That was only an issue with that motor. None of the subsequent 3.5L DI engines have any issues with carbon buildup.

 

it is still a FWD, thought that was taboo for you lol

 

 

To me it is much ado about nothing. It is a very light refresh.

 

lexus/toyota needs to get rid of the stupid stalk cruise control. why they don't integrate this on the steering wheel like everybody else is beyond me.

 

Agreed.. a 10 year old Corolla I owned had the same feature.

 

I think it is about ergonomics, IMHO it is easier to use where it is. I have driven vehicles with it on the steering wheel and had to look for it so was sure I used the correct button/switch. This takes your eyes off the road for that split second that can lead to an accident. Is it an elegant presentation of the cruise control switches, no, but it is functional and again in my opinion easy to use without ever having to see it.

 

In the same vein, when does a steering wheel have so many buttons on it that using them becomes a distraction to driving? To my taste, the steering wheel on the 2016 ES has a very cluttered look, but I wonder, more importantly, if all of those functions can be used without creating the possibility of distractions.

With the buttons on the 2015 ES steering wheel, it should be easy to do things like adjusting the volume of the audio system or answering the phone without taking one's eyes off of the road. I'm not sure that the same thing holds true with all of the buttons on the 2016 steering wheel. At a minimum, it would likely take a while to become accustomed to the locations and feel of all the different controls on the wheel.

 

I too actually like Toyota/Lexus stalk cruise control.

 

I like the padding they have put on the center console. Do you guys figure one can swap the plasticy thing in the 13-15's with the padded one on the 16? I know it is some recyclable material but it sure feels like plastic. I hope the dealers stock that and how much do you figure such a swap would cost?

The shift **** is also nice and beefy as compare to the 13-15's.

 

Is the steering wheel on the 16 thinner than before? Sure looks like it. Somehow the 13-15 steering wheel (the wooden part) seems beefier.

 

Typically, I would expect that Lexus would make you buy the entire console. I have no idea what the cost of that would be, but I'd guess that it would be well north of $500, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was around or even over $1000. Also, since the part would come from a different production lot, there would be a good chance that the color would not be a perfect match to the other trim in the vehicle interior. It should also be noted that, when you start swapping out parts and putting parts from a different model year into your car, while you may consider that to be an "upgrade", you are actually diminishing the re-sale value of your car.

 

It is indeed...

 

Lesz

Good point about value reduction. Don't want that to happen. I will just have to pretend that the plasticy thing is soft and smooth

Thanks..

 

You could add your own if you stitched your own padding and used double sided tape That shifter looks great but it would be a very expensive upgrade to swap out the entire center console and shift mechanism. I'll just look for a similar ****.