AutoGuide Comparo: Lexus ES 350 vs. Buick LaCrosse

AutoGuide cut through some of the marketing hype and took the Lexus ES 350 and its advertised Buick rival for a multi-day test, with the review team rating both cars on 19 categories from driver comfort to price. They had praise and criticisms for both vehicles, and the final score tally was close—here’s the ES …

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Kevin · April 15th, 2010

Lexus CT 200h Size Comparison

Even with all the photos of the Lexus CT 200h at the Geneva Auto Show, it’s hard to get a good idea of just how big it really is, so I put together this chart showing the newest Lexus as compared to the IS, HS & ES: Put into perspective, the CT 200h looks bigger …

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Kevin · March 2nd, 2010

1993 Lexus ES Commercial: Brass Sound

Blast from the past with this 1993 Lexus ES 300 commercial: Reminds me of the ES 350 commercial that was one of Jim Sloyan’s last Lexus voiceovers—can’t help but miss his confident (and smug) tone.
Kevin · December 14th, 2009

Lexus ES 350 & IS 250/350 Recall Extended to Canada

The Lexus ES 350 & IS 250/350 safety recall that was announced in the USA has been extended to Canada. The recall will address the possible risk of unintended acceleration due to improperly installed floor mats by installing a new accelerator pedal and by installing a brake override system that will cut engine power went …

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Kevin · November 27th, 2009

Lexus ES 350 & IS 250/350 Recall Announced

Toyota has announced the recall of the Lexus ES 350 & IS 250/350 models to have their accelerator pedals reshaped and/or replaced. This recall is to be a permanent solution to the risk of unintended acceleration, no matter what floor mat is being used. Starting in early 2010, dealerships will be equipped to reshape the …

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Kevin · November 25th, 2009

Behind-the-Scenes of Lexus ES 350 Slice Commercial

Speaking of “behind-the-scenes” and Lexus ES commercials—here’s a real backstage pass to the work that went into creating one of my favorite Lexus commercials. First, the commercial (in poor quality): Next, here’s the process of creating a real “sliced” ES 350: The lengths that (Lexus USA advertising agency) Team One goes through to get these …

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Kevin · November 12th, 2009

Lexus ES 350 Commercial: 40,000 Hours

Here’s the new commercial for the 2010 Lexus ES 350: This commercial stays with the look of the latest LS commercial, and has a “behind-the-scenes” feel. Not sure I believe that’s what the Lexus test-facilities look like, though. (A note: I recently spotted a 2010 ES at my local dealership, and was pleased to see …

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Kevin · November 12th, 2009

Lexus Temporary Safety Recall Solution Announced

A temporary solution to the ongoing safety recall affecting the Lexus ES 350 & IS 250/350 has been announced—according to Automotive News, zip ties will be used to hold down the floor mats until a permanent solution is ready: “We have reviewed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration what we’re calling a semipermanent floor …

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Kevin · October 8th, 2009

2010 Lexus ES 350 now on Lexus USA Website

The Lexus USA website has been updated to include the 2010 Lexus ES 350, with plenty of photos of the updated sedan—I especially like this image: Available packages & pricing have also been updated, and I don’t picture it being much longer before the model is available at dealerships. [Source: Lexus USA Website]
Kevin · October 1st, 2009

Lexus ES & IS to be Recalled over Floor Mats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recommendation that 2007-2010 Lexus ES 350 & 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250/IS350 owners remove their drivers side floor mat, which may cause the accelerator to become stuck open under certain conditions: “This is an urgent matter,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “For everyone’s sake, we strongly …

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Kevin · September 29th, 2009

2010 Lexus ES 350 Official Information

Full information and photos of the refreshed 2010 Lexus ES 350 have been released—here’s a breakdown of the changes: Both the front and rear lights have been revised, along with a new front bumper, new foglights, a new grille. Chrome side molding has also been added. The new-look Lexus side mirrors with integrated turn signals …

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Kevin · September 18th, 2009

2010 Lexus ES 350 Official Photos

The finalized 2010 ES has been revealed by way of the Lexus China website—let’s start off with some exterior photos: The changes, as far as I can see: New front bumper and foglights New head lights & tail lights Chrome Side strip Rear view mirrors with integrated turn signals On a whole, the exterior changes …

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Kevin · September 14th, 2009

Lexus LS Takes First Place in 2009 Motorist Choice Awards

The Lexus LS was named the top vehicle of 2009 Motorist Choice Awards, a US joint survey by AutoPacific and Intellichoice that “recognizes new cars and trucks that give their owners both economic and emotional satisfaction”: “Clearly, consumers still get great satisfaction from large and luxurious cars, despite the economy, rising fuel costs and manufacturers’ …

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Kevin · August 14th, 2009

2010 Lexus ES 350 Revealed!

The scheduled refresh of the 2010 Lexus ES 350 has been revealed by way of a dealership in Taiwan—here are the spy shots and some shots of the current ES 350 for easy comparison (click the spy shots for a larger version): The changes center around the front end, where the grille, bumper and headlights …

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Kevin · August 11th, 2009

Lexus ES 240 to be Sold in China

In order to boost slowing sales in China, Lexus will be introducing a 2.4L four-cylinder ES model: From January to April, the sales of imported passenger cars in China increased 16% from a year earlier, with Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Lexus rising 1.5% together. But of the four luxury brands, Lexus saw its sales drop …

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Kevin · July 2nd, 2009

Michael Bay’s Lexus ES 330 Commercial

Loud, blurry and preposterous, this Lexus ES 330 commercial by Michael Bay would fit neatly into any one of his movies (jump to 1:02 to see the Lexus commercial directly): Somehow I doubt an airbag is going to save you from being hit by a tractor trailer.
Kevin · March 23rd, 2009

Canadian Driver Reviews the Lexus ES 350

The Lexus ES 350 doesn’t get a lot of play, particularly with it in the third year of its design cycle, but this Canadian Driver review of the 2009 model is worth noting, as it manages to capture the ES’ appeal and includes a previously unheard (and likely untrue) rumor: The 2009 model retains the …

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Kevin · March 23rd, 2009

Video Review of the 1992 Lexus ES 300

Looks like someone’s breaking into their old VHS collection, as Youtube user bajabusta has been steadily posting old segments from Motorweek. First there was the Lexus ES 250 vs. Infiniti M30 footage, and now it’s a review of the newly introduced 1992 ES 300: I always get a kick of these back-in-the-day TV segments, they …

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Kevin · June 11th, 2008

Motorweek 1990 Video Comparison of the Lexus ES 250 & Infiniti M30

This 1990 segment of Motorweek comparing the Lexus ES 250 and the Infiniti M30 just goes to show how far entry-level luxury cars have come over the last 18 years: It’s so rare to find anything about the ES 250, and this is the first video review I’ve seen. What’s more, comparing it the M30 …

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Kevin · May 31st, 2008

Lexus ES Commercial: Touch

I noticed earlier this week that Lexus was featuring the ES 350 heavily on their US site, and it seems to have extended to TV as well:
Kevin · March 21st, 2008

Lexus ES & RX Pebble Beach Commercial, plus Pricing

Two pieces of Lexus Pebble Beach news today, first off, the much searched-for Pebble Beach commercial has surfaced on Youtube: Not much to the commercial, it’s strictly an announcement-style advertisement, but the Pebble Beach edition color really catches my attention. It’s nice to see it on more than just the SC 430. The other news …

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Kevin · March 14th, 2008

Pebble Beach Editions for the Lexus ES, RX and LS Models

Once solely reserved for the SC 430, Lexus announced today at the Chicago Auto Show that three more models will be available in the Pebble Beach Edition. It starts with the release of a PBE RX 350 in mid-February, followed by an ES 350 in March and a LS 600hL sometime in the fall. Here’s …

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Kevin · February 6th, 2008

Dedicated Lexus Hybrid = Hybrid ES?

In a short interview with Bloomberg, Lexus General Manager Mark Templin reiterated what he told the Free Press a couple days ago, though with a little more detail: “There is a whole section of the population that wants something different, and that’s high-efficiency,” Lexus general manager Mark Templin said in an interview at the Detroit …

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Kevin · January 18th, 2008

Lexus ES Shopping

It’s been a long time coming, but tomorrow begins my search for a suitable car for my girlfriend, Karissa. Having driven a 1993 Toyota 4runner for the last five years, she’s looking for an upgrade in comfort, gas mileage and safety. Of course, it’s going to be a Lexus. Now, there was talk of buying …

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Kevin · December 12th, 2007

Lexus ES 350 Commerical: Slice

On the face of it, this Lexus commercial is a statement of the obvious, highlighting an undoubtedly common number of sensors as though it was unique. Yet, at the same time, it manages to accurately sum up what I find so appealing about Lexus itself: “Behind every detail, there’s a detail” will now be my …

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Kevin · October 13th, 2007

Lexus ES 350 Commercial: Panoramic

This Lexus ES 350 commercial highlights my favorite feature of the car, and perhaps one of my favorite optional features of all time, the panoramic glass roof: The glass roof is perfectly suited to the overall design of the ES, and really the only Lexus I could picture with it. Perhaps it’s only because I’ve …

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Kevin · September 24th, 2007

The Lexus Body Kit Series: ES 350

My initial thought was to pass over it without mention, but the more I think about it, it’s quite surprising that the ES 350 has absolutely no body kits. Why is that? I think the major reason has to be that the ES 350 is no longer available in Japan, where most Lexus kits come …

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Kevin · September 1st, 2007

Federal Government Continues Lexus ES 350 Investigation

The U.S. federal government is continuing its investigation into the Lexus ES 350, which has been linked to 40 separate complaints of unintended acceleration, causing eight crashes and twelve injuries. What’s the cause? All-weather floor mats: Toyota Motor Corp. told NHTSA [National Highway Traffic Safety Association] it sent a mailing to ES 350 owners in …

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Kevin · August 15th, 2007

Lexus Class Action Lawsuit over ES 350 Airbags

According to the BusinessWire, a civil action lawsuit has been filed against Lexus/Toyota, with the claim that the ES 350’s front passenger seat fails to register occupants, meaning that in the event of a crash, the front passenger airbag would not deploy: At issue is the ES350’s airbag system, and specifically the systems’ airbag occupant …

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Kevin · August 1st, 2007

Lexus ES 350 Commercial: Goosebumps

The opening shot of this commercial is pure gold, though I have to admit a crash-test dummy getting goosebumps is a bit freaky: One of my favorite things about the new ES 350, which you can only catch of glimpse of in this commercial, is the optional Panorama Glass roof. It almost folds up like …

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Kevin · July 18th, 2007

Gold Flecked Custom Painted ES 300

In running this site, I see a steady stream of beautiful cars, but once and a while , I come across an absolute gem: This ES 300 can not be beat, only $1,100! If you’re in Texas, it would be a crime not to give that number a call and see if it’s still available.
Kevin · July 17th, 2007

Flickr Find: A Pristine 1991 Lexus ES 250

It may be considered the blacksheep of Lexus’ entire model history, but Flickr user grateful420angelina sure lucked out finding such a pristine ES 250: With 147,000 miles on it, it’s seen a fair share of asphalt, but it looks like the Ohio winters have been suprisingly kind.
Kevin · July 10th, 2007

Flickr Find: Lexus ES 300 with Scissor Doors

Flickr user anlee took in the Everton Family Freedom Festival on July 4th, and managed to snap off a photo of a heavily modded ES 300, complete with scissor-doors: I guess dropping the frame, upping the wheels, getting the custom paint job and snapping on a body kit just wasn’t enough. (Not sure about that …

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Kevin · July 6th, 2007

Lexus ES 350 Commercial: Instinct

The most impressive aspect of this Lexus ES 350 commercial is how real the situation feels: The different perspectives of the same accident, the unavoidable crash, the skittering truck, the click-whirr of the advanced safety system, all make for a very immersive experience. Before impact, I actually recoiled in my chair.
Kevin · July 3rd, 2007

Unaired ES350 Commercial Discovered on Youtube

I stumbled upon this never used Lexus ad for the ES350: How totally bizarre. As for background info, it was created by Walter Robot, an animation studio in Orange County, California, and was to be a series of commercials featuring the full Lexus lineup. The idea, according to Christopher Louie, one of the principals, “was …

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Kevin · May 31st, 2007