The Car Guide's Best Buys for 2022: Lexus ES

Every year, The Car Guide unveils a list of Best Buys covering all the different vehicle categories in the industry.

Large sedans are a fast-dying breed, so we had to put together some cars that otherwise don’t belong together. These include the Nissan Maxima, Lexus ES and Kia Stinger, among others.

• Also: Lexus, Mazda, Toyota Boast Highest Predicted Reliability for 2022
• Also: Refreshed 2022 Lexus ES Adds F SPORT Model, More Tech

We ended up ranking the Lexus ES in first place for 2022. Why is it not considered with the rest of the luxury sedans? Simply because it’s priced closer to the aforementioned competitors than the German models.

Available with four- and six-cylinder gasoline engines as well as a hybrid powertrain, the ES offers generous selection. The base ES 250 can be had with all-wheel drive, but not the others, which retain a front-wheel drive setup. All of them boast tremendous reliability, though. Also, long-term ownership costs are reasonable for this type of vehicle.

If you remember, the Lexus ES won our Best Buy award last year in a tie with the Toyota Avalon. The latter has been discontinued for 2022.

Second place goes to the Kia Stinger, which jumped one spot this year due to the departure of the Volkswagen Arteon. Kia’s sporty large sedan still packs a formidable V6 engine while offering sharp handling and fun driving dynamics. It’s definitely a car worth checking out if you don’t want to jump on the SUV bandwagon.

Finally, the Dodge Charger lands in third place for 2022 despite the fact it’s showing serious signs of aging. It obviously offers a more complete lineup than the Chrysler 300 which is based on the same platform. The highlight remains the mighty, Hellcat-powered models with as much as 797 horsepower.