Compare the2023 BMW 3 Series SedanVS 2022 Lexus ES

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The 3 Series Sedan’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The ES doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The 3 Series Sedan has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The ES doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the 3 Series Sedan and the ES have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the BMW 3 Series Sedan is safer than the Lexus ES:

	3 Series Sedan	ES
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	24%
Neck Stress	207 lbs.	239 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	201/230 lbs.	524/628 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	252	319
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33%	33%
Leg Forces (l/r)	200/338 lbs.	473/518 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the BMW 3 Series Sedan is safer than the Lexus ES:

	3 Series Sedan	ES
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	252 lbs.	264 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	532 lbs.	541 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
HIC	270	326
Hip Force	544 lbs.	570 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the 3 Series Sedan, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.3% less likely to roll over than the ES, which received a four-star rating.

Warranty

The 3 Series Sedan’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the ES’ (12 vs. 6 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 3 Series Sedan for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the ES (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 44 percent more BMW dealers than there are Lexus dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the 3 Series Sedan’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the 3 Series Sedan has a standard 720-amp battery. The ES’ 603-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The battery on the 3 Series Sedan is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the 3 Series Sedan’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The ES’ battery is in the hot engine compartment.

Engine

The 3 Series Sedan has more powerful engines than the ES:

	Horsepower	Torque
330i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	255 HP	294 lbs.-ft.
M340i 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	382 HP	368 lbs.-ft.
ES 250 AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	203 HP	184 lbs.-ft.
ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	215 HP
ES 350 3.5 DOHC V6	302 HP	267 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the 330i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

	3 Series Sedan	ES
Zero to 60 MPH	5.4 sec	7.8 sec
Quarter Mile	14 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98.1 MPH	90.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the 3 Series Sedan gets better mileage than the ES:

			MPG
3 Series Sedan
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/31 hwy
ES
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/32 hwy
		F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/31 hwy

Regardless of its engine, regenerative brakes improve the 3 Series Sedan’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. Lexus only offers a regenerative brake system on the ES Hybrid.

Regardless of its engine, the 3 Series Sedan’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Lexus only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the ES Hybrid, and doesn’t offer a disable button.

The 3 Series Sedan has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (15.6 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The 3 Series Sedan’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The ES doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the 3 Series Sedan’s brake rotors are larger than those on the ES:

	330i	M340i	ES
Front Rotors	13 inches	13.7 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13.6 inches	11.1 inches

The 3 Series Sedan’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the ES are solid, not vented.

The 3 Series Sedan stops much shorter than the ES:

	3 Series Sedan	ES
60 to 0 MPH	103 feet	140 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the 3 Series Sedan has larger standard tires than the ES (225/45R18 vs. 215/55R17).

The 330i’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the ES’ standard 55 series tires. The 3 Series Sedan’s optional 255/35R19 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the ES 350 F Sport’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 330i has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the ES.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the 3 Series Sedan can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The ES doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The 3 Series Sedan has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The ES’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The 3 Series Sedan’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51.3% to 48.7%) than the ES’ (57.4% to 42.6%). This gives the 3 Series Sedan more stable handling and braking.

The 330i handles at .95 G’s, while the ES 300h pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The M340i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.4 seconds quicker than the ES 300h (25 seconds @ .77 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The 3 Series Sedan is 10 inches shorter than the ES, making the 3 Series Sedan easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the BMW 3 Series Sedan amounts to more than styling. The 3 Series Sedan has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .26 Cd. That is lower than the ES (.26 to .29) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the 3 Series Sedan get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the 3 Series Sedan uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The ES doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The 3 Series Sedan has 1.2 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the ES.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the 3 Series Sedan’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. The ES’ useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

The 3 Series Sedan’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The ES doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the 3 Series Sedan is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the ES. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The 3 Series Sedan’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The ES’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Both the 3 Series Sedan and the ES offer optional heated front seats. The 3 Series Sedan also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the ES.

The 3 Series Sedan M340i’s optional Automatic Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The ES doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the 3 Series Sedan is less expensive to operate than the ES because typical repairs cost much less on the 3 Series Sedan than the ES, including $199 less for a fuel pump, $311 less for a timing belt/chain and $512 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the BMW 3 Series Sedan and the Lexus ES, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The BMW 3 Series outsold the Lexus ES by 5% during the 2021 model year.