Leftlane’s bottom line

Looking at the sales figures alone, the ES fills an obvious slot in the market that no other automaker has really chosen to take on. Priced more like the compact IS, the ES is sized like the GS but offers the comfort and convenience now-sporty Cadillac once coveted.

By today’s standards, it is a Japanese Buick, much like its distant Toyota Avalon cousin, albeit sporting a fancier badge and more opulent amenities. But with an impressive redesigned Buick LaCrosse on the horizon, Lexus should take this opportunity to tighten up the ES’ driving characteristics to keep it competitive. The automaker has proven, with the LS, that it can make a car that glides down the road but doesn’t whimper at the sign of a corner or provide the kind of feedback that might turn buyers off of a BMW.

Button this one down for the next-generation model and you’ll remain top dog in the segment, Lexus.

    See also:

    Safety
    Talk about fully loaded! The 2010 GX 460 is chock-full of safety features, including front knee airbags, side-impact airbags for the first and second rows, and side curtain airbags for all three r ...

    Setting up a Bluetooth® enabled portable player
    Registering a portable player in the Bluetooth® audio system allows the system to function. The following functions can be used for registered portable players: Functions and operation procedures ...

    Rear sunshade
    The rear sunshade can be raised and lowered by operating the switch shown below. Type A 1. Raise/lower Type B 1. Raise/lower The rear sunshade can be used when The “ENGINE START STOP” switc ...