Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.
Sacramento, California -- In a world of seemingly endless sport-utility vehicle variations, there are some out there who prefer to stick with the good old sedan.
Four wheels, four doors, capable of smooth cruising and a race driver's ground-level view. Nothing wrong with that.
Which is why the Lexus ES lineup has done so well in sales for years.
Mine showed up wearing "Ultrasonic Blue Mica" paint, classy 19-inch wheels and sporty sculpting all around the vehicle.
Some auto reviewers have criticized the ES 350 for not being sporty enough, but that was lost on me when I took the tester out for a spirited run up into the Sierra Nevada foothills. The 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 302 horsepower took to the hill climb with gusto, breezing by other struggling machines, and the ES 350 demonstrated sharp agility as it held the line on curves taken at 70 miles per hour.
The strong performance was not accompanied by a loud invasion of the cockpit. Even at high song, conversations inside the cabin could be carried on in normal tones.
There's virtually universal agreement among auto reviewers that the interior of the ES 350 is a strong point -- spacious and comfortable. A thoughtfully laid out dashboard and center console area can be accessed without taking one's eyes off the road.
Naturally, I again struggled a bit with the somewhat complex infotainment system, although I do believe I'm getting the hang of it. Makes me feel younger by the minute.
The interior space is generous enough that you darn near feel like you're at the wheel of a full-size sedan, and smooth cruising comfort is the norm.
The starting price on my ride was $45,700, but a generous suite of options pushed the bottom line to $51,795.
That was OK with me as the perks included useful, attractive items: wireless charger, sizable head-up display, color multimedia display and a rear spoiler to name just a few. A full line of state-of-the-art safety features is part of the deal too.
This sedan earned a max five-star overall federal government safety rating in crash tests, and fuel mileage on the tester came in at a pretty fair 22 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.
I'm not sure what more one would want in a luxury midsize sedan. For me, my time in the ES 350 was a fun, exciting blast, and I felt entirely secure at the wheel on crowded city streets and twisty mountain roads.
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