Which is a better choice: The Lexus ES250 or the ES300h?
24 Dec 2015|27,540 views
Julian believes being clean and green can just be as bold as loud and proud
Making a bold impression with a car without coming across as an arrogant prick is probably as tough as making a sartorial impression with a pair of good shoes. Shoes are definitely not just made for walking. A good pair says a lot about you and your personal palette for style. But to find a pair of good footwear that strikes a sweet spot between aesthetics and comfort isn't exactly as easy as getting a delicious cup of, say, orange carrot fruit juice.
With this concern in mind, Lexus has consistently sculptured hybrid cars that rhyme with reason. Not only are they clean and green, they can also be fast and furious - and the ES300h Hybrid here is no exception. With slightly over 200 horses and 213Nm of twisting force sent to the front wheel from the 2.5-litre engine and electric motor, the hybrid will have you know Lexus' superb understanding of unparalleled seamlessness and instantaneous acceleration.
These aren't the only characteristics you get for spending $253,000 (as of 11th December 2015) on the ES Hybrid. Having spent four days with the car returned us a fuel consumption of 13.3km/L - reasonably near its stated figures of 18.1km/L. On top of that, you'll be enjoying unprecedented comfort behind the wheel or in the back seat, depending on your mood and occasion.
Design wise, it's really down to your individual liking. We quite enjoy the looks of the car, considering how much more desirable it is compared to, say, the Infiniti Q70 and even the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. So imagine our delight when the Lexus ES was facelifted to raise its ranking high on both the feel good and look good factors.
Personally, I'm not much of a hybrid man. But I do like my cars understated and I like them humbled. And the older I grow, the more I find myself opting for function rather than form. So when a car like the Lexus ES Hybrid comes along and strikes a perfect balance between form and function, it has me by the balls.
If you ask me, I'd say it would have you by yours too.
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Regan is convinced that the real bang for buck is being afraid of losing out in monetary value
One of the common dialect words that a foreigner may get acquainted with in Singapore is kiasu. Originating from the hokkien dialect, the word may literally be translated as 'afraid of losing out or not getting the best'.
In this clean and green city of ours, the government promotes green transport like hot cakes and have introduced special initiatives such as the old Green Vehicle Rebate and its successor, the Carbon Emissions Vehicle Scheme. Unfortunately, I don't really care about going green and saving the Earth. What I am probably going to bother about is how I can get my car cheap and good.
In the case of the Lexus ES250, there is no denying that the hybrid variant excels in many aspects, such as lesser emissions, better fuel efficiency, more horsepower and torque. But the ES250 is my choice ride and here's why.
13.3km/L in the ES Hybrid is a remarkable fuel efficiency figure to achieve, considering that some hard driving was performed but achieving 10km/L in the ES250 with the same heavy right foot isn't too bad either.
The ES Hybrid is also faster and more furious, taking 1.3 seconds less than its non-hybrid sibling to reach the century mark, but people who are going to buy an ES sedan are probably not going to participate in a time attack trial so that can be saved for cars like the sportier IS or RC models in Lexus' lineup. Along the way, the ride in the ES250 is seemingly quieter and more refined too, perhaps due to the absence of the whine and drone of the ES Hybrid’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).
Most importantly, the great deal of the ES Hybrid will set me back by $10,000 more (as of 11th December 2015) over the ES250. With the latter, I can still get the same levels of comfort, not forgetting the addition of a tilt and slide panoramic glass roof as well as a bigger 490-litre boot space.
Kiasu? You bet I am...
Julian believes being clean and green can just be as bold as loud and proud
Making a bold impression with a car without coming across as an arrogant prick is probably as tough as making a sartorial impression with a pair of good shoes. Shoes are definitely not just made for walking. A good pair says a lot about you and your personal palette for style. But to find a pair of good footwear that strikes a sweet spot between aesthetics and comfort isn't exactly as easy as getting a delicious cup of, say, orange carrot fruit juice.
With this concern in mind, Lexus has consistently sculptured hybrid cars that rhyme with reason. Not only are they clean and green, they can also be fast and furious - and the ES300h Hybrid here is no exception. With slightly over 200 horses and 213Nm of twisting force sent to the front wheel from the 2.5-litre engine and electric motor, the hybrid will have you know Lexus' superb understanding of unparalleled seamlessness and instantaneous acceleration.
These aren't the only characteristics you get for spending $253,000 (as of 11th December 2015) on the ES Hybrid. Having spent four days with the car returned us a fuel consumption of 13.3km/L - reasonably near its stated figures of 18.1km/L. On top of that, you'll be enjoying unprecedented comfort behind the wheel or in the back seat, depending on your mood and occasion.
Design wise, it's really down to your individual liking. We quite enjoy the looks of the car, considering how much more desirable it is compared to, say, the Infiniti Q70 and even the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. So imagine our delight when the Lexus ES was facelifted to raise its ranking high on both the feel good and look good factors.
Personally, I'm not much of a hybrid man. But I do like my cars understated and I like them humbled. And the older I grow, the more I find myself opting for function rather than form. So when a car like the Lexus ES Hybrid comes along and strikes a perfect balance between form and function, it has me by the balls.
If you ask me, I'd say it would have you by yours too.
Regan is convinced that the real bang for buck is being afraid of losing out in monetary value
One of the common dialect words that a foreigner may get acquainted with in Singapore is kiasu. Originating from the hokkien dialect, the word may literally be translated as 'afraid of losing out or not getting the best'.
In this clean and green city of ours, the government promotes green transport like hot cakes and have introduced special initiatives such as the old Green Vehicle Rebate and its successor, the Carbon Emissions Vehicle Scheme. Unfortunately, I don't really care about going green and saving the Earth. What I am probably going to bother about is how I can get my car cheap and good.
In the case of the Lexus ES250, there is no denying that the hybrid variant excels in many aspects, such as lesser emissions, better fuel efficiency, more horsepower and torque. But the ES250 is my choice ride and here's why.
13.3km/L in the ES Hybrid is a remarkable fuel efficiency figure to achieve, considering that some hard driving was performed but achieving 10km/L in the ES250 with the same heavy right foot isn't too bad either.
The ES Hybrid is also faster and more furious, taking 1.3 seconds less than its non-hybrid sibling to reach the century mark, but people who are going to buy an ES sedan are probably not going to participate in a time attack trial so that can be saved for cars like the sportier IS or RC models in Lexus' lineup. Along the way, the ride in the ES250 is seemingly quieter and more refined too, perhaps due to the absence of the whine and drone of the ES Hybrid’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).
Most importantly, the great deal of the ES Hybrid will set me back by $10,000 more (as of 11th December 2015) over the ES250. With the latter, I can still get the same levels of comfort, not forgetting the addition of a tilt and slide panoramic glass roof as well as a bigger 490-litre boot space.
Kiasu? You bet I am...
Photos by Low Fai Ming
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