(Lexus ES300h.Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider)
Over the past decade, Lexus has become an industry leader in luxury hybrids.
The brand's Hybrid Drive (shared with parent company Toyota) is one of the most popular and effective systems of its type on the market today.
Two of the most visible cars to feature the parallel hybrid system, which sees a gasoline powered engine and an electric motor work in unison to provide propulsion, are the compact CT200h and the mid-size ES300h.
Earlier this year, Business Insider had the chance to check out the compact CT200h.
It was a car that divided Business Insider's transportation team.
While my colleague Matt DeBord expressed his admiration for the fuel-sipping hybrid, I found the 134 horsepower, Prius-based CT and its continuously variable transmission to be unrefined, underpowered, and completely underwhelming.
However, my well-documented disdain for the CT200h does not mean I shy away from Lexus' hybrids on spec. In fact, one of my favorite cars on sale today is a Lexus hybrid — the ES300h. Recently, Business Insider had the chance to evaluate a blue Lexus ES300h hybrid on the streets of suburban Atlanta. The 2017 ES300h starts at $41,820, but our test car came in at a tick over $50,000.
(Lexus CT200h.Lexus)
In 1989, Lexus arrived in the US and took the auto industry by storm with a lineup of cars promising European luxury and Japanese reliability at a much more affordable price point.
Since then, the ES has been a staple in the Lexus lineup.
In that regard, the ES300h is a throwback to the fundamentals upon which the company was built. It's comfortable and supremely quiet while exuding an air of solidity that befits a vehicle of a much higher price point.
Under the hood is a 2.4-liter, inline-four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with an electric drive unit to produce a total of 200 system horsepower. Those horses are routed to the front wheels through an electronically controlled CVT that forgoes traditional gears in favor of varying gear ratios tailored to the needs of the engine.
(Lexus Hybrid Drive.Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider)
In the ES, this version of the Lexus Hybrid Drive offers a truly refined motoring experience. Even under hard acceleration, the engine remains relatively subdued and creates a far less intrusive racket than the CT. Under normal conditions, the hybrid drive system is eager to please and delivers acceleration figures on par with most mid-size family sedans. According to Lexus, the ES300h is capable of hitting 60 mph in 8.1 seconds. At highway speeds, the Lexus cruises effortlessly with its suspension successfully smoothing out any and all imperfections in the road.