As a car that helped invent entry-level luxury, the Lexus ES continues to be the brand’s best-selling sedan by a longshot. Sharing its platform and powertrains with the Toyota Camry and Avalon, the ES is closer in size to the latter. Now entering its fourth decade, this large-ish midsizer continues to woo buyers with a savvy formula that combines the stalwart reliability of Toyota engineering with luxury cues and features that are just enough without breaking the bank.

he Lexus ES isn’t one to fade into the wallpaper. With styling accents like its massive hourglass grille and available triple-beam LED headlights, it’s one of the more distinctive-looking premium-class midsize sedans.  Jen Dunnaway

For 2021, the lineup includes the ES 250, a nameplate not used since the very first ES model in 1991. Powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, the new ES 250 gets standard all-wheel drive (AWD) despite being the base offering. It starts at $41,025 including the $1,025 delivery fee. For the same starting price, the ES 350 brings standard V6 power, but without AWD. Meanwhile, the gas-electric ES 300h hybrid, also front-drive only, will set you back $42,935 in base trim. 

Each of these three powertrain variants can be had in a variety of trims. F-Sport brings some primarily-cosmetic racy touches to the ES 250 and 350, as well as the option to add a $750 adaptive suspension to the 350. Luxury and Ultra Luxury trims each add escalating lists of powered and higher-end standard features like an all-digital dash, a 12.3-inch infotainment display and 14-way powered front seats with memory and driver’s side cushion extender. The hybrid can be ordered in any trim except F Sport. 

With its expansive lineup, hybrid offering, and newly-available AWD, the ES is well-poised to compete with entry-level luxury contenders like the Acura TLX and Genesis G80, which it slots in between price-wise. However, it also aspires to be a budget alternative to more powerful and advanced sedans like the BMW 5-series and Audi A7, which start $15,000 to $30,000 dearer and whose AWD and hybrid versions cost even more.   

 A sleek roofline can spell headroom trouble for taller drivers, particularly when the power moonroof is optioned. The 18-inch split-spoke wheels ($770) certainly look sharp, but they make for a noisy cabin on the highway. Jen Dunnaway

The ES250’s non-turbocharged four cylinder puts it far behind all of these competitors—making just 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, less than the four-cylinder offerings of even its immediate competitors. Though a responsive throttle helps it feel quick enough around town, the 2.5 easily gets thrashy when pushed. Those looking for better passing power will want to opt for the V6 ES 350, with its 302 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque.

However, the ES 250’s standard AWD may induce some shoppers to see past its sluggish powertrain. Lexus claims that its system can put as much as 50% power to the rear wheels, with cornering stability enhanced by a brake-based version of torque vectoring, which helps distribute force to the wheels with the most grip. 

Indeed, AWD does help the ES feel solidly planted and sticky, but there isn’t really enough power to get yourself in trouble anyway. It’s unfortunate that the AWD system can’t be combined with the more powerful V6 as on nearly every competitor. 

The ES boasts a lovely interior, where padded surfaces abound and controls are pleasantly intuitive. The major exception is the infotainment, whose frustrating touchpad-controlled interface is difficult to manage while in motion.  Jen Dunnaway

Besides its AWD and appealing price tag, the upside of the ES 250 is its unexpectedly good fuel economy. While EPA estimates for the 250 are 25 city, 34 highway and 28 combined, it’s not difficult to get nearly 40 mpg on the highway. The hybrid does even better, with 44 mpg combined. For its part, the ES 350’s mileage is worse but not uncompetitive—its 22 city, 32 highway is on par with the V6 TLX and ahead of the G80’s 19 city and 27 highway.

Regardless of powertrain, all ES trims feature pleasing road manners. The steering has a lovely weight, particularly in Sport mode, which firms up the wheel while sharpening throttle response and transmission shift points. The body feels rigid and responsive, and handling is sprightly for the size of this sedan. 

The trade-off is a ride that may be a little firm for some tastes—and there’s a lot of road noise by luxury-car standards. When optioned with the 18-inch wheels, it’s loud enough at highway speeds that you’ll need to pull over to take a call. The ES may be in need of better noise cancellation, though a different wheel choice and the available adaptive suspension might mitigate these complaints. 

The ES 250’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder returns impressive fuel economy but leaves the car underpowered and never comes close to maxing out the potential of its nicely sorted chassis. The V6 ES 350 is a better choice for those looking for more grunt.  Jen Dunnaway

The ES’s cabin is otherwise quite lovely, exuding a sophisticated vibe. The seats are exceptionally comfortable, soft-touch surfaces abound, and controls have a quality heft. A nice surprise is that many desirable features, including the head-up display, wireless charging, blindspot monitors, triple-beam LED headlights, and heated wood-trim steering wheel, can be added to the base trim—enabling shoppers to equip their ES the way they want while keeping the price from spiraling out of control.

The sedan’s sleek profile and available sunroof can cramp forward headroom a bit, and cargo can be a challenge. While the 13.9 cubic feet of trunk space is average for the segment, the rear seats don’t fold down due to the vehicle’s structural bracing—only a tiny ski pass-through is offered.

However, this cabin’s real black eye is its insufferable touchpad-based infotainment, whose clunky inputs take maddening concentration to land where you want them. The only consolation is that the ES will likely move to a normal touchscreen in its next iteration. In the meantime, there’s a neat 2-tier volume and tuning knob in one, so you can at least change the radio station without giving yourself an aneurysm. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as are Hey Google and Amazon Alexa compatibility.

 The ES gets some fantastically comfortable seats, which can be had heated or ventilated, 10- or 14-way power adjustable, and with memory settings for up to 3 people. F Sport variants of the ES get more aggressive bolstering for a firmer feel.  Jen Dunnaway

Also standard is a generous suite of active safety technology. It includes pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warnings, an excellent adaptive cruise control with stop and go, road sign recognition, and some slightly over-eager automatic highbeams. Rain-sensing wipers and blindspot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert are standard on all but the base trim, as is a parking assist feature that will slam the brakes if you try to nudge too close to a vehicle or other obstacle while parking. 

At the end of the day, the Lexus ES is far from the most advanced luxury midsize on the market, or the quickest. But as in the previous iterations of this popular car, many will find that its smooth road manners and convincing-enough luxury appointments are nearly as tempting as its halo of Lexus reliability, and won’t need to search far for a reason to sign on the line.