Introduction

When the Lexus ES 300 first arrived a little more than a decade ago, ES stood for "Executive Sedan," suggesting conservatism. Executives, not to mention sedans, have changed a lot since then. Now we have the all-new 2002 ES 300, with conservative execution but aggressive styling. From venerable to bold, one swift stroke. The careful elegance of this car is going to knock some executives' socks off.

Walkaround

It's the rake and headlamps that make the styling so striking and quietly dynamic. The front end seems to slope from the top of the windshield over the sculpted hood and tidy dark grille, down to the smooth airdam under the almost seamless front bumper. The headlight cluster sets a new benchmark in smooth, swoopy angularity, like silvery eyes pulled back at the corners. The tail light, similarly shaped, wraps forward as if stretching to meet the headlight. Every little corner contributes to the suggestion of shape-the rear window outline moves the lines up and away from the rear deck, for example. Even the underbody was addressed, as it's nearly flat. Not surprisingly, the overall design results in a very low 0.28 coefficient of drag (a measure of aerodynamic efficiency). One measure of the success of the styling is that the car is bigger than it looks when standing alone. It's actually 2.4 inches higher than the old ES 300 (with an inch more ground clearance) but more aerodynamic. And with another two inches of wheelbase, there's four more cubic feet of interior room than before, making 10 percent more than the Mercedes C-Class. Trunk volume has also been increased, by 12 percent. New technology in sound absorption and isolating engine vibration brings exceptional quiet and smoothness. Another trick from the LS 430 is the anti-vibration subframe mounting for the revised suspension. Behind the fit and finish is a great deal of careful design, detailed work, and use of the latest materials such as composites and resin-steel sandwiches. The car's quality construction can be felt and heard in the tight "thunk" in the closing of the doors, trunk and hood, and even in the solid feel of the turn signal stalk. One of the engineering objectives of the new ES 300 was to make it the safest car in its class. The redesigned unibody chassis has computer-designed crush structures and passenger compartment reinforcements. The car's introduction to automotive journalists included the showing of a slow-motion crash-test video, a head-on impact at 40 mph, and the body can be seen rippling rearward like a wave, rolling with the crunch to the nose. The front end is totally crushed, but, remarkably, the windshield is unbroken and the doors can be opened. Additionally, the crash-test dummy was protected by front seats designed to reduce whiplash, and three airbags for the driver alone. Under the hood, the emphasis was on increasing performance through efficiency rather than horsepower and torque. The 3.0-liter V6 was already pretty smooth, with the vee between the cylinder banks being 60 degrees versus the 90 degrees of many vee engine blocks (the narrower the vee, the better the balance). Lexus also uses sophisticated electronic engine mounts that change their vibration-dampening level as the engine speed increases. The '02 produces the same 210 horsepower and 220 pound-feet of torque as the '01, but the acceleration has been improved (0 to 60 in 8.1 seconds) thanks mostly to a drive-by-wire throttle system pioneered in the LS 430. A new induction system and redesigned exhaust system bring more benefit, with emissions low enough for the ES to be classified as a ULEV (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) in all 50 states. A new five-speed automatic transmission helps increase EPA-estimated fuel mileage from 20/28 mpg city/highway on the current model to 21/29 mpg on the '02 model, despite a weight increase of 67 pounds.

Interior Features

Inside, the first thing that strikes you is the purplish shade of the California walnut wood, which flows in a subtle T shape from the center console up to the dash then out to the back of each front door. The wood has a different look, and it works with the brushed aluminum trim. The standard steering wheel and shift lever are stitched leather and look very nice; the optional wheel is part walnut and the lever all walnut, and they add prestige. A clean instrument panel features analog instruments with a white background, and they are easy to read. Besides the usual indicator lights, there's an exterior temperature gauge and an information display that covers fuel mileage, driving range and average speed. We had a big problem with reading the radio and climate control digital displays in the sun, however. And the air conditioning has a tiny crumb-sized green light indicating it's on, which is undetectable in the bright of day. The glove compartment contains a trunk lock, as well as trunk lid and fuel door releases; and the rearview mirror is self-dimming electrochromic, with a digital compass. The console holds a storage box with a power outlet inside, and two cupholders with adjustable rings. There's a purse hanger in the front passenger footwell, and two retractable coat hooks in the rear. The standard fabric seats offer 10-way power adjustment for the driver and eight-way for the front passenger, so the seating position is excellent, with lots of front-seat legroom. There are good places to brace your limbs, and a big dead pedal for your left foot. Our test model was loaded, and had the plush Regency leather. The seats are very comfortable, but if you try to drive the ES 300 around corners like a sports sedan, your upper body will slide a bit. Increasing the size of the ES 300 resulted in more headroom, and more legroom in the rear. Front and rear headroom increased by 1.7 and 1.4 inches, while rear legroom grew from 34.4 to 35.6 inches. Front legroom suffered, however, shrinking from 43.5 to 42.2 inches. Despite the increased height, there doesn't seem to be an abundance of headroom; a 5'10" driver can touch the headliner by stretching a bit. And the slope of the rear window doesn't allow a panoramic view, though it still fills the rearview mirror. The mirror is mounted so close to the headliner that it has to be grabbed awkwardly from the bottom to adjust. The optional DVD navigation system is state of the art, designed for intuitive operation, according to Lexus. It has a tilt screen and simplified highway graphics for easier viewing, and multi routes to multi destinations for those so intuitively inclined. This system is third generation, and route calculation is twice as fast as before, with voice guidance that directs you back to the route if you blow it. In French, if you want it. The database also contains the location of airports, banks, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and even ATMs.