Gojirra99

The problem with your argument is you are using a strip of wood(or whatever fancy material in it's replacement) to grade a luxury car as "going forward " in isolation, while ignoring the numerous other upgrades of the new ES350 over theES300/330.
The way I look at it for the ES & the GS is that they are just going for a cleaner design. That may not suite everybody's tastes since that's impossible. But I totally disagree that they are taking out that one piece of wood to downgrade the car, as if they are not spending more improving the car elsewhere to make a much better luxury car than the current overall.

GS3rdwow

The 8 mistakes on the new ES...and guys this is just my opinion..u may not or may agree. Im not some fanboy for other car forums..i am appreciative of toyota and lexus - becasue i do believe they are the pioneers in quality craftsmanship of thier cars but im also very factual and ill say sumthign if it doesnt look right to me regardless if its from something or someone i admire a lot. Facts to me are facts..so with that being said...

1. Shifter too long...IS ES and GS all have smaller shifters and it looks better. Ls had long shifter and they cut that down to the exact same as the new GS. IS shifter same type almsot as well. Why they made it that long on the ES?

2. The whole base console that shifter sits on is too low..should have been higher up to be more commanding and easy to grasp and comfortable arm resting. IS, GS, and LS have that as well. The previous generation ES has it higher than the new ES.

3. Wood choice and use. If one wood was to be offereed - i think you need ot be careful which one you go by. Red cherry walnut woul dbe the best to go with becasue it goes with every color interior - cashmere, light gray and black. I dont think on the black or gray this color wood look right. Wood should have been in the front panels and dash going horizontally like previous generation ES. How much would it increase the cost? Not by more than 1500bucks. Ppl would have paid that. Sales would see no decline becasue of an increase of at most $1500

4. Oval insribed console caved in. This was a massive blunder. The idea is to create simplistic elegant designs that do not overstate lexus finesse. Thats wut mark templins words were introducing the GS hybrid and IS in NY last year. Im sure he meant that design language and philosophy with all models. The ES is the onyl sedan to have it carved and carve dout with an oval like that as if they overdid it or were trying to go all out.

5. Center stack needed to be FLUSH against the panel flowing INTO the panel like the 4ES, new GS, new IS, new LS....and not just thrown in there carved out. All they really had to do was embed it like the 4ES. The design of the new ES stack is fine but it should have been incorporated just like the 4ES in terms of being flush against the panel and the wood trim going along the front panel towards the passenger side.

6. Door detailing and design too bland. Previous generation inspired more of a style.

7. Instrument panel - thats almost ford/GM type design. Lighting is nice. The actual isntrument panel itself is very badly done. They got rid of the 3 pod guage and used only two and just made it look very bad. It looks SOO cheap especaily when you see it with the panel lights turned off.

8. Vent and heat control is a copy of the GS. It look way out of place just thrown in there as if no imagination was left.


I still think for what the car gives and regardless of what i did not like about the car - i know it will still sell. It will beat everythign in its class and it will be the overall best buy , again. Overall styling, design and appeal on the whole with everythign redone and cosmetically it being redesigned - most peopple will run to the dealership to buy between 35-37K

Lexusfreak

No such thing as a perfect car bud......I don't disagree with your points per se.....but perhaps once you see the car live & in living colour, some of your persecptions might change.

Remember Lexus' slogan - "The pursuit of perfection"

I don't like all the changes made either.....but I think with this new generation of ES, they will stay at the front of the entry level pack.

XeroK00L

In terms of market position in the Lexus lineup the ES certainly is a baby LS. The LS is designed to be a full-blown luxo-boat while the ES is designed to be an entry-level one. This has been true since the day 1 Lexus is on the market. How they implement the ES to fulfill that market position (i.e. basing the ES on the Camry) really has nothing to do with what Lexus intends the ES to become.

Hmm right spartan may not be a good word to describe the GS indeed, but the point is that the IS and GS have this "sport" thing going for them, such that whether or not their interior is filled with luxurious-looking materials matters a lot less than the ES, whose sole mission is to be a luxury cruiser and its interior should reflect that.I don't really care if the ES350 "looks & feels more luxurious & refined" than the other vehicles in the same class. What I do really care is for the new ES to "look & feel more luxurious & refined" than the model it replaces. And it's in this very regard that I feel kind of disappointed.

redzeppelin

The two pod cluster is how the 1st and 2nd gen were, IMHO thats how it should be. But that shifter is whack, I'm not sure on what they were thinking on that one.

Gojirra99

I suggest you wait until you actually sat in the new ES350 before you decide whether the interior looks & feel more luxurious & refined than the current. I already know you want that strip of wood above the glovebox , that's a matter of taste, can't argue with that, but there are a lot more than a strip of wood that contributes to luxury inside the cabin than that, like the various new features etc. My whole point is you have to take everything into consideration, not one item in isolation to evaluate luxury inside a car.
It's the WHOLE CAR, when something is redesigned, not everyone will be happy with all the changes made, particularly the subjective elements of the layout like where should wood trims be placed ( or the lack of) .
See , if you think reclining seats at the back is the most important & you take that in isolation to evaluate luxury, you might as well get a Camry.

lexusk8

You have to register in order to view the high-res pics. Can you link the pics here, especially for some of us who don't feel like registering?

DallasLex

iTrader: (1)

Voila,

DallasLex

iTrader: (1)

The lines are really clear in the larger images:

DallasLex

iTrader: (1)

Blue looks good too:

encore888

Thx for the pics, DallasLex.

The lines really look lots better in high-res.

There is definitely lots of L-Finesse in there. Might not be as direct as the LS/GS/IS, but it's there.

DallasLex

iTrader: (1)

Interior in detail:

DallasLex

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You're welcome!
I'm really warming up to the design now. I does look more like it's brethren now more than ever.

mink92890

Look at the high def picture of the rear seat. The perforated color is way lighter and weirder than the other part. Not liking the back seat leather...

Mink92890

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

official preview (if its a repost screw you im not looking thru all these pages) =P

http://www.lexus.com/2007es_preview/...l?s_ocid=11133