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11th
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The 2013 Lexus ES 350 is as inherently soothing as that reliable leather sofa chair in your living room: that welcoming, supple embrace; the initial coolness of the leather against your skin; that puff of fragrant air that escapes under your weight. It's all there in this luxury sedan.
Relax
The 2013 Lexus ES 350 has comfy leather furniture, too; like, really, really comfy. The seats here are heated, chilled, and so aromatic they leave their scent on your clothing.
Add your favourite tunes to the sofa experience via a set of high-end headphones (or the 2013 Lexus ES 350 experience via the Mark Levinson stereo), and you're on your way to the ultimate in tranquil isolation.
Mark Levinson
Originally, the Lexus/Levinson partnership was intended to explore car audio systems built without cost as a constraint. The variant used in the 2013 Lexus ES 350 packs some serious power, and is ideal for those wanting to relax while having their favourite music blasted at their craniums. As with their at-home headphones, you'll hear details in your music you never knew existed.
But it's more than the seats and stereo that set ES owners up for a leisurely drive.
“Here, let me get that for you”
The engine in the 2013 Lexus ES 350 starts with the press of a button. Lights, wipers, climate control, high-beams, and even distance-guided cruise-control are all sensor-driven and auto-regulating. Steering is light as a feather. Xenon lights mean your eyes do little work to see up the road after dark. Memory seating negates the need to readjust your seat if someone else has been driving your car. The list goes on.
Translation? The 2013 Lexus ES 350 requires nothing of you.
Simply slip the transmission into “DRIVE,” steer a little here and there, and the car handles everything else. You can sit and drive, and relax and reflect, enjoy a personal getaway or some socialization with passengers.
The better part of the 2013 Lexus ES 350's relaxation-inducing features can, nowadays, be had in a Kia Optima. That's why, aside from features alone, this recently revised front-drive Lexus cruiser does the all important job of setting the stage for an unwinding drive.
Setting the stage
The presentation of the new-for-2013 cabin is rich, three-dimensional and (as Lexus tends to be) trimmed and assembled impeccably. Switches and controls all feel substantial, nighttime lighting is soft and elegant, and you'll feel like you're sitting in the business centre of a luxury hotel.
A full multimedia and navigation hub, commendable by voice or a console-mounted track-knob, help here. You can control hundreds of infotainment functions with little more than a few millimeters of index-finger movement.
The 2013 Lexus ES 350 is less busy looking than a 5 Series, more high-tech looking than an E-Class, and more upscale than a TL. Even the ceiling liner is made from something with a level of tempting suppleness somewhere between butterfly wings and baby seal fuzz. One passenger even asked, “Oh my goodness...have you TOUCHED this?!”
I had.
Cruising
On smooth pavement, the ride in the 2013 Lexus ES 350 is whisper quiet and soft, with a touch of firmness around the edges. It's gentle and forgiving, but doesn't make you feel like you're riding along on a glob of Cool Whip. Only the soft hum of spinning tires and the occasional lick of wind disturbs the experience of being disconnected from everything around you -- though some rougher roads do invade the cabin.
A 3.5L V6 sends the better part of 270 horsepower to the front wheels. The 2013 Lexus ES 350 hauls along aptly, and torque-steer scarcely presents itself as anything more than a slight tightening of the steering wheel.
Unleashed at full throttle, the engine makes a pleasingly powerful, but tastefully restrained sound as the power comes on hard towards redline. Highway passing can be handled confidently, especially with “SPORT” mode engaged for sharper (and quicker responding) throttle pedal inputs.
Combined fuel mileage over the course of my 1,800 kilometre test, including plenty of highway cruising at a good clip, landed at an appreciable 8.5L/100km.
A chill car
My only gripe was a too-vague steering feel at highway speeds, which can make the 2013 Lexus ES 350 feel less locked on the road and more like its floating loosely over it. A sports car this is not, and most drivers will take no issue with the latter.
Ultimately, this is one of the most uneventful, unstimulating cars I've ever visited -- and those looking for the ultimate in vehicular relaxation should consider it a priority test drive. Pricing for the 2013 Lexus ES 350 is around $52,000 with all the toys.
 |
Relax
The 2013 Lexus ES 350 has comfy leather furniture, too; like, really, really comfy. The seats here are heated, chilled, and so aromatic they leave their scent on your clothing.
Add your favourite tunes to the sofa experience via a set of high-end headphones (or the 2013 Lexus ES 350 experience via the Mark Levinson stereo), and you're on your way to the ultimate in tranquil isolation.
Mark Levinson
Originally, the Lexus/Levinson partnership was intended to explore car audio systems built without cost as a constraint. The variant used in the 2013 Lexus ES 350 packs some serious power, and is ideal for those wanting to relax while having their favourite music blasted at their craniums. As with their at-home headphones, you'll hear details in your music you never knew existed.
But it's more than the seats and stereo that set ES owners up for a leisurely drive.
“Here, let me get that for you”
The engine in the 2013 Lexus ES 350 starts with the press of a button. Lights, wipers, climate control, high-beams, and even distance-guided cruise-control are all sensor-driven and auto-regulating. Steering is light as a feather. Xenon lights mean your eyes do little work to see up the road after dark. Memory seating negates the need to readjust your seat if someone else has been driving your car. The list goes on.
Translation? The 2013 Lexus ES 350 requires nothing of you.
Simply slip the transmission into “DRIVE,” steer a little here and there, and the car handles everything else. You can sit and drive, and relax and reflect, enjoy a personal getaway or some socialization with passengers.
The better part of the 2013 Lexus ES 350's relaxation-inducing features can, nowadays, be had in a Kia Optima. That's why, aside from features alone, this recently revised front-drive Lexus cruiser does the all important job of setting the stage for an unwinding drive.
 |
| The engine in the 2013 Lexus ES 350 starts with the press of a button. (Photo: Justin Pritchard) |
Setting the stage
The presentation of the new-for-2013 cabin is rich, three-dimensional and (as Lexus tends to be) trimmed and assembled impeccably. Switches and controls all feel substantial, nighttime lighting is soft and elegant, and you'll feel like you're sitting in the business centre of a luxury hotel.
A full multimedia and navigation hub, commendable by voice or a console-mounted track-knob, help here. You can control hundreds of infotainment functions with little more than a few millimeters of index-finger movement.
The 2013 Lexus ES 350 is less busy looking than a 5 Series, more high-tech looking than an E-Class, and more upscale than a TL. Even the ceiling liner is made from something with a level of tempting suppleness somewhere between butterfly wings and baby seal fuzz. One passenger even asked, “Oh my goodness...have you TOUCHED this?!”
I had.
 |
| The presentation of the new-for-2013 cabin is rich, three-dimensional and (as Lexus tends to be) trimmed and assembled impeccably. (Photo: Justin Pritchard) |
Cruising
On smooth pavement, the ride in the 2013 Lexus ES 350 is whisper quiet and soft, with a touch of firmness around the edges. It's gentle and forgiving, but doesn't make you feel like you're riding along on a glob of Cool Whip. Only the soft hum of spinning tires and the occasional lick of wind disturbs the experience of being disconnected from everything around you -- though some rougher roads do invade the cabin.
A 3.5L V6 sends the better part of 270 horsepower to the front wheels. The 2013 Lexus ES 350 hauls along aptly, and torque-steer scarcely presents itself as anything more than a slight tightening of the steering wheel.
Unleashed at full throttle, the engine makes a pleasingly powerful, but tastefully restrained sound as the power comes on hard towards redline. Highway passing can be handled confidently, especially with “SPORT” mode engaged for sharper (and quicker responding) throttle pedal inputs.
Combined fuel mileage over the course of my 1,800 kilometre test, including plenty of highway cruising at a good clip, landed at an appreciable 8.5L/100km.
 |
| A 3.5L V6 sends the better part of 270 horsepower to the front wheels. (Photo: Justin Pritchard) |
A chill car
My only gripe was a too-vague steering feel at highway speeds, which can make the 2013 Lexus ES 350 feel less locked on the road and more like its floating loosely over it. A sports car this is not, and most drivers will take no issue with the latter.
Ultimately, this is one of the most uneventful, unstimulating cars I've ever visited -- and those looking for the ultimate in vehicular relaxation should consider it a priority test drive. Pricing for the 2013 Lexus ES 350 is around $52,000 with all the toys.