LeX2K

The way Lexus bonds the wood veneer to the vinyl backing is quite amazing, almost art. If you look carefully at the edge you can see where the wood ends and the vinyl backing starts. In some models the wood trim is veneer on a composite wood backing depending on location.

SW15LS is correct all Lexus models have real wood.

Chocolate

No surprise there - fat tires vs. lower profile 17" ones.

hypervish

This is one of the lowest mile 5th generation ES on the market, I had no choice but to get a 2007. It's a mid year build, so not a super early first year model. It was either get this car for a $2k premium with only 23,000 miles, or buy an 07-08 ES UL with around 110-130k miles; pretty easy decision for me. No issues though, seems to be perfect. Taking it on a road trip tonight to DC, so once I put some miles on it, I'll report back.

Yeah, the GS300 is a real piece... it's actually more prone to carbon buildup than the GS350, same issue as the IS250. The GS300 also suffers from oil consumption, although the 350 does as well because of what many people believe to be the low tension piston rings. And, to top it off, there are a bunch of rattles as well, but you'll find those in a GS350 too.

sfolexus

To see how they do it, here's a good video on the Lexus LS wood.


I am leaning towards getting an LX570 after my 4ES dies, but if I got the LS, it'd be with the shimamoku wood.

Of course they will take more care and probably have more steps in treating the wood on the LS, but the overall process to treat and bond a thin layer of wood using vacuum forming processes is the same. My only complaint with the 4ES wood is that the birds eye maple doesn't match (dash, center console, doors). You would think that the guy at the factory would at least take a few seconds to look at the grain and knot pattern in the wood pieces to sort of match before sticking them in the interior. I mean, Rolls Royce does it, why not for an ES???

sfolexus

Congratulations. Personally, I like the way the 5ES drives off the line compared to the 4ES. The suspension is softer and feels more like a Mercedes suspension. Plus there seems to be more headroom and space all around. Only complaint is Lexus went cheap on the interior and had more plastic and less wood than usual.

SW17LS

Because a Rolls Royce is a super expensive hand made bespoke car, and the ES is an entry level near luxury mass produced car

Chocolate

I have been inside the 4th and 5th generation cars. There is no doubt the fifth generation is an improvement, especially in engine output. It's a generational improvement.

Chocolate

Traded one in with 120k miles for 7k recently.

Chocolate

23,000 miles on an 07, your car actually was driven by a little old lady.

hypervish

Yeah, I'm loving the 5ES. I agree it seems more spacious all around, and the ride is fantastic. Hard to compare the ride to my other Lexus, since they both have around 240k miles but this thing truly rides like a cloud. My 4ES does have better interior quality in some areas, but the 5ES looks much more modern. And I'm enjoying all of the "new" technology, such as the AFS lighting, backup camera and park assist. Even the navigation worked pretty well on my trip to DC, that was surprising.

Yes, absolutely love the power of the 5ES. It's really night and day compared to the 4ES or my 1RX. The transmission programming is great, and both my 4ES and 5ES did have the ECU re-programmed according to the TSB. It seems to always be in the right gear, and the shifts are effortless and smooth. No lag like whats found in my 4ES. Accelerating onto a highway or passing someone is very smooth, I dropped a gear like I normally would in my 4ES and in the 5ES I was well past legal limits to say the least. I can totally believe 0-60 in 6.2 seconds.

Yep, it was owned by a lady in her 70s. It belonged to her husband who passed away a few years ago, so it was barely driven. But, it was always brought in for service every few months and was taken care of well. I've been blowing out the cobwebs past few days under hard acceleration!

speedkar9

That's great to hear. How does the 5ES feel in terms of interior space and visibility? The sleek low slung body line made it harder to see out when I sat in one a while back.

And I agree, just a few mins spent in the 5ES and I can already see where they cut corners compared to the 4ES, especially the lower dash, door and console plastics. I am NOT a fan of that gray colored dash board found on beige and gray interior 5ES's, I prefer the all black interior.

How is the ride comfort and quietness of the 5ES, is it similar or any better than the 4ES? Would you say the 2GR is more refined than your 1MZ? (I realize you have the 1MZ 4ES which is smoother than the coarse 3MZ I had).

More importantly, how are the cupholders???

Thank you for this direct comparison! Its good to know they fixed this issue in the 5ES. I can only assume the 2007+ Camry V6 would have similar transmission reaction, however we did not hear that many complaints about the 02-06 Camry V6's transmission as we've seen the 02-06 ES.

On another note, yesterday I drove my brother's 2GS to work. It rides very smooth and quiet, but it feels like a very heavy car, especially under light acceleration and braking.

The one thing I really appreciated was that there was NO Torque Steer when merging on the highway! Its really nice to not have the car literally feel like a handful when hitting the accelerator.

hypervish

Forgot to mention, the 5ES definitely has torque steer, haha. Yep, my 5ES is black interior with a smoky granite mica exterior.

Interior space is very similar, although the 5ES feels bigger. Visibility is actually quite good, I found it comparable to the 4ES. In fact, I think it's easier to drive and see out of than the 4ES, but again still not as great as my 1RX. Ride comfort is definitely much better in the 5ES, it handles bumps and cracks in the road like a champ, and very little is transferred to the cabin. In terms of road noise, it's as quiet as the 4ES, but I wouldn't say that it is quieter.

The 2GR-FE is smooth in operation, however it sounds similar to a diesel when cold. When cold it likes to "clatter" if you will, and at idle it sounds similar from the outside. Unfortunately, this is just a characteristic of this engine and these complaints are found not only about the ES but also in the Highlander, RX and Sienna. No one else in my family notices the noise, but I can hear it; so take that as you will. This particular ES doesn't "clatter" as loudly as some of the others I test drove. I wonder if this noise will subside more when I switch to synthetic.

EDIT: Forgot about the cup holders...well they are finally usable in the 5ES, unlike the 4ES. Not sure why T/L even bothered with those in the 4ES, they haven't been used once in my car due to how terrible they are. The 5ES cup holders are not only a good place for drinks, but it's also useful for holding your phone.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

I'll agree with you on the 2gs, that thing was heavy and it likes to remind you ha, that being said cruising on the highway was great, it was such a solid feeling car and the ride was perfect

Chocolate

The cupholders are comical, anything and everything falls out, I don't think they were tested at all during their design. They would work great if they were mounted higher.

Chocolate

My thinking is who cares if the 5ES interior is 5% cheaper than before when the engine and suspension have been overhauled?