Lexus' Excellent ES 350

A big improvement over the ES 330, the new ES 350 is a nearly flawless example of an entry-level luxury car

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Powerful engine, fuel efficiency, elegant interior

The Bad: Toyota-like styling; tight rear seat

The Bottom Line: An exemplary, entry-level luxury car

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

The Lexus ES 350 is one of those rare vehicles I can recommend almost without reservation. It's billed as an entry-level luxury car, and if that's what you're looking for, it's a nearly flawless example. Just keep in mind that you're not going to get the road feel and handling of a driver's car like a BMW or an Audi.

The ES 350 is deliberately tilted more toward the luxury side of the equation. For a performance-oriented midsize, you're supposed to go for the Lexus IS 350 (see BusinessWeek.com, 9/6/06, "2006 Lexus IS 350"), which is squarely aimed at competing with BMW's 3 Series. Having driven the new BMWs (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/17/06, "BMW's Super Coupe"), I don't think the IS 350 can match them.

But the ES 350 is a different breed of car that raises different expectations. And, taken on its own terms, it's a great car. For starters, it's a big improvement over the ES 330, the model it replaced this spring. The ES 350 has a bigger power plant, a 3.5-liter, 272-horsepower, aluminum-block V6 that generates 272 horsepower—54 more horses than the ES 330's 3.3-liter V6. The ES 350 also has a smooth, new, electronically controlled, six-speed automatic transmission, as well as a more refined interior than its predecessor.

Yet the price is about the same as for the previous model. The '07 ES 350 comes in a single trim level (there's no manual transmission, alternative engine choice, or hybrid version) that starts at $33,885. That's only marginally more than the $33,000 starting price of its predecessor. Despite its more powerful engine, the ES 350 gets slightly better mileage than the previous model, too. It's rated at 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway, vs. 21/29 for the ES 330. In 608 miles of mainly highway driving I got 24.1 mpg in my test ES 350.

The ES also comes well-loaded. Antilock brakes and stability and traction control are standard. So are front, knee, and side-curtain airbags, as well as side airbags up front. Standard comfort features include 10-way power seats up front, a tilting and telescoping steering wheel with audio controls, a moon roof, a six-CD changer, keyless entry with a push-button starter, heated outside mirrors, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, fog lamps, and 17-in. alloy wheels.

You can, of course, make the ES 350 a lot fancier. The most expensive of the available options is the $5,380 Ultra Luxury Package, which includes a huge sun roof, wood- and leather-trimmed shift knob and steering wheel, power rear sunshade, 17-in. chrome graphite wheels, and adaptive headlights. A navigation system with an upgraded audio package costs $2,650, or $4,050 if you go for the super-fancy Mark Levinson sound system.

Among safety extras, rear side airbags cost $250, while another $2,250 will get you an adaptive cruise control that can lock onto the car ahead coupled with a pre-collision system that snugs the seatbelts and increases braking force when a radar sensor senses that a frontal collision is about to occur.

Exterior fit and finish, as in other Lexuses, is impeccable. The metallic paint jobs on the Toyotas (TM) and Lexuses I've been driving lately have been exceptionally nice. My test ES 350 came in a gorgeous black sapphire, a sort of metallic black with nuances that made it a little like looking into the depths of the ocean. One of my few complaints about the car is that its exterior seems bland. It looks a little too Toyota-like for my taste.

This ES 350 also isn't particularly youth-oriented. The average age of buyers is 56, a year more than for the Cadillac CTS. By contrast, the average buyer's age is 42 for the BMW 228i, 43 for Nissan's Infiniti G35, and 45 for Honda's (HMC) Acura TL.

In a hot segment, however, the ES 350 is one of the most in-demand models.