My first suggestion would be to try shifting the transmission manually and see if that helps. The ES's automatic, like many these days, has a separate shift-gate on the left for manual operation. He could leave the lever in "D" for most normal situations where rapid acceleration is not needed and then, when it is, slide the lever into the manual gate and force the transmission down into the desired gear ( or first gear from a rest ). If that doesn't work, then there isn't much else to try except a transmission ECU programming or other solution from Lexus.

 

Fine...I'm looking forward to your report. But my own opinion of the ES350 stands......the ES330, IMO, was a far nicer car, despite an occasionally quirky transmission. It had much nicer wood trim on the inside ( and much more of it), higher-quality interior parts and hardware, fewer squeaks and rattles, better fit-and-finish / assembly quality, and, most important, 60-series tires and wheels and a supple suspension that produced a softer ride more fitting of a luxury car. The switch to more aggressive 55-series rubber and a firmer suspension this year was a serious mistake on Lexus's part.....they are trying to make it more of a sports sedan when the car isn't SUPPOSED to be a sports sedan.....its brother IS350 already plays that role. In addition, the auto market today is flooded with sports sedans, so WHY add another one when one isn't needed?.... .....especially when there is a notable lack of vehicles today with smooth rides like the previous ES had.

Fortunately, two things from the former car WERE kept in the ES350.....the low noise level and the superb paint job.

So.......go ahead and give your honest report. I respect your opinion and your credibility. Everyone's tastes in cars differs. But.....I just gave you MY honest one....and MY opinion is not going to change.

 

I guess you and I judge a car with different views. The 55s are welcomed to me as is a slightly sportier ES. I didn't realize you were deducting points for sportiness, which is an improvement to me. The ES350 still feels very supple to me.

If I recall correctly, you also did not like the change from 16s to 17s on the last ES, right?

 

I have nothing against sportiness, agility, and muscle-car power (and, yes I value it MYSELF on certain cars...I grew up in the muscle-car era and drove both luxury and muscle cars), but I believe that there is indeed a time and place for sportiness, the the Lexus ES is NOT that time and place. The ES is supposed to be a LUXURY car, albeit it an entry-level one, with a smooth, quiet ride, not a sports sedan. The auto market today is FLOODED with sports sedans...it has become one of the new rages and obsessions in auto design.
Lexus already has BMW-fighters in the IS250/350 and, to a certain extent, some of the GS lines....and new, high-performance F-models are coming up as well. So.......WHY?.....please tell me......does Lexus have to take one of the FEW remaining smooth, quiet, soft-riding luxury cars on the planet and try and make it ride and handle more firmly like a German sport sedan? It simply, IMO, does not make sense.

I understand where you are coming from.....you like sportiness and agility. I do too......on cars that were MEANT for it. But the ES is not.....or is not supposed to be.......that car. Indeed, the old car's ride comfort ( a comfort shared by few other cars today ) was one of the outstanding features that made it so highly regarded and popular.

 

chuck...,
It would be nice to know of your loaner observations and especially those of first start, first 5 minutes of driving Wednesday am, and/or first 5 minutes of driving observations after car has been off for 5 hours.

Contrast, an unsolicited comment on wind noise in a loaner ES350 in a loaner GPS tracking thread ?? on Car Chat forum:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=263417

#4 "...Driving the ES 350 is really nice but I do notice a lot of wind noise coming from the driver's and passenger's window..."

 

Not sure if this is common knowledge to folks in the ES350 forums, but I'll post it anyway. Found browsing through some other forums...




Who're the three suppliers who've been used so far? Is Aisin one of them?

 

I think that if Toyota is really on their third supplier, then this isn't a good transmission at all. Oversteer stated: "The transmission is a good design". Um.... if you're on your third supplier trying to get your build right, then there is something probably wrong with your design as your suppliers apparently can't build it correctly!

Does this mean that the trans is made in America as well? I thought I'd read that previously, but others believe it is made in Japan.

 

I test drove an RX400h yesterday. Tranny was not an issue. Lexus has the CVT tranny down pat.

Although a very nice car, it was like driving a golf cart. Not feeling tranny shifts was weird. However, I could get used to it.

 

so are there problems with the 3rd transmission. can anyone update about this issue?? thanks

 

well, I ended up with a RX350 loaner this time. they brought it around after being started for first time of the day(I could tell by how cold it was and it was 8:30 AM, about 58 degrees) and the since I was looking for it I noticed the engine was a little noisy. it became quieter as it warmed up. nothing alarming, but I did notice it since I was paying special attention.

the trans shifted perfect and the throttle response was instant and strong.

there was an acceptable small amount of wind noise at 80mph, maybe even a little more than the ES350 loaner I had before.

 

I know I promised to hand up --- but that was for the other PSYCHDOC thread.

Last night a bunch of us got together to discuss our trip to the Bud Shootout today. With old man Dale Jarrett hauling the number 44 Camray from the pole position today, it's going to be interesting to say the least. Speed Week in Daytona is nothing short of great. And, as we have some outstanding seats along with premier parking spots (tailgating) for all the major events, it's going to be very special.

The group we had over last night included more than a few "savvy" car people, so after dinner we put this forum up on the big screen. This thread and partcularly the other PSYCHDOC poll/thread, produced Whoops, Hollars and outright contagious laughter, with someone almost peeing her pants. The jokes and comments which were cracked over some of the posts were just plain hillarious. It was great fun until our backyard mechanic laughed so hard he spewed an adult beverage through his nose all over the sofa.

Thank you for a wonderful evening of entertainment. It was GREAT ! Now on to some sun, fun, friends, tailgate parties, and ..... watching some history being made. Out the door.

 

Yeah, uh huh, and was Elvis there too?

 

First, Google for:

"throttle lag" hesitation

You will find at least 6 marques within as many pages with owners complaining of this 1-2 second downshift delay problem. Mostly FWD or front torque biased AWD but with a sprinkling of RWD thrown in.

Now:

Many years ago in MT, the early to mid sixties, long before FWD and certainly long before ABS, and LSDs were just becoming common. My job at that time often required me to be on the road in the worst of wintertime conditions, mostly in RWD Ford vans.

My worse experiences, most nerve-wracking, involved a long downhill run on an extremely slippery roadbed, sometimes a curving roadbed but more often not. Most of this was done with RWD stick shift vehicles, many with LSD and often with tire chains on the rear.

No problem, I could coast downhill using the clutch to modulate, moderate, the level of engine braking and those rear "drag" chains would do the rest.

But on occassion I would get stuck having to drive one of the vans with an automatic transmission. Not as easy, so I learned a new technique. Slip the tranny into neutral, coast down that slippery incline while using the E-brake to modulate, moderate, rear braking to both maintain a low speed and as an aid in keeping the van in "line", either with or without those rear chains.

Now lets "leap" forward some 20 years with an ABS equipped RWD/AWD/4WD 1985 Jeep Cherokee Limited w/automatic as my daily driver, but now in western Washinton state.

4WD, locked center diff'l, was an absolutely wonder in those rare wintertime , conditions, rear chains, front and rear, or none at all. But I quickly learned that it was best to shift into neutral to allow the anti-lock system to continue operation right down to a dead stop. Absent doing that as I slowed to about 10-5 MPH the front wheels would lock and the vehicle's direction would not not respond to the stearing inputs.

I think that was when I first began to realize what a clutch was really handy for.

I think that in about 1995 the entire automotive industry came to that same conclusion. All they have been doing, seemingly, since that time is to provide the dumbed down driving public with a "virtual" clutch, especually on FWD wherein the danger is clearly greatest.

So the solution they apparently came too, collectively, was to quickly, instantly, upshift the transmission upon any FULL lift-throttle event so as to prevent any significant level of engine braking which might result in loss of control should the roadbed be slippery enough. When I first noticed this effect in my 2001 AWD RX300 I initially thought the transmission was actually shifting into neutral at 10-5 MPH as I braked slowly to a stop.

Since it would now only downshift into 1st upon a FULL stop this lead to a few problems if drivers suddenly decided to accelerate rather than come to a full and complete stop.

'99 Rx300, premature transaxle failures due to extraordinary clutch wear due to the downshifted clutches not being fully engaged as the engine torque rises for that re-acceleration.

"01 AWD RX300, burned and contaminated ATF ay only 40,000 miles due to over-pumping and over-heating of the ATF from the upgraded higher capacity/volume ATF oil pump required to supply enough pressure/flow to support to gear shifts in quick succession.

'04 RX330, DBW adopted to "protect the drive train", prevent the engien torque from rising until the downshift clutches are fully and firmly seated.

So the engine and transaxle ARE fully in synchronization.......

 

Happy to be of assistance.

It's what I do, after all!

 

They may be a newer thread on these issues but I've not been able to find it. I recently did an early lease termination on my 2008 ES 350 and moved into a 2010 model. I did not notice the lag/hesitation problem with the 2008 but it is a huge problem with the 2010. I notice it particularly where I brake, the rpm's drop and then I try to accelerate (as in a lane change or merging onto a freeway). I can't accurately time the lag/hesitation but it's certainly close to a second. It's enough that I've almost gotten smoked several times on lane changes and merges.

A Lexus dealer evaluated the issue and told me it's normal. The dealer I bought the car from will take a look at it but I'm certain this is the party line. Does anyone know of any software upgrades in the offing ? This is enough to make my 5th ES the last one. I've had a wonderful experience with the ES models until now.