The 2025 Lexus ES is big on premium value and short on visual and behind-the-wheel excitement. But at this week’s Shanghai Auto Show Toyota’s luxury division set out to redress that balance with a new eighth-generation sedan that showcases a modern, angular design and the model’s first ever electric powertrains.

Drawing inspiration from both the brand’s current RZ electric SUV, its RX ICE counterpart and the 2023 LF-ZL concept, the ES gets a more exaggerated fastback shape than before that has more than a hint of Audi about it. But you’d never find the aggressive (or just overdone?) door coving on an Audi and the face is undeniably a Lexus one.

Related: Lexus Plots 3-Row Electric SUV To Take On The Kia EV9

It’s not just the ES’s design that’s changed. So has the amount of road it occupies. A 116.1-inch (2,950 mm) wheelbase is 3.2-inches (80 mm) longer than the current sedan’s and the 202.4-inch (5,140 mm) overall length is also up by 6.5-inches (165 mm).

A subtle difference in the front-end styling depending on model tells you what powertrain is stashed under the hood. Hybrids get a cooling slot below the Lexus badge, while the EV variants have a smoother nose. In both versions the old, oversize bobbin-shaped grille is no more.

Minimalist interior

The interior receives an equally modern overhaul that’s light on physical buttons but big on screens: a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14-inch infotainment touchscreen are standard but some trims get a duplicate touchscreen on the passenger side. Also new is the ‘L-E-X-U-S’ lettering on the steering wheel, which replaces the traditional badge, and the contemporary bamboo wood trim.

Base hybrids for most markets get a 2.0-liter engine that sends 194 hp (197 PS) to the front wheels alone and needs a yawning 9.4 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 kmh). America will skip that and jump straight in with the 2.5-liter AWD ES 350h hybrid whose 244 hp (247 PS) drops the sprint time to a more respectable, if still hardly knockout 7.8 seconds. These are both inline fours, by the way. There are no sixes in the new lineup.

Electric, but not electrifying

Want more hustle? It doesn’t sound like you’ll find it in the least expensive of the two available EV options. That delivers 221 hp (224 PS / 165 kW) to the front wheels and the ES 350e to 62 mph in 8.9 seconds, Lexus claiming 300 miles (483 km) on the optimistic Chinese CLTC cycle. Stepping up to the dual-motor ES 500e cuts the range to 379 miles (610 km) but boosts output to 338 hp (343 PS / 252 kW) and gets the hottest ES to 62 mph in 5.9 seconds.

The ES goes on sale in 2026, meaning it’ll probably end up as a MY27, and we’ll have to wait until much closer to that date to find out how much it’ll cost in North America. What do you think of the ES’s new, angular look, and are those powertrains too weedy? Leave a comment and let us know.