I'm thinking of buying either a nice smaller luxury sedan or a good-sized SUV for my main family vehicle. Not sure which yet, I want to take a few candidate cars out for a test ride and see which ones make the most sense for my family and which give us the most bang for our bucks (which we estimate will be somewhere around the $30 to $35K level for the main car).

Today I'm doing something that I never expected to do. I'm seriously considering a Lexus, notably the 2005 ES 330. I've always had a prejudice against Lexus, which I have always seen as just very, very expensive trim packages for Toyotas. That view is, I think, entirely justified when thinking of the Infiniti-Nissan connection, but somewhat less so with Lexus and Toyota. The Lexus really does offer quite a nice combination of luxury and utility, and with its solid track record of reliability, its a car that makes sense for a lot of families (the piece of mind that comes with better-than-average warranty backing helps).

So anyway, let's take a new ES 330 for a spin and see how we think it stacks up against the competition for the 2005 model year.


Style...
I'm not always a fan of the sometimes idiosyncratic designs that come out of Toyota, but I must say, I find the Lexus ES to be a very nice looking car. From every angle, it is sleek and aerodynamic without a lot of silly pretense or adornment. It is a clean, dignified, graceful looking car.

Sixteen-inch alloy wheels are standard, and there aren't a lot of trim packages and exterior options that would change the basic good looks of this car. The dignified looks are reflected in their broad spectrum of available colors.

Lexus claims that they have nine colors available, but they really boil down three: black, white, and grey. Their metallic (ooops, sorry "shale") blue looks grey. Their gold looks grey. They have three shades of black. I never even knew black could come in shades. All you folks who think red is an acceptable car color can just jolly well go buy a Hyundai. If Lexus ever does offer a red ES, it will probably look black or grey.


Comfort...
Slide into the driver seat of a new Lexus ES and you know right away why it is that so many people buy these things. This is a nice interior. Utterly comfortable, utterly clean, utterly nice.

The wood trimmed dashboard looks classy and refined, in the mold of classy European sedans like the Mercedes C-class (which I would also consider as a possible alternative to the ES). Lexus borrows and steals more than just the wood-grained dash trim from Mercedes though. The seats look like they're borrowed off Mercedes too, what with that perforated breathable surface area approach. Thankfully though, Lexus didn't put the power window controls on the center console (though the last time I drove a C-class, it had 'em moved to the door where they belong too, so maybe Mercedes is moving away from its individuality in favor of usability).

I like the clean, sleek look of the center console too, with its faux-wood trim. I love the way the big fat gear shifter feels in my hand, but I'm not sure what the point is of all the offset notches. I guess some people must have had trouble in the past figuring out the difference between P, R, N, and D. All those notches also make it utterly impossible to shift the car manually, which Lexus claims you can do if you want. Personally, I think almost all implementations of that silly hybrid approach are utterly ridiculous and ultimately useless compared to the functional utility of having a real live clutch under the left foot.

Lots of space too. And I love the way the seat moves so far back that I almost feel like I'm in the cheap seats at a sporting event (except that with prices starting at about $32,000, the drivers seat of a Lexus is most certainly not what most of us would call "cheap"). The power seats are fun to play with, easy to figure out, and the back really does tilt way down.

I love the hefty, substantial feel of the fat, wood trimmed steering wheel, and I love the clean, simple, intuitive dashboard. The only thing about it that irks me is the inclusion of a tachometer. I love a tach on a car where it makes sense, but Lexus can't even be bothered to let drivers buy a manual transmission, so then why the stupid tach? I mean, if you can't do anything about the revs, why even show 'em?? Tachs are for people who know performance. The Lexus is for people who want comfort not performance. So, at the risk of being obnoxious, what is UP with the stupid tach? I'd rather have a cleaner dash with only things that matter.

By the same token, the nav system is a silly, overpriced option. So, it shows you where you are. Big whoop. The car has windows and roads have signs. Who needs an overpriced piece of electronic planned obsolescence? Not me. Navigation systems are stupid. But then, it's often been said that "nobody ever lost a nickel underestimating the intelligence of the American people." The popularity of navigation systems on cars and of Corona Beer in bars are two excellent proofs of that axiom.

As much as I love the front seat comfort on this little beast, I gotta think of the little people too, so it's into the back seat I go.

The back seat is pretty cushy and comfy too! If the front seat is moved back to the furthest back position, then there's about zilcho leg room, but the car has so much possible front legroom that its very easy for even a pretty tall driver to sit comfortably while still affording a good sized adult in the back seat a comfortable amount of leg room. The back seat is really only comfortable for two though. Anyone stuck in that middle spot is going to be one unhappy camper since they're on a flat, firm hump and there's no comfy little nest to lean back into --- just the padded pull-down center console with the drink cups and such.

One little gizmo that's kind of neat is the power rear sunshade. I'd probably never actually use the thing, but it's always nice to have a few extra buttons on the dashboard to push so that you can justify dropping the big bucks on the Lexus ES, which some folks consider to be little more than a very expensive Camry trim package.

When you're the Family Dad Man, you have to worry about space to stow suitcases, toys, lawn ornaments, and cases of beer. The trunk on this ES has space for all that and more (preferably more beer --- you can never have enough beer, I always say. Except for when I've had too much beer, then I just say hhhaawwwooorrrrffff).


Performance...
How well you feel that a Lexus ES performs in the area of performance is, to some extent, a matter of priorities and a matter of competition. What do you want a car to do? What other cars are you test-driving and comparing against the Lexus?

I'll tell you my bias straight up. When I think about cars in the entry level luxury performance sedan category, I always think first of the BMW 3-series. Most folks will probably agree with me that it is the 3-series that best defines this marketplace.

When you pit a Lexus ES head-to-head against a 3-series, the Lexus beats BMW in comfort, but comes up way short in all performance measures other than raw horsepower.

The BMW is more nimble, it turns a tighter radius, it has a firmer suspension, it has the traction control and stability that a Lexus lacks, and it comes with a 5-speed standard whereas Lexus doesn't even offer a manual transmission. That last point pretty much sums it up: BMW emphasizes performance in its entry-level sedans whereas Lexus emphasizes the luxury aspect.

The BMW has a satisfying throaty growl when you start it up. It's a lean, toned, muscular beast, ready to be turned loose on the roads of the world. The Lexus just hums and you pretty much have to check the idiot lights to know that it came on, its so quiet.

What's important to you?

As I mentioned, Lexus has its only performance strongpoint in the area of horsepower, and then only if you are comparing the ES against BMW's basic 325, and not the 330. The 3.3 liter V6 on the ES kicks out 225 horses whereas the 2.5 liter inline 6 on the BMW 325 cranks 184 horses.

The BMW advantages really come into play when you look at the handling. BMW is a car that can handle mountainous inclines and switchbacks as effortlessly as the Lexus handles a straightline Iowa highway to nowhere. On the interstates, I might prefer the Lexus. Heading through mountainous backroads, I'd far rather have the BMW. Granted, Lexus does have a stability control system, but its an expensive option on the ES, not standard equipment, as it is on the BMW --- as I said, the two cars emphasize very different approaches for very different drivers.

The Lexus needs about 2 feet more road width to do a U-turn. It's a bigger, fatter, longer car than the leaner 3-series. The Lexus is also front-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive, which means the Lexus is better suited for suburban parking lot cruising than raw performance driving.

But wait! I'm not supposed to be emphasizing performance on my current car buying adventures. I'm supposed to be emphasizing the family-friendliness aspects, and in that regard, the Lexus does quite well even in the performance area.

Driving the Lexus does have its advantages. The extra horsepower translates to having plenty of get-up-and-go, and taking the ES out onto a typical U.S. interstate is an easy excursion. Punch the accelerator and the car jumps and responds, and it does so with quiet competence. This car has more than enough power to satisfy most typical family guys. It's going to get left in the dust by those GTOs, but it will definitely have its own victims showing up in the rear-view mirror.

The Lexus has fuel economy ratings of 21 city, 29 highway, which is just about the same as a BMW 3-series, and definitely better than Infiniti's closest competitor, the G35 (18 city/26 hwy). With its slightly larger fuel tank, the Lexus also boasts a longer range between fill-ups (which is nice for the family Dad Man when taking the kids on road trips).

I have a thing for BMWs (as you can tell), but to be brutally honest, the Lexus is a very competent performer and one that provides more than adequate responsiveness and features to a typical family guy. It won't begin to impress my friend, Hans Keingeschwindigkeit, but if you're not planning to rocket through Alpine switchbacks with the cruise control set on 90, then the Lexus will serve you very well indeed.


Value...
Ahhhh, the value proposition. Always a tough thing for me to justify, big bucks for premium cars. Compared to something like a Honda Civic, a Lexus is always going to seem like such a wasteful extravagance. And it is, but its sooooo comfy.

Compared to other cars of its class though, the Lexus is priced a bit above an Infiniti G35 and about $2-3K higher than a base BMW 325. Base price on a Lexus ES 330 will run around $32K. What you get for that money is arguably the most refined interior space and the most quiet and comfortable ride in the entry level luxury sedan space. I've personally always preferred BMW over Lexus, but I must admit, the Lexus is definitely the more opulent space to occupy.

Lexus gives you better interior space and a bigger trunk than most of its competitors. It is heavier by about 250 pounds than a BMW 325 and it has more shoulder space and passenger space than a Mercedes C-class. It is better looking and more elegant than an Infiniti.


Bottom Line...
The Lexus ES is an outstanding car for anyone looking for refined creature comforts in an entry-level luxury sedan. I think it is the most comfortable of all the cars in this class, giving a smoother, more luxurious ride than any other sedan in the lower $30K price range.

Performance afficionados should skip this car since the Lexus is front-wheel-drive with no manual transmission available and its road-handling prowess ultimately pales in comparison to the BMW 3-series.

From the purely practical Family guy perspective, this car will always be a shoe-in to win the nod from Mom due to its spaciousness and ultimate utility. And so, with Mrs. Mrkstvns nodding approval, the Lexus ES will advance to round two for further consideration in in the mrkstvns family quest for a new car.


More Reading...


* What I'm Looking for in a New Car (2005)




Amount Paid (US$): 32650
Condition: New