REVEALED! 8th Generation Lexus ES Megathread (ES 350h, ES 350e, ES 500e)

[spwolf]

You sure it’s just one size up and not like several sizes bigger lol? Now you see how far behind they really are? It’s either those “luxed-up” SUVs or straight-up reskinned old models. The target audience is crystal clear: “Yeah, we’re gonna half-ass it - if you don’t like it, gtfo.”

New cars coming in 2026 and after are OK when it comes to charging, battery and cruising range. They are not class leading but they fixed many issues with previous models and they are usable.

ES350e for 48k at 300 and 77kwh miles will be a good vehicle.

You will have very good reasons to select ES instead of 3 series, for similar or less money at almost same battery and range. You get much, much larger interior and much nicer/luxury interior.

It is also billion times better vehicle than 350h with its lazy/noisy 4cly powertrain

 

[ssun30]

Lol first question, that “1000 km range” is based on what, WLTP, NEDC, or CLTC? If it’s NEDC then yeah… BMW’s probably laughing their ass off already!!

But honestly, just seeing “1000+ km + SSB + TMC” all in one line should be a red flag right away, it's too good to be true!

Japan has fully adopted WLTP. All their fuel efficiency and EV ranges measurements are done in WLTP after 2020.

 

[spwolf]

Is this going to be first shipping vehicle for Arene OS? Rav4 is also getting it but not sure which one is actually faster to sell, since there are ES350e at dealerships now.

 

[mikeavelli]

There was one at Sebring with Lexus Racing and I asked for the keys. Let me be clear i’m not trying to sell anything. First off Caviar is the color to get, It masks the side black things and weird angles better. In my eyes it isn’t handsome but it wasn’t as bad as in pics.

The interior is larger than a LS 500. Front and rear is massive. The rear in particular is really impressive.

This was a loaded 350e. I liked the bamboo trim. The interior also didn’t bug me as much as in pics It’s definitely a new way of Lexus. I still hate ipad screens. The interior felt very high quality though. Better than the last generation.

 

[mikeavelli]

I have a ton more content coming

Cool 2026 Lexus ES 350e Interior Lighting | Lexus Racing USA #lexuses #es350 #es350e #sebring #light

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[mikeavelli]

The packaging efficiency is night and day:
8ES. For whatever reason Toyota insists that the ESU is a high-maintenance item that needs to be accessible from the engine bay, or they just did a terrible job integrating it into the battery unit (it doesn't even need to be in the housing).
View attachment 10958
i3 NA0. Still not a true skateboard architecture but I believe this is as good as you can get with a BEV/ICEV hybrid platform.
View attachment 10959
TBF the i3 is very stubby because they have a really thick battery pack. It's also 1 generation ahead of the 8ES battery so 108kWh isn't that hard in a 2900mm wheelbase. The 8ES is essentially a bZ4X sedan with updated gen-2 eAxle that Blue Nexus originally planned for 2022. 2025 should be gen-3 but that is apparently pushed back to the IS EV that will come in 2028 at the earliest. That being said, if BestCar's rendering and specs for the IS EV were true, the i3 would be in a lot of trouble.

I really hope the ICEV 3-series removes the thick floor the i3 so it doesn't look so stubby. But BMW didn't do that on the 5-series.

It’s hard to take an EV with no frunk seriously. Like you give it a battery engine bay? I really don’t understand an EV with no frunk.

 

[Falcon]

You guys were also disappointed with the 7ES when it launched.

 

[spwolf]

It’s hard to take an EV with no frunk seriously. Like you give it a battery engine bay? I really don’t understand an EV with no frunk.

it is packaging of all of the components thats lacking, thus no frunk.

Does it have enough of trunk under storage for charging cables at least? Thats what I use frunk for - all the safety + 2 different charging cables + extension cord when i needed it.

 

[mediumhot]

You guys were also disappointed with the 7ES when it launched.

Well the theme of ES was always you either get a nice interior or exterior but never the both 🙂

Never ever considered an ES and the only one that got me excited was 4ES cause for the first time ever in a entry car you really got the flagship interior quality and features. I think 4ES even had active suspension or something in first few MY. Yet its exterior was atrocious! Pokemon inspired face.

5ES fixed the exterior, got more executive box and sharp lines but the interior got a lot more feminine and it lost tons of wood trim which was replaced by soft plastic. That teardrop dash was a turn off. 6ES looked like a Corolla with spindle grill, miles away from premium looking but its interior is probably the best to date. Interior was 70% 4GS which was a good thing. 7ES is the peak exterior design but that's about it.

 

[LCLFV]

You guys were also disappointed with the 7ES when it launched.

Revisionist history much? Everyone loved that ES except for the lack of AWD paired with V6 which is still a very legitimate criticism. And of course the usual Lexus-at-the-time issues like the touchpad. However, nobody denied that it was a proper successor to the prior generation and overall an improvement in every aspect, which isn't something that can be said for every ES like the XV40.

This new ES has nothing to do with any prior generation and is essentially a long wheelbase crossover coupe designed for what Toyota thinks the Chinese market wants.

 

[ssun30]

You guys were also disappointed with the 7ES when it launched.

I pre-ordered on Day 1 and had to wait 6 months for delivery. I also had the first model year A25 fuel pump problem that left me stranded on the highway. I criticized the interior design. But I actually bought one and would not even consider the possibility of buying an 8ES.

 

[mediumhot]

I pre-ordered on Day 1 and had to wait 6 months for delivery. I also had the first model year A25 fuel pump problem that left me stranded on the highway. I criticized the interior design. But I actually bought one and would not even consider the possibility of buying an 8ES.

Besides the moniker 8ES has nothing in common with ES cars. Maybe you could argue that such drastic jump happened between 3ES and 4ES but 8ES so drastically different than anything from 4th to 7th generation.

 

[LCLFV]

Let's also not forget the 800 pound gorilla in the room - this new ES effectively killed and replaced the LS as we know it. So it's not just a "new ES" it's also by proxy the "new LS" for the foreseeable future.

 

[DarkSpace6383]

The new BMW i3 comes with a 108kw/h battery pack. Compared to the 77kw/h battery in the ES, a car that's a size-category above the i3. How tf did toyota fumble this so bad?

The problem is that their EVs and Hybrids use the exact same platform. We need a proper EV platform so the EV side isnt such a joke, and a proper hybrid platform capable of fitting larger engines with more RWD-biased cars.

 

[DarkSpace6383]

Sometimes I wonder if the raised ride height is on purpose because people want crossovers and if sedans can't beat them.... you know how it goes. New ES is basically a crossover coupe.

I3 and IX3 look almost the same height, you could even argue that the the i3 is a "coupe" version of the iX3. Or you can call the iX3 a wagon or hatchback.

View attachment 10960

boils down to batteries. The height has to be higher to accommodate them under the floor. The SUV is is also a bit shorter than a combustion counterpart to improve aerodynamics and range.

 

[ssun30]

boils down to batteries. The height has to be higher to accommodate them under the floor. The SUV is is also a bit shorter than a combustion counterpart to improve aerodynamics and range.

BMW uses 4695/46120 cells for their Neue Klasse cars. These are taller than the 4680 cells you see on Teslas. BMW is balancing energy density and power density so the cells are actually not very energy dense (~260-280 Wh/kg) but allow 5-10C cycling rate for very fast charging/discharging. This means they have to use slightly larger cells to pack 108 kWh into a mid-size chassis and 150+ kWh in a full-size chassis.

It’s hard to take an EV with no frunk seriously. Like you give it a battery engine bay? I really don’t understand an EV with no frunk.

I still don't understand why Toyota place the ESU in the engine bay. I've never heard of ESU requiring lots of maintenance on hybrids and EVs. And most modern all-in-one energy management systems are beneath the rear seats, which are not that hard to service anyway (Toyota do this themselves with hybrid battery placement). The alternative reason could be they just want to save wiring cost by placing the ESU directly next to the charging port and the front drive motor.

 

[DarkSpace6383]

BMW uses 4695/46120 cells for their Neue Klasse cars. These are taller than the 4680 cells you see on Teslas. BMW is balancing energy density and power density so the cells are actually not very energy dense (~260-280 Wh/kg) but allow 5-10C cycling rate for very fast charging/discharging. This means they have to use slightly larger cells to pack 108 kWh into a mid-size chassis and 150+ kWh in a full-size chassis.


I still don't understand why Toyota place the ESU in the engine bay. I've never heard of ESU requiring lots of maintenance on hybrids and EVs. And most modern all-in-one energy management systems are beneath the rear seats, which are not that hard to service anyway (Toyota do this themselves with hybrid battery placement). The alternative reason could be they just want to save wiring cost by placing the ESU directly next to the charging port and the front drive motor.

Also just bad packaging. Their dedicated EV architecture couldn't come soon enough.

 

[mikeavelli]

Obviously i create content. I ran some numbers and my ES content is doing meh. It’s actually doing worse than my QX65 content. Wild. This is on my personal side.

In the past I was move involved to help with amplification, some of my videos do big numbers. Things have been quiet with the ES. Let’s be honest it needs all the help it can get.

 

[mikeavelli]

I do like bamboo x black… personal thing i guess

 

[DarkSpace6383]

Obviously i create content. I ran some numbers and my ES content is doing meh. It’s actually doing worse than my QX65 content. Wild. This is on my personal side.

In the past I was move involved to help with amplification, some of my videos do big numbers. Things have been quiet with the ES. Let’s be honest it needs all the help it can get.

That help should be in the form of making it an actually compelling product