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1 speed, CVT w/OD, 8 speed, Automatic w/OD
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All Wheel Drive, Front Wheel Drive
Photo: Ron Sessions
The Lexus ES competes in the Midsize Premium Car market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the JD Power 2022 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, 63 percent of new Lexus ES buyers are male (vs. 66 percent for the segment), and the median age of a new Lexus ES buyer is 63 years (vs. 59).
As part of the APEAL Study, owners rated the Lexus ES in 10 primary categories. Listed below in descending order, you’ll find their preferences from their most favorite thing about the vehicle to their least favorite:
Photo: Ron Sessions
With the 2023 ES infotainment system’s touchscreen doing away with the need for a remote-touch interface, the car’s center console is more usable. Dual cupholders large enough to handle coffee mugs with handles are now easier to reach alongside the shifter.
Also, Lexus moves the available wireless phone charger (standard in all but the base ES) from the stowage bin under the center armrest to a pad atop the console at the driver’s fingertips. That adjustment frees up space for odds and ends in that covered bin, which is relatively deep and roomy enough for a small digital camera or other valuables. There’s also another shallower open bin under the dash for sunglasses, a wallet, candy bar, or small notebook, as well as console-top USB-A and the faster, smaller USB-C ports for device charging and streaming.
Photo: Ron Sessions
For 2023, the Lexus ES completes its migration from the previous Lexus Multimedia infotainment system that used a console-mounted remote-touch interface to the new Lexus Interface system. The 2022 ES models had a hybrid system with a fully functional touchscreen that Lexus moved 4.3 inches closer to bring it within arm’s reach of the driver and front passenger and still retained the remote-touch interface on the console. Lexus eliminates that redundancy for 2023.
Now, the touchscreen is the main pathway to interact with the system, along with steering-wheel controls, an artfully executed analog dash-mounted volume knob ringed by a concentric tuning knob, plus voice control. The base touchscreen on most 2023 Lexus ES trims is still 8 inches, with a larger, 12.3-inch one standard with Ultra Luxury trim and optional with Luxury, F Sport Design, and F Sport Handling trims. Buyers can equip both screens with Cloud Navigation, which Lexus includes with a three-year trial of Drive Connect with the 12.3-inch screen or a $16-per-month subscription with the smaller 8-inch screen.
The 2023 Lexus Interface system offers a quicker processor and improved resolution. It also features improved voice control with the convenience of the “Hey, Lexus” voice prompt via the available Intelligent Assistant (included with Drive Connect), which responds to natural-language requests with pleasing promptness and accuracy.
Of course, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring now standard in all versions of the Lexus ES, buyers can elect to use the Apple Maps or Google Maps capability in their paired phones instead. However, doing so means those buyers will miss out on the other Drive Connect features, such as the enhanced-capability Intelligent Assistant and live-support Destination Assist.
Standard Lexus ES fare for 2023 includes a 10-speaker AM/FM/HD Radio Lexus premium sound system with subscription-free weather and traffic updates and a three-month trial of SiriusXM Platinum. Optional with all but the base trim is the immersive 1,800-watt, 17-speaker Mark Levinson PurePlay surround-sound system, although the fidelity and richness of the 10-speaker base audio system in the F Sport Handling test car were more than satisfactory.
Finally, you can take your vintage Steely Dan compact discs back into the house; Lexus has eliminated the familiar in-dash CD player used in the ES in past years.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The 5-passenger Lexus ES is a roomy, comfortable, and well-kitted premium sedan, offering surprisingly thrifty fuel efficiency in ES 300h hybrid trim and a stylish, sporty conveyance in F Sport guise. The 2023 model year brings a significant upgrade to the car’s infotainment system.
The ES 300h’s 43 mpg city/44 mpg highway EPA fuel-economy estimates aren’t just a bunch of eco bluster. As expected, the 5-passenger premium sedan is luxurious with plenty of spread-out space, but in ES 300h gas-hybrid trim, this capacious people-mover is also a fuel-sipper. On a 2,200-mile road trip across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, with portions topping 4,000 feet altitude and oftentimes zipping along at 75- and 80-mph posted speeds, the ES 300h test car displayed up to 40.8 average miles per gallon on the car’s trip computer. Considering the hybrid’s 13.2-gallon fuel tank, the ES 300h test car was at least capable of a 538-mile cruising range. Try to find that sort of driving range with any reasonably priced electric vehicle currently on the market. The Lucid Air Grand Touring comes close but at roughly triple the up-front cost of the Lexus ES 300h.
Ron Sessions is a seasoned vehicle evaluator with more than three decades of experience. He has penned hundreds of road tests for automotive and consumer websites, enthusiast magazines, newsletters, technical journals, and newspapers.
