es350

i wouldn't conceder the RX if i were you , its getting a full re-design in 2 years , don't waste your money on that

lexusman1

The ES has always been a border line LEXUS it always looked pleasant. and cute not sexy. The ES a redone Toyota Camry with a big difference in quality and luxury. The ES offers the camry package with such available features like xenon lights softer leather real wood tad more horse power and some will say better styling. The ES is great for some one on a budget looking for a new Lexus but not a performance jock. The ES is luxury orientated and has good braking and alright acceleration. But not a true lexus, yes it has a lexus badge and drives well but it based too much on the camry. Lexus made a mistake when they made the ES front wheel drive again. They had a chance to start over and build a completely new ES and didn't. It's still front wheel drive with camry characteristics. The ES should be rear wheel drive and should have a different sharper look than the camry and it dosent. When I look at the new ES I see a decent looking car but the new looks is retrofied taking some styling from the 97 second generation ES. In my opinion the lexus is more of a womans car not having much machoness and muscle about it. Not to affend any one but it just dosent cut it for most guys who buy cars for looks and performance.

PS the ES is said to be the quietes lexus ever.

Pheonix

<cough> Is as fast as any 3.0L GS, looks better, is cheaper.

You've got a $45K GS 300 AWD running 7.2s & 15.4 @ 88.7mph
VS
$34K ES 350 running 7.1s & 15.2 @ 94.6mph
Ya, you got a *real* macho differance there hauss. bawahahahahahahahahahaha
So what? You feel like calling the ES a womans car b/c you bought a GS & later realized it wasn't as fast as you figured? cgts on that.

And the build quality of them VS the GS & is is better... ES's don't come off an assembly line shared with the rav4 & land cruiser lmao.
It's 1/2 the space of the Tahara Plant, yet has almost as many workers, and they only do two major things there... They build Windom's, and they build ES's. So they've had *lots* of practice doing what they do.

How many GS's do they sell a year again? Wait, so about 10,000? Sooo, if we add together about that number from 93-06 (plus what they'll sell this year) 'bout 130,000 of them. Soooo It'd take a year & a few months to sell that many ES's. Right - LoL! Hey! You realize they've already sold almost as many ES 350's this year as they've sold all GS's combined for last year? LoL!
I think that's sorta sad. I mean the 350 has been with us since all of... Late April.


You'd think that the GS would pull some of it's own weight too. I mean BMW sells 4x as many 5-sieres in the US at a higher price point. Which is just downright sad... We all know the GS's are better.
Grow up.

scottmyers

I think it was out of frustration with some of the issues I had with the GS. But spend some time in each car and the GS is without a doubt the drivers car. Can't wait for the GS350.

Gojirra99

The new ES350 is already as big as a GS & possibly even more roomy inside, if they make it RWD, that's going to cannibalize with the GS too much, & the GS is not an all-out sports sedan either. The ES have always sold like hot cakes for a $30-$40K car, there's a market for smooth riding luxurious FWD cars at this price range,so why mess with success ?

I think that's why they don't bring over the Toyota Crown's in Asia & market it here as a Lexus. The crown is RWD & GS size, but a little less sporty , & can be equipped even more luxuriously.

I would rather see them just offer the Toyota Crown here as a Lexus rather than have them make a RWD ES.

scottmyers

Don't you think that's why the Camry is so successful. Seems to work.
Front wheel drive is more expensive, takes up more passenger room, and probably not a feature most ES buyers are interested in.

The ES is one of Lexus' best selling cars, they're not going to mess with that.

psp

Gee, I must have really gotten tricked! Even the sticker said Lexus on it. And the Toyota dealer was on the other side of the freeway. Wait, the sticker says "Four Cam 24 valve", ,maybe they left the ry off the Cam?

I wholeheartedly agree. The women love it, as in, "Ohh, is that your car? Can I have a ride?"

Let's see. Keyless entry and starter, panoramic roof, 6 speed transmission w/ seq shift, 272 horses with dual VVT, 10 way power seat for the passenger too with dual memory, Mark Levinson sound system, power shade, bluetooth thingy, ventilated seats and dual chrome tipped exhaust pipes. That doesn't sound like a Camry to me. As a male I like those things. Ant the leather is soft beyond belief.

If I wanted a little street racer I'd get an Integra (yuk). If I wanted a handler I'd get a Boxter. I wanted an affordable boulevard cruiser so I got the ES and got far more than I expected.

I agree with Macklin but will take it one step further, buy one!

INHOCJP

Ha, great post

I agree, the new ES is a fantastic car.

Hitsme

Without making specific reference to any prior posts here or discussing specific features of the vehicles, let me just say . . .

I Love my ES350. No, wait a minute, I adore my ES350.

I'm on the high end of middle aged, and have owned a flock of cars including a bunch of Toyota products. My Lexus priors include a first year GS, a 3rd generation ES and an RX. My first car was a Corvair and along the way my toys included a Maserati. The car I traded for my ES350 was a BMW 530i.

Every car has things that are special and things that I would have done differently if it was mine to design. I have never been as overall pleased with a car as I am right now with my ES350. This isn't just a honeymoon feeling. I have no doubt my love affair with this car is going to last longer than my first 3 marriages.

The GS was not in the running for me this time around, and hasn't been since I had one a decade or so ago. In my humble opinion . . .It's not really sporty enough. It's not really full blown luxury. It's a little too big and at the same time it's a little too small. It's not really beautiful. It's not at all offensive, but it's just kinda blah.

Buy the ES.

CrazyMPG

iTrader: (4)

ES350 looks great...probably sell the 04 GS300 for that car...but I will still keep my GS450h...heh

marshmallo

Do not be fooled by the smaller displacement... I've driven the ES330 and
the GS300 back to back on many many occasions (the last of which being last
Friday) and the smaller more modern (with direct injection) 3.0L engine
stomps all over the ES's 3.3L engine.

I asked if they had an ES350 loaner and the guy at the loaner counter seemed
annoyed at me

dshahs420

Its funny because on the GS forum everyone is bashing the ES350 and saying "good thing you went with the GS because if you had the ES you would have made a big mistake" and vice versa in this forum here.........let the debates continue.....

Yang1815

iTrader: (1)

Blah... People in North America don't realize that every Lexus is a Toyota... It's a brand created solely for the market, it's not a different company.

Anyways I'm debating if I should get a GS, ES, or IS in a few months and that's why I'm here. Coming from having had Acura, Lexus, and MB's I must admit that Lexus triumphs all.

Most people prefer RWD yes, but in areas where it snows in during the winter, people are forced to purchase FWD or AWD simply because with RWD you aren't going anywhere especially in a hilly area. In addition, yes the ES is lower priced but it doesn't make it an inferior car.

I don't even see the point of debating, after all we all choose/chose Lexus and isn't that great enough?! It's personal preference and it's all relative.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Not necessarily. Although Lexus is still part of the Toyota Motor Company, it is now it's own entity. Just like how Jaguar and Aston Martin are part of the Ford Motor Company, they work as a semi-independent entity.

Lexus will further set itself apart from Toyota by being a bit more innovative with the cars' technology and performance/handling. Engines may be the same, and the ES will always share the same chassis as the Camry. But Lexus will set themselves apart by providing their cars and clientele with technology and products that you won't find in "everyday" cars. When technology and products becomes more "mainstream," it will trickle down to Toyota. Other than technology, you can also tell that there is a huge difference in styling philosophy between both.

Lexus equals expensive Toyotas? Not anymore...

Pheonix

Phillip, if lexus were really its own entity, it wouldn't be using the Toyota Part's bin left & right.