Lexus ES300h: Variants Explained

Lexus’ most affordable sedan is available in two variants. Which one should you choose?

The ES300h makes a compelling case for itself with its bold design, the promise of Japanese reliability, and the eco-quotient of a hybrid. For India, Lexus has chosen to offer the sedan in two variants: Exquisite and Luxury, priced at Rs 51.9 lakh and Rs 56.95 lakh respectively.

Irrespective of the variant you choose, the ES300h is offered with a single powertrain: a 2.5-litre petrol engine paired with an electric motor and a 244V battery. This setup gives the sedan a combined output of 235PS. The hybrid system is paired with Lexus’ e-CVT, which is tuned to ensure the sedan is as frugal as possible. The ES300h is capable of being driven solely on EV power too. 

 You can choose between the following colours for your new Lexus ES300h:

• Sonic Quartz

• Graphite Black Quartz

• Sonic Titanium

• Ice Ecru Mica Metallic

• Red Mica Crystal Shine

• Deep Blue Mica

Related: Lexus ES300h: Design Decoded

With the basics out of the way, let’s dig deeper into what separates the two variants. 

Safety: A full suite of safety features are offered as standard on the ES300h. This includes 10 airbags (including those for the driver’s and co-driver’s knee), ABS with EBD, vehicle stability control, hill start assist, anti-theft system, intrusion alert, and impact-sensing fuel cut. You also get ISOFIX child seat mounts. Basics including an auto-dimming rearview mirror, front and rear parking sensors, and a rear parking camera are offered with both variants. 

Exterior: There’s no way you’ll figure out which variant of the ES300h you’re looking at from the outside unless you are a hardcore Lexus enthusiast or you hunt for the badge. The Exquisite variant offers a full-LED Bi-Beam headlamp, full-LED tail lamps, rear fog lamps, and daytime running lamps. The 18-inch alloy wheels are the same size as the top-spec version, albeit finished in a dark grey shade. 

Pick the top-spec Luxury variant and you get Lexus’ signature 3-eye design LED headlamps. The wheels are finished in hyper chrome, just like the flagship Lexus LS. That’s pretty much it. 

Interior: Interiors of both variants look identical and come with the same set of features for the occupants. This includes leather upholstery, 14-way adjust for the driver’s seat (with memory), 12-way adjust for the co-driver’s seat (with memory), and seat ventilation for the front two occupants. The steering too gets an electric tilt and telescopic function with memory. 

Lexus also offers an ‘easy slide switch’ (popularly called the boss button) that allows the co-driver’s seat to be pushed ahead from the rear. The rear seats get a recline as well as a heating function. Other notable features are a sunroof and LED ambient lighting.

Comfort and Convenience: There’s not much distinguishing the variants in terms of comfort and convenience features either. Both variants get cruise control, paddle shifters, electric parking brake, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic headlamps. 

Lexus also offers the ‘Climate Concierge’ as standard, paired with a 3-zone climate control system. For added privacy, you get sunshades for the rear windows and quarter windows, along with powered sunshades for the rear windshield. 

Both variants also offer a 7-inch TFT instrument cluster. However, it’s only the top-spec Exquisite variant that gets a coloured heads-up display. The powered boot (with a kick sensor) is reserved for the top-spec model only. 

Infotainment: A 12.3-inch infotainment system is available with both variants. You get two USB ports, one AUX-in port, and smartphone connectivity too. The big difference comes in the speaker setup. Where the base variant is packed with a 10-speaker Lexus Premium audio system, Luxury gets the creme de la creme 17-speaker Mark Levinson setup. Wireless charging is offered only in the top-spec trim. 

So, for a difference of around Rs 5 lakh, the top-spec Luxury trim offers a handful extras. This includes the ‘3-eye’ headlamps, 17-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, wireless charging, and coloured heads-up display. 

From the value-for-money standpoint, it’s surely hard to justify the premium. That being said, if stretching that extra 10 per cent isn’t going to bother you (and we highly doubt it will!), we’d recommend going the whole hog and bringing home the top-spec Luxury variant.

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