Gian

What magnificient pictures.

The new ES is truly a superb vehicle, perhaps the best FWD sedan money can buy.

Shred

Where is the aux input for an iPod? In the Camry it's in the center console.
This Lexus has no center cubby hole so where is the aux jack?

Does anyone see if there is a 12 volt jack in the center glovebox?
An ashtray?!
Do you think the US version will actually have an ashtray?
I was thinking the aux jack would be in that spot.

http://www.autospies.com/article/ind...&categoryId=21

Here's the aux in the Camry.

GFerg

LOL....I find the location of the hood struts at a very awkward location. Its damn near in the middle of the engine bay. And wow, that engine compartment is really covered up. Even the actual airbox is under the cover. I dont mind the plastic covers, it makes the engine comparment look incredibly neat and might even block a lot of engine noises, but I think its overkill here.

mink92890

Same here, I mean the battery isnt even visible.
And as to the rear seats, i never knew it was introduced in the Camry. And if it is, then the ES has a SERIOUS flaw. If the camry can afford manual recliners, the ES should at least get automatic ones. Maybe not with audio controls, but rear seat recliners is a must.

Mink92890

papachino

WOW, big exterior improvement over the big ugly from last year, thanks for the pics. I agree with the hydraulic struts for the engien compartment, that has to be a design flaw, maybe they positioned them there in order to add more plastic? I would like to rip some of the plastic out to atleast let the engine breathe

TRDFantasy

That colour may look a bit weird under certain lighting, but it illuminates at night:





Personally I think it looks really nice.

I also saw the Camry at the autoshow in person, and the centre dash panel looked totally fine to me. It's a refreshing addition to the cabin in my opinion.

AJL0365

nice to see that it luminates, i actually liked the dash design, different and high-tech looking. guess they wanted the camry to follow in the avalon's lighting as well

papachino

that lighting wouldn't be too bad if you can pick from a variety of colors, i think it can look better in red or blue.

bpv12

Ok enough with the camry pics and reviews. This is Club Lexus not Club Toyota. I appreciate some of the posts but were getting a little carried away here. If I wanted to waste time looking at a camry then I would be on the Toyota forum. I understand they share the same platform and all but that's were the similarities end. Ask your self this: In the end who's more proud pulling up to the light, the driver of an ES or a Camry? I think it be the Lexus.

DallasLex

iTrader: (1)

The rest of the car looks OK under natural lighting, but this is totally uninspiring to look at day in and day out. What was wrong with doing a speedo like the IS350's? I'm just not a fan of integrated gas gauge/temp guage within the main pods. .... Too simple for a luxury car!

AJL0365

but itsnt it already blue? I know on the Scion you can change the lighting, so who knows it might be able to change on here.


Im a member of toyotanation.com as well and read a post stating models w/out the navi, the radio screen displays "Welcome to Camry" think thats kinda neat because its like cars with navi, their logo shows up whenever you start the car.

AJL0365

i liked the three pod gauges that the ES used to have, but i guess this one will have to do. it seems that it will look really hot in the evening though

encore888

The Park Assist configurable distance w/ sound is excellent!!!

Shred

I totally disagree. Despite what some say the Lexus ES is a Camry. It's a very fancy Camry but at the core of it it's basically a Camry with the same platform and engine.

So I feel when we present Camry info here to compare that info is useful. Especially since we have no driving reviews of the ES as of yet.

Yes, yes, I know the ES is going to drive differently, much better, but it's going to give us some idea what the ES will be like.

That's why I went to drive a Camry.

I have to get a new car ASAP. So I may actually have to order the Lexus as soon as they let me when they know the prices without having actually have test driven it. Normally I would never consider doing this but after driving the new Camry I feel confident in ordering the ES.

So I think pictures, specs and driving tests of the Camry are very valuable in this ES forum.

So keep the Camry comparisons coming, I love them!

About some of the other recent comments, and I don't mean to insult anyone, but I think they are wrong to say this little thing or that little thing on the ES is a "design flaw".

I design products for my company and every single day someone calls up and asks why is this like this or that, why didn't you do it this way instead?

Then I have to explain them that I had already thought of that and this is why it's designed that way. Now sometimes someone has an interesting idea, but 99% of the time it is stuff I had already thought of.

There is a difference between aesthetic design and functional design.

I personally think the ash tray is totally useless, as is the cassette player and I would have liked to have had more storage space in that general area.

That's an aesthetic complaint.

But I think functionally they have thought many things out very well.

The engine cover, and maybe even the struts themselves have all been designed to lower the noise level in the car.
99% of Lexus buyers want a luxury car and they will never be in there changing spark plugs and working on the engine. If they do popping that cover off can be done. I guess that's why they give you a basic tool kit in case you need to jump the battery or something.

I can, and have torn down a Chevy block engine on a 62 Impala. But I doubt I could figure out this new Lexus engine without a lot of training.

People who want to mess with engines as a hobby will go buy an old Mustang, Camaro, or Challenger and be in there messing around with it all the time. But that's not who the Lexus luxury car buyer is.

I want a quiet car, not a car I'm going to be tinkering with as a hobby. Besides the Lexus engine is so very complicated it's not like messing with a plain old carb on an old Mustang with old type distributors and points and all that crap.

So I would not throw around the phrase "design flaw" until you hear the reasoning of a specific feature first.

By the way, I thnk the gauges and dash are perfect.

mink92890

For the previous post about the park assist, that is not a new feature for park assist.
My 01 LS has that with that configurable status but it is great to see it on the ES now.
Its great to see the features trickle down especially when the LS is going to be a quantum leap forward.

But anyways i think the gauges will look stunning at night but from the pic, it looks REALLY horrible in the daytime. I'd love it to look nice at night but i dont want to sacrifice the look of it during the day.

Mink92890