It could be a sign that I’m maturing, aka getting old, when I start to consider the 2021 Lexus ES250 AWD Ultra Luxury as my next car. I associate old people with the crowd to purchase the Lexus ES class and living in South Florida confirmed that. I’ve seen that as I’ve gotten older, I tend to look for things to make my life a lot easier. When I test drove the ES250 for the week, I can see why it has an appeal to an older crowd but it did also appeal to a younger crowd. In the Facebook car group I’m in, I had multiple younger people inquire about the Lexus as they were looking for a reliable and comfortable car as a supplement to their performance car.

To start with the outside, the ES250’s grille is iconic Lexus design. The triple beam LED headlamps in the ES were extremely bright and pleasing on the eyes. The adaptive function had them pointing wherever you turned the wheel. This made it easy to drive at night to avoid hitting objects that might not have been as visible if the lights weren’t following your planned direction.

The adaptive lights will definitely help avoid you from curbing the 18” wheels. According to Lexus, the Ultra Luxury trim offers a special design that they’ve named “noise-reduction wheels.” Maybe it’s the split 5 spoke design or the alloy used that helps with noise but I can confirm that it does work! The ride is extremely smooth and energizing. No the ES we had wasn’t electric (although there is a hybrid model), I meant that I didn’t feel tired from being in a car for a long time. 

Part of that energized feeling was due to the 14-way heated and ventilated driver seat that the ES250 was equipped with. The passenger’s 10-way adjustments was also plenty to get the perfect positioning. Although they lacked the massage option that Mercedes often offers, we didn’t feel like it was needed since we were comfortable in them

We get to the engine and this is where the ES250 is lacking. It shares the 2.5L 4-cylinder from the entry level Toyota Camry. It then uses the 8-speed automatic transmission to distribute the power to the AWD system. The 203 horsepower didn’t feel adequate to get the big sedan moving. I’m aware that I shouldn’t expect sports car performance from it, but it struggled a bit during highway passing or when speeding up on the on ramps. If you’re considering the ES model, you’ll want to opt for the ES350 with the 3.5L V6. It’s a shame that the V6 doesn’t have the AWD option.

After the week was over, my family and I were really missing the 2021 Lexus ES250 AWD Ultra Luxury. It was a great sedan that made our lives easier.