The Black Line special version appears terrific.
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Now chugging along in its seventh generation, the ES sedan is a stalwart of the Lexus lineup. For 2021, you can find a new ES 250 all-wheel-push model, as nicely as the ES 350 F Sport Black Line you see below. But do not allow people aggro appears fool you. Regardless of its sporty visual appearance, the ES 350 is a comfy-cozy cruiser earlier mentioned all.
Lexus will only offer 1,five hundred Black Line special editions, a offer that provides $850 to an ES 350’s bottom line. The exceptional Ultrasonic Blue Mica paint appears awesome, contrasting nicely with the black mirror caps and lip spoiler. Lexus’ corporate grille appears pleasant below, with its black end and mesh insert. I also love the zig-zag cue of the LED headlights and the crisp, sharp taillights, which bring character to the rear. All informed, this ES 350 is very seriously handsome.
The ES 350 is driven by a in a natural way aspirated three.five-liter V6, and its 302 horsepower and 267 pound-toes of torque are sufficient for this sedan. A clean-shifting 8-speed automated transmission is conventional, putting energy down by way of front-wheel push.
Different push modes are accessed on a tiny stalk on the correct facet of the gauge cluster. Sport S manner sharpens the throttle mapping and transmission shift logic, when Sport S As well as normally takes points a tiny further more, tightening the steering and stiffening the adaptive dampers. Nonetheless, the ES 350 is hardly a sport sedan, exhibiting tons of overall body roll when cornering. The transmission is far way too keen to upshift and will not downshift under braking, which means that even with its revamped shift pattern, it is still laggy to kick down and provide energy.
On the other hand, pushed very easily and effortlessly, the ES 350 is terrific. This Lexus sedan filters out motor and street sound, but if you give it the beans the V6 makes a incredibly hearty sound. The steering is nicely weighted and self-confident, with a quick ratio for sharp change-in. General, even though, the ES 350 is just so damn snug. I could push this thing for hours and hours on finish.
Lexus’ inside high quality is as outstanding as at any time.
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The ES 350’s gas overall economy is really typical for the course, the EPA rating the sedan at 22 miles for each gallon in the city, 31 mpg on the freeway and 25 mpg blended. 6-cylinder examples of the Audi A6 and Genesis G80 usually are not as efficient, but the BMW 540i and Mercedes-Benz E450 do far better.
Lexus’ Security System 2. suite of driver-aid technologies is conventional on all trims. This offer includes adaptive cruise control, lane-maintaining assist, lane-departure inform and street indication recognition. My F Sport tester provides blind-location monitoring and rear cross-targeted visitors inform. For the duration of my screening, the forward-collision warning sounds its alarm for no cause on event, and the lane-tracing tech has a couple of disengagements. Having said that, the adaptive cruise control operates as anticipated, bringing the automobile to a total stop and maintaining a risk-free length when adhering to at substantial speeds.
The tech that wants function is within the cabin Lexus’ Enform procedure continues to be a chore. An eight-inch multimedia screen is conventional but I have obtained the optional 12.three-inch display screen with embedded navigation. This procedure will not have a touchscreen like the up-to-date Lexus LS. Instead, you might be compelled to use that awful trackpad that I have complained about for a long time, which is downright uncomfortable to use — specially when driving. On prime of that, Enform is improperly structured with tons of menus and submenus to navigate.
Ah, the touchpad. The awful, awful touchpad.
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Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are conventional, at least, and there are a good deal of locations to demand your phone. There are two USB-A ports in every row of seats and a wireless charging pad is optional.
Oh, and the ES’ backup digital camera is small, distorted and blurry. Arrive on, men. It truly is 2021.
This ES 350 tester is totally loaded with heated and cooled seats, and the total inside is superbly appointed with substantial concentrations of healthy and end. The middle console is sort of small, as are the door pockets, but the trunk can hold thirteen.9 cubic toes of cargo, which is about the similar as a BMW five Collection. Having said that, you can’t fold the rear seats down, so do not consider to haul for a longer period things.
The ES isn’t really sporty, but it is a strong sedan.
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The 2021 Lexus ES 350 starts at $41,025 together with $1,025 for desired destination, and the F Sport fees $five,800 much more. With the Black Line pack, embedded navigation, triple-beam LED headlights, the adaptive suspension and much more, the check automobile you see below comes out to $fifty four,070. Me? I would skip a bunch of the options and still get a tremendous pleasant example for all over $forty seven,000.
Regardless of its name, the ES 350 F Sport is not a sport sedan. But with its terrific appears, snug ride and tons of conventional driver-aid tech, if you usually are not hunting for a thrill ride, it is undoubtedly well worth a glimpse.