Lexus ES 300h EX makes going green more accessible

This writer, being in the late twilight years, does not really understand the technicalities of hybrid cars.

In the past, I have been tasked with test driving two such vehicles in plug-in hybrid guise. Both, a Mercedes-Benz and a Volvo, came with massive price tags, complicated brochures and plug-in charging systems.

If you wanted to utilise the full advantages of the vehicles’ electric motors, you had to plug them into Eskom power overnight.

This posed a problem, because the carport at my residence does not boast a plug point.Also, because of Pigasus Pumbah.

My pet pig suffers insatiable curiosity and chews on absolutely everything left outside. Thus, it seemed like a shockingly bad idea to run a long electrical lead from inside my abode to the above-mentioned cars.

In the end, I just drove the cars, forgoing their much-vaunted electrical prowess. All of which did not bode well when I was recently given the keys to the Lexus ES 300h EX.

That “h” stands for Hybrid and my heart sank. But, there was no recharging port, no cable to be attached, no lengthy usage instruction manual – just a sleek, sporty looking saloon car.

Which meant that, this time I could reap the full advantages of the vehicle’s electrical capabilities via its self-charging hybrid system. In short, I could just get in and drive – something even a decrepit ancient person like myself is still able to do. And, that proved extremely rewarding.

The ES 300h EX is powered by a normally aspirated four-cylinder, 2 487cc, 16-valve, overhead camshaft petrol engine which produces 131 kW of power at 5 700 rpm, plus 221 Nm of maximum torque between 3 600 rpm and 5 200 rpm.

Adding the vehicle’s nickel-hydrogen battery system, the power output goes up to 160 kW. The grunt and twist goes to the front wheels via an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission system.

Toyota says the seventh-generation ES “merges traditional grace and elegance with future vision, without compromise”.

Way too complicated for us, but we found the test vehicle to be sleek, very good looking and uniquely styled – there is no chance of mistaking it for anything other than a Lexus.

We were mostly impressed by its distinctive front grille, LED headlamps and rear combination lights, a subtle rear spoiler, plus spoked alloy wheels. The photographs herewith will serve you better than any long-winded description by us.

The vehicle is 4 975 mm long and 1 865 mm wide, with the whole package sitting on 17-inch alloy wheels in 215/55 tyres.

On a personal note, we were happy to see the spare wheel is a full-sized alloy item, and not one of those close to useless “space-saver” atrocities used by far too many car manufacturers.

One of the Lexus brand’s biggest selling points over the years has been interior luxury and the test vehicle did not disappoint. The synthetic leather seats are superbly comfortable, with three adults able to occupy the rear perches with adequate head and legroom.

All driving related functions, plus those for communication, are controlled from the leather-covered steering wheel.
Interior comforts include separate air-conditioning front and rear, a 17-speaker audio system that can be linked to smart phones, a Head-Up display in the driver’s line of vision, a navigational system, and the ability to access in-car wi-fi connectivity.

The Lexus is huge on safety, with active systems including disc brakes all round with ABS and EBD, vehicle stability control, hill assist control, traction control, lane keeping assist with blind spot monitor, an adaptive cruise control system that will maintain safe following distances, and park distance control. Should you still crash, the Lexus will protect you via front and side airbags.

What is it like to drive? Ultra smooth, comfortable and confidence-inspiring, with the transmission in fill sync with the rest of the powertrain.

A race car this Lexus is not – Toyota claims a 0 to 100 km/h time of 9.1 seconds and a top whack of 210 km/h. That will mean total annihilation by most current hot hatches in traffic light dices, but Lexus customers would be highly unlikely to engage in such frivolous activities.

Instead, they will concentrate on refinement, comfort, safety and much-proven bulletproof reliability – all of which the Lexus ES 300h EX delivers in spades.

We made no attempt to drive the Lexus frugally and an overall fuel consumption figure of 7.6l/100km was totally acceptable.

The vehicle will set you back R774 300, which price includes a seven-year/105 000km warranty and full maintenance plan. Service intervals are every 15 000km, or once per annum.

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