Lexus built its reputation on silence. Plush seats. Refinement. Not speed. Not sport. The ES has been the backbone for years. Best seller. Loyal fan base. Seven generations later. They didn’t touch the formula too hard.
Now they did. Sort of.
The 2026 model is eighth generation. Looks different. Inside and out. First electric version ever. But wait. The hybrid lives. And if you drive it. It feels… familiar.
The Powertrain Shift
Hybrid arrived in 2013. Made up 40% of sales last year. Now the old V-6 gas engine? Gone. Axed. The EV is a weird child. A departure. But Lexus bets on the hybrid. 80% of US sales projected. EV stays niche. Hybrid carries the volume.
Smart money.
The new ES is taller. Longer wheelbase. Imposing shape. Engineers tried to fix the “negatives” of sedan design. Hard to get in. Low seats. Bad back. They looked at the Toyota Crown. Copied the height. Tried to hide it. Angular styling. Swoopy roofline. Short trunk lid. Works. Looks like a Lexus. Awkward angles exist. But you wouldn’t know.
How It Moves
Sixth-gen Toyota hybrid tech. Different unit. New transmission. Electric motors lead the charge. 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Basically the same. Total output jumps. 215 hp before. 244 now. Badge changes. It’s the ES350h now.
All-wheel drive optional. New trick. Extra electric motor on the rear axle. FWD numbers stay same. AWD adds nothing to horsepower. Just traction.
Is it smooth? No. Not like the old V-6. The four-cylinder doesn’t purr. But the refinement improved. Appreciably so. The gas engine stays quiet. Only speaks when you mash the pedal. Switching between power sources? Imperceptible. Seamless.
It doesn’t feel eager. Just sufficient. Responsive throttle. 46 mpg city-highway combined with FWD. 44 for AWD. Good numbers for this size.
Ride quality? Fantastic. Suspension tuned soft. Boulevardier style. Body motion controlled well. Tires have sidewall. Soaks potholes. Swallows rough road. Only 19-inch wheels available on hybrid. Small enough to cushion.
Cornering? Hard pass. Eco tires lack grip. Don’t push it. Steering feels good though. Natural effort. On-center feel satisfactory. You steer it. You don’t race it.
Cabin Changes
Open the door. Panic. No buttons.
Or so you think. Lexus added capacitive touches. Everywhere. 14.0-inch screen dominates. But. They didn’t kill usability completely. Volume knob exists. Tactile climate controls remain. A few for defrost. A few for temp. Steering wheel controls? They look touchy. Feel real. Good.
Mirrors. Seats. Windows. All conventional buttons. Intuitive. Material quality high. Lexus standard. Build solid.
Trim levels? Hybrid gets Premium and Premium+. Misses out on Luxury trim stuff found in EV version. Cheaper.
Price starts at $51,095. Up $6,380 from previous gen. More car. More steel. More plastic. Still cheaper than BMW 5-Series. Still cheaper than Mercedes E-Class. Value holds.
Lexus plays it safe. Risk averse. Known fact. This time? It worked. Modern look. New tech. But core tenets intact. Comfort. Cosseting interior. Quiet hybrid motor. Efficiency.
The faithful will like it. The drivers will nod. The enthusiasts will ignore it.
It’s an ES. That hasn’t changed. Maybe it shouldn’t.
Who is the car actually for anyway?
