Dec. 28--Some words just sound right. To say "smile" turns up the corners of the lips into the very thing it defines; to say "love" is to open up, then embrace that which was once parted. The perfect word transcends the object it defines into something more.
"Lexus" is one of those words. The subtle flow of "luxury" into "success" may be the perfect automotive marketing nonword to define a brand. It must be the word "Lexus" that bothers me more than the product.
The product is reliable, nice, retains its value but is not in the category of true luxury cars that make you feel like something more than a corporeal being destined to die.
The Lexus ES300 hybrid epitomizes this divide between marketing promise and product delivery.
The redesigned midsize hybrid sedan is nice, but the trim lines of other automakers have surpassed what was once the status symbol of near luxury, and they cost less.
The ES gets 40 mpg city and costs $40,920.
The Ford Fusion hybrid starts at about $26,000 and gets 44 mpg city, with the fully equipped Titanium trim coming in under $32,000.
The Honda Accord hybrid, the most fuel-efficient midsize hybrid, gets 50 mpg city, but it starts just under $30,000, with the top of the line Touring trim coming in over $35,000.
But those aren't Lexus levels of luxury, one might argue. How about the Lincoln MKZ hybrid, which gets the same 40 mpg city, starts at just over $35,000 and does not carry a hybrid upcharge from the gas model?
The 360-horsepower Infiniti Q50 hybrid is more expensive, but it's a sport hybrid, which the ES is most certainly not.
The ES300's toned-down stablemate, the Toyota Camry hybrid, gets 43 mpg city, starts at $27,000, and the top of the line Hybrid XLE trim costs just over $30,000.
The ES300 hybrid, Camry hybrid and full-size Toyota Avalon hybrid share the same 2.5-liter in-line four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and electronic continuously variable transmission. They're all front-wheel drive, and the same hybrid power plant generates 200 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque.
So the question is if the creature comforts of the interior and the influential branding on the outside are worth 25 percent more of your money.
