NASHVILLE – Automakers usually send a few engineers to new-vehicle media previews to cover the technical stuff and field tech questions. But for the press showing of the seventh-generation ’19 Lexus ES 350 here, a full contingent of engineers is on hand.
They wear uniforms (well, matching slacks and polo shirts sporting the Lexus logo, anyway). Their sheer numbers make their presence known.
At a stop on the drive route, “Team Lexus” sets up shop: a row of demonstration stations showing some of the special stuff that goes into the new ES, from the world’s first swing-valve shock absorbers, to materials assembled with a special welding technique, to tires designed to reduce road noise.
The fact that Lexus sends a cadre of engineers nearly 7,000 miles (11,200 km) from it Japanese homeland to Tennessee to explain in exacting detail (sometimes through interpreters) just what they’ve done illustrates the thought that goes into Toyota’s luxury brand’s vehicles in general and the ES in particular.
One engineer tells WardsAuto he spent the last six years of his career on the new shock-absorber project.
The ES midsize sedan is special to Lexus because it was one of the first two cars the brand offered when it started in 1989. (The other original vehicle was the LS large car.) Lexus began as a U.S.-only brand. It now sells globally.
“The ES and LS established the brand,” says Cooper Erickson, vice president-marketing for Lexus, which is America’s No.3 best-selling luxury brand behind German rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
A not-readily-visible centerpiece of the redesigned ES is an all-new global architecture dubbed GA-K. It is a front-wheel-drive chassis made from several grades of high-strength steel. It incorporates the use of more structural adhesives (a total of 785 ins. (298 cm) as well as the addition of high-tech laser screw welds in 120 spots. (By the way, “screw” refers to the circular motion of the welds, not the use of a threaded piece of hardware.)
The new chassis makes for a smooth ride and stand-out driving dynamics, whether on the back roads or the Natchez Trace Parkway south of Nashville.
Lexus says the new chassis also gave the engineering team led by Yasuhiro Sakakibara a shot at addressing noise and vibration at their source. Sound-deadening insulation now covers 93% of the floor pan (up from 68%). Underbody covers and fender liners help keep road noise from infiltrating the cabin.
Sakakibara tells journalists, “I dream of designing the ES to provide a higher level of enjoyment for drivers and passengers.”
As mystical as that sounds, he pretty much made that dream a reality, considering how well the car performs on our test drive.
One of his main goals was to turn a sedan known primarily for comfort and quietness into one that also delivers dynamic handling. “We knew this ES had to feel responsive and easy to drive, no matter what kind of road it was on, and that can only be achieved with a solid foundation.”
Cue the GA-K platform. Playing supporting roles on that stage are MacPherson struts in front and a trailing-arm, multilink setup in back, with stabilizer bars at each end. The struts are re-angled to better align with the load path from the lower control arm. That improves ride quality.
The platform multitasks, because Lexus says GA-K also allowed designers to give the ES a sleeker look. The sedan is longer, lower and wider than the current model. Wheels have been pushed closer to the corners.
Other appearance features include a lower hood line (GA-K, take a bow for that too). Sloping A-pillars contrast with a sharply slanted C-pillars to give the car a distinctive profile. And of course, there’s the once-polarizing, now-familiar Lexus spindle grille, tweaked for the ES with distinctive features such as satin-plated trim.
Headlamps are slim and L-shaped. Owners who want to light up the road, if not the sky, can opt for triple-beam headlights with LED projector units.
Powering the ES 350 is a 3.5L V-6 with high- and low-pressure fuel injectors. The former injectors send fuel directly into the combustion chamber, the latter into intake ports.
The engine delivers 302 hp at 6,600 rpm and 267 lb.-ft. (360 Nm) of torque at a relatively high 4,700 rpm. Horsepower, torque and fuel economy are higher than the previous model. Horsepower rises by 34 and torque by 19 lb.-ft. (26 Nm). Fuel economy averages 26 mpg, up from 24 mpg in the current model.
Also increased in the new model is the number of gears. The outgoing model’s 6-speed automatic transmission is replaced with an all-new 8-speed designed to maintain a direct connection in almost all driving situations.
Lexus is known for its interiors, and special attention is paid to the ES’. Using a “Seat in Control” concept introduced in the LC coupe and refined in the flagship LS, the idea is that as soon as you get in, all the controls needed are within easy reach and all the desired information is in plain view.
The ES steering wheel is borrowed from the LS and features an ergonomically shaped rim and optional wood trim. It is replete with control buttons.
The new ES is the first Lexus to offer Apple CarPlay. Android Auto is not available. But the car is Amazon Alexa-enabled so drivers with Android phones can use language commands to control a variety of functions. Onboard Wi-Fi is standard.
Consumer focus-group members loved the ES exterior “but it was the interior that really stood out,” says Erickson, the marketing executive.
At the media preview, he answers the inevitable question: The ES may be great, but it’s a car in a CUV world. What about that?
“A lot of sedan owners also have CUVs,” he replies, adding that millions of cars are sold every year.
Nearly 2.2 million cars were sold last year in what Wards Intelligence classifies as the Middle Car segment. (That was down 16.7% from the year before, however.) Another 1.04 million units were sold in the Luxury Car segment, down 7.4%.
Erickson says, “There is, and will continue to be, a place for sedans.”
The ES 350 goes on sale in September. Pricing starts at $39,510. An upcoming ES F Sport edition starts at $44,035 and a hybrid version at $41,310.
