The First Lexus ES Had Big Luxury Dreams and One Tough Family Rivalry

The original ES had luxury polish, Camry roots, and the nearly impossible job of following the LS 400.

[This story originally appeared in the February 1990 issue of Motor Trend with the headline "Lexus ES 250."] Life in the automotive fast lane sometimes can be awfully unfair. Especially if one's primary role is to serve as the supporting sibling to an ascending star car. The situation gets even stickier when the vehicle in question is viewed as little more than a major cosmetic upgrade of an extremely popular, albeit decidedly middle-of-the-road, family sedan. That, in a nutshell, is the rather unenviable dilemma faced by the Lexus ES 250.

When Toyota decided to launch its new Lexus prestige line, the marketing types felt it essential to pair the top-line LS 400 super sedan with a smaller, more affordable entry-level vehicle. (Hmm, where have we heard that before?) To ensure that the program remained cost-effective, it was decided to spin the ES 250 off an existing platform. Although the ES 250 does share the same basic unibody, powertrain, and suspension design with the middle-class Toyota Camry, this upscale compact sedan has little else in common with its corporate kinsman. All sheetmetal, glass, and interior panels are unique. In areas where design parallels do exist, specific execution often differs. The result is that, while the ES 250 displays a certain degree of visual similarity with the Camry, it possesses a distinct personality all its own. Is the transformation a total success? After spending a couple weeks with the young upstart, we believe the answer is a qualified yes.