Pack |
£44,160 |
ES Takumi |
£49,455 |