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It is nice to have a comfortable car to drive the 725 kilometres from Ottawa to lower Manhattan, but the benefits of this comfort are driven home when after seven hours of smooth cruising you come to an abrupt halt several miles from the entrance to the tunnel.
But while the heat and the congestion are getting to some of the drivers trapped in the line-up to the tunnel – the muffled sound of horns nearby is one clue – inside the 2011 Lexus ES 350, all is peaceful and quiet. Soft tunes from the XM satellite radio calm the nerves while soft leather soothes a tired posterior. It takes patience, this inching forward, and the Lexus encourages patience.
It would be wrong to characterize the ES 350 as a duded-up Camry. It is much more substantial than that, with the unmistakable look of Lexus, a more well-appointed interior and a solid, smooth ride. Pulling up to the front door of our New York hotel in the Obsidian ES 350, it seems the porters run faster than they would if this was merely a black Camry.
While sharing components increases production efficiency, the two cars are not even built in the same plant – the Camry is built in Georgetown, Kentucky, while the ES 350 is built at Lexus’ Kyushu, Japan facility.
Standard equipment is more in line with what one would expect in a luxury vehicle, at least one that is more or less the entry into the world of Lexus luxury. Standard equipment includes Lexus premium audio system with AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA, satellite radio, six-disc changer and eight speakers, dual zone climate control, leather upholstery with heated 10-way power adjustable driver’s and passenger seats, smart key with push-button start, and power locks and all windows with one-touch up and down. Amenities such as Bluetooth connectivity, dual illuminated sun visors, auto-dimming rear-view mirror with compass and auto-dimming side mirrors, two-position memory that links both seats and mirrors, power tilt and telescoping, leather wrapped steering wheel, power moonroof and wood grain trim are all standard. Outside, 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, fog lights and rain sensing windshield wipers are all standard.
It takes about seven hours to drive from Ottawa, Ontario to the Holland Tunnel, the entrance way to lower Manhattan from New Jersey. And even though the portable navigation system tells us that our hotel is just seven minutes away, the truth is it will take more than an hour to inch ever so slowly toward the nine toll booths where several highways and city streets converge into two lanes of bumper to bumper traffic.
It is nice to have a comfortable car to drive the 725 kilometres from Ottawa to lower Manhattan, but the benefits of this comfort are driven home when after seven hours of smooth cruising you come to an abrupt halt several miles from the entrance to the tunnel.
But while the heat and the congestion are getting to some of the drivers trapped in the line-up to the tunnel – the muffled sound of horns nearby is one clue – inside the 2011 Lexus ES 350, all is peaceful and quiet. Soft tunes from the XM satellite radio calm the nerves while soft leather soothes a tired posterior. It takes patience, this inching forward, and the Lexus encourages patience.
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It would be wrong to characterize the ES 350 as a duded-up Camry. It is much more substantial than that, with the unmistakable look of Lexus, a more well-appointed interior and a solid, smooth ride. Pulling up to the front door of our New York hotel in the Obsidian ES 350, it seems the porters run faster than they would if this was merely a black Camry.
While sharing components increases production efficiency, the two cars are not even built in the same plant – the Camry is built in Georgetown, Kentucky, while the ES 350 is built at Lexus’ Kyushu, Japan facility.
Standard equipment is more in line with what one would expect in a luxury vehicle, at least one that is more or less the entry into the world of Lexus luxury. Standard equipment includes Lexus premium audio system with AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA, satellite radio, six-disc changer and eight speakers, dual zone climate control, leather upholstery with heated 10-way power adjustable driver’s and passenger seats, smart key with push-button start, and power locks and all windows with one-touch up and down. Amenities such as Bluetooth connectivity, dual illuminated sun visors, auto-dimming rear-view mirror with compass and auto-dimming side mirrors, two-position memory that links both seats and mirrors, power tilt and telescoping, leather wrapped steering wheel, power moonroof and wood grain trim are all standard. Outside, 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, fog lights and rain sensing windshield wipers are all standard.
Of course, you can get more stuff if you want it: a Navigation Package adds voice-activated navigation, a console screen, back-up camera and ventilated seats; a Premium Package further adds a back-up sensor, power rear window sunshade, wood steering wheel and shift knob and passenger seat memory, and; an Ultra-Premium Package, which takes the price up to $52,200, completes the luxury equipment with the Mark Levinson 14-speaker audio system, panoramic glass roof, premium leather seats and power variable cushion length on the driver’s seat.
It takes about seven hours to drive from Ottawa, Ontario to the Holland Tunnel, the entrance way to lower Manhattan from New Jersey. And even though the portable navigation system tells us that our hotel is just seven minutes away, the truth is it will take more than an hour to inch ever so slowly toward the nine toll booths where several highways and city streets converge into two lanes of bumper to bumper traffic.
It is nice to have a comfortable car to drive the 725 kilometres from Ottawa to lower Manhattan, but the benefits of this comfort are driven home when after seven hours of smooth cruising you come to an abrupt halt several miles from the entrance to the tunnel.
But while the heat and the congestion are getting to some of the drivers trapped in the line-up to the tunnel – the muffled sound of horns nearby is one clue – inside the 2011 Lexus ES 350, all is peaceful and quiet. Soft tunes from the XM satellite radio calm the nerves while soft leather soothes a tired posterior. It takes patience, this inching forward, and the Lexus encourages patience.
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It would be wrong to characterize the ES 350 as a duded-up Camry. It is much more substantial than that, with the unmistakable look of Lexus, a more well-appointed interior and a solid, smooth ride. Pulling up to the front door of our New York hotel in the Obsidian ES 350, it seems the porters run faster than they would if this was merely a black Camry.
While sharing components increases production efficiency, the two cars are not even built in the same plant – the Camry is built in Georgetown, Kentucky, while the ES 350 is built at Lexus’ Kyushu, Japan facility.
Standard equipment is more in line with what one would expect in a luxury vehicle, at least one that is more or less the entry into the world of Lexus luxury. Standard equipment includes Lexus premium audio system with AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA, satellite radio, six-disc changer and eight speakers, dual zone climate control, leather upholstery with heated 10-way power adjustable driver’s and passenger seats, smart key with push-button start, and power locks and all windows with one-touch up and down. Amenities such as Bluetooth connectivity, dual illuminated sun visors, auto-dimming rear-view mirror with compass and auto-dimming side mirrors, two-position memory that links both seats and mirrors, power tilt and telescoping, leather wrapped steering wheel, power moonroof and wood grain trim are all standard. Outside, 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, fog lights and rain sensing windshield wipers are all standard.
Of course, you can get more stuff if you want it: a Navigation Package adds voice-activated navigation, a console screen, back-up camera and ventilated seats; a Premium Package further adds a back-up sensor, power rear window sunshade, wood steering wheel and shift knob and passenger seat memory, and; an Ultra-Premium Package, which takes the price up to $52,200, completes the luxury equipment with the Mark Levinson 14-speaker audio system, panoramic glass roof, premium leather seats and power variable cushion length on the driver’s seat.
A built-in navigation system would have been nice to have with our Touring Edition ES 350, but a portable navigation system worked fine for the trip to New York.
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Fuel consumption is pretty good for a big car. Energuide rates the ES 350 for 2011 at 10.9 L/100 km in the city and 7.2 L/100 km on the highway. For our trip to New York City and back, we recorded an average of 7.9 L/100 km, all highway except for the hour and a half sitting in traffic waiting to access the Holland Tunnel and drive to the hotel off Canal Street. An “Eco indicator” light on the dash helps you maintain efficiency to save fuel.
The Lexus ES 350 is not a sport sedan, but more of a comfort sedan with a luxury road feel. Its MacPherson strut suspension, front and rear, soaks up pot holes, cracks and other road hazards. It’s smooth cruising all the way in the ES 350, no matter how badly the road has deteriorated. Slightly over-boosted power steering also contributes to a sense of isolation from the road. It’s perfect for highway driving and around town and parking lot tours, but might leave some drivers feeling disconnected.
The 3.5-litre engine provides plenty of power and moves the car along just fine. Combined with the six-speed automatic Super Electronically Controlled (Super ECT) transmission, the engine is quiet and unobtrusive unless, that is you step down hard on the accelerator and force the transmission to downshift. Then it comes alive, providing decent acceleration, but with an unexpected and disconcerting racket. The transmission will, under most circumstances, hold the car in top gear, allowing the engine’s torque to do the work.
   2011 Lexus ES 350 Touring Edition. Click image to enlarge |
Rear seat legroom is excellent and the rear passenger seats are as comfortable as those up front. Trunk space is plentiful as well. With 416 litres (14.7 cu. ft.) of space, there was more than enough room for luggage for four plus a cooler.
On the negative side, the dash design and gauge package, despite being easy to read, are very plain and look somewhat dated. I would expect this is one area that will be addressed when the ES 350 moves into a sixth generation. As well, fit and finish was not up to the level of perfection expected from Lexus; for example, the console insert on our test vehicle was not perfectly aligned with the surrounding material, overlapped on one side, leaving a gap on the other.
People who use their car a lot will appreciate the comfort and serenity of the Lexus ES 350. If long distance travel is a part of your routine, an ES 350 can mean getting to where you are going in decent physical and mental condition. It is a car that coddles you rather than beats you up. And for people who are often travelling with clients, the ES 350 sends the right kind of message; it tells clients you are successful, but not wasteful.
After a long day of driving through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and finally New York again only to get stuck in a classic New York City traffic jam, I was glad that I was behind the wheel of a Lexus ES 350. Thanks to the car, I was in the right frame of mind to handle it. Eventually, we made our way into the tunnel. It just took patience; and the 2011 Lexus ES 350 encourages patience.
Pricing: 2011 Lexus ES 350 Touring Edition
