The ES 250 AWD has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Camry Hybrid doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
The ES has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Camry Hybrid’s blind spot costs extra.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the ES has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert to warn the driver of approaching traffic and automatically engage the brakes to help avoid a collision. Toyota charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Camry Hybrid.
The ES’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Camry Hybrid doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the ES and the Camry Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lexus ES is safer than the Toyota Camry Hybrid:
|
ES |
Camry Hybrid |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
120 |
140 |
Neck Stress |
239 lbs. |
262 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 Lexus ES is safer than the Toyota Camry Hybrid:
|
ES |
Camry Hybrid |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
85 |
134 |
Chest Movement |
.6 inches |
.7 inches |
Hip Force |
264 lbs. |
296 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Spine Acceleration |
43 G’s |
48 G’s |
Hip Force |
541 lbs. |
752 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
13 inches |
14 inches |
Hip Force |
570 lbs. |
622 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.