Lexus is currently enjoying immense success with the ES 350 in the U.S. market, comfortably outselling its rivals in the luxury sedan segment even after all those years.
Perhaps it’s because the Lexus ES 350 is seen as an honest, well-built luxury four-door sedan with a great reputation and offering even greater value for money. After all it starts at $39,945, which makes it significantly cheaper than something in the mid-size luxury segment like the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-Series.
It might not be as technologically advanced as those cars, but still the Lexus ES is luxurious and relaxing enough for plenty of paying customers. Despite the wider use of plastic, the cabin remains a nice place to spend some time in as a passenger.
The fact that the dashboard still makes use of physical buttons alongside the company’s infotainment system also makes the ES 350 friendlier to use to those who still can’t see the point of having everything operated via a touchscreen, as Edmunds notes in their latest video review.
Sure it looks a bit dated inside and out and it doesn’t set the road on fire every time you go near the throttle, thanks to the 3.5-liter V6 making “just” 268hp. It’s not bad, in fact the engine is buttery-smooth, but it’s still slower than a base E-Class.
Despite being based on the same platform with the Toyota Avalon, the Lexus ES 350 has managed to gain a large following in the market, thanks to its honest, no-BS luxurious and relaxing character. It’ll be interesting to see what Lexus did with the ES when they launch its successor next year.