For decades, the ES has been a quiet, comfortable, and lavishly trimmed entry point into Lexus luxury. Lexus has sold more than two million of them around the world; about half of those were sold in the United States. If the Future Chapter of Lexus is going to progress toward a logical and happy ending, then the 2019 ES needs to be even better than it once was, while also being more athletic and performance-focused than it has ever been.
The new ES rides on all-new architecture which Lexus calls its Global Architecture-K (GA-K) platform. To increase rigidity, engineers used 142 percent more structural adhesive than in previous ES backbones. A new laser screw welding method also boosts stiffness. Cooper Ericksen, Vice President of Marketing for Lexus, sees it as the automotive manufacturing equivalent of using a zipper, instead of buttons, to close a jacket.
Sound insulation now covers 93 percent of the ES’s floor pan, up significantly from the outgoing model’s figure of 68 percent. The ES hybrid gets three layers of sound deadening material at the firewall. Lexus calls that Hybrid Acoustics and designed it to soak up and reflect the high-pitch noises typically generated by hybrids.
All ESs come standard with the new Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 suite. Along with features such as 10 airbags, Lane Departure Alert, High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with Road Sign Assist, and Lane Tracing Assist, it also has an improved version of the Pre-Collision System. That system can now potentially detect cyclists in daylight. At night, the PCS has greater range and sensitivity which can potentially help the ES avoid a pedestrian collision.
Outside of our host hotel, the group of eager writers saw an array of ES models in a variety of colors (a total of 12 are available) lined up and ready to go. Every model – the ES 350, ES 300h, and first ever ES 350 F Sport – was present. Standing there in front of it, the new ES didn’t appear to be a radical departure from the car it replaces. You could still tell it was an ES, but the new version looked sharper, more honed.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
