By Two For The Road USA
The ES 350 is Lexus’ midsize luxury sedan that replaced the third-generation ES 330 for the 2007 model year. The 2011 iteration offers more comfort, safety and performance features, and continues the sophisticated L-Finesse design that gives the ES a strong family resemblance to the beautiful LS sedan. The ES 350 is not what one would call a scintillating vehicle but it is a solid, dignified sedan and the ride is very comfortable. Handling is not sporty but it is solid and there’s no question that fit and finish is impressive, and the car is very quiet.
The ES 350 is Lexus’ midsize luxury sedan that replaced the third-generation ES 330 for the 2007 model year. The 2011 iteration offers more comfort, safety and performance features, and continues the sophisticated L-Finesse design that gives the ES a strong family resemblance to the beautiful LS sedan. The ES 350 is not what one would call a scintillating vehicle but it is a solid, dignified sedan and the ride is very comfortable. Handling is not sporty but it is solid and there’s no question that fit and finish is impressive, and the car is very quiet. 
The test car came pretty well loaded out with Nav, the Panorama Roof, Adaptive Headlamps which actually swivel in the direction you’re turning, and SmartAccess keyless entry and starting. Another nice feature the car had was puddle lights that actually kick on, along with the interior lights, as you approach the car; very nice touches.
Inside you’ll find highly polished brown walnut or espresso bird's-eye maple wood trim accents on the doors, glove box and center console. These accents are also featured on the available wood-and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob. There are also some nice chrome-finished touches featured throughout the cabin. Seats feature softer, higher-quality leather, resulting in an even suppler and more natural feel, or semi-aniline leather trim is available.
The available 14-speaker 300-watt Mark Levinson® Premium Surround Sound Audio System is powered by a 10-channel amplifier and features a six-disc, in-dash DVD/CD auto-changer. It provides discrete 5.1-multichannel playback via a 7.1-channel speaker architecture. The element speakers include titanium tweeters and Neodymium subwoofer for a truer high-frequency response. The system also features a subwoofer, front-center and rear-corner surround-sound speakers and active sound balancing. I’m sure you get the idea, it is a fantastic system.
Power comes from an all-aluminum quad-cam 24-valve V6 engine that puts out 268 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque and mated to an Electronically Controlled Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i), the ES350 has plenty of punch and decent passing power at speed. This combination gives the ES350 EPA ratings of 19 mpg in town and 27 mpg on the highway. While Lexus is renowned for their smooth engines, part of that smoothness comes from some 88 systems they use to control NVH or Noise, Vibration and Harshness. One system is liquid-filled motor mounts which are designed to absorb, dampen and cancel some vibrations before the reach the cabin. These engine mounts also have an active-control feature that detects the frequency of vibrations and emits a counter-frequency which cancels them out making for a very quiet smooth ride.
Bottom line, if you want a mid-size sedan that offers a lot of luxury, comfort and style without breaking the bank, the ES350 may just fit the bill. Pricing starts and just over $36,000 pretty well loaded out. The base warranty on the ES350 is 48 months and 50,000 miles with a powertrain warranty of 72 month and 70,000 miles.
