Lexus ES 300h (2024) Review

The ES has one idea and executes it completely. Insulation is exceptional, the ride is soft without wallowing, the seats suit a long day, and the hybrid drivetrain returns economy in the mid forties in real use while never raising its voice unless you floor it, at which point the engine drones and you learn not to. Materials are excellent, the stitching and panel fit are better than several cars costing twice as much, and Lexus finally replaced the awful touchpad with a proper touchscreen.

It is front wheel drive and handles accordingly, which is to say competently and without any interest in being hurried. Nothing here is innovative. That is deliberate. What you get in exchange is the ownership profile that makes this grade sheet unusual: hybrid systems with a two decade track record, brake pads that last because regeneration does the work, service intervals that cost what a mainstream car costs, and residual values far stronger than any German rival. If you want a luxury sedan that never becomes a project, this is the answer and there is barely a second place.