The mid-size luxury sedan market is getting a major shakeup this year. Both BMW and Mercedes are fielding new talent in the form of the 2024 5-Series and all-electric i5, and the 2024 E-Class. So what has Lexus done to prepare for this battle? Almost nothing. The sum total of the changes Lexus has announced for the 2024 ES amount to an optional technology pack and a new ‘Vapor Chrome’ finish for the dinky 18-in wheels that come standard on the ES Ultra Luxury and are optional on the Luxury.
Base, Luxury, F Sport Design and F Sport
Handling grades can all be ordered with the Technology Package that includes a
12.3-in touchscreen with Lexus Interface connectivity, voice control
functionality, a head-up display, the ability to receive over-air updates and
the brand’s SmartAccess Card Key. All of those options were available
individually last year, as far as we can tell, they’ve just been bundled
together for 2024.
Other than that, it’s business as usual.
The lineup of 250, 350, 300h powertrains and the five trims available last year
is carried straight over, though inevitably prices have crept up. The most
affordable ES, the base 350, cost US$ 42,490 as a 2023 model but will set you
back US$ 43,190 dressed for 2024. At the other end of the scale the MSRP of the
ES300h Ultra Luxury hybrid swells from US$ 52,840 to US$ 53,480, to which
you’ll need to add US$ 1,150 for delivery.
You might argue that Lexus didn’t need to
do much more to take the ES into 2024. It’s the best-selling non-SUV Lexus by
far and has dominated the gas-powered North American midsize luxury sedan space
for years. In 2022, for example, the ES was more popular than the BMW 5-Series
and Mercedes E-Class put together.
But the Germans were old cars then and are
brand new for 2024. Now it’s the five-year old ES that’s looking old, not to
mention lacking a fully electric option. The Lexus will probably still cruise
home ahead of the BMW and Mercedes in the sales tables, helped by the late
arrival of the Germans, which doesn’t go on sale until the end of the year, but
surely it can expect to lose some market share along the way.
