I'm not affiliated with this channel, but like the guy. He has some astute comments and I've cued it up to where he talks about the exterior of the new car. You may or may not agree.
I've seen two electric ESs so far--a 500e and a 350e. I noticed they both came with optional 21" wheels and tires. I did some research because my initial assumption was that larger tires would provide greater range. I was wrong. They make the range worse. Why would Lexus do that to their cars--and their customers? Aesthetics! Just like the rest of the ES redesign, someone had their head up....well, let's say they had opinions I can't endorse. So they think the car looks better with larger tires, but when you read about the car you find it comes with 19" tires as standard. And, by the way, those larger tires are not free, so you better like the look because they cost $2100.
I'm amused by the list of options that are being shoved down our throats. Some of them make no sense, such as "cold weather package" (in San Diego!), premium paint, and the Sirius/XM subscription extension. (See the upper right part of the window sticker.)
It'll be very interesting to see what critics say about this car and how well or poorly they sell!
This is an interesting article.
You have probably read that the 2026 ES350e is available in an "executive" model. It includes, among other things, a Mark Levinson stereo (!), rear side window shades, which are great if you are transporting children or high-end passengers in the back. Talking about high-end passengers, the Executive model also comes with power-reclining cooled and warmed outboard rear seats that also have a massage function! A massage function! I'm trying to figure out how I'll drive from a back seat! Also, I'm encouraged to know that, with that car, I can be an Uber driver AND a pimp!
I test drove an ES500e AWD yesterday. I found the exterior and interior aesthetics very disappointing! The interior looks cheap, plain, and as if it had been inspired by Tesla. The exterior is boxy and the trunk opening seemed limited and hindered height-wise by the long slope of the fastback. It was, however, deep enough.
The ride: Well, I think this--and Lexus reliability--is the only reason you would buy this car. It was FAST, quiet, and smooth. It's exactly what I was hoping for. It's the kind of car that will get you a lot of speeding tickets if you're not careful. All that said, I'm not sure I need the performance of the dual-motor, AWD 500e. The single motor FWD 350e will probably be enough. And even then, I'm not sure I'm willing to own the interior and exterior aesthetics! Especially for $57,000!
