Steampunk goes pop
The year before last, I had the pleasure of driving the Lexus ES 300h on test, and I was very impressed with the levels of luxury and technology that was present. Fast-forward a year and Lexus South Africa has just pulled the covers off of their latest offering in this model, and we were on hand to sample the Japanese luxo land yacht.
Related: Lexus ES300h SE – Steampunk-styled land yacht
What's new?
To be perfectly honest almost nothing has changed on the outside. It is still an elegant affair with LED lighting in all four corners, that massive metallic spindle grille and stylish 17 inch multi spoke wheels. You still get an option of nine colours to choose from (our favourite still remains the Sunlit Green) and Hybrid badging and logos scattered around.
The interior is still as opulent as ever with soft leather, depending on your choice out of the three colour options Red, Black or Cream leather accompanied by brushed aluminium, piano black or wood grain with brushed look brass.
The interior is off course where all the changes have taken place.
You now get Apple Car Play and Android Auto (has been requested for ever and a day), Lexus Connect in car WiFi, Lexus Premium 10 speaker audio system with an 8 inch centre screen and more leg room.
What this essentially boils down to is that the entry level EX range is getting all the bells and whistles from the SE range which makes us wonder what Lexus has in store for the higher end of thsi range.
The Drive
The drive was exactly as you would expect. It felt as if we were wafting along with barely a noticeable sound or indication that we were traveling at speed. This is where the Lexus truly earns its price tag as it is very difficult to think of another vehicle from a German marque that comes close to the comfort levels that the Lexus offers.
Naturally it is packed with all the safety features that were in the pervious model and then some, you now also have a better reverse camera.
Price
One of the major draw cards here is the price, It may seem a little on the steep side but taking into consideration the extra tech and the development costs, the price hasn't actually gone up that much.
The Lexus ES 300h EX is going to cost R 774 300 and comes with a class leading 7 year /105 000km warranty and maintenance plan.
Verdict
Here at AutoTrader we love the left field option and you really can't go any further that way than a Lexus. The brand has always done things its own way and continues to buck popular trends unless the customer base insists on having features. They also ignore the base model / option list sales system and rather offer a single model with everything, luxury coming standard, as they say, and we like that.
If you like to do things your way and don't want to follow the herd and want to save a few thousand rand, head down to your local Lexus dealer and take one of these luxury land-yacht's for a test, you won't be disappointed.
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