[Taboleo] Lexus Signals Return to 10,000 Units Club... New ES300h Executive

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] “Can Lexus break through the No No Japan boycott and return to the 10,000-unit club with the newly released New ES300h?”

This was my thought before test-driving the New ES300h, the 7th generation facelift model of Lexus’s best-selling car, the ES300h. Due to the boycott of Japanese products that started two years ago, Lexus sales had sharply declined, but this year, from January to August, Lexus has sold a cumulative total of 6,828 units, showing signs of recovery. The strong performance of the ES300h, which sold 4,429 units, played a big role in Lexus’s recovery. With increasing demand for eco-friendly vehicles and interest in fuel efficiency, the hybrid ES300h has been driving Lexus’s performance, and Lexus plans to maximize performance improvement by launching the New ES300h.

To see if this facelift model can maintain the stronghold built by the existing ES300h, I test-drove the New ES300h Executive model on an 80 km round trip route from Yangjae-dong, Seoul to Calliope Cafe in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province during a media test drive event held on the 30th of last month.

- How is the design?

▲ It did not deviate much from the popular existing design format. The LED lens units changed to rectangular shapes, and instead of the vertically stretched grille, a new L-shaped grille was applied, giving it a stable appearance. Inside, unlike the recent trend of digital and touch buttons, it combined an analog clock with physical buttons, which gave a somewhat 'old-fashioned' feeling. However, the placement and number of buttons were appropriate, allowing intuitive recognition of operations such as temperature or ventilation adjustments while driving, making it rather practical.

- The ES300h has been loved for its fuel efficiency. How is the fuel efficiency of this model?

▲ As expected, it lived up to its reputation. I did not particularly drive with fuel efficiency in mind while driving in the city and on the highway. I alternated between air conditioning on, sports mode for driving performance, and eco mode for fuel efficiency. After completing the drive and returning, the dashboard showed 24 km/l, which is higher than the official combined fuel efficiency of 17.2 km/l. I thought that if EV mode, which allows driving only with the motor in the city, is used appropriately and fuel-efficient driving is focused on, it could achieve over 25 km/l.

- It has been loved as a family sedan. How are the driving performance and stability?

▲ The title of ‘a car with solid fundamentals’ was well deserved. The ES300h applies the Lexus GA-K (Global Architecture-K) platform, which responds instantly to deceleration, steering, and acceleration according to driving conditions. Throughout the drive, I felt the car had excellent cornering stability. Especially when descending a curve on a highway interchange at a slightly high speed, there was almost no feeling of body roll, and the car stuck to the road surface, gliding smoothly.

The New ES300h produces a maximum output of 178 horsepower at 5700 rpm and maximum torque of 22.5 kg·m between 3600 and 5200 rpm, combined with an electric motor for a total system output of 218 horsepower. This car is equipped with a 2.5ℓ D-4S gasoline engine, a large-capacity battery, and two motors, enabling simultaneous driving and charging, with motor intervention from low to high speeds, delivering strong power for comfortable and sufficient driving. Although there was little difference in power between eco mode and sports mode, when driving in eco mode, the accelerator pedal felt heavier, requiring more effort from the foot or ankle, which was somewhat disappointing.

- How about noise?

▲ It was comparable to the quietness of an electric vehicle. Especially notable was the quiet driving even at high speeds when the engine is engaged. To check how loud the engine noise was on the highway, I rolled down the driver’s window and accelerated to 100 km/h, but the engine intervention was barely noticeable, and it felt significantly quieter compared to other hybrid vehicles.

However, the ‘zzzing’ sound heard when braking at low speeds or lifting the foot off the accelerator pedal was continuously distracting. When all windows were closed, road noise was barely audible, making this sound more noticeable. It was similar to the vibration sound of a smartphone, which I felt reduced concentration while driving.

- There were criticisms that the previous model lacked convenience features. How about this one?

▲ Safety and convenience features have been greatly improved. The newly enhanced Lexus Safety System Plus (LSS+) was adopted to increase safety and convenience. The emergency braking assist system (PCS) now includes Intersection Turning Assist (ITA). Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) with curve deceleration and Emergency Steering Assist (ESA) support functions were newly applied. Parking Support Brake (PKSB) now detects pedestrians in addition to front and rear objects, and a panoramic view monitor was added to check surrounding obstacles.

The 12.3-inch monitor’s navigation still uses the old graphic style, which clearly needs improvement. I test-drove using only the built-in navigation without turning on smartphone navigation. The colors were mostly primary and monotonous, and the colors indicating the roadside and the route to be driven were similar, so I mainly relied on the Head-Up Display (HUD). On the other hand, the 12.3-inch touchscreen monitor was applied. It is positioned 112 mm forward compared to the previous model, improving visibility, and the touchpad next to the gear knob allows simple operation of the monitor’s functions without stretching the arm, which is an advantage.

- How about the price?

The New ES300h’s selling prices are ▲Luxury 61.9 million KRW ▲Luxury Plus 64 million KRW ▲Executive 68.6 million KRW ▲ES300h F SPORT 71.1 million KRW.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.