And the inside?

Like the exterior, the ES’ interior makes neither friends nor enemies. It’s business as usual for Lexus, which means you’ll be treated to acres of glossy wood, sumptuous leather and a generally cohesive design that emphasizes user-friendliness over trendy style.

The center stack, inspired by the previous-generation RX, logically groups controls and, on our tester, featured Toyota’s excellent and intuitive navigation system. Our car’s optional Mark Levinson audio system places a priority on clear sound quality over thundering bass, not surprising given the ES’ target demographic.

We did find fault with a few materials that didn’t impress us as much as those on the Cadillac CTS. Namely, the dash top’s oddly shiny urethane and some of the plastic surrounding the center console. Surely Lexus could have spent a few more bucks on materials buyers are likely to expect at this level.

    See also:

    Interior
    Where the RX really shines is in the cabin. The base RX 350 has a terrifically upscale interior for $37,250. Even at the hybrid's starting price of $42,110, it seems lush and well worth the money. ...

    Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior
    Perform the following to protect the vehicle and maintain it in prime condition: l Working from top to bottom, liberally apply water to the vehicle body, wheel wells and underside of the vehicle t ...

    If the hybrid system will not start
    Reasons for the hybrid system not starting vary depending on the situation. Check the following and perform the appropriate procedure: The hybrid system will not start even though the correct star ...