2020 Lexus ES- All-new for the 2019 model year
- Seventh-generation ES is more luxurious than ever
- Spacious 5-passenger cabin
- Offered in Standard, Hybrid, F-Sport Trims
- Pricing starts at $41,950 (including $1,025 destination charge) | Price yours
- On sale now | See ES models for sale near you
The 2019 Lexus ES, an all-new seventh-generation model, won our award last year. Based on how well that luxury sedan swept us off our feet, it comes as little surprise that this year’s Lexus ES has earned the Kelley Blue Book Luxury Sedan Best Buy of 2020 award.
The 2020 Lexus ES sedan is built on the company’s Global Architecture-K platform, which is longer, lower, and wider than its predecessor. The new dimensions pay off with more interior space, a more comfortable ride, and improved driving dynamics. The styling – complete with the signature Lexus spindle grille – is meant to evoke elegance and distinctiveness. It is bold, without question, but it allows the Lexus to be unmistaken in a crowd.
Luxury is its First Name
The primary objective of a luxury sedan is to afford passengers a roomy, comfortable, quiet, and luxurious cabin and ride. The Lexus ES achieves each of those goals, almost effortlessly.
Both the driver and front passenger are offered standard 10-way, heated and cooled power front seats (those seeking more adjustment may upgrade to the optional 14-way seats). The leather three-spoke steering wheel — shared with the company’s flagship LS sedan — is comfortable in hand and it is loaded with multi-function buttons. While most luxury automakers offer leather as standard upholstery, the ES arrives with NuLuxe, which is a long-wearing synthetic (Lexus offers leather, and premium semi-aniline leather, as options). F Sport models, which align with driving enthusiasts, have sportier front seats and unique upholsteries.
Second-row seating is anything but second class, as the Lexus ES boasts class-leading room for rear seat passengers. In addition to excellent leg- and head room, the sedan is fitted with dedicated HVAC vents, a pair of USB ports, and a 12-volt accessory outlet. All seating positions have been designed with today’s traveler in mind — door bins effortlessly hold 20-ounce drink bottles and smart tablets.
Innovative Technology
Lexus engineers focused on designing an instrument panel that puts everything the driver needs within eyesight and reach. The cockpit features an ultra-sharp LCD primary display, directly behind the steering wheel, for pertinent vehicle information. A secondary 12.3-inch LCD display, expansive and crystal-clear, resides above the center console — it is tasked with infotainment, climate control, and Lexus Enform Dynamic navigation. Automakers typically use a touch-screen interface, or a multi-function wheel, to control the action on this screen. But Lexus, in sharp contrast, uses a touchpad. While the interface is definitely unique, it isn’t intuitive, and it takes some getting used to.
The ES is offered with a 10.2-inch head-up display, which is the largest we’ve seen. To keep the driver’s eyes on the road, it projects speed, gear, engine revolutions, and more on the glass. The ES is also equipped with “Lexus+Alexa,” an app that allows passengers access to information (e.g., weather and news), listen to audiobooks, and use smart-home devices (e.g., alarm systems and thermostats) remotely.
Two Powertrains to Satisfy All
The 2020 Lexus ES is offered as the ES 350 and the ES 300h — a gasoline-only model, and a gasoline-electric hybrid.
Bucking the trend to move to a smaller turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Lexus ES 350 boasts a smooth-running 3.5-liter V6 rated at 302 horsepower (34 horsepower more than its predecessor). The engine is mated to a slick 8-speed automatic transmission that has gearing designed to improve acceleration and fuel economy. The EPA rates the ES 350 at 22 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 26 mpg in combined driving.
Shoppers seeking more efficiency will want to choose the ES 300h. While its passenger cabin is nearly identical, under the front hood is a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. Combined, the engine and motor provide a total of 215 horsepower. The front-wheel drive hybrid arrives with an electronically controlled continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), which provides smooth operation and efficiency. The EPA rates the ES 330h at 43 mpg city, 45 mpg highway, and 44 mpg in combined driving.
A smooth ride on both models is enhanced by standard Dynamic Control shocks, which not only isolate the bumps but reduce body roll in corners. Driving enthusiasts will enjoy the Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), which is standard on the F Sport model, as it trades some softness for more precision.
Focused on What Matters – Value
While many competitors in this segment boast luxury appointments, interior cabin space, and powertrain choices, the 2020 Lexus ES does offers all three for a price that its rivals can’t touch — many are tens of thousands of dollars more expensive. The standard ES 350 starts at just $41,950 (including the $1,025 destination charge), with the ES 300h hybrid coming in at $42,785 (including the $1,025 destination charge). Our heavily optioned test vehicle was priced at about $46,000.
And it’s not just purchase price that sets the Lexus apart. Consider that the ES also receives accolades with the Kelley Blue Book 5-year Cost to Own — the luxury sedan is a great value proposition to buy, and at the same time, inexpensive to own. These attributes make the 2020 Lexus ES an uncontested winner in the luxury category.
Photo Tour: 2020 Lexus ES
More 2020 Lexus ES
Build and price your own 2020 Lexus ES to see this week’s Fair Purchase Price, 5-Year Cost to Own and more, or check out the Lexus ES models for sale today at dealers near you.
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