Lexus ES 250 F Sport review: F marks the Sport

Singapore

IT'S amazing what black wheels and some dark, satiny chrome can do for a car, even if it's a stately one like the Lexus ES 250. Those are some of the unmissable features of the F Sport package that's newly available on the ES, now that it's been given a mid-life update.

The racy stuff also includes a mesh grille and a spoiler on the boot, and it all bestows a certain irresistible aggressiveness on an already eye-catching car. Inside, the F Sport pack brings sculpted front seats upholstered in striking red material (or either black or white, if you don't want to take things too far), some trim designed to evoke Japanese sword-making, and a sporty instrument panel with a sliding bezel.

None of it looks out of place, so the real question is whether it's out of character.

After all, the ES is the kind of staid, plush and soothing automobile aimed at the sort of person who either prefers to experience it from the back seats (where the cabin is as expansive as the Serengeti), or who drives as if unaware that the accelerator pedal has more than an inch of travel.

New stuff inside

In fact, this is a car that, in some ways, is more of a Mercedes-Benz than some Mercedes-Benzes.

Don't laugh, because outdoing Mercedes has been a part of Lexus' DNA from the start. Its first car, the LS 400, specifically targeted the S-Class and didn't fall short of its mark. It was lighter yet quieter than its German rival, but also quicker yet less thirsty.

Those genes survive in the courtly ES. The car's facelift seems to have been done along if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it lines, so it's devilishly hard to tell what's new (the redesigned front grille and slimmer headlamps are apparently the main giveaways), but there's new stuff inside to make it a more up-to-date car. Chief among these is a touchscreen for the infotainment system (the cursor-based touchpad is still there in case you refuse to soil the display with your oily fingertips). It's angled slightly toward the driver so it's a doddle to reach, and it now works with either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, although both require you to use a cable.

I never would have noticed myself, but the press kit says the ES has new braking components, along with a redesigned pedal that improves the "sense of stability when the brake pedal is depressed". The pedal itself has a rejiggered mounting, to improve feel. I don't know about you, but this is the sort of obsessive attention to detail that gets my juices flowing, possibly because I need more excitement in my life, but also because if a car brand's engineers are this fussy about a mere brake pedal, then imagine how they feel about the bigger stuff.

Unseen revisions

Sure enough, the facelifted ES comes with other unseen revisions, like a more rigid rear suspension mounting area. You can't put that on Instagram, but it apparently improves the ride over bumps while making the car feel a bit more precise at the wheel.

But never mind all that. Car reviewers like to blather on about fancy-sounding things like "steering linearity" or "torsional rigidity", but a jolly simple way to tell if a car is any good around corners is to tackle one with a bit of gusto and see if you feel like doing it again. On that count, the ES 250 really nails it. It slips through bends with grace and poise, and the steering is actually remarkably precise.

In fact, the chassis is so good, you end up feeling that a better engine is all that stands between the ES 250 making the leap from good to great. The non-turbo, 4-cylinder unit here is little more than adequate in terms of performance, though it is surprisingly fuel-efficient. And if it doesn't sound cultured, at least it sounds distant. Most times, you'll roll along in genuine surprise at how softly you can speak inside the Lexus to have a conversation.

Ultimately, the F Sport package adds visual flair but doesn't ruin the ES 250's quintessential refinement. I would happily drive this home after a gruelling day's work, or what counts as a gruelling day's work for a writer, and allow its gentle nature to anaesthetise my woes away.

But as good as the ES 250 F Sport looks, the pick of the range has to be the ES 300h in Luxury trim, which has a lovely hybrid drivetrain, alloy wheels that cancel noise, supple upholstery and rear seats that recline. Dark chrome and black wheels do a lot for the ES, but those do much more.

Lexus ES 250 F Sport

Engine 2,487cc, inline 4 Power 206 hp at 6,600rpm Torque 247 Nm at 5,000rpm Gearbox 8-speed automatic 0-100km/h 9.1 seconds Top Speed 210 km/h Fuel Efficiency 6.6L/100km Agent Borneo Motors Price S$286,800 with COE Available Now