- 16 hours ago
Lexus ES 2026 has finally received a fully electric powertrain. For better or for worse. The eight generation of the premium sedan is also available as a "self-charging" hybrid, but there is no PHEV variant. Does a luxury sedan with a traction battery hidden under the floor still possess the traditional soul of the brand?
Here is what I will look into and show you in this review:
The Paradox of Size: Why did this model have to grow so drastically, and what does that mean for everyday city maneuvering?
Hidden Switches: Where did the designers hide the dashboard buttons, and is it actually a practical solution?
The Big Mystery Under the Bonnet: What did the clever minds at Toyota decide to put in the space where EVs usually have a front boot?
A Gearbox that... Isn't There: How does the manual mode with paddle shifters, a simulated tachometer, and a rev limiter work in an electric car?
Real-World Battery Capabilities: How much of the official range claims are left in reality, and how does the car perform at fast chargers?
Engineering Pitfalls: What went wrong with the emergency door-opening system, and why might the configurator for this model leave you deeply puzzled?
Is the
Here is what I will look into and show you in this review:
The Paradox of Size: Why did this model have to grow so drastically, and what does that mean for everyday city maneuvering?
Hidden Switches: Where did the designers hide the dashboard buttons, and is it actually a practical solution?
The Big Mystery Under the Bonnet: What did the clever minds at Toyota decide to put in the space where EVs usually have a front boot?
A Gearbox that... Isn't There: How does the manual mode with paddle shifters, a simulated tachometer, and a rev limiter work in an electric car?
Real-World Battery Capabilities: How much of the official range claims are left in reality, and how does the car perform at fast chargers?
Engineering Pitfalls: What went wrong with the emergency door-opening system, and why might the configurator for this model leave you deeply puzzled?
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MotorTranscript
00:00who's hidden all the switches again of course lexus this is the eighth generation of the es
00:06in which clean tech and elegance are manifested by hidden switches
00:11well fortunately not everything is hidden let's see if the new lexus sedan is any good
00:21eight generations since 1989 means a new generation every four and a half years
00:25and they say the chinese are quick when it comes to developing new models well perhaps they are
00:30because it took toyota and therefore lexus a good while to introduce a mainstream electric powertrain
00:37even if outside scandinavia nobody really cares anymore good news for everyone else is that the
00:43es can also be had as a hybrid i'm driving the electric version because this is what arrived
00:48first on the press fleet but if evs are not your thing just imagine this is a hybrid and you
00:53don't
00:53have to worry about range or um not particularly fast charging
01:00electric cars share a paradox their greatest advantage is supposedly zero emissions in the
01:06city however to get there from the suburbs without having to charge the car every day
01:11they need a bigger traction battery and this usually is located in the floor this in turn forces the
01:17designers to inflate the car to maintain the proportions customers expect because somehow
01:21no one was convinced by the quite interesting canoe design so in order to keep the es looking like a
01:28sedan designers had to extend it by 16 and a half centimeters make it five and a half centimeters wider
01:34and 11 and a half centimeters higher the wheelbase also increased by eight centimeters and that's the only plus
01:42because why would a car measuring 514 centimeters in length and 192 centimeters wide be driving into the city
01:49the new es is even larger than the bmw 5 series which like lexus was designed with a variety of
01:55power
01:55trains in mind try parking this in a standard supermarket space think you're so smart because
01:59you have a 360 camera lol keep on watching for the first five generations the lexus es looked
02:07like a chinese knockoff of itself but by the time lexus started working on the sixth generation it must have
02:13been already employing gen x and they must have decided that with the brand's current design they
02:19could have just as well made horses for its clientele which would be dying of old age and somehow it
02:25went
02:25from there the latest incarnation of the es retains lexus hallmarks such as the arrow shaped daytime running
02:32lights and the spindle nose although due to the powertrain the air intake is at the very bottom
02:40from the side the new es looks like a coupe or at least a liftback and i see some resemblance
02:47to the
02:47current generation honda civic i like the black trim that visually shortens the doors this design hides the
02:5411 and a half centimeters of extra height associated with the traction battery hidden in the floor
02:59the rear is simple and clean but if the lights are off and you don't see the tail lamps and
03:04the strip
03:05between them it's hard to tell what car it is as the lexus text is inside the illuminated strip
03:12i like the overall look of the es although i've heard people say it looks like a chinese car
03:17and why isn't there a proper lexus badge in the rear i won't argue it's a matter of taste
03:25the charging port is on the driver's side front fender which is convenient if you park
03:32front to the charger less so if you park the other way around
03:39the flap opens automatically also when you turn the car off it displays a prompt whether you'd like
03:45to open the port under the bonnet there is no frank because this is not some shabby tesla but a
03:52proper car
03:54and the boot is also proper at 517 liters in the ev and 493 liters in the hybrid variant so
04:02the electric
04:02es has a bigger boot than the audi a6 sportback e-tron or the bmw 5 series both electric and
04:09ice
04:11but since there is no frank some beautiful minds at toyota decided to solve the charging cable
04:16transport problem
04:21with a basket why not a frank because this is not some shabby tesla but a proper car
04:29with proper metal rods to keep the hinge geometry intact and things
04:37but my gear case fits on its side in many sedans liftbacks and
04:43even wagons there is no way i can put my case on its side and fit it under the cargo
04:48cover
04:48or a parcel shelf and here i can under the floor is an insert for the repair kit
04:55i like that there is some sound deadening here there's also a ski hatch but the backrest doesn't fold
05:02at all in a 70 000 euro car
05:06okay but maybe at least there's this reclining seat package like on the camry
05:13nope at launch the euro spec es doesn't even get third zone climate control it does get a tunnel though
05:22in an ev on the plus side there's plenty of leg room but to make sure there is sufficient headroom
05:29the rear seats are mounted so low that your thighs feel like they're in the air heated rear seats this
05:37isn't some crappy kia this is a proper car there are door pockets cup holders in the armrest
05:45and this here is where the third zone climate control panel and rear seat back controls would be located
05:51it's unclear if and when this package will be available in europe
05:56i've been browsing the configurators in several european countries as well as for the us market
06:01and i get the impression that either lexus is having some problems with the production of the new es
06:07or they think people will buy anything with a lexus badge in the us there are several trim levels but
06:15even the top level feels like an entry company car for a low-level executive there are three options
06:21to choose from aerodynamic wheels heated windscreen and heated washers and a second wireless charger and in
06:30europe the situation is even worse because the only option on the electric lexus es are the aero wheels
06:37which don't seem to do much but more about that in a moment a 360 degree camera head-up display
06:45mark
06:45levinson audio premium system they're included in a package which is available only on the hybrid model
06:52it feels as if lexus doesn't really want to sell the es in europe especially the electric model only the
06:58chinese offer less choice when it comes to equipment but then they offer fully loaded cars on the plus
07:06side the quality as usual in a lexus is impeccable designers also managed to leave a few physical
07:13buttons on the doors and on the console there is no piano black just matte elements which don't show
07:23fingerprints this also applies to the steering wheel buttons which are clearly separated making them
07:29easy to find the hidden switches lexus is talking about in its press release are under the display
07:35this is something you may have seen in the nissan aria a few years ago lexus also thought this is
07:40a good
07:41idea at least they're backlit so you can see what you're pressing you can also see something's missing
07:47here and that's the button for the 360 camera and for the parking assistant which you cannot get on the
07:53electric es at least not yet i like the way the driver's display is integrated into the dashboard
08:02although i don't want to think about all the dust which will accumulate on that suede in a few weeks
08:08the central display looks like an afterthought the es is also offered in china but over there
08:14the screen is just twice as long it goes all the way in front of the passenger seat
08:22the new infotainment system works meaning i can easily connect to android auto wirelessly i clicked
08:28through the settings and i turned off everything i could find annoying i like lexus gave us a choice
08:33whether we want to decide about certain things or let the car do things automatically
08:39some brands push automation which i don't always want however certain functions are hidden as if
08:47lexus doesn't want us to use them for example drive modes are buried in the settings in the drive
08:53performance settings and then you have the drive mode i mean forget physical buttons you have to
09:00click three times on the screen nobody's going to use this and there is also the artificial sound
09:07control setting in here more on that when we hit the road the next issue is storage the compartment
09:14under the armrest is fine ish however the glove box is tiny by the way it houses a hard to
09:21find valet
09:22mode button it prevents valets from accessing the boot of course you still need to lock the glove
09:27compartment with the key blade and keep the blade with you this feature could have been programmed into the
09:32infotainment system speaking of programming things i wish there was some feedback related to the door
09:39locks i understand these are electronic door locks and therefore they are luxurious and quiet but um
09:45every day i had some passenger uncertain whether they can already open the door or not so
09:52even if i learn it others won't
09:57and the emergency door release is another circle of hell to open the door using the electric door
10:03release you have to press the lever however in an emergency situation you have to pull it twice
10:09from the outside is even weirder i found some sort of a lever which i broke then i read the
10:15manual and
10:16decided i don't want to break another one i have no idea how this is supposed to work we even
10:22tried
10:22disconnecting the 12 volt battery and nope it doesn't do anything so in an emergency situation nobody's
10:29going to figure this out they'll just proceed to breaking glass
10:48the side windows are double glazed front and rear only the rear window isn't acoustically insulated which
10:55is noticeable when you park with the rear facing a busy street however it speeds up to
11:02100 120 kilometers per hour the es is rather quiet at higher speeds you start hearing wind noise which
11:09the combustion engine sound normally covers up speaking of engine sound in sport and manual modes
11:16you can activate artificial engine sound sport mode is self-explanatory but what the
11:22is a manual mode in an electric car which of course doesn't have a gearbox well in manual mode you
11:29can simulate gears
11:32with paddles on the steering wheel and this includes a fake limiter which you'll bounce off until you shift
11:40up therefore you need to select a driver display mode that shows a simulated rev counter and not all
11:47display modes have this
11:53under normal circumstances the paddles control recuperation there are four levels of recuperation
11:59but there is no true one pedal driving neither is regenerative braking particularly strong nor will
12:05the car stop without applying the brakes
12:10the es is large and for the first dozen kilometers or so before i got a feel for it i
12:16was worried about
12:17the 21 inch rims this one has the aero package for around a thousand euro i asked lexus if the
12:24aerodynamic
12:24wheel cap design adds anything beyond aesthetic appeal or lack thereof the answer came back that
12:32probably it should help extend the range but there is no homologation data to support this
12:40they really don't give a shit
12:44and homologation data indicates that the lexus es 500e all-wheel drive has a combined range of about 500
12:51kilometers realistically i'd expect around 400 and that's in good weather the traction battery has a
12:57net capacity of 71 kilowatt hours and average consumption in my test was around 17 kilowatt
13:04hours although outside the city when i wasn't exceeding 70 kilometers per hour the car sometimes consumed
13:10only 13 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers so 500 kilometers is achievable but you have to pace yourself
13:21it's fine if you can quickly recharge and be on your way but you can't because the es peaks at
13:28150
13:29kilowatts and charging from 10 to 80 takes about 30 minutes lexus claims that even at minus 10 degrees
13:35celsius charging still takes around 30 minutes but i won't be able to test it today ac charging up to
13:4222
13:42kilowatts is standard and that's a plus
14:05the lexus the lexus es handles very well you don't feel it weighs over 2.2 tons it grips the
14:14road
14:14confidently in corners and doesn't understeer like the rx or the nx the steering is precise however
14:21given its size and segment i wouldn't mind rear wheel steering at least as an option
14:32and i'm not so much concerned with the car's agility at high speed as with maneuverability in
14:38the city and during parking i can barely reverse the es 90 degrees into my driveway i park all sorts
14:45of cars here and i know with rear wheel steering i can easily park much bigger vehicles also if i
14:51wanted a car that takes up an entire parking space i'd buy an suv not a sedan and the lack
14:58of a 360 camera in this segment is a deal breaker for me
15:10we'll have to do a bit of educated guesswork here at the time of recording the new lexus es seems
15:16to be
15:16available in a handful of european countries so this time i'll just convert polish prices into euro
15:22the lexus es hybrid starts at around 61 000 euro and you'll need to add at least three and a
15:28half grand
15:29for the package which includes the head-up display 360 camera and mark levinson premium audio system
15:34the es 350e starts at 66 000 euro and this test car with the optional aero pack costs 70 000
15:43euro
15:45let's imagine the electric es doesn't exist and you're considering a hybrid now you won't be
15:50getting much from audi or bmw at that price but at least if you want to spec a car to
15:54your liking
15:55you could meanwhile with the lexus es what you see is what you get and do you like what you
16:01see
16:02let me know in the comment section below
16:07if you like my sarcastic down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every friday at
16:143 pm central european time and don't forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me
16:19with the youtube algorithm thanks for watching and i will see you in the next one
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