Lexus ES review: The best used small luxury car

We reviewed the 2019 Lexus ES350 with the F Sport trim. And, well, well … it looks like the ES has traded staid and anonymous from past models for truculent and extroverted in the 2019 version. In F Sport trim or otherwise, this generation of ES looks much better than those that came before it. Our test car, which was finished in Ultrasonic Blue Mica livery coupled with 19-inch smoked graphite wheels, especially so. The spindle grille is the only polarizing part of the exterior styling; some love it while others find it garish and off-putting. Whatever camp you fall into, there’s no denying that Lexus has a handsome sedan on its hands.

Is the Lexus ES a good car?

The ES350 is an excellent small luxury car, and it’s never been more engaging to drive. But the bigger wheels and tires, plus a set of paddle shifters, do not a sports sedan make. While we might have expected a more responsive driving experience from our tester car, it does lean towards the more aggressive side of the spectrum than ever.

But guess what? We’re good with that.

Except for the LFA and RC F/GS F hardcore sports cars, Lexus isn’t about bouncing off the curbing at our local racetrack or chasing Porsches down our favourite backroad. With that in mind, we think Lexus nailed the balance of providing all the hallmarks people expect from its vehicles: extreme refinement and comfort with just the right amount of spice added. 

Does it look familiar? Is the ES similar to the Toyota Avalon?

Park the two side by side, and the kinship is obvious. They share the same mechanical bits, from the drivetrain to the brakes to the suspension components, amongst other stuff. After test driving both cars, we were surprised at how much the Avalon has closed the gap on its upmarket sibling. Yet the Lexus badge demands more luxury than a Toyota would, so the ES has parts that are more befitting of its premium placement. 

Both interiors look to be pretty nice places to be. What’s different?

In the Lexus, the materials feel a little more premium, the leather bits just a little softer. Both have incredible audio systems, but again, we’d give the edge to Lexus for sounding incrementally clearer and richer. 

When it comes to the dashboard layout, it’s hard to fault the Avalon’s sharp and simple analogue layout, but we give the nod to the ES with its LFA-mimicking sliding tachometers and the way it changes its look as you escalate driving modes from “normal” to “sport” and all the way up to “sport +.” We normally prefer a crisp needles-and-dials setup like the Avalon’s, but it’s hard to fault the digital readouts in the ES350. 

There is one area where the Avalon emerges as the clear winner over its upmarket corporate stablemate, however, and that’s the infotainment system. The Avalon is a straight shooter, using a combination of buttons and a touchscreen that works so well you might never need to consult your owner’s manual to figure it out. The ES350 uses the same Remote Touch method employed in most Lexus vehicles, and it’s just as frustrating to use. We did get used to it over the course of our test, but we would still have to take our eyes off the road to perform simple tasks like changing the radio station. 

Now, let’s go under the hood.

The Lexus ES engine: What’s really inside this used car?

Speaking of refinement, our ES350 was exceptionally quiet—seriously, it’s incredible how hushed this car is—and it rode with incredible poise and opulence (the chassis engineers truly deserve a raise). We experimented with the various drive modes and smiled at the way the engine’s noise is dramatically piped into the cockpit through the speakers. It’s decidedly un-Lexus-like, but you really get the sense it’s trying to show the world it knows how to have a good time. 

In sport mode, and more so in “sport +,” the car sharpens up appreciably, and every control, from the steering to the transmission paddles to the throttle, wakes up and stays on high alert. Let us put it this way: The ES is much faster and handles much better than most of its owners will ever ask of it.

Lexus ES issues to know about

Not too much. From front to back: The ES350’s grille is best described as “an acquired taste.” The touchpad interface for the infotainment system is perhaps the ES’s biggest gaffe. This brought to you by Lexus, ostensibly one of those manufacturers that aligns itself with the whole white glove/concierge thing to make life as easy as possible for its customers, yet it demands way more from the driver’s faculties than the much simpler but just as effective unit in the Avalon we keep drawing comparisons to. 

Lastly, some drivers might see the F Sport badge and think they’ll be able to give their neighbour’s BMW 340i, Mercedes Benz C43 or Infiniti Q60 Red Sport cars a good run for their money—a thought that will ultimately end in disappointment once they drive the ES. It’s a much more entertaining conveyance than before, but it’s not a sports sedan … at least, not yet.

Should I buy a Lexus ES?

If you don’t wish to break the bank on a luxury sedan, and you want to experience the same levels of comfort and refinement normally reserved for folks who plunk down much more than the ES’s asking price, then yes, please step up to the driver’s seat. Only those who are looking for a sedan with canyon-carving abilities at the top of its resumé will be disappointed. The ES350, outfitted in F Sport trim or otherwise, will find a home in driveways across Canada because it’s an honest luxury sedan that places comfort and quiet above all else. For some, that will be more than enough. 

2019 Lexus ES350 F Sport specifications

Price as tested: $57,651
Body type: 4-door, 5-passenger sedan
Powertrain layout: Front engine/front-wheel drive
Engine: 3.5-litre V6, DOHC, 24 valves
Horsepower: 302 @ 6,600 rpm
Torque (lb-ft): 267 @ 4,700 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Curb weight: 1,655 kg (3,649 lbs)
Observed fuel consumption: 12.3 L/100 km (19 mpg)

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