The Lexus ES 350 ($34,470) comes with high-grade fabric upholstery, 10-way power front seats; power tilt-and-telescope steering wheel; dual-zone automatic climate control; power glass sunroof; eight-speaker AM/FM/6CD, satellite compatibility, and MP3/iPod input jack; programmable SmartAccess keyless entry; and all the other amenities one would expect for the price. Tires are P215/55 all-season radials on 17-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels.
The Premium Package ($1,280) adds leather seating, rear-seat side-impact airbags, Bluetooth wireless technology, auto-dimming exterior mirrors with automatic tilt-down, and a memory function for the driver's seat, steering wheel and exterior mirrors controlled through the SmartAccess system. The Premium Plus package ($1,280) adds a power driver's seat cushion extender, rain-sensing windshield wipers, heated and ventilated front seats, and front passenger seat memory. The Ultra-Luxury Package ($3,880) combines the contents of the Premium and Premium Plus packages, and adds a panorama glass roof, perforated leather seating, power rear sunshade, adaptive front lighting system (AFS) with HID headlamps, navigation with rear backup camera, wood and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob, and 10-spoke graphite-finish alloy wheels.
Options include park assist ($500), a power rear sunshade ($210), heated and ventilated front seats ($640), full-size spare tire ($205), wood and leather-trimmed steering wheel ($330), rear side-impact airbags ($250), Bluetooth audio ($300), and HID/AFS lighting ($815). Buyers may also choose navigation by itself ($2,650), or with a 14-speaker Mark Levinson stereo system with six-CD changer ($4,250); both include Bluetooth connectivity and a rearview camera.
The Pebble Beach Edition is a package ($2,970) featuring a semi-aniline leather interior, a wood and leather steering wheel, and Liquid Graphite-finish wheels. Exclusive badging and floor mats display The Lone Cypress logo of California's Pebble Beach Resorts. Other standard equipment will be roughly equivalent to the Premium Plus package. Additionally, three Personalization Program accessory packages exclusive to the Pebble Beach edition will allow owners to add a set of matched luggage, Callaway golf equipment, or Viking cooking gear. Exterior colors will be limited to an exclusive Truffle Mica, or the standard-issue Tungsten Pearl or Obsidian.
Safety features that come standard on the ES 350 include dual front airbags, dual front knee airbags, front side-impact airbags (for torso protection), curtain airbags (for head protection), electronic stability control, traction control, antilock brakes (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), brake assist, and a tire-pressure monitor. A two-chamber passenger airbag is designed to stop the passenger's upper body and torso with minimal facial contact and neck stress on deployment.
The optional Pre-Collision System ($2,600) includes a radar-based cruise control that automatically maintains a preset distance between the ES 350 and the car ahead. If the system senses an imminent collision, it retracts all the outboard seatbelts and initializes the brake system for full panic-braking power. (But it doesn't close the windows and the sunroof like the similar system from Mercedes-Benz).