Dema

Has somebody had similar dilemma and why you chosen ES?
Actually ES should be compared to Camry, however option wise Avalon Limited is much closer to ES. It is also a bit more expensive. So what was major factor to buy ES beside of a badge?

07LexusGuy

I had to decide between the Avalon and the ES when I bought mine a while back. The following factors helped me make up my mind:

- Avalon doesn't have real leather all around, the sides of the seat and door panels are that soft fake leather stuff

- Avalon does NOT have touch screen for the navi, and the joystick was hard to use (this was a deal breaker for me)

- Avalon does NOT have back-up camera

- Avalon does NOT have parking sensors

- Avalon's Road feel not as good (I've driven the '08 Limited and its no better)

- Real wood on the ES, fake stuff on Avy (if you care about such things)

- Mark Levingson on ES much more impressive than JBL on Avy

- The Avy's rear sunshade mechanism was noisy and scarry, not smooth like the ES; I thought it was going to fly apart after seeing it.

- Oh yes, the warranty on the ES is also quite a bit longer than the Avalon's

- On a more subjective side... I think the ES looks sportier and appeals more to the younger folks than the Avalon.

LexBob2

Avalon was one of the cars we cross shopped when we bought our ES two years ago. In the end, for us, it boiled down to the styling. We felt the styling of the ES was sleeker and more contemporary. That's subjective though.

At the time ES offered a few more features, but that may have changed, I'm not sure. Lexus' longer warranty and customer service was appealing too.

garsarno

The Avalon = Japanese for "Buick Century" or "Buick LeSabre".

MD350

don't forget the 4/50K warranty on the Lexus, with loaner car for service. 3/36K on the Toyota.

codex57

The warranty quickly knocked it out of contention for me.

justbass

When we tested both out, we felt like we were driving around a much bigger back seat in the Avalon; over 95% of the time it is just the 2 of us plus I liked the extra features that the ES had vice the fully loaded Avalon.
The ES in comparison, to the Avalon has a more intimate feeling in the cabin.
The Avalon would be better suited for 4 persons on long trips, where extra room would be appreciated. I also think that the Avalon ingress and egress is easier. I find that the Lexus sits lower and I have to watch my head, and I am not tall.

We don’t drive a badge, just wanted certain features in this purchase.

Make sure that the dealership that you will deal with is up to a very high standard regardless of vehicle.

KayGee

My wife is currently driving her 2nd new Avalon (1996 and 2006). The interior room was the reason that we picked the Avalon over the ES. We specifically chose the XL edition because we hated the blond color wood of the higher end versions. I did have to buy aftermarket leather which IMHO is better quality than the OEM stuff anyway. The $19.00 oil changes are nice also.

quatman67

I also compared the Avalon to the ES350 and chose the Lexus. The two main reasons were; The Avalon's gauges were hard to see in bright sunlight and I thought the standard premium audio system on the Lexus sounded much better than the JBL unit in the Avalon.

Lexusfreak

I was comparing a 2005 Avalon to a 2005 ES 330.....many factors (most mentioned above) made me choose the ES over the Avalon....long term, the ES is the way to go hands down. The Avalon is definately nice, but it's still no Lexus.

kingofire

I also compared a 2006 ES 330 to a 2006 Avalon Limited. After sitting in both and driving both for an extended time I found a few differences. First and foremost the seats in the ES had more cushioning and I felt my butt ache after driving the avalon for extended test drives. The Avalon just looked cheap with very cheap flimsy plastic all around the radio which IMO made the car look cheaper. The engine noise obviously was much less in the ES and the ride was a little bit more serene in the ES. Last but most importantly, I didnt care for how the navigation was recessed in the Avalon plus it didnt have the touch screen either.

I can tell you one thing, if you let your senses take over and not think with your brain, you'll definately chose the ES over the Avalon because its a better vehicle overall esthetically and performance combined. If you let your brain decide the outcome then the Avalon is a better bang for the buck, $30k for a fully loaded Avalon to $41-42k for the ES.

tC350

Another thing, the Avy dosen't have cornering HIDS like the es does.

Nor power tilt/telescoping wheel

kingofire

IMO, the cornering hids are useless. Atleast I dont see a difference. Its more of a cool factor I guess.

codex57

It helps on super twisty roads with no street lights around (I mean really twisty roads like in some mountains or back roads), but for 98% of all other roads, it is just more of a cool factor thing.

jgtile

I agree with 07LexusGuy and that is why I went with the Lexus. Now, the plusses I saw with the Avalon was the internal space (cabin and trunk). But for a little more money, I felt the Lexus was a better deal and a nicer style. Plus, Toyota needs to fix that Nav system, it was not as nice as the Lexus (even though Lexus needs to upgrade soon).