Car Reviews: 2006 Lexus ES330

Living with the Lexus ES 330 is easy. Understand that statement, and you understand the essence of this entry-luxury sedan.

The ES 330 may be the smoothest, quietest car in its class. It's easy to drive smoothly, keeping passengers comfortable and making the driver look like a pro. The 3.3-liter V6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission are refined and responsive. A supple suspension gives it a civilized ride on rough city streets, beat-up freeways and poorly maintained back roads. The brakes are easy to modulate for smooth stops in everyday driving. The ES 330 is front-wheel drive and its emphasis is on convenience and comfort.

The seats are comfortable, the leather-trimmed upholstery is nice, and the rich-looking interior is accented in wood and aluminum-toned brightwork. Its controls are straightforward and easy to operate. An excellent Mark Levinson stereo is available as a factory option, and satellite radio can be dealer-installed. The rear seats are roomy and comfortable and feature outboard seatbelt pre-tensioners and force limiters. The trunk is a decent size.

True to the Lexus legend, refinement, quality, fit and finish, and attention to detail are evident throughout. You see, feel, and even hear the quality. It can be heard in the solid sound the doors, trunk and hood make when they're closed.

Lexus freshened the exterior appearance of the ES 330 for the 2005 model, and upgraded some of the interior appointments. Sirius Satellite Radio will be offered as an alternative to XM Satellite Radio on 2006 models. No additional changes have been made for 2006.

The 2006 Lexus ES 330 comes as one well-equipped model ($32,300).

It comes standard with many of the same luxury and convenience features found in higher-priced Lexus sedans: handsome, high-quality leather upholstery with wood trim, automatic dual-zone climate control with interior air filter, power windows with auto up/down and jam protection, a power moonroof, and an AM/FM/CD/cassette system with 86 watts and seven speakers.

Options include a 240-watt Mark Levinson audio system, six-disc CD changer and a choice of XM Satellite Radio or Sirius Satellite Radio (the latter a late-year addition). Other options include Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with traction control and Brake Assist; Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS); DVD satellite navigation; power-adjustable pedals with memory; power rear sunshade; high-intensity discharge headlamps with rain-sensing wipers; heated and ventilated front seats; wood steering wheel and shift knob; and 17-inch wheels and tires.

New for 2006 is the ES 330 Black Diamond Edition, a package ($600) that features exclusive Black Diamond paint, black Birdseye maple wood trim, and other distinctive touches and includes an exclusive Tumi luggage set.

Safety was a top priority when designing the ES 330. Standard passive safety equipment includes dual front airbags (mandated), seat-mounted side-impact airbags (for torso protection), and front and rear side-curtain airbags (for head protection). Three-point seatbelts are provided for all five seating positions; be sure to wear them as they are your first line of defense in a crash. The front seats are designed to help reduce whiplash. The outboard rear seatbelts are fitted with force limiters and pre-tensioners. To help the driver avoid accidents in the first place, the ES 330 comes standard with such active safety features as anti-lock disc brakes (ABS) and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD). Optional Vehicle Stability Control is designed to improve driver control by reducing skidding in turns.

The Lexus ES 330 makes a striking styling statement with its dramatic front rake and headlamps that look like silvery cat's eyes. The front end seems to slope down in one continuous curve, from the top of the windshield, over the sculpted hood and tidy dark grille, down to the smooth air dam under the almost seamless front bumper.

Tail lamps trimmed in silver echo the design, stretching around the corners, as if reaching to meet the headlamps. Nine-spoke alloy wheels complement the sheet metal. The optional 17-inch alloy wheels use a six-spoke design. Chromed door handles are easy to grab and do not require awkwardly flipping your hand over as they do on some of the other cars in this class, such as the Audi A6.

The underbody is smooth, nearly flat, contributing to exceptional aerodynamic efficiency (with a coefficient of drag of just 0.28), and the body is constructed using advanced composites and resin-steel sandwiches to further minimize the intrusion of noise.

When it designed the ES, Lexus set out to make it one of the safest cars in the class. The passenger compartment is reinforced in critical areas, and front and rear crush zones are designed to crumple and to help absorb the impact of a crash.

of the power windows and power moonroof after turning off the ignition, but not the audio or navigation systems.

Trunk volume is comparable to most of the competition's, and considerably larger than that of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. A cargo net is available, but costs extra.

The Lexus ES 330 delivers a smooth, refined driving experience with a smooth engine and transmission, a smooth-riding suspension, smooth brakes, and extensive measures designed to reduce noise, vibration and harshness. And did we mention this car is smooth?

The 3.3-liter V6 engine gives the ES 330 responsive performance in everyday driving situations. Lexus says the ES 330 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds. It's rated 21/29 mpg City/Highway by the EPA and is certified by the government as a ULEV II Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle. Power ratings are down slightly for 2006, to 218 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, but that's only because the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has instituted new test procedures that tend to deliver more conservative numbers. The engine itself, and its performance, have not changed. This year's ES is just as powerful as last year's model.

The transmission shifts very smoothly. Upshifts in normal, everyday driving are almost invisible. Yet the gearbox delivers responsive shifts when driving aggressively. The gated shifter allows manual gear selection, but we found this to be a clunky proposition and preferred to just leave it in Drive.

The ES 330's suspension is tuned for a smooth ride. It filters out vibration and contributes to the ES 330's exceptional quiet and smoothness. The four-wheel independent strut suspension provides precise handling with minimal body sway. The speed-sensitive power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering has a very nice touch: light and effortless around town, but with good feel. There is very little, if any, torque steer.

Overall, the ES 330 handles well, but it is tuned more for a smooth ride than sporty handling. Its front-wheel-drive layout and front-heavy weight distribution (61 percent front/39 percent rear) limit its cornering potential. Serious driving enthusiasts may prefer the Lexus IS with rear-wheel drive, but most drivers will be happier with the ES 330. The standard 16-inch wheels come with all-season tires (215/60VR16). The optional 17-inch wheels should provide sportier handling with a choice of all-season or summer tires, both with slightly lower-profile sidewalls (215/55VR17).

The optional Adaptable Variable Suspension is worthwhile for drivers interested in adjusting handling and ride quality to suit conditions or mood. The system automatically and continuously changes the shock absorber damping rate at each wheel in response to road conditions, vehicle speed, and steering and braking inputs. Overall, the system is tuned very nicely, and provides a great ride under all conditions. The driver can switch among four stiffness settings by moving a thumb wheel on the center console. The firm setting is indeed relatively firm, but not as firm as a sports suspension: It tightens up transient response (quick lane-change maneuvers) but transmits more vibration into the cabin when driving on rough city streets. This setting works best when driving at high speeds or when whipping along mountain two-lanes. The softest setting works very well at low speeds on rough neighborhood streets, filtering out the undulations of neglected pavement. We liked using it for that, but it's on the squishy side for other conditions. The middle two settings were just right for everyday driving.

The brakes are very smooth and effortless, yet sensitive. They require little effort to generate good stopping power, but are easy to modulate. In other words, it's easy to brake very smoothly in everyday driving, wrapping your passengers in a velvety experience, yet the car will stop quickly in an emergency. The ES 330 comes standard with anti-lock brakes (ABS), which help the driver to maintain steering control in an emergency stopping situation; in an emergency stopping situation, remember to maintain hard pressure on the brake pedal and to look and steer where you want to go. The ES also comes standard with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), which distributes braking force evenly to the tires with the best grip for excellent stability and improved stopping performance. Brake Assist is another good idea, as it helps the driver maintain maximum braking force in a panic stop even if he or she makes the mistake of relaxing pressure on the brake pedal.

Optional Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) includes traction control and is integrated with ABS and EBD to help the driver maintain control of the car in slippery corners or even in dry corners when the tires lose grip. VSC retards the throttle and/or applies braking to individual wheels (something the driver cannot do) to help the car track along the path intended by the driver. That can help avoid accidents, and we recommend it highly. All these systems work together as a team to help the driver maintain control of the car.

The Lexus ES 330 delivers a smooth, refined ride. Its engine and transmission are smooth and so are its brakes. The cabin is very quiet. Lexus quality and attention to detail pervade. If you want a smooth and quiet mid-size luxury sedan, you cannot do much better in this price range than the Lexus ES 330.