Used 2022 Lexus ES 250 250 Ultra Luxury for sale 

The 2022 Lexus ES 250 is offered in 3 trim levels. Prices for the base spec ES 250 starts at about $41,000 and go all the way up to $50,000 for the top-spec Ultra Luxury trim level. The ES 250 is offered with just one engine and drivetrain option on offer and each trim is distinguished from the other by the features. As standard, it comes equipped with specifications like power-adjustable seats, leather upholstery, and a slew of safety specifications. For added comfort, Lexus offers trim-wise package options including a Navigation Package with a Mark Levinson sound system at around $3,000. 

Which trim should you buy?

The base spec ES 250 gets you almost all the features and equipment you’d need. However, if you need some creature comfort equipment, then you may get higher trim levels but otherwise, the base trim is not a bad option at all, and at $41,025, it is a no-brainer choice. 

The 2022 Lexus ES 250’s power unit is slightly underwhelming. But for a car that focuses on refinement and luxury, it does a decent job. The sedan gets a 2.5 liter, naturally aspirated, inline-4 engine that it shares with the smaller IS sedan. It churns out just around 203 horses and 184 lb-ft of torque, which is quite low for a vehicle in this segment. The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel-drive configuration is offered as standard, which, in all fairness, is the only advantage of the powertrain.

The performance numbers of the Lexus aren’t all that impressive either. The ES 250 takes about 8.6 seconds to hit the 60 mph mark from a standstill and can breach the quarter-mile distance in about 15.2 seconds, causing it to fall behind its competitors, considerably.

The power unit feels a little sluggish and lacks the punch that you’d expect. Step on the gas, and it doesn’t quite build pace quickly and takes its own time to get going. The engine’s response to throttle inputs isn’t the greatest and some might call it a relaxed unit but no, it is too lazy to be called relaxed. The plus side of the power train is that it is a pretty smooth and refined unit and the gearbox is also quite slick-shifting. The numbers and the performance, however, are disappointing.

Lexus has the lowest power and performance numbers in the competition. But its relaxed dynamics make it an enjoyable car to drive. The suspension setup is quite balanced and the car absorbs bumps well and also manages to stay planted on the ground while cruising at triple-digit speeds. The steering wheel is on the lighter side like it is in most luxury vehicles but then it is quite accurate. The whole ride and handling package is well crafted but the driving experience is somehow dented by the lazy power unit.

 The Lexus also is the one car in the competition to use a normally aspirated engine while all the other cars use a turbocharged engine. The Audi A4, on the other hand, gets a 48-volt mild hybrid system and is the only one in the segment to get it as standard. Yet, this system does very little to help its outputs, as the A4 produces just 201 hp and 236 lb.-ft of torque. The BMW’s engine churns out the highest power and torque and is also the quickest doing a 0-60 mph in about 5.8 seconds and hitting the quarter-mile mark in just 14.2 seconds and is closely followed by the Genesis G70, which takes half a second more to achieve similar kind of feats. 

The Lexus ES 250 delivers satisfactory fuel economy numbers, although we would have liked it more if it had offered better numbers. The Lexus delivers about 28 MPG combined which is quite decent. In the city, travels for around 25 miles on a gallon while on the highway it sips a gallon of gas for every 34 miles that it travels. It does, however, get the largest fuel tank on offer of 15.9-gallons, which helps deliver a segment competing range of almost 450 miles. 

The BMW 3-Series happens to be the most fuel-efficient vehicle of the lot. The BMW is the most powerful, the fastest, and it also is the most frugal of all the mid-size luxury sedans. The 330i sedan delivers 30 MPG combined which is too good for a vehicle in the segment. The Audi is not far too behind and delivers about 29 MPG combined. The Genesis, on the other hand, is the least efficient and fails to impress with its miserly range of around 390 miles. 

The ES 250’s interior has been tweaked slightly for the 2022 model. The infotainment system that used to sit far away from the driver now has been angled a bit towards the driver and now sits closer for better access, in a bid to improve the ergonomics of the vehicle. There are no major changes apart from this and the cabin continues to be plush as it always was. The quality of materials and levels of fit and finish on the inside is great and we have nothing to complain about in that area. A few may find the dashboard a little too cluttered with a lot of buttons but once you get used to it, the cabin feels holistic with no major flaws.

The seats are cushy and comfortable and offer good support. The legroom at the back is too good and even tall people can stretch out their legs easily. The headroom at the front is a little tight though and taller passengers will have their hair brushing to the roof. But otherwise, it is a pretty spacious and upscale cabin. All the seats come wrapped in perforated NuLuxe trim and the front seats offer 10-way power adjustability as standard.

The Lexus also offers a good amount of storage space and can swallow 16.7 cubic feet of cargo in the trunk. There are also several storage spaces in the car that including a large glove box at the front, a deep storage bin under the front armrest, and cup holders in the front center console and rear armrest along with large pockets on all 4 doors.

The Lexus has the most spacious back seats in the competition. In terms of the overall design, the Lexus’ interior feels a little bit more fancy and glitzy, while the German sedans feature a rather plain design. In terms of interior features, the Genesis G70 is better than the rest as it gets plenty of standard interior features. It’s surprising to see that the Lexus gets a manually adjustable steering column while all the others get power-adjustable columns. The BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 are revered for their cabin designs, but the former improves its practicality with the largest trunk on offer in the segment that can has about 17 cubic feet of space. 

In terms of information and entertainment, the Lexus ES 250 gets an intuitive infotainment system. At the front, there’s an 8-inch touchscreen display which is quite slick and simple to use. Lexus also offers a trackpad on the center console for controlling the infotainment so that you don’t reach out to the screen if you have to adjust any functions or settings. What we liked the most about the infotainment system is that there still are buttons and dials to access different functions and these rightly supplement the touch functionality. It gets Amazon Alexa, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto as standard, while optionally you can also opt for a 12.3-inch display unit.

Key interior features:

• 10-way power-adjustable front seats
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Perforated NuLuxe seat trim
• Leather-wrapped gear shift lever
• 10-speaker Pioneer Sound System
• Lexus Enform Wifi
• SiriusXM Satellite Radio

There are contrasting opinions about the Lexus’ looks out there and while some people do like how tastefully the car’s designed, some feel that it is a little too overdone. We think that ES 250 is a very handsome car and has a very unique design that helps it stand apart from the German sedans in the market, with its striking lines and curves.

The 2022 ES 250 gets minor cosmetic updates. For starters, the traditional spindle-shaped grille at the front has been redone and it now is taller and wider than the previous model. The headlights have also been revised slightly and feature a sleeker and narrower design.

The side profile remains unchanged and you get to see a prominent beltline emerging from the headlight and meeting the taillights. When viewed from the side, the large doors of the Lexus are indicative of the space on the inside. The rear end has been tweaked either and you get that split LED taillight cluster along with a tailgate and bumper that are sculpted to the shape of a spindle-like front grille. All-in-all, it is an attractive car and have most people sold just for the way it looks.

All the sedans in the competition look good but you have got to agree that the Lexus has a charm of its own. The Lexus is also the longest car in the competition and hence it has a better stance and presence than all the others. It gets the longest wheelbase of 113 inches and additionally, it is also the heaviest in the segment with a total curb weight of 3,780 lbs. O

On the other hand, the Genesis G70 gets the highest ground clearance of 5.5 inches, which is fitting for a car in its segment. It is also the lightest option available at 3,516 lbs and feels a tad bit compact compared to the adversaries. The BMW 3 Seriesand Audi A4 are also not astronomically large. While the 3 Series gets the second-longest wheelbase in the segment of 112.2 inches, it has the least width in the segment causing a compromised shoulder room on the inside.

Key exterior features:

• 17-inch split 10-spoke aluminum machine-finished alloy wheels with dark silver accents
• Express Open/close sliding/tilting 1st-row sunroof with sunshade
• Auto on/off projector-beam headlights with LED daytime running lights
• LED brake lights
• Fog Lamps 
• Heated Exterior Mirrors

The 2022 Lexus ES 250 is yet to be tested and rated by NHTSA and the IIHS but the 2021 model has been and it gets very impressive ratings. The 2021 ES 250 is the IIHS ‘2021 TOP SAFETY PICK+’ and gets the highest rating of ‘Good’ in almost all the safety tests conducted by the agency. It also has a full 5-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA and that just proves that it indeed is a pretty safe car to drive around. It gets a load of safety specifications including a Post-collision safety system, daytime running lights, and ventilated front and rear disc brakes. 

Some other key safety features include:

• Lane departure alert
• Lane-keep assist
• Forward collision mitigation
• Driver drowsiness monitor
• Engine Immobilizer
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System

2022 Lexus ES 250 vs. 2022 Genesis G70

The Genesis G70’s pricing undercuts the Lexus ES 250 by a couple of thousand dollars. Plus, the Genesis vaunts a potent engine and is quicker on the straight line. It also offers better interior features than the Lexus. The ES 250, on the other hand, is more spacious on the inside and feels more ostentatious. But in our opinion, the Genesis is just a better car; it gets better power and performance and also has the longest list of features at a lower price tag. Yes, you do sacrifice on space but then, the G70 just seems like a very rounded package.

2022 Lexus ES 250 vs. 2022 BMW 330i

The BMW 3 Series outperforms Lexus on almost all fronts. The Bimmer has a more powerful and responsive engine, it is very quick on the straight line, handles better, and also delivers better fuel economy numbers. Yes, the BMW’s cabin isn’t as spacious as the Lexus’ but it’s not that cramped either and 4-5 people can comfortably be seated in the 330i sedan. We would any day put our money on the Bavarian than the Lexus.

2022 Lexus ES 250 vs. 2022 Audi A4

The Audi A4 is slightly cheaper than the Lexus and is a mild hybrid. The Audi’s power figures are close to the Lexus’, but credit to its turbocharged engine and mild-hybrid system, it has better torque, better acceleration numbers, and better fuel economy numbers as well. The Lexus, on the other hand, is better than the Audi in terms of passenger and cargo space. Additionally, it gets a more appealing cabin design and has better creature comfort features. If you can compromise on performance and want a spacious cabin and a better set of features, the Lexus is the better option.

The Lexus ES 250 is more or less a misfit in the segment. It is larger than most cars in the competition and that gives it an edge over the others in terms of passenger space and comfort. However, its poor engine and performance let it down and that’s where buyers drift towards other vehicles in the segment. Unlike the BMW 3 Series, the ES 250 feels a bit incomplete and we wouldn’t recommend it and is not a holistic package as the Germans. However, if you do need a commodious cabin at the price of an underwhelming engine and performance, only then you may buy the 2022 Lexus ES 250.