Motor Trend Comparison: Lexus ES 350 vs. Acura TLX vs. Infiniti Q50 vs. Lincoln MKZ vs. Buick Lacrosse

Joaquin Ruhi

A better and more positive than I expected review of the ES 350 F-Sport (save for complaints of minor FWD torque steer and the Remote Touch interface) comes to us from Autoblog:

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/07/2019-lexus-es-350-f-review/

I actually enjoyed driving it more than the BMW M550i, and I liked driving that car quite a bit. Seriously. No one is as surprised by that statement as the guy who typed it.

Joaquin Ruhi

A better and more positive than I expected review of the ES 350 F-Sport (save for complaints of minor FWD torque steer and the Remote Touch interface) comes to us from Autoblog:

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/07/2019-lexus-es-350-f-review/

I actually enjoyed driving it more than the BMW M550i, and I liked driving that car quite a bit. Seriously. No one is as surprised by that statement as the guy who typed it.

spwolf

that looks tight @mikeavelli

spwolf

that looks tight @mikeavelli

In this on-paper comparison, we match up the best-selling Lexus ES against competitors we’ve previously driven

Conclusions
After a week in the Lexus I understand why the ES continues to outsell these four competitors by between 40 and 212 percent (Q50 and LaCrosse), and why its rate of sales decrease year-over-year was less than half what the others suffered from 2017 to 2018. It looks good from all angles except the front, and it goes about its business without any attention-grabbing engine or tire noises, automatically turning on its heated steering wheel and seats, then automatically turning them down about 10 minutes into a journey. It's a faithful automotive valet—solicitous, never argumentative, seen but not heard. Toss in a strong record for reliability and resale value, and what non-car enthusiast could resist? So in a consumer-focused Big Test focusing on packaging, safety, reliability, refinement, and the like, I boldly predict that Lexus would grab the gold. Second place might be hotly contested by a heavily optioned 300-hp Q50 Luxe AWD and Acura TLX SH-AWD. I see a Lincoln MKZ 3.0 Reserve II AWD finishing a close third and Buick's LaCrosse Avenir AWD bringing up the rear. Stay tuned to check these predictions against a future test—unless the category shrinks to complete insignificance before we get around to it ...

In this on-paper comparison, we match up the best-selling Lexus ES against competitors we’ve previously driven

Conclusions
After a week in the Lexus I understand why the ES continues to outsell these four competitors by between 40 and 212 percent (Q50 and LaCrosse), and why its rate of sales decrease year-over-year was less than half what the others suffered from 2017 to 2018. It looks good from all angles except the front, and it goes about its business without any attention-grabbing engine or tire noises, automatically turning on its heated steering wheel and seats, then automatically turning them down about 10 minutes into a journey. It's a faithful automotive valet—solicitous, never argumentative, seen but not heard. Toss in a strong record for reliability and resale value, and what non-car enthusiast could resist? So in a consumer-focused Big Test focusing on packaging, safety, reliability, refinement, and the like, I boldly predict that Lexus would grab the gold. Second place might be hotly contested by a heavily optioned 300-hp Q50 Luxe AWD and Acura TLX SH-AWD. I see a Lincoln MKZ 3.0 Reserve II AWD finishing a close third and Buick's LaCrosse Avenir AWD bringing up the rear. Stay tuned to check these predictions against a future test—unless the category shrinks to complete insignificance before we get around to it ...

Motor

Car Compare: 2019 Lexus ES 350 vs. TLX, Q50, MKZ, and Lacrosse
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/lex...-tlx-infiniti-q50-lincoln-mkz-buick-lacrosse/

Motor

Car Compare: 2019 Lexus ES 350 vs. TLX, Q50, MKZ, and Lacrosse
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/lex...-tlx-infiniti-q50-lincoln-mkz-buick-lacrosse/