Lexus Malaysia announced the opening of order books for the new Lexus ES 250 yesterday, which is priced from RM299,888 on-the-road without insurance for the Premium to RM332,888 for the Luxury trim level. The seventh-generation sedan was previewed in Malaysia late last year at KLIMS 2018, but here’s the finalised local spec car, live from Lexus Mutiara Damansara.
The new ES is an arresting sight in the metal, and it looks very much like a “baby LS”. While the new exterior design is significantly more emotional and dynamic than the car it replaces, Lexus says that it contains a more spacious (class-leading rear legroom) and refined cabin.
That win-win is due to a wider and longer chassis – the Global Architecture K (GA-K) is essentially Lexus’ version of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform.
No one would say that the previous ES was a small car, but this one’s footprint is larger. At 4,975 mm long and 1,865 mm wide, it’s 66 mm longer and 46 mm wider than before, while the 2,870 mm wheelbase is also 51 mm longer. You probably wouldn’t have guessed so though, because the new car sits five millimetres lower and is far from being slab-sided.
It may be instantly recognisable as a modern Lexus and junior LS, but there’s no shortage of design cues unique to the ES. We notice that the spindle border is taller than the actual grille here, which isn’t full height. At the back, “full-width chrome bar” doesn’t do that piece of trim justice, as it wraps around the body, following the tail lamp clusters.
Power comes from the latest 2.5 litre Dynamic Force four-cylinder engine, making 204 hp at 6,600 rpm and 247 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. The direct-injection petrol unit is paired to an eight-speed Direct Shift conventional automatic transmission sending power to the front wheels. 0-100 km/h is done in 9.1 seconds and top speed is 210 km/h. There’s auto stop-start.
By the way, this powertrain combo is unique to the ES in Malaysia, as our Toyota Camry carries over the 2AR-FE 2.5L and 6AT pairing from the previous generation.
Lexus Safety System+ (LSS+), which made its recent debut in the 2019 Lexus NX 300, is standard across the board here as well, along with 10 airbags. LSS+ includes Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), Lane Departure Alert (LDA), Pre-Collision System (PCS) and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) with Stop and Go function and Blind Spot Monitor.
The Luxury version adds on distinctive three bi-beam LED headlights on each side with Adaptive High Beam System (AHS) and washers. Sequential turn signals, too.
The example you see here is the ES 250 Luxury, and it comes with luxuries such as a 10-way powered front seat, memory for the front passenger seat, powered reclining rear seats (up to eight degrees of recline), three-zone climate control, head-up display, 12.3-inch centre screen with navigation, panoramic view monitor (360 degree parking camera) hands-free powered boot (kick to open), ambient lighting, rear door sun shades and a Qi wireless charger.
The entry Premium spec still gets bi-LED headlamps (you can tell by the single ‘eye’) with auto high beam, eight-way ventilated and powered front seats (memory for driver), shimamoku wood trim, an eight-inch centre screen, seven-inch digital instrument panel, sunroof, Drive Mode Select (Normal, Eco, Sport), keyless entry with push start (with smart card key), dual-zone auto AC with pollen filter and Nanoe ion generator, electro chromic rear view mirror and a Pioneer 10-speaker audio system.
Another difference is in the rear armrest, where the Luxury gets a control panel. The upholstery is NuLuxe synthetic leather on the Premium and semi-aniline leather on the Luxury. One can choose from seven paint colours and two interior colour schemes for this CBU Japan import.
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(Like) S90 & 5 Series
(Dislike) ES250
I wonder why they spec this car better than the updated NX… Lexus ES still have Sunroof, Qi Wireless charger and Smart Card Key which the NX just cancelled. And the price is very similar too!
nx is more powerful and 4wd
no thanks. fwd.
You only came hereto type negative comments that’s all
for those keep saying this is over price and 5 series what bla bla bla, the only things 5 series win this is power, nth else, 5er don’t have ACC, don’t have ventilated seat, this one even rear seat have it and can recline
so less tech than camry 2.5?
Beautifully made, its a shame it doesn’t have the 2.0 turbo, maybe that is for the f sport trim come later
but it is one of the most beautiful cars ever to put penned on paper then pressed unto sheets of metal
anyways, apparently the next toyota mark x , will be co developed with mazda , so it might be powered by a skyactive x 6 cylinder engine sending power to the back….exciting stuff
So an overglorified & overpriced Camry.
centre dashboard looks cheap and dated. even camry looks better
Sometimes we wonder is the dealer of this lexus brand overconfidence or just plain stupid to sell cars at this price. It’s time to put pressure on govt, all the luxury brand and foreign investors must pull out from this country who controlled so much of. This is exactly the reason why trade war is happening for China. US open the market for all, and China wont even let my freaking gmail account to be accessed while I was there. Wtf?
You are stupid. Nuff said.