Softly-softly sedan

Lexus’ spacious hybrid sedan gets the subtlest of mid-cycle nip-and-tuck treatments

- Gareth Dean

Price: R948 400

Engine: 2,0-litre, 4-cylinder, petrol + electric motor

Transmission: CVT

Power: 160 kW@ 5 700 r/min

Torque: 221+e (300) N.m@ 2 000-3 600 r/min

0-100 km/h: 8,9 seconds*

Top speed: 180 km/h

Fuel consumption: 4,60 L/100 km*

CO²: 104 g/km

Rivals: Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S90

+ solidly built, spacious and impressively refined

- powertrain is rather sluggish

In an SUV-rich automotive market where large sedans have become an endangered species, the Lexus ES not only soldiers on, but has undergone some updates to freshen things up for 2022.