Watch out BMW 5 Series: this is the brand new Lexus ES

Good news: Lexus hearts saloons. “The sedan offers key engineering advantages including high body rigidity and a low centre of gravity,” it said, upon the reveal of this, the rather striking new four-door ES.

It’s the eighth generation of a car first launched at the tail-end of the 1980s that has been trying – and failing – to beat the likes of the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class ever since. This new effort wants to turn the tide.

Partly by looking nothing like the likes of the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Typical Lexus. Except it’s not, because the new ES ushers in a fresh design language that’ll be rolled out across the range in due course.

In an age where the traditional has been upended, the new ES offers a sleek, sharply cut fastback-esque take on the humble three-box. Squint, and it looks like a sporty coupe given a dash of practicality: that swooping roofline, slim headlights almost razored into the protruding bonnet, the line raked across the sides, and squat rear end. Looks… interesting.

The inside looks… minimalist. There’s the obligatory centre touchscreen, framed by a row of “responsive hidden switches” underneath, a digital driver display… and precious little else. The futurism and sharpness of the exterior has given way to a rather more relaxed, uncluttered ambience inside.

Which points to the Lexus ES’s new mission priority: ride comfort. It’s spun off a newly developed version of the global ‘TNGA GA-K’ platform that sat under the outgoing ES, only here it’s been tweaked to allow for – the first time – full electrification and of course, Lexus's traditional hybrid power.

So there are two hybrid cars: the 194bhp 2.0-litre four-pot ES 300h, and a 198bhp/244bhp 2.5-litre four-pot ES 350h. Both get the option of either front- or all-wheel-drive, and the fastest is able to hit 62mph in 7.8s.

Lexus hasn’t specified details, but expect these two to be ‘self-charging’ hybrids, featuring a small electric motor and e-CVT gearbox. You won’t have to plug them in, the car’s brain deciding on which power source – or both – to use depending on use.

And if electric-only is your use, the front-drive ES 350e (221bhp) and AWD ES 500e (337bhp) might be worth a look. The former manages 426 miles on a single charge, the latter 379 miles, from an unspecified battery capacity. The 500e is the really fast one, mind: 0-62mph in 5.9s. No relation to the Abarth 500e, of course.

And using a 150kW hose, both of these EVs can charge from 10-80 per cent in 30 mins (longer if it’s super cold outside). After which, you can enjoy the thoroughly ‘re-examined from the ground up’ ES.

“These attributes contribute to the model's exceptional ride comfort, handling stability, and quietness, forming the foundation of the sedan's enduring appeal,” said Lexus. Like we said, it hearts saloons.