Lexus ES 350 review: the quiet way to buy a Camry
4.1/5motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy the ES 350 over the ES 300 — the V6's extra smoothness is worth more in daily Bahrain traffic than the four-cylinder's slightly lower fuel bill. It will not entertain like a German sedan and it will not go anywhere unpaved, but nothing else at this price isolates road noise and heat as well while still costing what a Camry costs to keep running.
Pros
- Quieter cabin and better sound insulation than the Camry it shares a platform with
- V6 is smooth and never feels strained in Bahrain summer heat
- Lexus service experience and typical warranty length beat the Toyota equivalent
- Comfort-biased suspension suits highway cruising
Cons
- No driver engagement whatsoever — steering and body control are deliberately soft
- Lexus parts and servicing cost more than Toyota's despite shared mechanicals
- Resale trails the Camry in Bahrain's private used-car market
- Rear headroom is tight under the panoramic sunroof for taller passengers
The ES has always been Lexus's most honest car: a Camry underneath, sold to buyers who want the Toyota's dependability without the Toyota badge on the boot lid. The XV70 facelift does not hide that relationship so much as justify it — extra sound-deadening, a reworked suspension tune, and a cabin that genuinely feels a class above the car it is built alongside.
Driving it in Bahrain
The V6 is the reason to pick the ES 350 over the four-cylinder ES 300: it pulls with none of the strain a smaller engine shows once the air conditioning is fighting a 45-degree afternoon. Steering feedback is deliberately muted and the ride leans soft, which suits Budaiya Highway cruising far better than it suits a spirited run through the Riffa hills. This is a car that wants to be driven gently, and rewards you for it with a cabin that stays hushed at 120 km/h.
Ownership reality
Lexus's Bahrain dealer network is smaller than Toyota's but the service experience is noticeably better — loaner cars, a proper waiting lounge, and a warranty that typically runs longer than the Camry's. Parts cost more than Toyota parts because they route through the Lexus counter rather than a generic Toyota one, even though many mechanical components are shared underneath.
Resale sits a step behind the Camry's, because private buyers in Bahrain's used market are more familiar with the Toyota name than the Lexus one, even when the underlying car is nearly identical. That gap narrows the longer you keep the car, since Lexus ownership costs level out once the warranty period is behind you.