I heard from a Lexus fleet manager today that the 2014 300h will no longer be made with the UL option.
Has anyone else heard this???

 

That doesn't sound correct. It may just be harder to find.

 

The Lexus corporate web site now lists the 2014 ES and the UL package is still available. Just remember that it may not be available in some areas, it may have to be special ordered if not in the district's mix.

http://www.lexus.com/models/ES/features/options/

 

Thank you for checking. I really want the UL option.

 

I had another dealer tell me no more UL for 2014 300h.
I asked her to clarify it and this is what she said.


I am sorry it took me so long to respond. We have been slammed with our sales event going on but also too because I wanted to clarify what was going on with the Ultra Luxury Package with Lexus cooperate. After speaking to them I was able to get a clear answer so I can explain it to you.

The Ultra Luxury Package, like I mentioned is on the 13 ESh and on the 14 ES350. HOWEVER, when they made this decision, there were a couple that were already being built with UL, you are going to find only a handful with UL that are going to be available. We are receiving only 3. What they are now doing is that if customers want the UL it will have to be a special order if they are not quick to grab one of the several that slipped through cracks.

I am sorry about the confusion on my end! Not my intentions at all. Please let me know what you would like to do! Like I mentioned I have 2013 available now, and just 3 that are 2014 coming in.

So looks like the UL package for the 300h will be a special order..
Wonder why? Maybe they didn't sell as good as Lexus thought they would.

 

Sounds like dealer BS to me. They're just trying to get you to buy one of their 2013's still sitting on the lot.

 

I have had 2 different dealers tell me this...
Guess we will wait and see..

 

Y U P !

 

i wonder if the added weight of the panoramic roof affects gas mileage?

 

It might. I have an Audi with the panoramic roof and it adds 100> lbs. vs. the non pano roof model.

 

It would not surprise me one bit if Lexus decided to make the ES300h with the UL package available only as a special order. Dealers want to move vehicles off of their lots as quickly as possible. I'm confident that they are selling many more ES350 and ES300h vehicles with sticker prices in the low $40,000 price range than they are vehicles whose sticker price is closer to $50,000, and the dealers are going to want to have vehicles in their inventories if they know are more likely to move off the lots more quickly. When you add on the price premiums for the hybrid and for the UL package, you end up with a vehicle in that $50,000 range. Thus, if there is limited demand from the dealers for UL ES300h vehicles, it would make sense that Lexus would decide to make them available on a special order only basis. I know that, when I looked at the inventory at my dealership, I was surprised to see that the majority of the vehicles on the lot where basic vehicles and often did not have nav systems, leather, or other more costly options, and most had sticker prices well under $45,000.

 

Here is a list of option packages for the 2014 ES, which INCLUDES a listing of a UL package:

http://www.lexus.com/models/ES/features/options/

 

But that doesn't necessarily mean that some combinations of packages/equipment will not be available except with a special order.

 

Wouldn't surprise me at all. It being offered as an opinion and them being built and sent to dealers in their normal allocation is a different story.

If you look back through the ES' history since the UL option became available in 2007, production of UL cars has been sporadic at best, with some years having more of them and some years seemingly none. The UL Package prices the ES to a point where quite frankly there are better options IMHO, especially the ESh.

 

As much as liked my two ES350's I always felt that when the price gets real close to, or at $50k there are other things that I'd consider.