ShakMan

I finally got a chance to test drive both of these vehicles over the weekend. First a little background. I am a long time Lexus owner and looking at a potential 3rd vehicle we would own. I had both waiting for me with similar equipped options.

Lets start with the good news. Both vehicles ride very smoothly as expected. There is a slight engine rev-up on the (h) model but that’s to be expected. The V6 non(h) version engages very smoothly and you could feel the power of the gas versions of the vehicle. Interior size is very similar except for the trunk size on the (h) version. That again is to be expected due to the batteries. I also thought the straight EV mode on (h) was nice if you just have to drive around town in < 25mph and get to a grocery store.

Now the bad part. Plastics…oh plastics everywhere. If you are a first time Lexus owner, you will not see any difference. But if you are like me and have owned Luxury package on ANY Lexus model, you will notice the cheap plastics used inside the vehicle. We currently own a 2004 fully loaded GX470 with Luxury options and that looks better than what you see on the new ES. At one point if you were shopping for the Lexus and paying for the luxury options, you could see where the extra $$$ were spent on the inside.

Not on the new ES and that’s not very nice on Lexus, now that they are trying to cut costs and still rev up the price on vehicles. I mean if you have to pay for plastics but still enjoy the reliability of a Lexus, I would look at a fully loaded Camry fully EXPECTING to see plastics used in the interior. Whats also a little different is the newer model seems to have picked up some road noise. You could tell if you test drive a pre-owned ES which is very quiet inside the vehicle.

Don’t get me wrong here. I might still end up with the ES (h) version but will have to see if I can get a fully loaded pre-owned ES model.

amphipri0n

Thanks for the review, I'm surprised to hear that the plastics were not up to par. Was it more the look or the feel? The previous generation ES 350 cockpit had a massive area of black molded plastic to the right of the center console, how does that compare?

Would you happen to know/remember if the 350 you test-drove was wearing the 17" or 18" wheels?

SW17LS

There is definitely a slight downgrade in plastic quality from the previous car to the new car, but mostly in places you don't see, the lower parts of the dash and door panels, etc. You also have a upgrade of the stitched dash, addition of wood along the doors, etc which does a lot. Any difference in road noise is going to be due to the tires on one generation vs the other. I have the Michelin Primacy MXV4s on my 2010 and have driven a few 2013s also on the Michelin Primacy tires and road noise is identical. The cars do come with a couple other tire options, and tire pressure plays a big role. Overall though, the two cars drive very much the same. Obviously a car shod with the 18s is going to have more road noise and a stiffer ride.

Comparing your GX470 to the ES isn't really fair, your GX is a much more expensive vehicle. This ES purchase will be my third ES, I have this 2010, I had a 2003 before that. My experience with Lexus prior to that was with a 98 LS that my Dad had, then he replaced that with a 2004 LS after I got my 2003 ES, so I certainly am experienced with Lexus quality. I also have several coworkers with that generation GX (very popular in my industry), I would say from an interior quality standpoint it certainly is a step down from the LS...which you would expect.

Overall I think the interior of the ES is a significant improvement over the previous ES. Certainly some areas have some lower quality materials, but mostly those areas are places you aren't going to touch/see, and I think the leather-ish stitched dash is such a huge quality look improvement its worth the tradeoff.

You have to understand that the ES is the entry level car, its built to a price and its always going to have tradeoffs when compared to other Lexus offerings that are $20-$40k more expensive. To compare the quality of the interior vs a Camry is to admit that one has never actually seen the interior of a Camry. I wouldn't even buy a Camry compares to a Honda Accord or Ford Fusion, the ES is a HUGE upgrade in quality materials and build from a Camry.

Toys4RJill

Funny you bring up plastics as the GX470 is all hard plastic from the mid point of the doors and dash down.

The ES is a stunning example of what Lexus can do.

ShakMan

I have to admit, I am not an expert on the tires and so it could be a factor. There are a couple of threads you can google that do talk about a little more road noise on the ES.

As for the GX comparison, that also was NOT the intent. All I was eluding to was if you have the luxury options before on previous models, one would expect some quality.

The plastics are very evident on some areas of the center console panel and near the cup holders. I did not realize the ES was the entry level vehicle for Lexus. You may have a point here. I did not get a chance to look inside the GS or the LS sedans.

SW17LS

I can tell you as a fact, as someone who has owned several ES's and is really picky about road noise, there is no more road noise in the 2013 than there is on the 2010, which there is very little.

When you say "luxury options" I'm not sure what you're talking about. The dash materials are the same regardless of what options you have...same as on your GX. The car is VERY high quality when compared to other vehicles in its price point that it competes with, even vehicles at higher price points. I'm shopping now and I think the 2013 ES has a nicer interior than the E Class Mercedes, 5 series BMW and Audi A6, and all of those cars are $20,000 more.

I do wish the console had remained wood as it was in the previous generation, but the plastic in this area is high quality soft touch vinyl, compare the feel of that plastic to the feel of the base of the dashboard or the base of the doors.

How can you look at the price point, have purchased Lexus vehicles before knowing what they cost, and not know that the ES is an entry level vehicle? It starts at $36k...

Sounds like you could benefit from having experienced some other vehicles from Lexus and other manufacturers and then bringing that experience back to the ES and you'll see it in a different light.