Lexus ES 350 Sedan Blurs the Line Between Entry and Prestige Luxury

Lexus ES 350 Sedan Blurs the Line Between Entry and Prestige Luxury

by Lexus PR

August 29, 2007 – Torrance, CA - Lexus ignited the growth of the entry luxury segment with the original ES model nearly 20 years ago. The fifth-generation ES, the ES 350 introduced in 2007, blurs the line between "entry luxury" and "prestige-luxury" in many ways. Minor interior and exterior revisions highlight the 2008 model.

The ES 350 exudes a rich, contemporary look with its own interpretation of the new Lexus L-finesse design language. A long hood, pulled-back cabin, short overhangs and short rear deck characterize the design theme. Exterior mirrors have been revised for 2008. Inside, the rear-seat area gains personal reading lamps.

The front-wheel-drive ES 350 comes standard with a powertrain that matches or exceeds some competitors' upgrade models in this segment. A 272-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 is teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission, enabling the ES 350 to accelerate from zero-to-60 mph in 6.8 seconds. The ES 350 is certified to the Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle II (ULEV II) standard.

The luxurious ES 350 interior features standard 10-way power seats, power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, SmartAccess with push-button start and a versatile multi-information display. The brand's focus on safety for the ES 350 includes standard Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and eight standard airbags. The optional pre-collision system can help reduce collision damage.

"The ES has long been one of the best-selling models in its segment because it delivers true Lexus luxury and craftsmanship along with the full Lexus ownership experience," said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. "That unbeatable combination helped make Lexus the luxury leader in this market."

Built on a generous 109.3-inch wheelbase, the midsize ES 350 provides a roomy and inviting interior. The driver and passengers are treated to intelligent, elegant luxury, with touch points that convey quality and controls that respond fluidly. The high level of Lexus craftsmanship is immediately evident in the ES 350, with premium wood, polished metal and leather accents that recall prestige-luxury models.

Intelligently designed displays and controls help make driving comfortable and pleasurable. Bright, clear Optitron gauges combined with smartly integrated metallic trim and authentic walnut wood trim help create an elegant ambience.

Advanced, Efficient Powertrain

The ES 350's aluminum 3.5-liter V6 produces 272 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 254 lb.-ft. peak torque at 4,700 rpm. The chain-driven camshafts employ Dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (Dual VVT-i) for optimal performance and efficiency at all engine speeds. A stainless-steel dual-exhaust system reduces backpressure at high rpm to enhance performance.

The six-speed automatic Electronically Controlled Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i) provides a sequential manual shift feature for a more involved driving experience when desired. Shifting strategy adapts to driver input, with rapid kick-down response. A quick-response, low-friction clutch pack and an ultra-flat, low-inertia torque converter help to enhance transmission smoothness and efficiency.

New Pre-Collision Technology

Lexus equipped the Lexus ES 350 with a high level of standard safety technology. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with traction control system (TRAC) is standard. The ES 350 was the second car in the entry-luxury segment to offer an available pre-collision system. (The first was the sporty Lexus IS introduced for 2006.)

VSC integrates Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), and the Brake Assist feature. VSC helps control loss of lateral traction while cornering by using throttle intervention and/or applying individual wheel braking to help control any discrepancy between where the driver is steering and where the vehicle is heading. Brake Assist is designed to determine if the driver is attempting emergency braking, and if the driver has not stepped firmly enough on the brake pedal to activate the ABS, it then applies increased braking force until pedal pressure is released.

The optional Pre-Collision System (PCS) in the ES 350 can help reduce collision damage. The package includes Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, which uses millimeter-wave radar to measure and help maintain a set distance from a vehicle traveling ahead. PCS relies on the radar sensor to detect obstacles in front of the car, and a PCS computer with vehicle speed, steering angle and yaw-rate inputs helps to determine whether a collision is unavoidable.

In such a situation, PCS preemptively retracts front seat belts and pre-initializes Brake Assist so that increased braking will be applied the instant the driver depresses the pedal. The "Active Braking" feature can automatically apply the brakes up to a deceleration rate of 0.3 g if the driver fails to react to system warnings.

Eight Standard Airbags

Passive safety technology begins with a reinforced front- and rear-structure passenger compartment. Seatbelt pre-tensioners and force limiters are used for the front and rear seats. In addition to the dual front airbags and front seat-mounted side airbags, the Lexus Supplemental Restraint System includes side-curtain airbags that extend from the A-pillar to C-pillar and a knee airbag for both the driver and front passenger. Additionally, the customer may select optional rear-seat side airbags, bringing the total number of airbags to 10.

Advanced dual-stage front airbags are designed to deploy at one of two speeds, according to impact force. The driver's front airbag also includes an extra low stage designed to deploy based, in part, on the seat's position on its track. The front-passenger airbag is now a two-chamber design.

Seeing All Around

The ES 350 emphasizes visibility in its safety and convenience approach. A water-repellant surface on the front side windows helps to bead rainwater. A rear back-up camera, part of the available navigation package, projects a color image of what its lens can detect behind the vehicle onto the navigation screen whenever reverse gear is engaged.

The optional Intuitive Park Assist (IPA) system uses ultrasonic sensors to detect objects close to the car's front and rear bumpers, alerting the driver and showing distance to objects in the multi-information display within the speedometer. When the ES 350 is also equipped with the optional navigation system, information on objects detected is shown in greater detail on the system's seven-inch touch screen display.

The dual-mode version of the Lexus Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) helps illuminate a turn or curve as the driver steers into it. A medium-to-high speed mode (over 19 mph) allows the both right and left front headlamp bulbs to swivel toward the direction of the turn at the same time, enhancing system effectiveness.

Intelligent, Accessible Luxury

The ES 350 follows in the tradition of past ES models by upping the ante for standard and optional equipment offered in this segment. As just one example, a one-touch tilt/slide power glass moonroof is standard for the ES 350. An optional panorama glass roof extends over the entire passenger cabin, providing a fixed skylight for the rear seat area and a sliding sunroof for the front. The option includes a manual interior shade. The frameless design, with no visible gaskets, provides significantly tighter gaps than seen on similar roofs and contributes to the sleek appearance.

Lexus' craftsmanship and renowned attention to detail provide true luxury by design in the ES 350. A dual-zone automatic climate control system and 10-way power front seats (with available memory) and a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel highlight front cabin comfort. The supportive seats feature standard high-quality fabric, with leather-trim seating – in a choice of three colors – included in the optional Premium and Premium Plus Packages.

The Premium Package also adds a number of popular amenities: driver's seat memory; Bluetooth® wireless technology; auto-dimming exterior mirrors with memory and automatic tilt-down function (when reverse gear is engaged); steering-wheel memory, and control-of-memory functions through the remote keyless entry system.

The customer can "layer" luxury in the ES 350 by adding the Premium Plus or Ultra-Luxury Packages, or by selecting from a number of standalone options. The Premium Plus package brings a power driver's seat cushion extender; rain-sensing windshield wipers; heated and ventilated front seats, and front passenger seat memory. Both the Premium and Premium Plus packages also include rear-seat side airbags.

For flagship-level luxury, the aptly named Ultra-Luxury Package combines the contents of the Premium and Premium Plus packages and builds on that by also adding: panorama glass roof; perforated leather-trimmed seating; power rear sunshade; the HID/AFS lighting package; navigation system with rear backup camera, and a wood- and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob. The final touch is a distinctive exterior touch, exclusive graphite-finish alloy wheels.

The Relentless Pursuit of Convenience

A key to Lexus luxury has long been the brand's renowned attention to customer convenience. Where some luxury brands seem to be making controls and user technology more difficult and distracting to use, Lexus has been doing the opposite.

A prime example is the ES 350's standard multi-information display. Located in the speedometer, the multi-information display is easy to see and operate. Its main feature is a trip computer that provides outside temperature, driving range, fuel consumption and average speed. The display also includes an oil maintenance reminder and system warnings, all grouped in one convenient location.

Additional features are added to the multi-information display depending on selected options. When the ES 350 is equipped with Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, the display can show a car icon with the selected following distance. When equipped with Intuitive Park Assist (IPA), the display can show a car icon with the location and distance of objects detected behind the car.

More convenience features abound throughout the ES 350. The SmartAccess keyless entry and push-to-start ignition system allows the driver to enter and start the car without the need to remove the access fob from pocket or purse. The leather-trimmed steering wheel integrates easy-to-use controls for the audio system, trip computer, and multi-information display and adds a voice control switch for the available navigation system when equipped.

The standard auto-dimming rearview mirror features an integrated digital compass, heated exterior mirrors help melt away morning fog or frost, a sliding center console enhances the feeling of roominess, and an illuminated entry system lights interior cabin foot wells and the exterior with puddle lamps. The standard HomeLink® transmitter can control compatible garage-door openers and home-security devices.

The ES 350 allows the owner to custom-tailor a number of vehicle preferences with owner-selected personal settings, including lighting, power windows and moonroof, tilt steering wheel, and door lock control. A trait shared with other Lexus models, convenience extends to the smallest details in the new ES 350, from illuminated front cup holders to an interior LED soft-lighting system.

The Sound of Lexus Luxury

The standard Lexus Premium Audio system includes an in-dash, six-disc CD changer and an input jack for an MP3/WMA player or iPod®. Automatic Sound Levelizer (ASL) maintains consistent sound levels for this eight-speaker system at varying vehicle speeds. Audiophiles will want to experience the newest generation of the optional Mark Levinson® Premium 7.1 Surround Sound Audio System that is available in conjunction with the DVD touch-screen navigation system.

This leading-edge design uses 10 channels of amplification with 300 watts total output at 0.1 percent total harmonic distortion (THD) playing through 14 speakers. The Mark Levinson system plays conventional CDs and DVDs, and MP3-formatted CDs. DVD movies can be viewed on the optional navigation system's color seven-inch touch screen when the parking brake is engaged.

Fifth-Generation Navigation System

The available Lexus Navigation System features voice-recognition that allows the driver to enter a destination by voice command. Visual support is greatly enhanced with a central screen featuring a high resolution 800 x 480 pixel display in 32,000 colors. On-screen details are crisp and clean, and maps and roads are shown with 3-D shadow effects.

The navigation system offers English, Spanish and French text display options, and the user can select the language preference at system start-up. System functions include multiple route calculation, route preview, simplified highway junction graphics, and a dual-map screen mode.

The DVD map database contains more than five million points of interest. The database for Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York includes a "building-footprint" display feature that can show graphic representations of buildings and structures to help the driver identify surroundings.

The navigation system also integrates Bluetooth® wireless technology. When combined with a compatible phone, Bluetooth allows the driver to transfer personal phone books to the navigation system and make hands-free phone calls through its touch-screen control panel.

Premium Protection

All new Lexus vehicles come with a 48-month/50,000-mile basic limited warranty with roadside assistance for 48-months/unlimited miles. Powertrain and restraint system coverage is provided for 72 months/70,000 miles. Corrosion perforation protection is covered for 72 months, regardless of mileage.