Before getting to the point, let's talk about the luxury car brand that originated in Japan. Compared with the historic Mercedes-Benz BMW, Lexus has only 32 years in the automotive industry (founded in 1989), but over the years it has established a solid reputation among its friends and occupies a pivotal position in luxury cars around the world. Unlike Mercedes-Benz BMW, Lexus rarely competes with its rivals in terms of technology and fashion, but on the contrary, it has always adhered to the Japanese craftsman spirit step by step. With its delicate car manufacturing and design process, Lexus has also established a certain number of fans, saving enough confidence to continue to spread around the world.
Of course, to be honest, in terms of sales, the recent Lexus is still not enough to compete with Mercedes-Benz BMW, or even Audi, but it is not necessarily better than technology and quality. Xiaobian is not an iron fan of Lexus, but I am absolutely happy to see Lexus catch up with Mercedes-Benz BMW, and then bring more good products to small partners under the fierce competition of various manufacturers. Back to the main topic, at the beginning of the establishment of the Lexus brand, in addition to the LS400 large luxury flagship caravan that attracted global attention at that time, in fact, the ES250 was also the originator of the simultaneous debut.
Before that, the existence of the ES was quite embarrassing, because strictly speaking, it did not actually belong to ESegment, but the larger Body SizeCompactExecutive. On top of ES, there is also a GS series that is really positioned as ESegment, but because the price of ES at that time was close to that of the C series and 3 series, but it also had the spatial performance of the E series and 5 series, its sales were far better than GS. Until GS officially discontinued production a few years ago, ES naturally inherited the major responsibilities of GS at ESegment.
In addition, I believe that everyone knows that Lexus is a luxury sub-brand of the Toyota Group, because ES at that time shared many parts with toyota Camry, so it was also ridiculed by some people as a high-priced version of camry that changed the LOGO, but later ES proved its value, Lexus also had to abandon the car bodyguard, abandon the GS series, and focus on the development of ES. Yes, the ES was born before the GS, and the first model (codenamed V20) was introduced in 1989, and the latter debuted in 1991. Along the way, the ES series has come to the seventh generation, and the current seventh generation of ES debuted worldwide in 2018, followed by a minor makeover in April this year.
Two months ago, that is, in October this year, Lexus officially released the 2021 model of the small ES in Malaysia, the minor modification of the ES is of course still imported from Japan (CBU), but unlike before, this time in addition to continuing to have ES250 quality and ES250Luxury two versions, but also added the main sport of ES250F sports version, that is, the protagonist of this issue of our test drive report! In terms of appearance, we will not go into detail, after all, it has only done a small amount of modification, and other basic shapes, including the design of the headlamp group, remain unchanged.
It's just that the F Sport version we test drove this time, as the name suggests, carries a sports kit, and the front face Spindle Grille spindle tank cover is changed to a multi-regular interlaced woven mesh design and replaced with a set of bright black 19-inch wheels. In addition, the upper half of the F Sport version of the rearview mirror shell is also made of glossy black paint, and the standard size sunroof is exclusive to the F Sport version, as for the electronic rearview mirror that Japan needs to be equipped with, it is believed that the relationship is not introduced into Malaysia for the time being. Of course, as a family sports-oriented model, its flanks are naturally embedded with F sport version nameplates to confirm identity.
In terms of interior, unlike the other two more entry-level versions, malaysia's ES250F Sport edition offers two choices of all-black and sporty red and black mixed-and-match interiors, and its center console and door trim have also changed from the original dark wood grain to silver aluminum trim, although the steering wheel is the same three-frame design, but at six o'clock the direction has more F Sport version of the nameplate, the front seats are also designed with a sporty design, and the headrest has more F Sport version of the embossed lettering.
At the same time, their dashboards are also different, the most entry-level high-quality use of traditional pointer instruments with a color driving information screen, while the Luxury and F Sport versions are using a round frame design electronic LCD dashboard that can slide left and right, and the high-quality center console screen host is only 8 inches, and the other two levels are 12.3 inches.
In addition, the ES after this minor modification has finally been replaced by a touch screen, which means that the driver no longer needs to rely on the touch panel on the central saddle to operate, but can directly operate with the touch screen with his finger, but the touch panel on the central saddle has been retained, and the operation method is the same as before. Honestly, this panel is really chicken ribs, Lexus has always emphasized delicate and exquisite, excellence, but at this point it is a loss of front hoof, Xiaobian is really curious, so many years have not been a small partner to Lexus reflected that this panel is very impractical?
Not to mention that the operation of this panel will distract the driver, even if you stop the car completely, it is still very difficult to concentrate on touching this panel, which is mainly a matter of accuracy. Insisting on perseverance and perseverance in the right place is called perseverance and perseverance, but insisting in the wrong place is called stubbornness, and eating the ancients is not changed. I think that perhaps Lexus can consider abandoning this panel and changing it to full touch screen control, or using a knob design like BMW and Mazda, I believe that friends who have used this panel can definitely understand the editor's complaint.
In addition, in order to allow the driver to touch the new screen host in a more way, Lexus also specially moved the position of the screen forward 112mm, so that it is closer to the driver and more ergonomic. Speaking of the screen host, in fact, it also has a small drawback, that is, the multimedia infotainment operating system provided by the original factory is too dull, and at this point, Mercedes-Benz's own MBUX system is undoubtedly better. Fortunately, after replacing the new screen host this time, it finally supports wired (although many brands now support wireless connectivity) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functions, solving the embarrassing problem of not being able to directly pair with the mobile phone system before the small makeover.
Of course, in addition to the above shortcomings, Xiaobian still likes its interior design, although it does not do a lot of fancy and cool innovative designs like Mercedes-Benz, nor does it have the atmosphere of BMW full of sports and combat atmosphere, less Audi's sense of technology, but sitting in the car, it can give you the feeling of being at home. This feeling is very practical, it is a light and elegant experience, and it is a state of comfort and complete without any psychological pressure. And in the details of the car, everywhere you can touch, you can feel the craftsman spirit of Lexus, and the level of delicacy and nuance is almost impossible to fault.
Although, on the ES250F sport version of our test drive, it uses a sports leather seat mixed with red and black elements, but whether it is the front or rear seat is very comfortable in place, and the space is spacious, the cushion and back of the chair foam softness and hardness are moderate, the overall wrapping and support is also not bad, Xiaobian also carried a lot of friends during the test drive, they are full of praise for the comfort of the ride, I think there is a well-known such thing.
In terms of other configurations, the functions that existed before the original small modification of ES have been basically continued, including the steering wheel and seat of electric adjustment, the two seats in the front seat have memory devices and can adjust the waist backrest, the three-zone constant temperature air conditioning system, the rear seat air conditioning outlet, the rear seat charging socket, and the two seats in the front row also have a very good electric heating and ventilation cooling function.
The safety configuration is the same for the entire vehicle system, and it is also equipped with LSS+ semi-automatic driving assistance package, which includes the automatic follow-up system (ACC) in the full speed domain, the automatic brake assist (AEB) and collision warning system (PCW) that detects pedestrians and bicycles, the lane centering assistance system (LTA), the blind spot detection system (BSM), the rear traffic warning system (RCTA) and the lane offset warning system (LDA). In addition, the automatic masking intelligent headlight group that was originally equipped before the small modification has now become more intelligent than before, and the original factory said that with the redesign of the projection mirror of the headlight group, its illumination angle can now be adjusted more accurately, further reducing the risk of affecting the vision of other road users after turning on the high beam.
Having said so much before, here's the point! The current seventh-generation ES is built using Toyota Group's latest TNGA modular chassis, and on our test drive of the ES250F Sport, It is still equipped with the same 2.5L DynamicForce four-cylinder naturally aspirated gasoline engine before the minor makeover, which has a maximum horsepower of 204 hp and a maximum torque of 247 Nm, with an eight-speed automatic (8AT) transmission and a front-wheel drive system, and the original factory announced that its acceleration performance of 0 to 100 km/h is 9.1 seconds and the top speed is 210 km/h.
At the same time, its suspension part has also been fine-tuned by the original factory, its rear suspension is still using a double A-arm (DoubleWishbone) design, the front suspension is MacPherson ( MacPherson ), the original manufacturer said That Luxury and F Sport version of the rear suspension added more connecting rod design, and also added a sporty trend of dampers, so that its performance in the corners is more stable. As a sporty motorhome, seeing the above power data, I think everyone is disappointed. Frankly speaking, the power of the ES250F Sport version is really not very sporty, but in the name of the F Sport version, the appearance looks more sporty, so really don't expect it to have a strong power performance.
For the power, I can only say that it is average or medium-high, it definitely does not give you the feeling of pushing back, all the power transmission is very linear, even after switching to the sport driving mode, you can only feel the gearbox shift reaction and throttle response slightly more positive, I think this is the characteristics of the natural suction engine. In addition, with the eight-speed automatic transmission, even if there is no turbine borrowing, it is actually driven at a low and medium speed is still brisk, and the linear output characteristics gradually tend to be thick and full at medium and high speeds, and the overall feeling is good.
In addition to power, the difference between the ES250F Sport and other versions is not only in the interior and exterior of the outfit, in fact, it also has ink for the adjustment of the chassis, not just an empty shell with a gorgeous, dynamic coat. In fact, this generation of ES self-structure after the TNGA platform, compared to the past, its control performance has been a sense of improvement, more rare is that between the control performance and comfort, it has achieved a good balance, and even slightly biased towards comfort, and ES250F Sport Version in the change of sports tuned shock absorber, in the low-speed driving under the road sense is more obvious, so that the driver can feel the clear road information.
As for the control performance, after the blessing of the sports suspension and the front and rear active body suppression system, the suspension damping can be clearly felt in the sport mode cornering, so that it can easily cope with the rapid center of gravity shift, making the high-speed cornering more confident. In fact, I personally find its performance on the comfort level more pleasing, and you can fully feel its advantages on the general road, especially the clean and neat debris treatment, and its flexibility is difficult for you to feel personally if it is only expressed in words. If BMW sells control and Volvo sells safety, then Lexus must sell comfort.
In simple terms, it is an easy to get started, but also very easy to drive car, although the name of the F sports version is less of the traditional sports of the sport, but at least compared with the other two more beginner versions, it has more handling fun and confidence, and its valuable feature lies in the balanced personality of both movement and static. Seriously, what's wrong with the power not to compare to mercedes-benz BMW? Who says you have to drive fast and furious? Driving this car, I just wanted the Chill and slowly enjoyed the comfortable driving experience.
For me, each car has its own characteristics, to examine the quality of a car, we have no way to measure with data, to know that there are thousands of people, each with different use needs, if only from a single point of view to define it is inevitably too narrow. My summary is that the ES250F Sport, while just a slightly sporty ESegment motorhome, is a model that makes it easy to drive with zero stress and that it's every day. In the past, Lexus ES has been emphasizing TheLuxury SedanoF Sport SSedan, and I think this new ES250F Sport edition does embody the core value of this slogan.