By MABUYANE KEKANA
Growing up in the township of Mamelodi, Pretoria, I remember vividly one local businessman who owned a Lexus, though I cannot recall which model it was but I remember that it was navy blue with a cream interior. You could not miss it as it was the only one in the township. That was my first encounter with the brand. My perception of the brand at the time was that it was exclusive and very expensive, perhaps even reserved for the cream of society. I grew up, followed my dreams and ended up directly interacting with the Lexus brand. I remember the mid-2000s when Lexus planned to tackle the market head on and sell more cars. I was starting out as a motoring journalist. So having been exposed to the brand for so many years, it is safe to say I have a fairly good understanding of what Lexus is about.
Just last week I had the pleasure of driving the new Lexus ES in Cape Town. On launch was the ES250 petrol and the ES300h. The seventh generation mid-size sedan is a typical Lexus from inside out. The most obvious characteristic about the ES is its size, it is bigger than its competitors. Enter the car, you are greeted by the modern interior design, from dash to seats. The new ES is technologically equipped to compete with the best in the segment. The navigation provides a 12.3-inch multimedia display and second-generation Remote Touch touchpad control; its voice recognition capabilities extend to a mobile assistant, allowing contactless driver’s smartphone control. The display features a reverse camera as standard kit, but the hybrid tops this up with a panoramic view display. I marveled at all the knobs and things that usually make my head spin, but still find my way around. Both engines drive well, though my pick would be the 300h. It makes sense in this tough economic times, right? The ES 250 is driven by the 2.5-litre petrol engine joined to the new eight speed automatic gearbox producing 152kW of power and 243Nm.
While the ES300h is equipped with a new, fourth-generation, self-charging hybrid drive system that can deliver fuel-efficient, responsive performance and minimal emissions for a mid-size luxury sedan. This is coupled with the efficient 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle four-cylinder petrol engine. Total system power is 160 kW and combined cycle fuel economy is from 4.6 l/100km. The ES 300h is electronically-governed to a top speed of 180 km/h.
Some of the active safety features include lane departure, adaptive high beam system and Blind spot monitor to name but a few.
Model Range and Pricing:
Lexus ES250: R593 300
Lexus ES300h: R843 800
Lexus has also expanded the customer care experience with the 7-year/105 000km Warranty and Full Maintenance Plan. Vehicle service intervals are at every 15 000km, alternatively once a year.
