These days, the suited man looks naked without a tie bar, just like how substandard he will appear if he doesn't drive around Kuala Lumpur in a Lexus ES - with police escort, no less.
Ah yes, the Lexus ES. It first saw the light of day in 1989 and has been around for six generations now. Although the car was discontinued in Asia in 2006 when Lexus ceased production of right-hand drive variants, the current generation ES returns to that very market as the ES Line celebrates its 21st anniversary locally and its 25th year as a nameplate of the luxury marque.
As disheartening as it may have been missing out on the fifth generation in Singapore (only available for left-hand drive countries), the latest ES doesn't seem like it's about to disappoint.
Part of the credit goes to the fact that the nameplate now has a spanking new hybrid variant. The Lexus ES300h, as it's called, sports a 158bhp 2.5-litre twin cam Atkinson cycle petrol engine and a 105kW electric drive motor that's mated to an electronic continuously variable transmission (E-CVT). As such, the maximum combined output is some 202bhp. Putting this into perspective, plus 213Nm of torque, the ES300h will easily dash past the 100km/h mark in a respectable 8.5 seconds.
On the other hand, the ES250 is also available at launch. Exhibiting a 2.5-litre dual VVT-i engine under the bonnet, this variant is capable of 181bhp at 6,000rpm and 235Nm of torque at 4,100rpm. While it finishes the century sprint at a slightly slower 9.8 seconds, it has an impressive fuel economy of 12.7km/L on paper.
When it comes to space, the ES will easily stand out from its peers. The ES300h has 420 litres of boot space while the ES250 sports 490 litres of luggage capacity. This simply means the former will easily fit three golf bags while the latter will haul four golf bags.
Of course, like all Lexus, the hand-stitched finish on the dashboard of the ES is just one example of the high levels of luxury and quality evident in the car. Whether or not it's down to hardcore training and testing to achieve this perfection, one thing is for sure - the ES is all about absolute comfort and luxury.
Now, that deserves respect.
