A brand new and very angular-looking Lexus ES is coming our way, and judging by this leaked image, it’s going to inject some LS flavor into the mid-size executive saloon segment.
The image comes courtesy of Almuraba, and gives us a pretty clear indication of what we can expect once the whole car is officially unveiled – something that might happen as soon as this year’s Beijing Motor Show, scheduled for April 25. But until then, let’s run through what we can see.
While the front grille and headlight design both point to the larger LS saloon as inspiration, the latter aren’t exactly identical with those found on the automaker’s flagship model. On the LS, the LED Daytime Running Light “swoosh” is less embedded into the light cluster than it is on the ES.
Here, there is less separation between the two, making the entire unit look a little bulkier than it does on the LS. On the other hand, the grille design appears almost identical, except for the upper edges which point back towards the hood, and the inner pattern which looks more conservative (no more interlocking Lexus ‘L’ motifs).
Toyota’s new global architecture lies underneath
The 2019 Lexus ES will feature similar TNGA underpinnings to the current Camry or the all-new Avalon, unveiled earlier this year at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. This should help make the new ES more spacious and more secure than the outgoing model.
Regarding power units, an entry-level ES 350 variant should continue welcoming buyers to the range, although the current car’s 3.5-liter 268 HP (271 PS) V6 engine may very well get left behind in favor of the Camry’s 301 HP (305 PS) variant – of course, we’ll have to wait and see.
If your focus is on fuel economy, rest assured that a replacement to the ES 300h is also on its way. Right now, the ES 300h features a 2.5-liter hybrid unit, with a total of 200 HP once you factor in the electric-drive motor.
Like the 2019 Avalon, the all-new Lexus ES should also benefit from Toyota’s advanced safety and driver assistance systems, such as the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure with Steering Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Braking and so on.
Once it arrives in the US (probably later this year), the 2019 ES will compete against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, Audi A6, Volvo S90, Jaguar XF, Genesis G80, Infiniti Q70, Cadillac CTS and Acura RLX.