What’s it like?
In Europe we first saw the ES nameplate on the seventh-generation car. The ES is rival for the likes of the Audi A6, Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series, among more, but with the firm’s usual focus on hybrid power under the bonnet, plus an inherently front-wheel-drive chassis. Essentially a more luxurious and upmarket relation to the Toyota Camry, here’s how to get a good example of the first Lexus ES sold in Ireland.
Which model to go for?
The Lexus ES has an incredibly simple-to-understand offering: there was but one powertrain provided. It teamed a normally aspirated, 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and a small battery for a parallel-hybrid set-up that delivered 218hp and 221Nm from a portion of its drivetrain, allowing for an 8.9-second 0-100km/h sprint but also 5.2 litres/100km fuel consumption.
As already stated, power went to the forward wheels of the Lexus ES, via a continuously variable automatic transmission – the badging for the solitary drivetrain spec here in Ireland was the ES 300h. One of the benefits of its front-wheel-drive status was a decent boot and good rear passenger space, with the former measuring a respectable 454 litres.
Lexus facelifted the car twice, in 2021 and 2024, and while neither of them included drastic remedial work for the aesthetics, the 2024-on cars should be easier to pick out as they had a full-width rear light strip as their main distinguishing feature.
Trim levels ran Executive, Luxury and then range-topping, opulent Premium, although beneath that latter specification was the more dynamic-looking F Sport grade. However, the ES’s driving experience majors on easy-going comfort over any handling acuity, so we’d recommend going for at least a Luxury model for the best second-hand ownership proposition.
Does anything go wrong?
This is a Lexus, and a hybrid Lexus at that. It is therefore one of the most reliable cars going, with very few significant problems to report with this model. However, its economical powertrain and spacious cabin did make it appeal to taxi drivers, so the main thing you’re watching for with a used Lexus ES is that it hasn’t done to-the-Moon-and-back kilometres in its lifetime, or that its dashboard is full of drill holes. Avoid these two giveaways that it was a service vehicle in a former incarnation, and you should be fine.
Despite such reputational solidity, there were five recalls issued for the Lexus ES, which were for a Parking Assist software issue; another for potentially faulty camera cases on the car; another software problem, this time related to an update for the data communication module; a possibly defective brake booster pump motor; and a final one for a malfunctioning emergency calling system.