Test Drive: Lexus ES stylish, comfy, annoying

• Roomy: Spacious as some full-sizers
• Classy: Nice as twice the price
• Drivetrains: V-6 gas smooth and quick; hybrid coarse and low-brow.

Toyota's Lexus brand did a terrific job updating its ES midsize sedan for 2013.

Compared with its 2012 predecessor, the 2013 ES, on sale since Aug. 1, is 5% roomier, about 10% more fuel-efficient, has a $605 lower starting price, and looks much better.

Reasonable people often disagree on matters of taste, though, so you might like the looks of the old better (especially if you dislike the brand's new-identity "spindle" grille).

The big disappointment is the gas-electric hybrid version, which is new to the ES lineup. Called ES 300, it uses a four-cylinder gas engine mated to an electric motor.

The hybrid powertrain has a low-brow feel out of character with the oh-so-nice persona of the rest of the car. The hybrid's four-cylinder gas engine sounds and feels coarse. And there's unexpected shimmy and stutter when the gas engine starts and comes into play to help the electric motor. That's how all hybrids used to feel, but the state of the art has improved a lot.

On the other hand, the ES 350's V-6 gasoline engine, though carried over from 2012, feels much more entertaining. Fierce, even, when slammed hard. Pretty odd to think of the ES as "fierce" in any sense.

The V-6 has the same power ratings and uses the same automatic transmission as the 2012; no explanation there for the party-hearty side of its personality in the 2013.

The new car weighs 56 pounds less, Lexus says, which could improve liveliness. But what's called the final-drive ratio in the transaxle is slightly different, in an anti-lively direction. So, a wash.

That's another reminder that it's imperfect, at best, to shop for cars using only numbers.

To boost interior space, Lexus stretched the wheelbase 1.7 inches, trimmed front legroom 0.3 inches and wound up with 40 in. of leg space in back. That's a 4.1-in. increase and is more than you'll find in some much bigger cars.

The trunk also grew 2.7% as a result of reducing the size of the fuel tank 7%. It's a fair trade, because the 2013 gets roughly 10% better mileage.

You might surmise from all the numbers that the ES remains a competent, but soulless, sedan.

It did not seem so. The specifications merely show that Lexus did more than tweak and tinker. Driving the new ES was satisfying as the ES has never been.

> Acceleration is brisk, even when the transmission is set to "eco," which in most cars is a sluggish mode set to eke out mileage at the expense of acceleration. And the traction control is set to allow some wheelspin.

There you are in your ho-hum Lexus starter sedan inadvertently lighting up the rubber as the light turns green. Mercy.

> Interior layout is sensible and trim is well-tailored. You get the vaunted "class up" feel that automakers all seek but seldom deliver.

For the $45,000 or so of a well-furnished ES 350, you get the room and ambience of a $60,000 car that's a class above the Lexus ES in price and prestige.

> Handling is sportier. Not a BMW, but far from the bobbing, flopping lounge chair on wheels you'd imagine if you believe the Lexus naysayers.

The brand is moving dramatically toward a sportier identity, and ES is part of that shift. Still suitable for those who favor softer road feel, but not a turn-off for brisk drivers.

While Lexus has done a striking job of making the ES a more alluring car, gripes remain.

In our drive, the main failing was mileage. Government ratings for gas and hybrid models are good, but we didn't come close, even though we used the "eco" settings more than usual and drove as always (heavy-footed but not aggressive). Gas model got in the midteens; hybrid in the high-20s in mixed driving.

The relative gap between the two versions was about the same as between their federal ratings, but the real-world fuel use fell well short.

Also an irritant: Lexus' "Remote Touch" joystick control, part of the navigation package and mounted on the console — as in BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and others — is awkward to operate and has an unnatural feel, and the menu of choices won't fit everybody's notion of logical. No problem if it were a minor control, but it's how you operate most features and functions.

The simpler console knob in the gasoline test car without navi is better but still not intuitive for all users.

The car's firmed-up feel in search of sportiness is like most artificial sweeteners. Directionally correct, but not real and likely to leave a bad taste.

There's an art to fitting a car's dynamics — steering, brakes, shifting, suspension — into a sporty template. You can't just make everything stiffer.

ES, as remarkable as it is otherwise, has a ways to go on that front. Still, it could be one of those happily-ever-after cars you'll still be driving, and liking, when your chums have been through three or four new cars.

What? Redo of basic Lexus front-drive, four-door, midsize sedan to improve styling, roominess.

When? On sale since August.

Where? Made in Japan.

How much? ES 350 gasoline model starts at $36,995 including shipping. ES 300h hybrid: $39,745.

What makes it go? ES 350 gasoline model has 3.5-liter V-6 rated 268 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, 248 pounds-feet of torque at 4,700 rpm and six-speed automatic with manual mode. ES 300h hybrid has 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine and an electric motor, rated a combined 200 hp. (Gas engine alone rated 156 hp at 5,700 rpm, 156 lbs.-ft. at 4,500. rpm.) Continuously variable-ratio automatic.

How big? Midsize, similar to Toyota Camry. ES is 192.7 inches long 71.7 in. wide, 57.1 in. tall on 111-in. wheelbase. Passenger space 100.1 cu. ft. Trunk 15.2 cu. ft. (12.1 in hybrid). Weighs 3,549 lbs. (3,660 lbs. hybrid). Carries 1,147 lbs. of people, cargo, accessories (1,080 lbs. hybrid). Turning diameter, 37.4 ft.

How thirsty? V-6 rated 21 miles per gallon city, 31 highway, 24 in city/highway mix. Test car registered 15.8 mpg (6.33 gallons per 100 miles) in vigorous suburban driving. Hybrid rated 40/39/40. Test car registered 28.2 mpg (3.55 gal./100 mi.) in city/suburban driving. Both burn regular, hold 17.2 gal.

Overall: Classy, comfy, roomy. Hybrid's coarse, gas is creamy.