Like I said take it for what its worth but since this particular guy just had the owner of all the dealerships he owns in this particular city fly him and his wife along with 2 other couples to Florida for a few days on the company jet for being the top salesman for the year I'm doubting he's clueless as his reputation has been built over the last 12-15 years selling Lexus cars. I'm probably guessing he got the information from a somewhat reliable source but time will tell. Personally with my wife and I both driving ES350's I would love to have the AWD option living in Ohio so I hope it works out.

 

How will they add the RWD drivetrain for AWD? The Avalon platform doesn't have room for a center propshaft and a rear diff. I could imagine them making an AWD ES300h by adding an electric motor to the rear, like on the NX AWD hybrid, but there's still not much room for rear driveshafts. Can't get my head around it...

 

Yep. That is what I was referring to when I said that turning a FWD car into an AWD car requires significantly greater design changes than turning a RWD car into an AWD car. It just doesn't make sense to do something like that at the end of the Generation 6 ES run, and it would only possibly make sense if 2018 became the first year for the Generation 7 ES. Even then, making the Generation 7 ES into a RWD or AWD car would mean that Lexus was essentially taking what is, by far, their best selling car and 2nd best selling vehicle, and making it into a very different category of car. That kind of bold and risky move is so out of character with how Lexus/Toyota operates. I don't dismiss the possibility of it happening, but I'll certainly be surprised if it does.

 

A number of the closest competitors to the ES now offer an AWD option. This could be on Toyota/Lexus radar as to whether or not AWD is feasible for the next gen, or future gen ES models.

 

I think it will sell WELL with the AWD ES. Most charge about 1200-2000 for the AWD version of the FWD vehicles.

Can the AWD in the RX apply to the AWD of the ES? Yeah? Everything is DOABLE for Toy/Lex but will they do it or not that is the question. We just have to wait an see.

 

>A number of the closest competitors to the ES now offer an AWD option. This could be on Toyota/Lexus radar

But only if they want an AWD Camry/Avalon, too...

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My karma just ran over your dogma
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2

 

I don't disagree with what you have said, but the key to my thinking is that, if Lexus was to offer an AWD ES, I can't imagine them doing so until the Generation 7 ES. Thus, if there is an AWD ES in 2018, it would surprise me if 2018 wasn't also the first year for a Generation 7 ES.

 

If the salesperson specifically said the GS350 was getting discontinued, that statement could be correct as Toyota/Lexus has committed to bringing out several new engines in the future. So it might be safe to say the GS will still be around but with a different displacement and therefore a different number after the letters. IMHO See this article https://lexusenthusiast.com/2016/12/...hybrid-system/

 

Toyota has now been using variations of the same 3.5 liter V6 engine in over a dozen Lexus and Toyota vehicles over a span of 11 model years. That 3.5 liter engine is a remarkably smooth and dependable engine, but I suspect that, in the 11 years since it was first introduced, technology has changed sufficiently to allow Toyota to develop a V6 with slightly larger displacement that is both more powerful and more fuel efficient than the current 3.5 liter engine. So, it wouldn't surprise me to see, say, a GS370.

 

The closet competitor when I was recently shopping was the Q50. AWD and considerably more ponies. An AWD version would be great.... Sounds like it would be a G7 and/or a new platform completely.... I thought about the Infinity when we got a foot of snow yesterday, however the ES did great-no issues.

 

Lexus would consider the IS350 to be the Q50 competitor, rather than the ES350. The IS350 does offer more power and AWD. But as you noted, a good FWD car can still be great in the snow.

What made you decide on your ES over the Infiniti?

 

Two major factors steered me to the Lexus (specifically over the Infinity);
1. Reviews, quality awards/rankings and research. The Lexus ranks high in almost every category you can think of. Also my Corolla never gave me an issue in 4 years. You just can't beat Toyota/Lexus in this regard IMHO. On the other hand, the Infinity was not even close in rankings and had quite a few negative reviews on the electronics/infotainment system. Which, BTW, was NOT included in the CPO warranty for the car which I found to be an interesting fact. You had to purchase an additional "wrap" to cover electronics. (I did buy an aftermarket warranty on the Lexus- probably did not need to but it was a "warm fuzzy" I guess). Same price as the "wrap" to cover the Infinity even though it was a CPO car. However, even though I bought the car at an Infinity dealership- it was serviced it's entire life (38K miles) at a nearby Lexus dealership. The service manager knew the car and the owners. That (history) is always a big deal to me anyway.....
2. Price. The Infinity was cool with about 50 more hp, AWD and dual screens etc but also, same year (lower mileage) but 10k more. It was not worth paying that much more for a car rated so much lower. The Q is a more "performance" machine I would guess, but I have no regrets on the ES. Night and day compared to the Corolla of course. Maybe I'll go IS one day but the one IS I did sit in I had to put the seat all the way back and it seemed small in comparison to the ES.

It was an odd deal- I traded my Corolla and sold my beloved 2002 Z06 to get to one car I drive every day with no regrets. I'm there. There is always, faster, better etc. but the ES seems to be a great car so far. Also I have lived in Colorado for 20+ years. Always with FWD and I seem to get around just fine... We just got about a foot of snow and the ES just plowed through and that's with new albeit crappy tires the Infinity dealership put on there... Hope that answers your question...

 

Thanks for the explanation. Enjoy your ES! They're beautiful cars!

 

Never listen to salespeople. They don't even have as much inside information as we do on here, they love to sound like they know something in the inside too. GS is not being discontinued, and there will be no AWD in an otherwise unchanged ES. Just doesn't make sense.

 

The link shows current 2016 17 model
look for a design change 3 years later with the 2019 ES Model