Preloved Wheels Lexus Es300 1992 On
Newcastle Herald
Wednesday July 7, 1999
WHEN Lexus launched its big car the LS400 here in 1990 (Preloved Wheels, June 23) it immediately did two things.
The first was that it established Lexus as a prestige car maker. The second was that it gave the Australian arm of the company the incentive to bring a smaller, lower priced model to these shores.
That car was the ES300, a vehicle aimed at those who had their sights set on the LS400 but had their bank balances firmly rooted in reality.
The ES was a comfortable size and, went the common theory, the spiritual successor to the much-loved, lamented Toyota Cressida.
In truth it was loosely based on Toyota's Camry model that was to follow it some months later, sharing its basic floorpan and some of its underpinnings with that car.
Toyota and Lexus had made much of the `technology flow down' that would come to lesser Toyotas from Lexus technology and this, perhaps, was the first sign of that happening.
Overall length measured 4830mm, width went to 1790mm, it stood 1395mm tall, the wheelbase measured 2670mm and it tipped the scales at 1500kg.
To counter that weight premium and also to give the car some worthwhile oomph, Lexus fitted it with a silky smooth 149kW, 3.0-litre, quad overhead camshaft, fuel-injected V6 engine.
Performance was not startling but it was good, the car coping easily with the demands of modern driving and returning reasonable fuel economy figures to boot.
The engine was fitted transversely in the nose, driving the front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.
A manual gearbox was simply not an option and that would remain so on Lexus cars until the GS300 appeared.
Interestingly, the ES300 was and still is the only front-wheel drive car in the four-car Lexus lineup (LS400, ES300, GS300 and IS200), and is the only one of the three six-cylinder cars to have its cylinders in V-formation.
Ride and handling were strong points of the car, which was soon dubbed `Little Lex', a tag it would keep until the IS200 appeared a few months ago.
Suspension ran to independent MacPherson struts with L-shaped lower arms, gas-pressurised shock absorbers and a stabiliser bar at the front, and MacPherson struts with dual-link upper mounts, gas dampers and stabiliser at the rear.
To make it stop the car had big ventilated front disc brakes and solid discs on the back.
Like the bigger LS400, the smaller ES300 was loaded with standard equipment.
The original model, launched in June 1992 and discontinued in October 1996, boasted a driver's airbag; cruise control; anti-lock braking; automatic climate control airconditioning; cruise control; central locking; power-operated front seats; power steering, windows and mirrors; and a very enjoyable audio system.
By 1996 ES300 pricing was almost running riot thanks to the overheated Japanese economy and a free-falling Aussie dollar.
The car had a price of more than $80,000 and the price structure needed urgent attention.
The answer was to turn one model into two, the S and the more expensive LXS, and restructure not only the cost but also the equipment levels.
In one fell swoop Lexus dropped the ask to $61,500 for the S and $69,500 for the LXS.
The base car (if that term can be used to describe any Lexus model) lost its leather upholstery, power seats and alloy wheels, while the more upmarket car went further upmarket.
It kept the leather and the power bits and pieces and gained dual airbags, remote CD changer, remote central locking and leather-clad steering wheel, all icing on a pretty impressive cake.
The big surprise in the model change though was the fact that nothing really changed except the badging on the bootlids.
Well, not quite right perhaps but the changes were so imperceptible that only true Lexus-philes would have found the obvious external alterations.
What to look for
Generally speaking, finding a crook Lexus is about as difficult as finding opals in the garden.
Having said that, it is always a wise move to have any prospective purchase checked for ill treatment or accident damage, especially older cars that may be on their second or third owner.
Examine the log book and make sure all replaceable items such as filters and belts have been changed at proper intervals.
What to pay
Lexus ES300: 1992, $28,500; 1994, $37,000; 1996, $47,000
ES300 S: 1996, $51,000; 1997,$53,000
ES300 LXS: 1996, $56,500; 1997, $58,000
(Retail prices courtesy of industry analyst Glass's Guide)
© 1999 Newcastle Herald