ESpionage: minor tweaks for 2010 Lexus ES
For fifteen years, the Lexus ES has been the top-selling luxury sedan from the top-selling luxury marque in America. But after twenty years of sharing its underpinnings with the Toyota Camry, the Japanese auto giant has decided to let the two mainstay models go their separate ways. With the sportier IS sharing the duty of anchoring the lineup and a new hybrid model on its way, the ES might get scrapped altogether... but not before one last hurrah, previewed by the crude spy shot you see to the right. The 2010 Lexus ES350 will be a subtle update on the current fifth-generation model, in true Lexus style, with modest tweaks to the styling to keep it fresh for another few years. Nothing revolutionary, which means nothing to upset the model's conservative customer base, either. (That's what things like the IS-F are for.)[Source: BurlappCars.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Hike15 6:09PM (1/04/2009)
do people who actually buy this thing actually know they are buying a deluxe Camry?
this is such a golfers car though
i have never been to a golf course without seeing this thing
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Mondrell 6:32PM (1/04/2009)
I doubt it, though it's a bit unfair to pick on the ES since there are/were similar cases across all of autodom. In defense of some of those customers, entry-level cars like the IS do not satisfy their criteria of luxury (namely that it's cozier and offers a firmer ride). But between the ES' steady loss of its stylistic advantage after the second-generation car and the ascent of the Avalon's market position, I personally feel that the differences are so trivial that I'd do just as well to buy the latter and pocket the change.
aaron 6:35PM (1/04/2009)
Most don't know it's a Camry, even if they had a one before getting an ES300/330.
These cars appeal toward people that don't want to think to much about the purchase and owning of a vehicle, ie not Autoblog readers, so I guess some of us can't (or won't) comprehend why these cars are so popular.
Can you only imagine the discussion if this were about the Avalon instead of the ES? No, wait, I don't want to imagine...
JDMlover 10:58PM (1/04/2009)
Your a idioit......if you really think that this is just a Camry....Your dont really now anything about it and just being ignorant.
The Lexus ES is a wonderful car...very well built, much luxury and will last a long time problem free and its powerful.
If i was in the market for this i would buy this car....in pearl white :)
Temple 12:34AM (1/05/2009)
Do people buying the Audi A4 know they are buying a Passat? Or Cadillac SRX, Esclade being the same as a Equinox, Yukon Denali, etc. Does it matter anymore in the modern context?
I lot of people actually don't want RWD cars like the IS, particularly places with icy weather. They want a comfy FWD (or AWD) car that offer luxury features. This is why they offer two models that seem to overlap in the same price range. Different stroke for different folks.
Jay 10:06PM (2/17/2009)
If you've driven both the Camry and the ES you would know that other than the chassis both cars are dramatically different. The ES has a much higher quality of leather and interior materials, not to mention more tech toys. It's quieter, smoother, and more refined overall. The Porsche Cayenne and VW Toureg share the same chassis but it is far from a deluxe Toureg.
elpepe 6:27PM (1/04/2009)
wow I'm so excited!
:-/
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Mr. Luke 12:16AM (1/05/2009)
LOL! Me too! That an a 1994 Geo metro LS in brown!
John92LX 6:33PM (1/04/2009)
Now it looks even MORE like a Camry! Pass.
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firstplace 6:41PM (1/04/2009)
The official luxury car for people who hate to drive.
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Jake08 6:50PM (1/04/2009)
Please correct me if I am wrong but, the BMW 3 Series has been the perennial best selling luxury sedan in America for decades, not the Lexus ES! Also, I have never heard of Lexus being the best selling luxury marque in America!? It is one thing for an article to be biased but this article is portraying false information!
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Mondrell 6:57PM (1/04/2009)
You're wrong.
"For fifteen years, the Lexus ES has been the [top-selling luxury sedan] from the [top-selling luxury marque in America.]"
I can't vouch for Lexus outselling its competitors, but I do know that the ES is Lexus' best-selling sedan, a distinction the article properly acknowledges.
coolremo 1:09AM (1/05/2009)
I'm pretty sure it is saying that Lexus is the best selling luxury brand in the US (which I have heard before), and that the ES is Lexus' best-selling vehicle. That does not mean that the ES outsells the BMW 3-series, but that Lexus overall outsells BMW in the US.
Torrent 7:01PM (1/04/2009)
Looks better, but still is a gilded Camry.
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Jesse 7:24PM (1/04/2009)
While the shape and proportions of the Lexus and Camry have for generations been largely interchangeable, the interiors - where drivers spend most time - are worlds apart. The ES350's silky gliding mechanism for the center console storage lid feels like it cost more than the whole Camry dashboard. Little details like this shine on the showroom floor, which is not incidentally an entirely different experience at Lexus. Try asking a Toyota dealer if he'll wash your black car for free as many times as you want during the lease.
I'd never drive a boring FWD Lexus. But I understand why people do.
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juan c 7:53PM (1/04/2009)
they actually stopped doing the complementary car washes.
Brad 12:38PM (1/05/2009)
@juan c,
I work for a Lexus dealer and they still do the car washes. I wouldn't look for that to stop anytime soon.
Jesse 12:57PM (1/05/2009)
I thought they did. My sister leased an RX350 last month. The free car washes were part of the reason she went for black.
juan c 7:59PM (1/04/2009)
I think this is might be a picture of the new HS250 hybrid we've been hearing about because it does have the silver and blue badge on the grill, a trademark of all lexus hybrids. Also, I've been hearing reports that this new hybrid will have a similar power train to the camry hybrid and not the prius. When you put two and two together it is plausible that this might be an ES hybrid variant. It's also convenient that it's a 2010 refresh and the new hybrid is going to be presented this month as a 2010 model. We shall see...
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ebm14 6:42AM (1/05/2009)
Why doesn't this site stop using other websites for its own purposes
and find its own stuff
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