There aren't many luxury sedans on the market anymore. There are lots of luxury-sport sedans.
It's not a small difference.
Luxury-sport sedans have the amenities — and the prestige. They also tend to have firmer-riding suspensions and seats.
How else to be ... sporty?
One of the few that doesn't try to be — and for that reason is more luxurious — is the Lexus ES350 sedan.
What It Is
The ES350 is a medium-large luxury sedan that focuses laser-like on comfort, one metric of which is roominess, which the ES has slightly more of than Lexus' top-of-the-line luxury-sport sedan, the $76,000-to-start LS500.
You can buy a new ES350 for $40,800 to start, or $45,450 with the optional all-wheel-drive system.
It's also the last Lexus sedan that still comes standard with a V6 ... other than the LS.
What's New
The 2022 ES350 features revised exterior styling and a number of functional upgrades, including standard auto-leveling LED headlights and revised rear suspension tuning that Lexus says makes the ES ride even more comfortably, plus a repositioned closer-to-the-driver LCD touch screen and Intersection Turning Assist, an evolution of the Lane Keeping Assist systems already found in many new cars.
This one looks out electronically for other cars in your intended travel path and applies countermeasures such as braking/steering correction if needed to avoid a collision.
What's Good
One of the most comfortable new cars available.
Among the slowest depreciating new cars available.
The ES350's standard V6 is itself becoming a luxury.
What's Not So Good
Limited cargo capacity (13.9 cubic feet of trunk space) further limited by rear seat backs that can't be folded down.
A wireless charger for your phone is available — but not standard.
Some desirable options require stepping up to the more expensive Luxury ($46,200) and Ultra Luxury ($49,800) trims to have access to, including the foot-swipe trunk opener.
Under The Hood
Power and acceleration aren't everything. At least, not in a luxury sedan.
Comfort is.
This is the specialite de la maison of the ES350. The thing it does best because it is most focused on doing it while the others focus on trying to be comfortable and sporty, which is like trying to be cold and hot at the same time.
Usually, you end up warm.
The others are, as the car press often styles it, more "engaging" to drive. They have more grip in the curves when those curves are taken at high speed. Their steering is more sensitive and precise. But their rides are also ... firmer. You also hear more — from the shorter/stiffer sidewall tires needed to achieve more grip in the curves — when those curves are taken at high speed.
The ES makes the drive more comfortable: The easy, unhurried power delivery of the big V6; the cushioning of the seats, which also don't cinch your shoulder inward with "sporty" bolsters. This is a car that recalls what luxury cars were all about before almost all of them decided they had to try to be sporty, too.
At The Curb
Another metric of luxury is (was) spaciousness.
It still is in the ES.
Up front, there are 42.4 inches of legroom for the driver and front seat passenger. In back, just shy of 40 inches for the rear seat occupants, which is about three inches more than in luxury-sport sedans like the Mercedes E350 (36.2 inches) and BMW 5 (37.5 inches). As mentioned above, the ES has slightly more backseat legroom than Lexus' full-size luxury-sport sedan, the LS500, which has 38.9 inches vs. 39.2 in the more luxurious — in this respect, at least — Lexus flagship.
Inside, you'll find a revised dash layout intended to make this already very pleasant-to-drive car even more so, via a closer-to-the-driver LCD touch screen that lets the driver access functions by touch as well as the console-mounted controller.
The previous system was not a touch screen, which was one of the few things one could criticize about the ES350's ergonomics.
The Rest
Lexus does offer a four-cylinder-powered version of the ES: the ES250. This one comes standard with the all-wheel-drive system that is an extra cost with the V6-equipped ES350.
Interestingly, the price for both (so equipped) is the same $40,800.
There is also a hybrid version of the ES: the ES300h. This one stickers for $41,900 and comes only with FWD. But it does come with an EPA mileage sticker of 43 city and 44 highway.
You can also buy F Sport versions of every ES — but it's mostly meant to make the ES look sportier.
Models so equipped get some body embellishments, larger wheels and some interior themes to spice up the appearance, such as Hadori aluminum-trimmed pedals and an instrument cluster similar to the one on the Lexus LFA supercar. They also get an auto-adjusting suspension with driver-selectable "sport" modes.
But don't worry, it's no less luxurious for it.
The one thing you don't get in any ES is a big trunk — just 13.9 cubic feet small — which is the one objective detraction from this otherwise faultlessly luxurious sedan. It's a deficit made worse by the fixed rear seat backs, which you can't fold down to open up more space as you can in many other sedans.
The Bottom Line
In no small way, the ES350 is the last of the Mohicans.
If it had a bigger trunk, it'd be just about perfect.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
View the Lexus ES350 this week.
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