Lexus ES Sporting Modish Metal for Seventh Generation
The next-generation Lexus ES will debut at the Beijing auto show this month, which is fitting. China knows luxury and appears to be preserving high-end sedans while Americans continue to turn their backs on them in droves.
Domestic sales of the ES have reflected that. But Lexus is launching a sleeker, sexier, and more curvaceous version that will eventually arrive in dealerships across North America. We expect a bump in deliveries, not only because it looks better but because the GS won’t be around for much longer — and middle-aged oral surgeons will need something to bestow onto their children as a first car.
So far, Toyota is only comfortable with giving us a teaser image and video. But it’s enough to have us feeling good about the overall design, including the gargantuan grille. At a glance it looks very much like the LS, just less rounded and flowing.
From a hardware perspective, there’s no reason to think the seventh-generation ES won’t follow in the sixth’s footsteps and remain closely related to the Toyota Avalon. We’re willing to bet it’ll offer an identical hybrid setup using an 2.5-liter inline four and probably a tuned-up version of the Avalon’s 3.5-liter V6 mated to an 8-speed automatic. But we’re optimistic Lexus will offer something above and beyond the standard fare to service the interests of GS F buyers.
However, you shouldn’t expect the new ES adopting characteristics from the GS. Considering the platform it will be using, a rear-drive variant with a 5.0-liter V8 is out of the question. Base models will still be front-wheel drive but we suppose the automaker could eventually implement all-wheel drive — most likely on the hybrid.
[Image: Lexus]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Why speculate that they'll try to pump this up to GS-F performance? They're completely different cars playing in completely different sandboxes. I like this new exterior. I am sure the interior will be very nice indeed. I drive a GS400 and honestly, I don't get the foam-at-the-mouth hate that BMW drivers have for Lexus. My car is plenty fast, soaks up potholes quietly, has a lot of miles and the GD-thing don't break. Are BMW drivers insecure about their cars? I'm not. If the GS goes away, I'll drive my car until about 2022 and scoop up a 2013/14 GS350 for cheap and drive it 20-years.
The grille is too ostentatious for the quiet neighbor with $5MM in the bank, but I suspect that guy already owns an Avalon or loaded Highlander anyway. I'm sure it will be perfectly competent at what it does, and won't be mentioned on TTAC again until the press release for the mid-cycle refresh hits your inboxes. Which is fine, not everything has to be for everyone.