Lexus ES300H 2014

When you are the luxury arm of a legendary automobile manufacturer like Toyota, you get a little bit more leeway to play around with when you want to create new vehicle platforms for the mass market.

And that’s exactly the kind of leeway that Alexis used to create the new ES300H, a luxury hybrid sedan built on the back of a Lexus engineers and I have been toying with this kind of “power plant” in a luxury sedan for some time.

But is it a success, or has Lexus overextended themselves by trying to push a product that the market just isn’t ready for yet - and may not even want?

Find out below.

Lexus aims to reinvent the luxury hybrid niche in the automobile world

The first thing that you need to understand about the new Lexus ES300H is that it wasn’t created to make anyone feel comfortable (unless of course you’re driving or riding along in it, as the ride feels like you are cruising along a highway or road on top of your favorite sofa).

This is an automobile that has been created to challenge the “status quo” as far as luxury sedans are concerned, and the fact that it does so while offering you the same kind of fit and finish you expect from this premium automobile manufacturer (and without any compromise in power or performance) is nothing short of astounding.

Is the Lexus ES300H the right luxury sedan platform to change people’s idea about hybrid technology?

It’s impossible to project the future of the all new ES300H and what kind of impact it’s going to have on the minds of people that are shopping for a new luxury sedans, but it certainly seems to have come along at precisely the right point in time.

Hybrid technology has finally come along to the point where it’s not an automotive gimmick but instead a file and reliable method of “propulsion” - and combined with all of the luxury features that Lexus vehicles have come standard with for years and years now, you really have a runaway winner on your hands.

Important Specifications:

• 3.5 V-6 engine pushing 268hp
• Integrated 6 speed automatic transmission with sport tuning capabilities
• 21mpg city and 31mpg highway (24mpg combined)
• 0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph

How does the Lexus ES300H stack up against the competition?

The new Lexus ES300H definitely stacks up well against the competition, but mostly because there isn’t all that much competition in the luxury hybrid space. Basically built on the back of the Camry hybrid system (one of the most popular hybrid platforms on the roads today), the high-end luxury finishes throughout the interior and exterior really set this hybrid apart from all others.

Whether or not you decide to move forward with the Lexus ES300H is a decision that you’ll need to make all on your own – but it’s certainly something well worth investigating (and maybe even taking for a test drive!)