For those looking to breakaway from the usual mould of German sedans, here's the 2021 Lexus ES 250 facelift that's just been launched in Malaysia. Fully-imported (CBU) from Japan, prices start from RM 295,663.50, inclusive of the 50% sales and service tax (SST) discount for imported cars.

It's got a raft of (subtle) changes to it, encapsulating styling revisions, updated suspension and improved features. Adding on to that there's also a new range-topper in the form of the sporty ES 250 F-Sport.

Exterior: New grille, lights, wheels, and colours

Up front, the Lexus' iconic spindle grille has been slightly reworked to feature fewer vertical slats and L-shaped patterns.

The F-Sport gets a mesh design, and it also features wider openings on the lower half of the bumper.

Depending on variant, the slinky headlights have also got some tweaks to it. For the Premium variant, its Bi-LED projector units have a new inner bezel design, while the triple-beam LED projector headlamps of the Luxury and F-Sport variants have new daytime running light (DRL) patterns.

Wheels are new too, with the F-Sport getting variant-specific 19-inch units finished in Dark Premium Metallic.

Meanwhile, the Premium and Luxury variants roll around on 18-inch wheels, but the Premium gains a new design with a Dark Gray Metallic finish.

Rounding off the updates on the outside are new colour options. Buyers of the Premium and Luxury variants have 8 colours to choose from, with Sonic Iridium and Sonic Chrome being new.

Besides those, there are also Sonic Quartz, Sonic Titanium, Graphite Black Glass Flake, Red Mica Crystal Shine, Ice Ecru Mica Metallic, and Deep Blue Mica.

On the other hand, the F-Sport gets two exclusive colours – Heat Blue Contrast Layering and White Nova Glass Flake, but it can also be ordered in Sonic Iridium, Sonic Titanium, Graphite Black Glass Flake, Sonic Chrome or Red Mica Crystal Shine.

Interior: New combinations, repositioned infotainment

Along with the new exterior colours, there's also new dual-tone colour themes for the cabin.

For the Premium and Luxury variants, buyers can get their interior in Black with Walnut Black trim, or Hazel with Walnut Brown trim. 

The Luxury variant adds one more option, pairing Mauve upholstery with Walnut Black trimmings.

Typical of F-Sport, its interior colour combination lies on the sporty end of the spectrum as it pairs aluminium finish trims with Flare Red or Black upholstery.

It also gains a unique analogue clock on the dashboard, and a movable metal ring on its instrument cluster.

Unlike upholstery, there's another change which might not really be noticeable at first glance.

The ES 250's full-colour infotainment touchscreen – 8-inches in the Premium, 12.3-inches in the Luxury and F-Sport variants – has been repositioned to be 11.2 cm closer to the occupants and angled 5 degrees towards the driver for better ergonomics.

The USB ports have all been changed too, and now all of them are Type-C connectors.

Performance: Increased rigidity

Built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA-K), Lexus has added a brace on the rear suspension to increase the ES 250's rigidity. Also, the Luxury and F-Sport variants gain performance dampers.

Beyond that, the 2.5-litre A25A-FKS naturally aspirated engine stays the same. Paired to an 8-speed Direct Shift automatic transmission, the four-pot mill is good for 204 PS and 247 Nm.

Claimed performance figures are a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 9.1 seconds, and a top speed of 210 km/h.

Safety: Improved LSS+

The Lexus Safety System+ (LSS+) suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is standard across all variants, and much like everything else, that's been reworked too.

The milimetre-wave radar and monocular cameras have been updated, enhancing the Pre-Collision System's (PCS) cyclist detection in the day, whilst improving pedestrian detection in low-light situations.

Meanwhile, the Adaptive High-beam System (AHS) now comes with BladeScan for "more intelligent shielding of light" than conventional AHS.

Coupled with that is the new Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS), which directs low beams in the direction of travel.

Rounding off ES 250's LSS+ safety suite are these features:

• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) with Stop & Go
• Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
• Lane Tracing Assist (LTA)
• Lane Departure Alert (LDA)
• Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert (BSM, RCTA)
• Parking Support Brake (PKSB)

Bookings and availability

The 2021 Lexus ES 250 is now open for booking at all six authorised Lexus dealerships in Malaysia, and prices for the range are as below: