Lexus ES 300h Hybrid | First Drive

Exterior Design and Features of the Lexus ES 300h

The Lexus ES 300h is an aerodynamically crafted beauty. In fact, the craftsmanship is evident both inside and outside. The car has a wheelbase of 2820mm, an overall length of 4915mm, a width of 1820mm and a height of 1450mm. Like all Lexus cars, this one too glares at you with its signature spindle grille. Somewhere at the centre of the grille is the Lexus logo with the iconic ‘L’ letter planted on a shade of blue. This colour denotes that the car is a hybrid.

The letter ‘L’ takes different forms on the car, like the two-eye LED headlamps with the Lexus arrowhead-shaped daytime running lamps and the signature L-shaped combination lamps at the back. There is also an LED high-mount stop lamp. The aerodynamic shape of the car has been matched to perfection with aero-stabilising fins on the front door frame covers and even the tiny fins on the tail lamps so as to cut air perfectly and thereby reduce the drag coefficient. The paint quality is so upmarket that you can actually place your analog watch close to the car body and see the seconds needle move in the reflection. The ten spoke 17-inch aluminum wheels enhance the looks of the car further, apart from being effective on the move. The glass for the windshields and the windows has an acoustic characteristic which blocks outside noise into the cabin. They are also water repellent thus providing clear view during rains. The sunroof opens, closes and tilts up and down at the touch of a switch inside.

Interior Design and Features of the Lexus ES 300h

Step inside the ES 300h and it’s a premium luxury world that awaits you. The dashboard with crafted leather, the refined wood and leather steering, the intuitive remote touch, the modern LED analog clock and the smart leather seats add to the beauty of the cabin. The front seat has 10-way power adjustments. The driver’s seat has an adjustable seat cushion length. Because of the large wheelbase, the rear seats provide ample space for seating as well as leg room. LED illumination in the foot areas make it easy for getting in and out when it is dark. The air-conditioning system provides 3-zone independent control of temperature in the driver’s seat, front passenger seat and the rear seats. Those sitting at the back can control temperature for their area through controls located in the rear centre arm.  

The sunshade for the rear windshield can be controlled electrically. This shade retracts automatically when the reverse gear is engaged. But the rear door windows and the quarter glass have manual sun shades.

When it comes to the instrument panel and the surroundings, there is LED illumination at its best. From the lower instrument panel and front and rear door trim there is subtle illumination that can be adjusted. When it comes to the instrument cluster how can you not talk about the optitron meters? These are easy to read and when one is driving on Eco or Normal Mode, the instrumentation turns a tranquil blue and when you are on Sport Mode the instrumentation illuminates to a vibrant red.

Positioned in the centre of the meter cluster is a 4.2 inch colour TFT. The TFT multi-information display provides a wide range of vehicle information, data and warnings that also include tyre pressure warnings on each of the four tyres. The intuitive remote touch interface on the centre console area helps you to change settings that show up on the TFT. Then there are steering wheel controls for the audio system and multi-information system. The TFT screen doubles up as a parking assist monitor too.  Last but not the least, no cabin is complete without a good music system. The car comes with the Mark Levinson surround sound audio system with a 12-channel amplifier and 15 speakers. It’s music to your ears!

Performance of the Lexus ES 300h

Hybrids have their own charm. It’s silent to begin with and as the petrol engine kicks in, there is a constant charging of the batteries and energy is passed on back and forth, thereby delivering a perfect balance of performance and fuel efficiency. When you put the car on EV-drive mode, the car can be driven using only the electric motor power up to speeds of around 40kmph. It is meant to keep your driving a bit silent when coming or leaving home at night and to reduce indoor car parks and garages.

The Lexus ES 300h is not an ordinary car, rather it is a car that is meant to conserve energy and to reduce emissions. You have three drive modes in this car—Eco, Normal and Sport.  It’s best behaved in the Eco mode where throttle control and air-conditioning are set at levels with an eye on fuel efficiency.

Put it on Sport mode and the throttle control changes and the electric power steering gets far more responsive. The Normal mode optimally balances the Eco and Sport modes. There was not much driving I did with the car on the roads of Ooty but I could gather from my limited driving that the car was quick on its feet when it was needed and the suspension took the rough roads with a lot of confidence. NVH levels were excellent and car handled well on all the twists and turns of Ooty. Every time I braked, I knew that kinetic energy was being converted to electric energy to charge the nickel-metal hybrid (Ni-MH) batteries that are installed in the luggage compartment behind the rear seats. Cruise control can be set and adjusted by a lever on the right side of the steering wheel. The Lexus ES 300h gets a 2.5 litre, 4 cylinder, petrol power plant which puts out 158.24bhp at 5700rpm and 213Nm of torque at 4500rpm. The hybrid system in the ES 300h gets a total output of 202hp. The 2.5L engine has been mated to an E-CVT transmission.  The car can achieve a top speed of 185kmph and goes from 0-100kmph in 8.5 seconds. On the safety front the car comes with ten air bags.

Verdict

The Lexus ES 300h luxury sedan is elegant to look at, has well crafted interiors and exteriors, and has an engine that has a graceful approach to its drive. It is right mix of elegance, grace and performance. The signature spindle grill may not appeal to you in the first glance, but once you have spent some time with the car, you will simply love the bold and uber design language.