WEAPON OF POISE

Stealthy, sophisticated, and sublimely comfortable — the Lexus ES300h is the sedan you want at the end of a hard day’s work.

- PARTH CHARAN

There’s a level of placidity that has come to be the most endearing attribute of the Lexus ES300h. In an age where luxury sedans are forced to bear the indignity of doing hot laps around the Nürburgring, the ES is very comfortable trundling along at cruising speeds, doing what it’s designed to: be a soothing balm of comfort and quietude. This is a car that has its priorities right. There is an allure in its purity of purpose and that’s probably why it has been Lexus India’s highest-selling product in the market. The fact that it’s the sole beneficiary of local assembly from the Lexus stables, doesn’t hurt its prospects either.

And neither does a cosmetic facelift. The 2022 ES300h continues to be available exclusively in hybrid form, much like every other Lexus in the country except the LX. It also continues to be a mild-mannered grown-up in a pool of infantile sedans still playing at being sports cars. Sure, the competition might have an edge in terms of driving dynamics, but the ES is quite literally tailor-made for Indian roads. For the updated version, Lexus India has tweaked the suspension to be even more well-suited to the ever-changing topography of city roads.