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I know that the article talks about the possibility of Lexus dropping the GS and having FWD and AWD versions of the Generation 7 ES, but, if the new ES is supposed to fill the role of the current GS, it is hard to image Lexus not having a RWD option for that market segment.
The article also talks about the new ES having an 8 speed transmission. I'm not sure that that is a step forward. On both the GS and RX forums, there have been multiple threads in which people have complained about the 8 speed transmissions in those cars and about how the frequent shifting and searching for the "right gear" makes the driving experience less pleasant. And there have been similar complaints about 8 speed (or more) transmissions in cars from other manufacturers.
The article also points to "more aggressive" styling. More aggressive styling might well appeal to younger buyers, but I'm not sure that it would be the choice of many typical ES buyers who are, so to speak, of a "more mature" age.
If Lexus does try to use the Generation 7 ES as a replacement for both the current ES and the GS, I hope, with trying to build a car that fills both roles with things like the 8 speed transmission and more aggressive styling, that Lexus doesn't end up with a car that fills neither the role of the current ES or the current GS as well as the existing cars do.
If the speculation in the article is correct and if Lexus is planning to replace the GS with an AWD version of the ES, it will be interesting to see how successful they will be in marketing such a car. Right now, a good number of GS owners look down on the ES and consider it to be an inferior entry-level car. With that in mind, it is hard to imagine many of current GS owners wanting to spend $60,000 for an ES "pretending to be a real GS". If Lexus cannot find a way to sell the current GS, they may well have an even harder time selling an AWD ES at prices similar to what the current GS costs.
This should be 2018 not 2019? Must be a typo. 2018s not even released yet.
The 2018 Avalon's are already out and so the 2018 ES350's should be out any day now too. Both cars are identical to their 2017 counterparts. The 2019 ES350 will be a totally new design just like the 2018 Camry is. Like the 2018 Camry, the 2019 ES350 will probably be a lower height, closer to the ground, lower center of gravity design that will look sportier and enhance road holding at the expense of interior space and headroom; i.e. the seats will likely be closer to the floor as is the case with the 2018 Camry.
TMC is much too smart to just produce a Lexus GS on its own, only to sell only 4,205 units Year to Date in the first 7 months of the year in the USA.
If this was really the case, Toyota Motor Corp would be broke. http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01...s-figures.html
The rear drive Lexus GS is traditionally a cosmetic styling & suspension modification of a rear drive Toyota Crown - the latter not available in North America, but on sale in Japan, China and other parts of the world, in the same way that both the Toyota Avalon & Lexus ES are available in North America, but not on sale in Europe & many other parts of the world.
A Toyota Avalon to Lexus ES is the same as a Toyota Crown to Lexus GS.
Model availability depends on the part of the world.
For example in China, the Avalon is not available, but the Toyota Crown and Lexus ES are available.
In Japan, the Toyota Crown is available, but not the Toyota Avalon, nor the Lexus ES.
In Europe, all three Avalon, Crown and Lexus ES are not available.
Because the aging 2012-18 Toyota Crown sold 39,813 units in right hand drive in Japan, and 30,251 units in left hand drive in China respectively last year, it would be a surprize to see TMC axe the rear drive Lexus GS line - TMC needs the GS-line to increase the ROI Return on Investments, by sharing development costs of its Toyota Crown - as has been done for four generations so far since 1991. http://www.best-selling-cars.com/jap...ng-car-models/ http://carsalesbase.com/china-car-sa.../toyota-crown/
Furthermore, if the forthcoming 2018-24 7ES was used as a GS replacement in AWD form, TMC would have to also consider using a more competitive 3.5L V6 TT twin turbo to keep up with the likes of the Mercedes E400 & BMW 540i both with in-line six twin turbos.
The forthcoming front drive based 7ES would also have to consider adopting front double wishbone suspension to help keep the front wheels perpendicular to the road surface to maximize grip.
2012-18 Toyota Crown available in RWD & AWD.
2012-19 Lexus GS in RWD and AWD.
Hence the forthcoming 2018-24 Toyota Crown was caught testing near the Nurburgring in Germany wearing old Lexus 4GS 18" wheels.
Were they actually testing the future Lexus 5GS in future Toyota Crown clothing in Germany?
Why else would anyone test the forthcoming Toyota Crown near the Nurburgring, especially wearing old 4GS 18" alloy wheels? http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...d-testing.html https://paultan.org/2017/06/30/spysh...crown-spotted/
2018-24 Toyota Crown with 5LS-like 6-light windows, and Camry-like touch screen.
i think the current ES has more aggressive styling than the current GS. performance, however, is another thing. the current GS has really milquetoast styling IMO - no wonder the sales suck.
I hope they don't fold the ES and GS together. That will likely mean Lexus tries to turn this car into something closer to a BMW. I think most people that buy an ES want a comfortable luxury car. Not a 4 door sports sedan.
I hope they don't fold the ES and GS together. That will likely mean Lexus tries to turn this car into something closer to a BMW. I think most people that buy an ES want a comfortable luxury car. Not a 4 door sports sedan.
the ES is the huge seller for Lexus. i don't think they're going to mess with the formula too much.
the ES is the huge seller for Lexus. i don't think they're going to mess with the formula too much.
I think you're right. They need to walk a fine line between appealing to the traditional older/conservative ES buyer who make up the bulk of the sales and enough tweaks to appeal to a younger demographic.
Several of the posts in this thread point to the difficulty if Lexus does really plan to eliminate the GS and to make an AWD ES as a replacement.
If an AWD ES were to replace the GS, it would have to have a tighter suspension, different steering, firmer ride quality, reduced backseat legroom to accommodate getting power to the rear wheels, etc.
But, if Lexus decided to make both the FWD and AWD versions of the ES with tighter suspension, different steering, firmer ride quality, and, reduced backseat legroom, the FWD version would end up losing the characteristics that have appealed to the buyers of the previous generations of the ES.
On the other hand, if Lexus decide to build both the FWD and AWD versions of the ES with the suspension, steering, and ride quality of the current ES, the AWD version would have little appeal to current GS buyers.
Thus, it would seem that Lexus would need to build the AWD version with steering, suspension, ride quality, and rear seat leg room different from what would be in the FWD version, which would mean that the AWD and FWD versions of the ES would essentially be two very different cars. But that wouldn't make much sense because, if the AWD version was essentially a different car from the FWD version, there would be no point in naming it an ES. Instead, Lexus would be better served by continuing to call the AWD version a GS.
One way or another, combining the ES and GS into one model could end up making both the AWD and FWD versions less appealing to buyers than the current GS and current ES are. I know that there have been rumors about Lexus doing this for quite some time, but I remain skeptical.
Please Lexus engineers heads up display, android auto and a wireless charging pad for the 2019. As someone posted here, every car manufacturer has android auto but BMW and they have Apple Play. The 2018 Honda Accord yes Accord will have all of these.
08-07-17, 04:03 PM
Car & Driver article on 2019 Lexus ES
