Test Drive Lexus ES 350 since 2009 Sedan
Corporate waters. Test Lexus ES new generation
Remember how Lexus ES looks like. What, only a blurry picture? But I assure new ES sixth generation you remember exactly! The Japanese finally looked radically to the question of the design of their business sedan, and also endowed it next to interesting features. In fact, ES is a very popular brand model. In total, 1,400,000 cars of the five previous generations were sold in the world, which is a quarter of all LEXUS sales! The bulk of buyers is of course behind the ocean. Previous generations in all were focused on Americans, from the design to the riding habit. The new ES is theoretically able to please Europeans, although marketers of such a chance will not give him.
What was the philosophy of the ES model until today? Comfort and nothing more. But the new generation has shifted accents, in some places quite unexpected. Take at least design. The presentation took place in the American state of Oregon with stunning nature: in the green valleys hanging eternal fog, the emerald meadows are replaced by dense vineyards, the gloomy-cozy Simpson Springfields are so similar to each other, between the foggy lakes will join huge woodworks, and not far from the Pacific, Terrible Mountains and Gorge . County with such landscapes even a gazelle and that will look spectacular and cool. Therefore, I specifically squeeze ES on the parking lot of the Zattlecock and I consider it intently, with the addiction. But still beautiful and intricate, from which side is not a look!
LEDs in the rear and front optics are made in the form of the letter L
If the past generations ES were given to melancholy and despondency, then the current look clings. First you assess the silhouette, then you stop on the details, and after you look into small, but such spectacular solutions. To the pair of three surfaces at the corners of the body under the rear lamps. And on the housings of mirrors and side planes of the rear lights, special aerodynamic grain-shells can be seen that improve streamlining. And how intuitively pointed in the corner of the back door of the windows line. In general, the body design is subordinated to the new L-FINESSE brand philosophy, which is based on rapid lines and uses the verte-like radiator grille as a business card. All these features can be seen in the latest company models: for example, on GS or Ls.
For a hybrid model, a duck spoiler is provided on the trunk lid. Order such for a gasoline machine can not be
Interior causes mixed feelings. Design at level: The interior looks not only fresh and fashionable, but also expensive. But why in places he frankly creaks? Okay, we will not hurry with the conclusions and you will be spoken by the prejudice of test machines.
Not ideal and landing: if the passenger can sit down enough, then the driver does not do this. In theory, everything should be the opposite. It is aggravated by this officer also the fact that the back of the chair can not be put quite vertically. Of course, the car is focused on comfort, and most of the people will ride the style in the style of well lying far looking. But why did not take care of those drivers who, besides the texture of the skin and climate work, pay attention to how the car rides? Although, despite the relaxed profile of seats, the body in turns they fix unexpectedly tenaciously.
As a result, the advantages in the cabin are more, and they are weighty. Due to the larger relative to the predecessor model on a 45 mm wheelbase, the place of rear in bulk. The space is also achieved at the expense of the front chairs with particularly thin backs. It is convenient and access to the rear row doors open very wide. As our guide to Portland said, one of the things that America is really a truly Great country, Mexican food. And one of the things that Lexus ES is really a comfortable car, the rear places. Regarding the last model, the knee gain was 71 mm, and in the area of \u200b\u200bthe feet for all 104! In addition, an additional 18 mm space appeared above the head of the rear passengers. Yes, and in general, all passengers ES create such an important feeling of security and extension from the outside world in this class, and the design and materials of the salon will not make you blush when you think about riding business partners on the car.
One of the inexplicable strangests of the cabin is the inability to close the central deflectors of the ventilation system. Strange, taking into account the overall promotion of the system: the climate here can be three-zone, with an optional air purification system with special negatively charged particles
The engines are provided three. The basic four-liter motor with a volume of 2.5 liters and a capacity of 184. This modification with the ES 250 index will accounted for 70% of the production volumes. A more powerful alternative to a 277-strong V6 volume of 3.5 liters (ES 350). Its block and head are made of aluminum, and in the gas distribution system there is a double VVT-I, that is, the phase change both on the inlet and on the release. And finally, the hybrid drive for the first time in the history of the ES model. The power plant of the ES 300H modification consists of a 2.5-liter fourth cycle operating on the cycle (which does not have anything in common with the engines of the same volume in the usual gasoline machine) and the electric motor, which total output 204 forces and provide a decent dynamics: acceleration to hundreds takes 8 , 5 s with economy at the level of 5.4 liters per 100 km.
The whole test drive I spent behind the wheel of the hybrid, and this car seemed very balanced to me. Probably, there must be a real ES, despite the fact that the Japanese rate is made on the younger version of ES 250. Although pure electric strokes are enough for some kind of kilometers, it is still great asks in traffic jams, and also makes maneuvering at rear gear (This is always happening on electricity) is particularly pleasant. And when moving on the highway, the electric motor provides instant pickup in any situation. In this case, the sound of a gasoline engine is pleasant and even gambling places!
Does not cause questions and movement in a straight line with any speed. The Japanese says that they have achieved special stability with springs with the so-called reverse quivera
Reaching the mountain serpentine, trampling accelerator, and heavy (about 1,700 kg) The car takes off confidently up. At the same time, tuned to the comfort of a suspension suspension on rolls, and the steering wheel enhanced with electricity with a reduced relative to the predecessor with a gear ratio has a very pleasant and quite natural return. This car is very easy and pleasant to behave it seems that half of the work she does herself. There are cars that are just nice to steer. Rotate the ram, press on the pedals, calculate the rotation radius, move the irregularities and receive feedback from the car. Lexus ES from these. He makes everything so that not only to provide boring comfort, but also unobtrusively like his driver. It seems to be nothing and do not, and the satisfaction of driving is present. This is one of the components of comfort more subtle and complicated than the level of vertical oscillations of the fifth point or decibel in wheel arches.
The attendant of the riding chassis of Lexus was found during dinner with engineers and managers who created this car. One of the Japanese leads the turbocharged Mr-2 Midnight Roadster, and the second just got rid of drift altezis in favor of the working hatchback CT 200-H, but every evening is reviewing the cult racing manga initial d
Back to the presentation, the Deputy Head of the LEXUS brand Kenji Nishimura talked about how much the passengers of this car feel serene. It was great in a surprise when comfort in this car turned out to be a little less, and the drive slightly more than expected. But in some limits, these parameters can be adjusted for this ES equipped with three presets of operating modes of units: Normal, Eco or Sport. The reactions to the steering wheel and the accelerator are exacerbated in the latter, and a tachometer scale appears instead of an economizer on the tidy.
Lexus ES tightly stuffed with technology: there is an automatic switching of near / distant light, layout tracking systems and dead zones, advanced onboard Remote Touch 2 system with navigation and a fashionable joystick and an 8-inch color display. Cool? Undoubtedly, but all this is already a couple of years as installed on the same Volkswagen Passat. At the level and passive safety, which is responsible for a dozen airbag: Front and basic, have a two-stage opening mode, the side has been increased in the amount, knee pads were added for the front passengers and, of course, there were inflatable curtains on the windows.
The trunk of the hybrid has a volume of 425 liters, which is 75 liters less than that of ordinary versions
Speaking of technologies, it is worth separately on the multimedia system controller. He could turn out really cool looks and conceived great. But why was there such hoptes and such a small effort? To get to the right place on the screen, this joystick is very difficult, although when you hover the cursor to the menu item, aim helps the magnets built into the system, they unobtrusively pushing the fungus to the desired position. We complained about it engineers, and they promised to work on this issue until the car was launched on sale.
In contrast to synthetic noise, natural sounds in this Lexus cannot be heard: the body with a flat bottom and the value of the CX 0,27 coefficient is not delayed in its coefficients of the incoming air, and expensive, but completely unfortunate Michelin tires silently stroke their asphalt tread
Another oddity ES is a variety of cybernetic sounds. Consider yourself: in the cabin heard the buzz of the wiper trapezing, when switching the climate settings to passengers, the classes and climbing of the flaps in the air ducts are ringing, the electric power supplyer publishes something among the buzz and buzzing, and in addition to this, the drives of the chairs (by the way, 12 positions) They sound so loudly, as if they want to identify their presence. And in the case of a hybrid, add a clearly distinguishable trolleybus buzz of the electric motor. And it's all in the prestigious business class car! But the most amazing thing is that the symphony described is not at all annoying and even perceived a peculiar trick of the car emphasizing its manufacturability.
Over the past year, 834 Lexus ES was sold in Russia, and the plan for one only autumn 2012 is about a thousand cars!
Who will buy Lexus ES? Calculation, first of all, on corporate sales. It is necessary to understand that ES is not the younger GS, he is just another. They are like two brothers, one of which learned on the manager and walks in a tie, and the second works by a free advertiser and knocks on his free time on the drums. Now fashionable sportiness in everything, but it is this sportiness ES is trying to hide anything she is a middle manager. This is a modest moderate, but at the same time a full-status car for corporate clients and business people. And those who are in the sedan of the business class, in addition to comfort, the drive is important, Lexus offers GS. In confirmation of this and type of drive: ES engine twists only the front wheels, and in GS Gourmet rear or all four.
The proximity of two models confirms the price list: the difference in the price of basic ES and GS lies within 10%. Thus, the new ES 250 is worth a minimum of 1,597,000 rubles (with the new generation of the entrance ticket to the ES salon has become 100 with little thousands more accessible due to the four-cylinder engine) for the completion of Comfort. It already has everything you need for a car of this level, but other sets have something to add. So, in Executive for 1,656,000 rubles a wooden steering trim, ventilation and heated chairs, bixenon light, genuine leather in decoration instead of artificial, navigation, rain sensor and some other little things.
In addition, there are still executions Premium (from 1,952,000) and Luxury (from 2,108,000), in which three-zone climate, advanced driver assistance systems, serious music, interior trim Bamboo and other pleasant excesses are gradually added. If you need a powerful engine, then the modification of the ES 350 will have to lay out the minimum 2 100,000 rubles, and exactly the same as the ES 300H hybrid. The basic execution for both modifications is Premuim.
Small, but still an ES advantage over competitors Availability of an affordable hybrid version
Compare with competitors. The most accessible Mercedes-Benz costs 1,790 thousand rubles. The fifth BMW series will cost even more expensive 1,820,000 per version 520i with the same 184 power forces, but with a mechanical transmission. Audi A6 with a 180-strong engine and mechanics costs 1,720,000 rubles. But the most advantageous offer looks like VOLVO S80: for 1,429,000 rubles you get a car with a machine gun and a 249-strong turbo engine! True, the latter for corporate clients can serve and, on the contrary, a disconigant factor. With some stretch, the ES competitor can also be considered the Volkswagen Passat in the maximum design, and exotic Hyundai Grandeur, and some other cars. But the main competitors of the sedan ES remain the initial modifications of the models of the German Troika.
Text: Dmitry Laskov
Photos: author and company Lexus
A source: AUTO.Mail.Ru.
