This platform was born as a FWD, and the only thing that could make it "RWD-biased" is the rear torque vectoring differential, same type as on TLX, also born as a FWD.

The car is AWD with a RWD bias. That is the equipped drivetrain.

The Lexus ES and LS were the first Lexus sedans to debut when the brand launched in 1989, appearing at that year's Detroit auto show. For five generations it used the same platform as the compact Toyota Camry sedan, but in gen six it moved to the bones of the bigger Avalon sedan. Now it's on another new platform and finally gets an F Sport version. We experienced all of this at a drive event in Nashville last week, and we'll have behind-the-wheel impressions coming soon. In the meantime, know that Lexus focused on making the ES stiffer and more dynamic -- and faster -- all things we like. Here are five things to know about the new car:

It’s a tweener.
The ES’ new platform (GA-K) is based on Toyota’s New Global Architecture and adds 2.6 inches of length and almost 2 inches of width to the company’s midsizer. That slots it perfectly in between the 3- and 5-Series BMWs and the C- and E-Class Mercedes sedans. That might give it an edge in sales, where it currently flirts with the lead along with the 5 and E in the midsize luxury category. It looks closer to 5-Series size too, and feels it inside.

One new and one old grille
The ES300h hybrid and ES350 get a vertical interpretation of the company’s spindle grille. That’s how you’ll be able to spot the model year ’19 on the street. Up close, it looks a little weird, especially if you don’t hate the current horizontal versions on the LS and GS sedans. The ES350 F Sport gets the diamond-pattern grille, which is actually little Ls inverted on each other.

It gets an F Sport model
The ES was the only Lexus sedan not to have an F Sport version, but for the seventh generation, that has changed. Like the others, there’s no power bump, but it does get extra cutouts in the bumper and fancier headlights. At the corners, look for darker, 19-inch wheels as opposed to 17s or 18s, and two new colors: ultra sonic blue mica 2.0 and ultra white. The killer feature is the company’s Adaptive Variable Suspension, which is only offered on this flavor of ES.

More power
Engineers tweaked the 3.5-liter V6 for 2019. It now makes 302 hp, up from 268 hp, and 267 lb-ft, up from 248 lb-ft. That positions the ES much better against its rivals from BMW and Mercedes, which both have sixes that make 320 hp and 329 hp, respectively. All get an eight-speed automatic transmission, and gas mileage is up to 22 city, 33 highway.

Auto Glide Control
As far as weirdly named options go, Mercedes is the king. Magic Sky Control? Airscarf? Distronic? What does any of that even mean? Lexus wanted in on the action, hence its Auto Glide Control, which arrives with the ES300 hybrid. AGC “is designed to address the situation where drivers misjudge the drag imposed by regenerative brakes as they approach a stop.” Basically the ES hybrid will coast more readily to slow at a more predictable rate, instead of using the engine brake/regen to get battery life back. It's a more efficient way, according to Lexus.

More power
Engineers tweaked the 3.5-liter V6 for 2019. It now makes 302 hp, up from 268 hp, and 267 lb-ft, up from 248 lb-ft. That positions the ES much better against its rivals from BMW and Mercedes, which both have sixes that make 320 hp and 329 hp, respectively. All get an eight-speed automatic transmission, and gas mileage is up to 22 city, 33 highway.

The 2019 Lexus ES will keep that snarly spindle grille, but otherwise it’s shaping up to look like an alright car. And Lexus claims that it has the world’s first, production-ready Digital Outer Mirrors. But only in Japan. Blame America’s outdated regulations for this one.

Now, this isn’t a totally new idea. Audi has explored it before with the E-Tron SUV concept and the Volkswagen XL1 had them, but the ones on the Lexus are supposedly the first ones to make it to production on a Real Car.

The car will have small cameras in the place of traditional wing mirrors that transmit the images onto five-inch display monitors, located at the base of the A-pillars. So, you theoretically wouldn’t have to look anywhere different.

Lexus says that one of the advantages of its digital system is that the cameras are shaped so that rain and snow won’t block the lens and obscure the driver’s view. What’s more:

By reducing the size of the wing mirrors with the cameras, visibility through the front windows should be largely improved. Wind noise into the cabin should also be decreased.

I’d imagine these wing mirrors to function similarly to Cadillac’s camera-using rearview mirror. That took a little getting used to, and I found that if I got snow or dirt on the car, the lens got blocked. Hopefully that won’t happen with the Lexus.

And yes, this is in Japan only. Probably because they don’t pass regulation here. Yet. American car safety regulations are always slower to adapt than other markets. And as the The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ publication Spectrum noted back in 2014, while rearview backup cameras are now mandatory, the jury seems out on how best to get drivers to adapt:

Maybe someday. But for now, only in Japan.