First 2019 Lexus ES Sedan Rolls Off Production Line in Kentucky

Posted by Kevin on August 3rd, 2018

The very first 2019 Lexus ES 350 F SPORT has rolled off the production line at the Georgetown factory in Kentucky:

The Lexus line in Georgetown won a J.D. Power Platinum award in 2016 after its first year of production, and has just been awarded a Gold award for the second consecutive year.

The Lexus ES will be arriving in dealerships this September. Pricing has been announced, and here you can read our review of the all-new sedan.

Lexus ES: Sixth Generation
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Comments
R
I have already said Wow I think looks very good, one question why is the engine bay so exposed? A lots of wiring and pump wires etc all visible surely there will be a cover over this in the production vehicles?
R
I have already said Wow I think looks very good, one question why is the engine bay so exposed? A lots of wiring and pump wires etc all visible surely there will be a cover over this in the production vehicles?
R
I have already said Wow I think looks very good, one question why is the engine bay so exposed? A lots of wiring and pump wires etc all visible surely there will be a cover over this in the production vehicles?
L
ssun30
Care to explain why the ES has a longer passenger cabin than the LS? How does it have a longer legroom when the LS is 8 inches longer? I know transverse FWD platform has inherent advantage in interior space, but Lexus did waste a lot of length on that front overhang you know.
LS is about 10 inch longer overall and in wheels base. Knowing the LS has its overhangs almost as long as the ES, yet having some distance between the front wheel and the front door, it loses the 10 inch length advantage, if not more, in terms of cabin length.
L
ssun30
Care to explain why the ES has a longer passenger cabin than the LS? How does it have a longer legroom when the LS is 8 inches longer? I know transverse FWD platform has inherent advantage in interior space, but Lexus did waste a lot of length on that front overhang you know.
LS is about 10 inch longer overall and in wheels base. Knowing the LS has its overhangs almost as long as the ES, yet having some distance between the front wheel and the front door, it loses the 10 inch length advantage, if not more, in terms of cabin length.
L
ssun30
Care to explain why the ES has a longer passenger cabin than the LS? How does it have a longer legroom when the LS is 8 inches longer? I know transverse FWD platform has inherent advantage in interior space, but Lexus did waste a lot of length on that front overhang you know.
LS is about 10 inch longer overall and in wheels base. Knowing the LS has its overhangs almost as long as the ES, yet having some distance between the front wheel and the front door, it loses the 10 inch length advantage, if not more, in terms of cabin length.
Joaquin Ruhi
Carmaker1
I am thinking like what @Gecko had said to me, certain decision making was made so belatedly, that the ES wasn't able to be developed to replace GS with AWD and stay on time.
That sounds very likely, but I'm optimistically clinging to hope that, somehow, 7ES eventually gets a well-engineered AWD option during a future model year, perhaps in conjunction with either an "ES 450h" performance hybrid or even (gasp!) an ES-F. I do note, however, ssun30's observations atop page 4 of this thread that E-Four is not a good AWD system for performance applications.

Only then will ES be a truly worthy GS replacement.

Carmaker1
With that being said, I think we should try and dissolve any non-ES discussion in this thread, in order to avoid going off topic too long.
Point taken, but I do feel that I need to post some numbers which clearly show why Lexus decided to kill GS in favor of ES. A text conversation with krew last night led me to Google "2017 global Lexus sales by model", with the first result being a page on focus2move.com.

ES was, worldwide, the 3rd best-selling Lexus vehicle in 2017. Its 133,340 units sold were only exceeded by NX (148,377) and RX (163, 646). Most notably, ES was one of only 2 Lexus lines to show increased sales globally versus 2016. (ES +8% and NX +1.4%). And GS? It was #8 out of 10 Lexus lines tallied by focus2move, trailed only by RC and LS (the latter transitioning from 4th to 5th generation during 2017). Most notably, GS reported the steepest percentage drop (a 41.3% drop from 27,770 units sold globally in 2016 to 16,304 units in 2017).

With numbers like those, it's no wonder that Lexus bean counters pulled the plug on GS.
Joaquin Ruhi
Carmaker1
I am thinking like what @Gecko had said to me, certain decision making was made so belatedly, that the ES wasn't able to be developed to replace GS with AWD and stay on time.
That sounds very likely, but I'm optimistically clinging to hope that, somehow, 7ES eventually gets a well-engineered AWD option during a future model year, perhaps in conjunction with either an "ES 450h" performance hybrid or even (gasp!) an ES-F. I do note, however, ssun30's observations atop page 4 of this thread that E-Four is not a good AWD system for performance applications.

Only then will ES be a truly worthy GS replacement.

Carmaker1
With that being said, I think we should try and dissolve any non-ES discussion in this thread, in order to avoid going off topic too long.
Point taken, but I do feel that I need to post some numbers which clearly show why Lexus decided to kill GS in favor of ES. A text conversation with krew last night led me to Google "2017 global Lexus sales by model", with the first result being a page on focus2move.com.

ES was, worldwide, the 3rd best-selling Lexus vehicle in 2017. Its 133,340 units sold were only exceeded by NX (148,377) and RX (163, 646). Most notably, ES was one of only 2 Lexus lines to show increased sales globally versus 2016. (ES +8% and NX +1.4%). And GS? It was #8 out of 10 Lexus lines tallied by focus2move, trailed only by RC and LS (the latter transitioning from 4th to 5th generation during 2017). Most notably, GS reported the steepest percentage drop (a 41.3% drop from 27,770 units sold globally in 2016 to 16,304 units in 2017).

With numbers like those, it's no wonder that Lexus bean counters pulled the plug on GS.
Joaquin Ruhi
Carmaker1
I am thinking like what @Gecko had said to me, certain decision making was made so belatedly, that the ES wasn't able to be developed to replace GS with AWD and stay on time.
That sounds very likely, but I'm optimistically clinging to hope that, somehow, 7ES eventually gets a well-engineered AWD option during a future model year, perhaps in conjunction with either an "ES 450h" performance hybrid or even (gasp!) an ES-F. I do note, however, ssun30's observations atop page 4 of this thread that E-Four is not a good AWD system for performance applications.

Only then will ES be a truly worthy GS replacement.

Carmaker1
With that being said, I think we should try and dissolve any non-ES discussion in this thread, in order to avoid going off topic too long.
Point taken, but I do feel that I need to post some numbers which clearly show why Lexus decided to kill GS in favor of ES. A text conversation with krew last night led me to Google "2017 global Lexus sales by model", with the first result being a page on focus2move.com.

ES was, worldwide, the 3rd best-selling Lexus vehicle in 2017. Its 133,340 units sold were only exceeded by NX (148,377) and RX (163, 646). Most notably, ES was one of only 2 Lexus lines to show increased sales globally versus 2016. (ES +8% and NX +1.4%). And GS? It was #8 out of 10 Lexus lines tallied by focus2move, trailed only by RC and LS (the latter transitioning from 4th to 5th generation during 2017). Most notably, GS reported the steepest percentage drop (a 41.3% drop from 27,770 units sold globally in 2016 to 16,304 units in 2017).

With numbers like those, it's no wonder that Lexus bean counters pulled the plug on GS.
krew
Quick little look at the ES reveal at the Beijing Motor Show

krew
Quick little look at the ES reveal at the Beijing Motor Show

krew
Quick little look at the ES reveal at the Beijing Motor Show

L
Regarding the ES and Lexus overall, I know it may not play a huge role for most, but there are some things I do not like lately. I do not exactly know how to call these details, it is not design, because it is not really style, but still something visual and technical.

1. I have already mentioned the sloppy rear window, I prefer more upright with the flatter trunk. I know aerodynamics, but on a three-box-car, it does not look good to me.

2. I usually do not like when sedans have a small glass window behind the rear door (like Audi). I prefer the way BMW, Mercedes and Lexus do it. But in this case, unlike the yet current/soon previous ES, I do not like how the trim extends behind the door, for no reason. The new LS has a windows behind, the concept was better without.


3. I prefer when the rear door line is straight rather than curved around the wheel (like BMW for example), or cuts straight through the fender ( like Lexus GX). I can accept curved around the fender like most Lexus. On the XV60 the fender line is the same one as the door shutline. If there is some distance between the fender line and the door shutline, that is fine too, maybe even better. But here it is the worst possible execution: the door line cuts through the fender line, but instead of going through the fender arc surface till the fender edge, it stops in the middle and follows the fender arc from the wrong side. This drives me mad, same thing on the new LS.
L
Regarding the ES and Lexus overall, I know it may not play a huge role for most, but there are some things I do not like lately. I do not exactly know how to call these details, it is not design, because it is not really style, but still something visual and technical.

1. I have already mentioned the sloppy rear window, I prefer more upright with the flatter trunk. I know aerodynamics, but on a three-box-car, it does not look good to me.

2. I usually do not like when sedans have a small glass window behind the rear door (like Audi). I prefer the way BMW, Mercedes and Lexus do it. But in this case, unlike the yet current/soon previous ES, I do not like how the trim extends behind the door, for no reason. The new LS has a windows behind, the concept was better without.


3. I prefer when the rear door line is straight rather than curved around the wheel (like BMW for example), or cuts straight through the fender ( like Lexus GX). I can accept curved around the fender like most Lexus. On the XV60 the fender line is the same one as the door shutline. If there is some distance between the fender line and the door shutline, that is fine too, maybe even better. But here it is the worst possible execution: the door line cuts through the fender line, but instead of going through the fender arc surface till the fender edge, it stops in the middle and follows the fender arc from the wrong side. This drives me mad, same thing on the new LS.
L
Regarding the ES and Lexus overall, I know it may not play a huge role for most, but there are some things I do not like lately. I do not exactly know how to call these details, it is not design, because it is not really style, but still something visual and technical.

1. I have already mentioned the sloppy rear window, I prefer more upright with the flatter trunk. I know aerodynamics, but on a three-box-car, it does not look good to me.

2. I usually do not like when sedans have a small glass window behind the rear door (like Audi). I prefer the way BMW, Mercedes and Lexus do it. But in this case, unlike the yet current/soon previous ES, I do not like how the trim extends behind the door, for no reason. The new LS has a windows behind, the concept was better without.


3. I prefer when the rear door line is straight rather than curved around the wheel (like BMW for example), or cuts straight through the fender ( like Lexus GX). I can accept curved around the fender like most Lexus. On the XV60 the fender line is the same one as the door shutline. If there is some distance between the fender line and the door shutline, that is fine too, maybe even better. But here it is the worst possible execution: the door line cuts through the fender line, but instead of going through the fender arc surface till the fender edge, it stops in the middle and follows the fender arc from the wrong side. This drives me mad, same thing on the new LS.
S
ssun30
@krew Care to explain why the ES has a longer passenger cabin than the LS? How does it have a longer legroom when the LS is 8 inches longer? I know transverse FWD platform has inherent advantage in interior space, but Lexus did waste a lot of length on that front overhang you know.


Oops, messed up the BB code. Fixed.
LS has engine behind the axle, ES has in front, this frees up wheelbase for cabin.

But also do not just read the specs... for instance I bet LS has much more relaxed seating at the back, and much nicer angle. I am 6.1" 250lbs and I have maximum comfort in front and back of LS. There is simply no way that back seat of ES is as comfortable as in LS, the angle of seat back and bottom cushion is going to be very different. Also I bet front seats of LS take up much more space.
S
ssun30
@krew Care to explain why the ES has a longer passenger cabin than the LS? How does it have a longer legroom when the LS is 8 inches longer? I know transverse FWD platform has inherent advantage in interior space, but Lexus did waste a lot of length on that front overhang you know.


Oops, messed up the BB code. Fixed.
LS has engine behind the axle, ES has in front, this frees up wheelbase for cabin.

But also do not just read the specs... for instance I bet LS has much more relaxed seating at the back, and much nicer angle. I am 6.1" 250lbs and I have maximum comfort in front and back of LS. There is simply no way that back seat of ES is as comfortable as in LS, the angle of seat back and bottom cushion is going to be very different. Also I bet front seats of LS take up much more space.
S
ssun30
@krew Care to explain why the ES has a longer passenger cabin than the LS? How does it have a longer legroom when the LS is 8 inches longer? I know transverse FWD platform has inherent advantage in interior space, but Lexus did waste a lot of length on that front overhang you know.


Oops, messed up the BB code. Fixed.
LS has engine behind the axle, ES has in front, this frees up wheelbase for cabin.

But also do not just read the specs... for instance I bet LS has much more relaxed seating at the back, and much nicer angle. I am 6.1" 250lbs and I have maximum comfort in front and back of LS. There is simply no way that back seat of ES is as comfortable as in LS, the angle of seat back and bottom cushion is going to be very different. Also I bet front seats of LS take up much more space.
T
Joaquin Ruhi
I think this post from TheNerdyPotato on the separate Toyota & Lexus Future Powertrain Discussion thread is also relevant here:



Toyota has touted its "multiple hybrid" (some fuel economy-oriented, others geared more towards performance) strategy going forward, with the European 3rd-gen Auris clearly an example of this. Outside North America, Lexus GS buyers have had a choice of an economical GS 300h or a performance GS 450h.

My point? If, indeed, ES winds up replacing the full GS line, we may well see an ES 450h with a naturally-aspirated V6 hybrid powertrain (be it the current 2GR-FXS from the RX 450h or a new variant of the V35A V6 engine family), with enthusiast-friendly tricks such as E-Four AWD and Direct Shift CVT.
I was curious to see how much the hypothetical "ES450h" would cost so I looked at the difference between the RX350 and RX450h and Highlander V6 vs Hybrid. Going by MSRP, the RX came with a $2,424 hybrid premium and the Highlander with a $2,595 premium. ES has a $2,810 premium to upgrade to a smaller, less powerful motor. Going from a Camry LE 4cyl to a Hybrid LE is +$3,800, which is more understandable due to 4cyl vs 4cyl.

What this brings to my attention is that, IMO, the ES has a pricing problem. Maybe it's hidden in the margins on the larger vehicles, or the V6 hybrid system is somehow less expensive than the 4cyl, but this just seems off to me.

(all prices listed in USD based on 2018 models)
T
Joaquin Ruhi
I think this post from TheNerdyPotato on the separate Toyota & Lexus Future Powertrain Discussion thread is also relevant here:



Toyota has touted its "multiple hybrid" (some fuel economy-oriented, others geared more towards performance) strategy going forward, with the European 3rd-gen Auris clearly an example of this. Outside North America, Lexus GS buyers have had a choice of an economical GS 300h or a performance GS 450h.

My point? If, indeed, ES winds up replacing the full GS line, we may well see an ES 450h with a naturally-aspirated V6 hybrid powertrain (be it the current 2GR-FXS from the RX 450h or a new variant of the V35A V6 engine family), with enthusiast-friendly tricks such as E-Four AWD and Direct Shift CVT.
I was curious to see how much the hypothetical "ES450h" would cost so I looked at the difference between the RX350 and RX450h and Highlander V6 vs Hybrid. Going by MSRP, the RX came with a $2,424 hybrid premium and the Highlander with a $2,595 premium. ES has a $2,810 premium to upgrade to a smaller, less powerful motor. Going from a Camry LE 4cyl to a Hybrid LE is +$3,800, which is more understandable due to 4cyl vs 4cyl.

What this brings to my attention is that, IMO, the ES has a pricing problem. Maybe it's hidden in the margins on the larger vehicles, or the V6 hybrid system is somehow less expensive than the 4cyl, but this just seems off to me.

(all prices listed in USD based on 2018 models)
T
Joaquin Ruhi
I think this post from TheNerdyPotato on the separate Toyota & Lexus Future Powertrain Discussion thread is also relevant here:



Toyota has touted its "multiple hybrid" (some fuel economy-oriented, others geared more towards performance) strategy going forward, with the European 3rd-gen Auris clearly an example of this. Outside North America, Lexus GS buyers have had a choice of an economical GS 300h or a performance GS 450h.

My point? If, indeed, ES winds up replacing the full GS line, we may well see an ES 450h with a naturally-aspirated V6 hybrid powertrain (be it the current 2GR-FXS from the RX 450h or a new variant of the V35A V6 engine family), with enthusiast-friendly tricks such as E-Four AWD and Direct Shift CVT.
I was curious to see how much the hypothetical "ES450h" would cost so I looked at the difference between the RX350 and RX450h and Highlander V6 vs Hybrid. Going by MSRP, the RX came with a $2,424 hybrid premium and the Highlander with a $2,595 premium. ES has a $2,810 premium to upgrade to a smaller, less powerful motor. Going from a Camry LE 4cyl to a Hybrid LE is +$3,800, which is more understandable due to 4cyl vs 4cyl.

What this brings to my attention is that, IMO, the ES has a pricing problem. Maybe it's hidden in the margins on the larger vehicles, or the V6 hybrid system is somehow less expensive than the 4cyl, but this just seems off to me.

(all prices listed in USD based on 2018 models)
S
Joaquin Ruhi
Point taken, but I do feel that I need to post some numbers which clearly show why Lexus decided to kill GS in favor of ES. A text conversation with krew last night led me to Google "2017 global Lexus sales by model", with the first result being a page on focus2move.com.

ES was, worldwide, the 3rd best-selling Lexus vehicle in 2017. Its 133,340 units sold were only exceeded by NX (148,377) and RX (163, 646). Most notably, ES was one of only 2 Lexus lines to show increased sales globally versus 2016. (ES +8% and NX +1.4%). And GS? It was #8 out of 10 Lexus lines tallied by focus2move, trailed only by RC and LS (the latter transitioning from 4th to 5th generation during 2017). Most notably, GS reported the steepest percentage drop (a 41.3% drop from 27,770 units sold globally in 2016 to 16,304 units in 2017).

With numbers like those, it's no wonder that Lexus bean counters pulled the plug on GS.
I am going to go step ahead and complain why is not Lexus investing even more money into ES. As you can see by those sales stats, ES is their sedan sales leader by far, and it wasnt even a worldwide vehicle... I can see ES selling over 200k worldwide and its design and features need to be priority for Lexus.

I do think that those rumors of 2.5t for ES are true, and lets hope it brings AWD with it too. It is not really for my market here in Europe, but it would be nice worldwide.

450h powertrain would be overkill for ES, especially since it would need real awd which would then bring down mpg a lot.

e-Four system with 40hp at the back is not going to change things dynamically for ES... it is useful for SUVs when starting up on icy incline and low speed snow runs so you dont get stuck, but it is not performance awd.
S
Joaquin Ruhi
Point taken, but I do feel that I need to post some numbers which clearly show why Lexus decided to kill GS in favor of ES. A text conversation with krew last night led me to Google "2017 global Lexus sales by model", with the first result being a page on focus2move.com.

ES was, worldwide, the 3rd best-selling Lexus vehicle in 2017. Its 133,340 units sold were only exceeded by NX (148,377) and RX (163, 646). Most notably, ES was one of only 2 Lexus lines to show increased sales globally versus 2016. (ES +8% and NX +1.4%). And GS? It was #8 out of 10 Lexus lines tallied by focus2move, trailed only by RC and LS (the latter transitioning from 4th to 5th generation during 2017). Most notably, GS reported the steepest percentage drop (a 41.3% drop from 27,770 units sold globally in 2016 to 16,304 units in 2017).

With numbers like those, it's no wonder that Lexus bean counters pulled the plug on GS.
I am going to go step ahead and complain why is not Lexus investing even more money into ES. As you can see by those sales stats, ES is their sedan sales leader by far, and it wasnt even a worldwide vehicle... I can see ES selling over 200k worldwide and its design and features need to be priority for Lexus.

I do think that those rumors of 2.5t for ES are true, and lets hope it brings AWD with it too. It is not really for my market here in Europe, but it would be nice worldwide.

450h powertrain would be overkill for ES, especially since it would need real awd which would then bring down mpg a lot.

e-Four system with 40hp at the back is not going to change things dynamically for ES... it is useful for SUVs when starting up on icy incline and low speed snow runs so you dont get stuck, but it is not performance awd.
S
Joaquin Ruhi
Point taken, but I do feel that I need to post some numbers which clearly show why Lexus decided to kill GS in favor of ES. A text conversation with krew last night led me to Google "2017 global Lexus sales by model", with the first result being a page on focus2move.com.

ES was, worldwide, the 3rd best-selling Lexus vehicle in 2017. Its 133,340 units sold were only exceeded by NX (148,377) and RX (163, 646). Most notably, ES was one of only 2 Lexus lines to show increased sales globally versus 2016. (ES +8% and NX +1.4%). And GS? It was #8 out of 10 Lexus lines tallied by focus2move, trailed only by RC and LS (the latter transitioning from 4th to 5th generation during 2017). Most notably, GS reported the steepest percentage drop (a 41.3% drop from 27,770 units sold globally in 2016 to 16,304 units in 2017).

With numbers like those, it's no wonder that Lexus bean counters pulled the plug on GS.
I am going to go step ahead and complain why is not Lexus investing even more money into ES. As you can see by those sales stats, ES is their sedan sales leader by far, and it wasnt even a worldwide vehicle... I can see ES selling over 200k worldwide and its design and features need to be priority for Lexus.

I do think that those rumors of 2.5t for ES are true, and lets hope it brings AWD with it too. It is not really for my market here in Europe, but it would be nice worldwide.

450h powertrain would be overkill for ES, especially since it would need real awd which would then bring down mpg a lot.

e-Four system with 40hp at the back is not going to change things dynamically for ES... it is useful for SUVs when starting up on icy incline and low speed snow runs so you dont get stuck, but it is not performance awd.
S
TheNerdyPotato
I was curious to see how much the hypothetical "ES450h" would cost so I looked at the difference between the RX350 and RX450h and Highlander V6 vs Hybrid. Going by MSRP, the RX came with a $2,424 hybrid premium and the Highlander with a $2,595 premium. ES has a $2,810 premium to upgrade to a smaller, less powerful motor. Going from a Camry LE 4cyl to a Hybrid LE is +$3,800, which is more understandable due to 4cyl vs 4cyl.

What this brings to my attention is that, IMO, the ES has a pricing problem. Maybe it's hidden in the margins on the larger vehicles, or the V6 hybrid system is somehow less expensive than the 4cyl, but this just seems off to me.

(all prices listed in USD based on 2018 models)
New premium is likely going to be $1k, like in Avalon. Lexus has reduced hybrid premiums in NX, RX in past few months and Toyota has done it in new Avalon too.

They did not change ES price since new one is coming in few months.
S
TheNerdyPotato
I was curious to see how much the hypothetical "ES450h" would cost so I looked at the difference between the RX350 and RX450h and Highlander V6 vs Hybrid. Going by MSRP, the RX came with a $2,424 hybrid premium and the Highlander with a $2,595 premium. ES has a $2,810 premium to upgrade to a smaller, less powerful motor. Going from a Camry LE 4cyl to a Hybrid LE is +$3,800, which is more understandable due to 4cyl vs 4cyl.

What this brings to my attention is that, IMO, the ES has a pricing problem. Maybe it's hidden in the margins on the larger vehicles, or the V6 hybrid system is somehow less expensive than the 4cyl, but this just seems off to me.

(all prices listed in USD based on 2018 models)
New premium is likely going to be $1k, like in Avalon. Lexus has reduced hybrid premiums in NX, RX in past few months and Toyota has done it in new Avalon too.

They did not change ES price since new one is coming in few months.
S
TheNerdyPotato
I was curious to see how much the hypothetical "ES450h" would cost so I looked at the difference between the RX350 and RX450h and Highlander V6 vs Hybrid. Going by MSRP, the RX came with a $2,424 hybrid premium and the Highlander with a $2,595 premium. ES has a $2,810 premium to upgrade to a smaller, less powerful motor. Going from a Camry LE 4cyl to a Hybrid LE is +$3,800, which is more understandable due to 4cyl vs 4cyl.

What this brings to my attention is that, IMO, the ES has a pricing problem. Maybe it's hidden in the margins on the larger vehicles, or the V6 hybrid system is somehow less expensive than the 4cyl, but this just seems off to me.

(all prices listed in USD based on 2018 models)
New premium is likely going to be $1k, like in Avalon. Lexus has reduced hybrid premiums in NX, RX in past few months and Toyota has done it in new Avalon too.

They did not change ES price since new one is coming in few months.
T
spwolf
e-Four system with 40hp at the back is not going to change things dynamically for ES... it is useful for SUVs when starting up on icy incline and low speed snow runs so you dont get stuck, but it is not performance awd.
Agreed, which is why I brought up the old HybridR concept with 120hp on the rear axle.

spwolf
New premium is likely going to be $1k, like in Avalon. Lexus has reduced hybrid premiums in NX, RX in past few months and Toyota has done it in new Avalon too.

They did not change ES price since new one is coming in few months.
Oh, good. I hadn't kept up with it in a long time.
T
spwolf
e-Four system with 40hp at the back is not going to change things dynamically for ES... it is useful for SUVs when starting up on icy incline and low speed snow runs so you dont get stuck, but it is not performance awd.
Agreed, which is why I brought up the old HybridR concept with 120hp on the rear axle.

spwolf
New premium is likely going to be $1k, like in Avalon. Lexus has reduced hybrid premiums in NX, RX in past few months and Toyota has done it in new Avalon too.

They did not change ES price since new one is coming in few months.
Oh, good. I hadn't kept up with it in a long time.
T
spwolf
e-Four system with 40hp at the back is not going to change things dynamically for ES... it is useful for SUVs when starting up on icy incline and low speed snow runs so you dont get stuck, but it is not performance awd.
Agreed, which is why I brought up the old HybridR concept with 120hp on the rear axle.

spwolf
New premium is likely going to be $1k, like in Avalon. Lexus has reduced hybrid premiums in NX, RX in past few months and Toyota has done it in new Avalon too.

They did not change ES price since new one is coming in few months.
Oh, good. I hadn't kept up with it in a long time.

T