It seems Lexus wants the all new seventh generation ES Sedan to not only be a practical choice of car, but also an emotional one for buyers. This is something you never thought the luxury Japanese carmaker would have accomplished since it launched the first ES back in 1989.

Back then, the V6 front-wheel driven luxury sedan was created to appeal to the sort of mature audience who enjoyed spa retreats and retirement. This created a problem since competitors like the Audi A6 and the BMW 5 Series had the sort of appeal that attracted the affluent and younger buyers who enjoyed the finer and more exciting things in life.

Now, the new Lexus ES - like the sporty Lexus LC and the Lexus LS flagship sedan - represents a shift for the brand as it pursues a new identity that emphasises emotionality and individuality while ensuring the brand's culture and tradition have been retained at every possible level.
 
Oh, hello handsome!

For starters, the ES looks nothing like its predecessors. Instead, with its gaping spindle grille, striking headlamps that are underlined by LED daytime running lights and sleek sheet metal, it resembles more like the Lexus LS. That's also to say the ES has ample road presence now.

Adding to that is the wizardry Lexus designers did to the car to make it look sportier. The ES is now 65mm longer, 5mm lower and 45mm wider, with wheels that have been pushed closer to the corners thanks to a 50mm longer wheelbase and wider front and rear tracks.

On an average executive sedan, such a drastic change in dimensions may not have been achievable. But because the ES now rides on a new platform - the brand's Global Architecture-K (GA-K) platform, itself derived from Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) - significant changes for the better are made more realistic.

Up, up and away

One of the changes is the way the car drives.

Thanks to the new platform and a more talkative steering, the Lexus ES250 now possesses the kind of dynamism that was unheard of before. Mated to a decisive and accurate eight-speed gearbox, the sedan is no champion sprinter, even if it means the naturally aspirated 2.5-litre in-line four-pot powerplant produces 204bhp and a healthy dose of 247Nm of twisting force.

Instead, where it really stands out is the way it dances with elegance around long sweeping bends and sudden tight turns. Body roll is kept well in check as you tackle twisties with absolute gusto while steering response is near flawless and on par with what you would experience in a sporty German coupe. And while all this is happening, you feel all if not most of the tarmac as the ES250 swallows them.