BEIJING: The newly refreshed Lexus ES sedan makes its debut in Shanghai, ahead of an Australian launch set to occur later this year.
Marking a midlife makeover, the ES sedan’s facelift brings the latest iteration of the brand’s increasingly large ‘Spindle’ grille design, reaching further in every direction than ever before.
New headlights are also featured, with a redesigned L-shaped LED daytime lamp extending away from the body of the driving lights, creating a barbed blade design.
Large chrome garnishes flank the fog lights and faux intakes at each corner, rounding out the styling changes at the front end.
Updates at the rear are less extravagant, with the existing tail-lamp assembly gaining a more defined lens design, connected by a thicker new chrome hand grab garnish.
In the cabin, the ES picks up the new steering design that debuted with the recently unveiled 2016 RX SUV, along with a 4.2 inch display in the instrument cluster.
The gear shifter now wears a leather boot, and new ‘Shimamoku’ wood finishes will also be offered.
Other changes with the revised ES include new wheel designs and interior trim options, along with a new panoramic glass roof for ES 350 Sport Luxury models – a first for Lexus Australia.
New safety tech includes a new ‘Safety System+’, which adds radar-based pre-collision automatic braking, camera-based lane departure warning, radar-based cruise control and automatic headlights.
In China and Russia, the ES range also gains an entry 2.0 litre direct-injected four-cylinder petrol engine, although details of this mill have not been revealed. The company has confirmed however that its focus is on fuel economy requirements for those markets.
The ES sedan’s mechanical package remains unchanged for Australia, which means buyers will again be offered 3.5 litre petrol V6 and 2.5 litre petrol-electric hybrid options.
