Lexus ES300h 2014 review: snapshot

The beauty of this car is the big rear seat. There's oodles of room back there even for tall people with long legs. With more than a metre of rear legroom we even managed to accommodate the needs of a friend with an artificial leg. Rear seat occupants are cosseted with leather-accented seats, NanoeTM-enabled climate control for added comfort and electric rear sunshades as standard equipment.

Value

Lexus ES is available in two flavours as a V6 or Hybrid, in Luxury and Sports Luxury grades. Standard features include leather-accented interior, dual climate air, satellite navigation, reversing camera, parking sensors, blind spot monitor, sun roof, 10 airbags, eight-speaker audio, smart entry and start, digital radio, plus Lexus Remote Touch and Drive Mode Select.

Engine / Transmission

The hybrid powertrain combines a 2.5-litre four cylinder petrol engine with a 105kW electric motor. The combined output is 151kW with drive to the front wheels, unlike most Lexus cars which are rear wheel drive.

The hybrid employs a CVT style auto transmission and can sprint from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds. It can operate on electric power alone in reverse and at speeds up to 45km/h in a forward direction. Fuel consumption is rated at just 5.5 litres/100km with standard unleaded.

Design

The primary focus was on creating a spacious, comfortable and quiet sedan. But Lexus recognised the previous model was lacking in terms of dynamic ability and engineered a new platform that is more rigid, lighter, longer and lower than what had previously been planned. The overall result is a higher level of comfort and straight-line stability but also a more rewarding experience for the driver.

Safety

It's designed to get five stars and scores highly in US tests but is yet to receive a rating here. But with 10 airbags and a multitude of safety and driver assistance systems, there's little doubt it will get the maximum five stars. We should point out however the base model hybrid misses out on Active Cruise and the Pre-Collision Safety System that are bundled as a $3000 option pack.

Driving

Almost ran out of fuel the other day. Got to the servo only to find we'd misplaced our wallet. The low fuel warning light was already on but we had no option other than to return home and get it. Our little adventure had an upside however because we can report that driven normally the car is capable of achieving 850km from a single tank (at the end it was almost dead empty).

The ES offers a smooth ride and extremely quiet interior, quiet enough to make conversation easy between front and rear passengers. And while it’s a large interior in which to set the climate, tri-zone airconditioning allows front left, front right and rear seat cabin temperatures to be controlled independently.