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A 2022 refresh of the Lexus ES 350 has redesigned wheels, stronger headlights and a reshaped grille.
Extraordinary Rides Lexus ES 350 Ultra stands above most By C.A. Haire
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his Lexus ES 350 is one of the better luxury cars sold today. For 2022, it gets better with some updates. The refresh includes redesigned wheels, stronger headlights, a reshaped grille and interior changes. The list is short, because the vehicle is so good; few changes are needed. This is the Ultra Luxury version. It has a long list of goodies too long to print here. However, we were not too happy to see many of these fancy items are optional. The LED headlights are $1,215 extra alone! Add Smart Access card, Navigation, Mark Levinson 1,800watt stereo, premium paint, rear spoiler and glass roof, and the tab jumps from $49,000 to $55,000. Still, this is a lot of car for the coin. Under the hood is a proven 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 302 horsepower. It is hooked to a nice eight-speed auto transmission. There 32
APRIL 2022 | MAY 2022 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM
are paddle shifters on the steering wheel for those who want to pick gears manually. Fuel economy is claimed to be 22/32 mpg. In real-world driving we saw 34 mpg on freeway trips. The infotainment screen can still by operated by a clumsy The Lexus ES 350 has plenty of power, a smooth ride, quiet finger touch pad. cabin and outstanding sound system. (C.A. Haire/Submitted) But this year the many conditions. It has plenty of power, a driver can also bypass it by using a direct smooth ride, quiet cabin and outstanding touch-screen mode, which is a blessing. sound system. The base screen is a small, 8-inch unit, Those who look forward to taking long but this luxury pack provides a larger, trips will get their money’s worth here. 12.3-inch-wide unit that is a welcome Plus there is the outstanding build quality, addition. The quality of cabin materials proven reliability record and high resale and workmanship is excellent. value. Overall, this is a very nice ride. This car was driven for a full week in
