Photo: Lexus
The 2021 Lexus ES made its online debut today. While the model is still relatively fresh, new features were added to keep up with the competition, including the first-ever AWD system.
To be fair, Lexus is only following the lead set by Toyota Camry recently. The sad news is that while some companies see AWD as a chance to make all-weather sports sedans, the Lexus ES 250 AWD is all we're getting this year.
As the name suggests, this has a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which makes only 203 horsepower 184 lb-ft (249 Nm) of torque. We feel like that's not enough torque for a premium car of this size. Lexus believes the 250 compensates by being the most efficient gas-only version of the ES at up to 28 mpg combined.
But we don't suspect that many people will like it. The AWD system isn't set up for sporty handling, as it only sends 50% of available torque to the rear wheels when it senses slip. Basically, we're dealing with a cheap "luxury" lease for people who deal with snow driveways and such; nothing to take seriously.
The good news is that upgrading to AWD isn't going to cost a lot of money. You can still get the ES 350 with front-wheel-drive and a 3.5-liter making 302 hp and 267 lb-ft (362 Nm) of torque. It's 2 seconds quicker to 60 than the ES 250 AWD but gets 2 miles less to the gallon.
While Toyota has the Camry TRD pretending to be a sports car, Lexus is going slightly more subtle with the ES 350 Black Line Special Edition. It's based on the F Sport trim, of course, and can be ordered in Obsidian, Ultra White, and Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0 exterior with black mirrors, a black spoiler, and dark wheels.
They are only making 1,500 units, presumably only for this model year, and all with come with a set of travel cases by Zero Halliburton. The last notable changes are the standard blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert and a new lithium-ion battery being installed in the 300h.
As the name suggests, this has a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which makes only 203 horsepower 184 lb-ft (249 Nm) of torque. We feel like that's not enough torque for a premium car of this size. Lexus believes the 250 compensates by being the most efficient gas-only version of the ES at up to 28 mpg combined.
But we don't suspect that many people will like it. The AWD system isn't set up for sporty handling, as it only sends 50% of available torque to the rear wheels when it senses slip. Basically, we're dealing with a cheap "luxury" lease for people who deal with snow driveways and such; nothing to take seriously.
The good news is that upgrading to AWD isn't going to cost a lot of money. You can still get the ES 350 with front-wheel-drive and a 3.5-liter making 302 hp and 267 lb-ft (362 Nm) of torque. It's 2 seconds quicker to 60 than the ES 250 AWD but gets 2 miles less to the gallon.
While Toyota has the Camry TRD pretending to be a sports car, Lexus is going slightly more subtle with the ES 350 Black Line Special Edition. It's based on the F Sport trim, of course, and can be ordered in Obsidian, Ultra White, and Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0 exterior with black mirrors, a black spoiler, and dark wheels.
They are only making 1,500 units, presumably only for this model year, and all with come with a set of travel cases by Zero Halliburton. The last notable changes are the standard blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert and a new lithium-ion battery being installed in the 300h.
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