New Sedan Lexus ES 300h 2016, 2017 We admire confidence, especially when it comes to car design. So we tip our hats to Lexus, which has gone all-in with the grille. Controversial though it may be, the brand’s “spindle grille” doesn’t seem to have turned off enough buyers to prevent it from spreading—literally—across all members of the Lexus lineup. Now it has reached the innocuous ES mid-size sedan. 2016 Lexus ES: Easy-Livin' Luxury, Updated 2016 Lexus ES: Easy-Livin' Luxury, Updated THE BREAD-AND-BUTTER SEDAN GOES ALL-IN ON "THE GRILLE." APR 2015 BY STEVE SILER 181 SHARES TWEET Official Photos and Info We admire confidence, especially when it comes to car design. So we tip our hats to Lexus, which has gone all-in with the grille. Controversial though it may be, the brand’s “spindle grille” doesn’t seem to have turned off enough buyers to prevent it from spreading—literally—across all members of the Lexus lineup. Now it has reached the innocuous ES mid-size sedan. To be fair, the current-gen ES has dabbled in the spindle-grille scene to a small extent with its 2013 redesign, but now the refreshed model shows it’s fully committed. The headlamps and fog lamps have in turn become jagged assemblages of metal and glass, much like those of the new 2016 RX. For a sporty coupe like the RC350, the current Lexus look is perhaps more fitting. For the ES, it’s quite radical. Changes are subtler elsewhere on the car. The taillamps adopt L-shaped innards like the rest of the Lexus lineup, while the chrome garnish spanning the rear appears a bit better integrated than before. Wheel designs are fresh, measuring 17- to 20-inches in diameter, and the tailpipes on the ES350 are now—are you sitting down?—rectangular. Oh, and the hybrid badge on the gas-electric model has changed. It still says “hybrid”, but it’s different. Inside, new interior color combos and finishes include Flaxen brown, Parchment, and gray and black upholstery, as well as piano black, dark wood, bird's-eye maple, or matte-finished bamboo trim. The center display between the instruments has become a 4.2-inch TFT unit, and Lexus’s Remote Touch interface sprouts two “Enter” buttons on either side to make it easier to, um, enter things. Otherwise, there are no additional changes to report.