  2009 Lexus ES 350. Click image to enlarge |
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2009 Lexus ES 350
North Vancouver, British Columbia – It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the Lexus ES debuted as the Japanese luxury automaker’s entry-level sedan. Now in its fifth generation, the ES has maintained its long-held status as the top-selling Lexus model in North America by offering a true luxury sedan experience with a decidedly ordinary price tag.
Not surprisingly, the 2009 model doesn’t mess with that winning formula too much, with the only significant change from last year’s version being the addition of an optional DVD Navigation/Rear Camera package.
My tester was the base ES 350, and it’s a tribute to the ingenuity and production prowess of the Japanese automaker that the sticker price of this fine car is below 40 grand. (It should be noted that a fully loaded ES 350 with the Ultra Premium Package lists at just over $50,000.)
The ES started out life way back in 1989 with a Camry 2.5-litre V6 powerplant, hence the ES 250 designation of that first-generation front-wheel drive sedan. A couple of years later, a 3.0-litre V6 was dropped in the sedan to create the ES 300. Then, in 2007, the fifth generation arrived, boasting a 272-horsepower 3.5-litre, and the ES 350 was born.
That luxury sedan also marked a first for Lexus and its parent company Toyota: the mating of a six-speed automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive configuration.
Also new was a sleeker, more streamlined body designed in accordance with the tenets of Lexus’s emerging design philosophy, “L-finesse.” It was a marked improvement over the fourth generation’s body style, particularly in the nose and headlight departments.
The 2009 model retains the nice new body, although next year, the ES 350 is said to be undergoing a major reworking. There’s also some speculation that Lexus might drop the model entirely, instead of launching a sixth-generation ES. That would be a shame for those who want a luxury sedan without the pretension so often associated with the big, blinged-out four-doors flooding the marketplace.
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at 6:49 am
What a boring vehicle. I’d rather spend $40,000 on white paint and watch it dry.
at 9:56 am
What a boring comment. What you do with your imaginary $40,000 is entirely up to you, though.
at 10:31 am
What a boring reply. The Lexus ES350 needs a folding back seat and a $36, 900 base price. The 2002-2006 Camry had those, and the interior was more spacious.
at 10:40 am
It’s boring, yes. But it’s smooth, quiet, comes with a prestigious nameplate, and the price is within reach of a loaded family sedan. In other words, it’s the ideal mass-market luxury car.
This isn’t a vehicle I would buy, but I concede that Toyota executes this formula to perfection.
at 4:59 pm
Lexus has done well with this vehicle and has lots to offer. Unfortunately, when you add in some of the options which are a must, you’ll find yourself in a price bracket that will send you looking at other cars. Although this vehicle has had many updates, I think it is about time they change the entire look of the ES line altogether. To the comments about being boring, I do agree, but it is success that is hard to mess with.
at 8:54 pm
This car looks innocent but would rather have other.
at 10:46 pm
I’ll Take a V6 Genesis over this in a heartbeat. The inside/outside of this is way too plain. Only thing this has is badge engineering.
at 7:30 pm
The Lexus ES needs to wedge a V8 in it. Which will make it a ES-F. More Bling.
at 9:22 am
The Imaginary $40,000 dollar comment is funny and yet so true…lol
at 11:59 pm
I think the you got to also look at the
liabilty of the car and I am hundred percent
sure the Lexus will outlast the Genesis. Remember you are buying for the long haul not just looks.
at 8:49 am
If you are looking only for styling then there are many better alternatives but if you look at the complete package it is hard to beat.