Lexus ES300h: what is the R$360,000 sedan given to 27 TST ministers like?
Ministers parading around in Lexus ES300hs? We have them! Recently, the Superior Labor Court (TST) announced the acquisition of a fleet of new cars for its 27 ministers. Even so, 30 units were purchased at the request of the General Director of the Court's Secretariat, Gustavo Caribé de Carvalho, according to the newspaper Jornal Metrópoles.
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How much did the Lexus ES300h fleet cost?But it wasn't just any car: it was a fleet of ES300hs, a premium sedan from Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand. Listed at R$360,990, each of the 30 units billed the agency for around R$346,000, totaling an expenditure of over R$10.3 million. The replacement wasn't in vain: officially, the TST fleet must be replaced every seven years, on average.
Considered a "rich cousin" of the Toyota Camry, the ES300h shares the TNGA GA-K modular platform, but atop it sits a much classier and more elegant body. A true large sedan, it's nearly 5 meters long, 1.86 meters wide, and has a 2.87 meter wheelbase. This generation, the seventh, debuted in 2018 and is the largest the ES series has ever had.
The "h" at the end of its name indicates hybrid propulsion, which combines combustion and electricity. Under the hood, there's a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with approximately 180 hp, and it's paired with an electric motor delivering an additional 120 hp. In total, Lexus claims a combined output of 210 hp. Its 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration takes just 8.9 seconds, while average fuel consumption exceeds 15 km/l (3.7 mpg), as advertised by the brand.
Among its luxuries, the ES300h features fully independent four-wheel suspension, with a rear axle fixed by wishbones, ensuring the sedan greater comfort and improved driving dynamics. Brakes feature discs on all four wheels, housed within 18-inch alloy wheels.
The standard equipment list includes 10 airbags, dual-zone automatic digital air conditioning with rear controls, front seats with electrical adjustments and ventilation/heating, driver's seat with three memory positions, steering column with electrical height and depth adjustment, head-up display, native GPS navigator, trunk lid with presence electrical opening and closing, sound system designed by Mark Levinson (17 speakers), courtesy lights on the door handles and exterior mirrors, 360º cameras, 12.3” multimedia, front and rear parking sensors, and much more.
Adaptive cruise control (ACC), forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, active lane departure warning, and high beams with matrix beam and automatic switching are included in the ADAS package of intelligent driving assistants. The cabin, meanwhile, is entirely upholstered in leather (some of it genuine), with wood accents on the dashboard and center console.
In addition to the ES300h , Lexus also offers other models in Brazil, all hybrid, plug-in, or conventional SUVs. They are: the UX300h for R$300,000, the NX300h between R$386,000 and R$448,000, the NX450h PHEV for R$458,000, the RX500h for R$581,000, and the RX450h PHEV for R$610,000.
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