Days of wine and lexus

MANILA, Philippines - Say “Lexus ES” and associations such as “Lexus bestseller” and “Lexus brand anchor” easily come to any car enthusiast’s mind. Ask them to hold that thought a bit longer, and you’re bound to get a comment such as “high-end Toyota Camry” to describe it. Indeed it’s no secret that the Lexus ES has long been perceived by some as simply a more luxurious remake of the Camry; this understandably so, after having five previous generations of the ES (beginning in 1989) based on the Toyota Camry platform. Fans and non-fans of the model, however, are in for a big surprise, as the 2013 Lexus ES is expected to come out in the Philippine market really soon, and as a Camry derivative no more!

The unique new identity of the ES was showcased at a Lexus Global Press Launch that The Star was privileged to attend in Newberg, Oregon USA late last month. It was there that the all-new 2013 Lexus ES 350 and its very first ES hybrid, the ES 300h, were unveiled to the international media, and formally introduced in an exclusive press conference. Newberg, Oregon was the venue of choice as it was teeming with beautiful countryside scenery—including a few fabulous wineries and vineyards—and abundant in a variety of appropriate roads to drive the cars on.

The 2013 ES is a breakaway from its previous generation models. It swaggers with a new elegant and sporty design that adheres to its all-new development concept: Neo-Luxury and Neo-Smart.

Its new exterior design is called El Finesse, and features a lower profile and clean styling lines from front to rear. It bears the new face of Lexus with its characteristic spindle grille, which is now shared with the LX and RX SUV’s. Its overall height and width is almost the same—with the length growing by only about an inch—yet the ES boasts the largest space in its class—increased knee room and legroom, especially in the rear—thanks to its wheelbase lengthened by 45mm.

As a matter of fact, particular effort was given to increasing the rear legroom, so as to address the needs of the chauffeur-driven market, which is quite large in Asia.

The car’s interior is a spacious, inviting area—truly lavish with its Optitron gauges, hand-made ‘real wood’ steering wheel, plush leather and 10-way power-adjustable front seats. Its panoramic glass roof is a great welcome to daylight or starlight, and its Nano-E ionizing system makes sure the car always smells fresh-clean.

Equally admirable is the hand-stitched upholstered dashboard, which I’ve been told was worked-on by ‘Takumi’ or Japanese master craftsmen who possess legendary skills.

Driving and riding both the ES 350 (gasoline engine) and ES 300h (hybrid) in Oregon was such a delightful experience. It literally felt like we were sailing—and not aboard a motor vehicle—because the ride was phenomenally smooth and cushy. Not to mention quiet, thanks to its acoustic windshield and side glass that reduce noise from the outside. Meanwhile its redesigned seat support and seat foam worked its magic as it provided a pillow-soft driving experience, even over uneven roads; excellent for reducing fatigue when on interstate drives. Indubitably, the ES’ priority is comfort with a capital C!

Only the ES 350 will be introduced into the Philippine market (hopefully the 300h hybrid will follow, when our government gets its act together and starts passing bills to provide tax breaks to low-carbon-impact vehicles), and this executive sedan will be powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine with Dual VVT-i that delivers 346Nm of peak torque at 4,700rpm. Its impressive fuel economy for a vehicle this size is partly because it’s paired with a 6-speed sequential-shift automatic Electronically Controlled Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i), which is also responsible for its smooth shifts. The gearbox also features a Drive Mode selector that allows you to choose between: Normal, Eco mode and Sport.

As far as safety is concerned, the ES features a class-leading ten airbags as standard equipment, which includes front-passenger airbags that protect the face. A lot of work has also been put into the engineering of the body shell, reinforcing it with high-tensile steel to manage impact energy in the event of a crash. Also notable among its array of standard safety features is its Lane Departure Alert—which can tell the difference between asphalt and grass via a camera over the rearview mirror—and its Automatic High Beam (AHB) dimming technology that dims the high beams when it detects oncoming vehicles!

Indeed the new Lexus ES 350 is more widely-differentiated from the Camry than it’s ever been before. “I would like to describe it as a smart, luxury decision,” said Paul Williamsen, national manager of the Lexus College of Toyota Motor Sales, USA.

The new ES is expected to launch in the Philippines sometime this July.