Lexus announced today the changes for its 2011 ES 350 luxury sedan. The ES will start at $35,525, an increase of $350 over 2010 models, and no longer does it require premium unleaded fuel. Instead, it will get 19/27 city/highway mpg on regular fuel. The aforementioned change is the big one, and the rest are fairly minor tweaks. Click past the jump for more details and a high-resolution picture gallery.
Eagle-eyed readers will note that the gas mileage has stayed the same from 2010 to 2011, despite the lower octane fuel requirement. Power and acceleration are listed as being a few ticks below where they were for 2010, but I would expect the car to identify premium fuel and adjust performance for it, as do many of the ES’s competitors. Further, a new color, dubbed Deep Sea Mica is appearing. Other than that, the Brake Override System Toyota said it would add to all of its vehicles is listed as a change.
It’s interesting that Toyota is touting the new ES’s lower fuel requirement, when if you read the article I wrote a while back, I doubt that many Lexus buyers are going to quibble about a few hundred dollars of gas per year, when the ES 350 can be optioned up into the high-$40k range. A counterpoint to this is perception – if consumers perceive that the Lexus is cheaper to run, they may buy it compared to some other luxury sedans.
The 2011 Lexus ES 350 goes on sale late fall, according to Toyota.
by John Suit
Source: Toyota