Lexus ES Sedans

The 2017 Lexus ES 350 and ES 300h hybrid get notable safety upgrades. The Lexus Safety System+ package, introduced last year as an option, is now standard on every ES. The system includes Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Steering Assist, Intelligent High Beam (IHB) and High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.

The 2016 Lexus ES 350 and ES 300h hybrid receive a revised front end with a more dramatic spindle grille, standard LED headlights and more standard features. Also standard is the Safety System Plus suite that includes collision warning, lane-departure warning, radar-guided cruise control and intelligent high beam.

A handful of changes marks the 2015 Lexus ES. Faux-leather NuLuxe seat upholstery is now perforated, with leather and soft semi-aniline leather an option. The Display Audio system gets a standard rearview camera and offers expanded connectivity, including a mobile app for iOS and Android devices.

Fresh from a complete remake last year, the 2014 Lexus ES receives only a few notable changes. LED fog lights replace the old fashioned bulb lamps, and heated and cooling seats can now be ordered with Lexus’ faux-leather NuLuxe perforated seat trim. Apple’s Siri Eyes Free technology is added to the equipment roster.

For its 6th-generation debut, the 2013 Lexus ES has a slightly larger design with fresh sheet metal, more interior amenities, better fuel economy, and a hybrid model named the ES 300h that uses a 4-cylinder gasoline engine and battery-powered electric motor to achieve up to 40 mpg.

The 2012 Lexus ES 350 is mostly unchanged from 2011, in which differences were also minimal after a facelift the year before. For 2012, the ES receives a new exterior color option, Nebula Gray Pearl, and is available in a Touring Edition that is limited to 2,000 cars and features a saddle-leather interior and high-gloss 17-inch wheels.

Enhancements for 2011 are minimal at best, as the ES 350 received a fresh facelift for 2010. Recent augmentations include new side mirrors with integrated turn signals, revisions to the front and rear ends, more center console storage, new 17-inch wheel options and a stability control cut-off switch. Notable 2010 updates were rain-sensing wipers, the Lexus navigation system with Lexus Enform Voice Command and the Premium Sound system gained a USB port, Bluetooth hands-free phone and streaming music capability.

New features this year include side mirrors with integrated turn signals, revisions to the front and rear end, more center console storage, new 17-inch wheel options and a stability control cut off switch. Also new is an updated Lexus navigation system with Lexus Enform Voice Command, rain sensing wipers and the removal of the cassette deck from the standard audio. The Premium Sound system gains a USB port as well as Bluetooth hands-free phone and streaming music capability.

A new color, Matador Red Mica, is added to the color palette.

Carrying over virtually intact from 2007, the ES 350 gets subtly revised exterior mirror housings and adds rear-seat reading lamps.

The ES, now known as ES 350 for a new, larger engine of 3.5 liters, has been completely redesigned, with a wheelbase that's more than two inches longer and a track more than one inch wider. The shape has a long hood and short deck, with the passenger cabin pulled toward the rear, and there is also more legroom, a more luxurious interior and an enhanced sound system.