2025 Lexus ES350 Black Line Special Edition Full Review

The Lexus ES 350 gets a new Black Line Special Edition for 2025, but mostly remains the same. Victor spends a week with this executive sedan to see why he feels its the most reliable on the market.

This week on TestDrive Victor spends some time with the 2025 Lexus ES 350 Black Line Special Edition, a new top-trim for this mid-size luxury sedan for this model year. Victor discusses the styling and features found on the popular ES 350 along with the engine specifications. He jumps inside to go over the interior fit and feel before hitting the road to discuss his thoughts on how this vehicle drives, rides and performs.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:36 Front Design
01:01 Engine Specs
01:42 Side Profile
02:30 Rear & Trunk
03:03 Back Seats
03:43 Front Seats
04:34 Test Drive
07:54 Safety Tech
08:25 Final Thoughts
09:17 End Screen

[TChan-zj]

Everyone wants the LFA soundtrack! That alone could be the biggest obstacle to enthusiasts buying EVs😂

[scoobydoo]

Just bought the ES 350 ultra luxury. Had a 2001 GS 350. Agree with all you said. Need an all wheel drive. But I love this car. Hopefully, I'll be able to fix my GS 300. 🙂

[NBPT]

I just bought new, the identical year, trim, model of the car you drove. I agree with most of your observations. One thing all but one reviewer has not seemed to have noticed is the handling on a mildly bumpy to bumpy road. The front absorbs bumps in all drive modes with composure and no drama as opposed to the back which sometimes hops and jitters over road imperfections. I had the car inspected at Lexus and the claim everything is at spec when they inspected the car on the lift. Thoughts?

[SerendibRider]

My 2 cents worth….
Lexus ES 350 is supposed to be an ‘Executive Sedan’ (ES), a spacious luxury car that will take you from one place to another very comfortably and can be used as a daily driver for a long long long time. It’s reasonably priced, takes regular gas and is as reliable as a car could get. It is not meant to drive or feel like a sports car nor can it be used to carry skies or lumber in the boot with folding seats or drive it off road like an SUV. Yes there are German luxury sedans that drive like sports cars and have AWD, but they come at a high cost, take premium gas and are utterly unreliable. More, importantly, such car ultimately does nothing well I.e. it can never replace a limo or a sports car or a SUV. If one understood the exact purpose of the ES build, it would be hard to find flaws.

[nqobilemahlaba]

I wouldn't mind having a small electric motor in the back to help out car with traction and fuel consumption and low speeds like the new Toyota camry.

[bbordelon]

Bravo on the rear seat NOT FOLDING down. Confusing to say the least. When I test drove the ES I asked the salesman why did Lexus not make the rear seat fold down. He was stumped why I would want to do such a thing. Dumb on him and Lexus.

[CurtisBenjaminIsrael]

Sadly, I have NEVER been a fan of the ES, somehow I cant "like" it. I prefer the IS, GS or the LS. More MY speed.😊 With that said, Toyotas and Lexus are STILL the Best and longest lasting vehicles.

[rakhsiprayogo]

Compared with Infiniti Q50 Red Sport, Acura TLX Type S, Genesis G80, Dodge Charger Hellcat, Toyota Crown Platinum, & Others

[incyphe]

The intonation sounds too forced... like the Vehicle Virgin guy. Go for more natural sound man!

[lane]

Hard sell when compared to other vehicles in this segment. I’ll take the Toyota Crown over this

[ashishpatel]

Aisin 8 speed transmission is a problematic

[cartrunk_]

Heated seats and steering wheel are not a standard

[cyber_user-vqmi]

looks just like an fsport, wtf is even black line