Introduction
reviewed by
Once a wallflower, the Lexus ES 300 is now a bold-looking luxury sedan. Redesigned for 2002, the ES 300 looks smooth and sleek, yet larger and more substantial.
In fact it is considerably larger than the pre-2002 model, standing 2.4 inches taller and stretching 2.0 inches longer in wheelbase. Those added inches have given the ES 300 another four cubic feet of interior space; so that the Lexus is now 10-percent larger inside than a Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Trunk volume for the ES 300 was increased 12 percent over the 2001 model. At the same time, new sound-absorbing and vibration-isolating technologies have brought exceptional quiet and smoothness.
Lexus has justly earned a reputation for exceptional quality control and the ES 300 delivers a compelling combination of quality, comfort, refinement, and value. Behind the fit and finish is a great deal of careful design and detail work. Advanced composites and resin-steel sandwiches contribute to the quality you see and feel, from the tight "thunk" when you close the doors, trunk and hood; to the precision movement of the turn signal stalk.
For 2003, Lexus has added the option of power-adjustable pedals to the ES 300's long list of luxuries. Otherwise, the ES 300 is unchanged from last year.
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