ES - 7th Gen (2019-present) Discussion topics related to 2019+ ES models

2019 F Sport vs. 2015 ES Review

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Old 10-18-18, 04:15 PM
  #16  
LeeSoFL
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Default Ordered an F Sport Today

Hello from South Florida-

I had an excellent Lexus Plus experience today There wasn't a moment of haggling, but there was great service, superior cash on my trade-in, and it was done in 90 minutes. The car is due to be built next Friday, delivery to Jacksonville, FL sometime before Thanksgiving.

It has all the options except the power trunk, which I would have included.

Nice to join the group. We got an RC 350 F Sport last year, but it's da'spouse’s car, which I get to drive periodically. The ES is going to be mine (and the dog's car.)



Last edited by LeeSoFL; 10-18-18 at 05:57 PM.
Old 10-22-18, 10:15 AM
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themanintx
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Quick update on audio system: I just changed the radio station presets... oh my goodness, my brain is still melting from that experience. Setting individual station presets requires a litany of clicks and setting adjustments that you have to repeat over and over for each station. Even worse, there's no way to click one-by-one through every SXM station. The system has stations broken up into categories, and you can't click through categories to different blocks of stations. What an awful mess of an otherwise superb-sounding audio system.
Old 10-22-18, 11:39 AM
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mikemu30
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Originally Posted by themanintx
Quick update on audio system: I just changed the radio station presets... oh my goodness, my brain is still melting from that experience. Setting individual station presets requires a litany of clicks and setting adjustments that you have to repeat over and over for each station. Even worse, there's no way to click one-by-one through every SXM station. The system has stations broken up into categories, and you can't click through categories to different blocks of stations. What an awful mess of an otherwise superb-sounding audio system.
I guess it must be much different that in my RX where I can set a station with one single click. Can also organize the screen in many different ways for favorite presets by band, mixed bands etc.
Old 12-03-18, 04:16 PM
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Originally Posted by themanintx
Hi everyone, I thought you all might like to read more about the new ES F Sport, so here's my own review after two weeks with the new car. A couple quick notes:

1) Before the new car, I had a new 2015 ES 350 for three years -- a great car that drove nicely, was super comfortable and never gave me problems.
2) Forgive me if I don't get some technical terms right, I'm a newbie here, but have been a life-long car lover

What's Different from 2015 v. 2019:

DRIVE: 2015 was a nice, comfortable, solid drive, but boring. Like a big bowl of vanilla ice cream with nothing added. Sure it drove smooth and could get moving, but no "wow" factor at all. 2019 is basically all the above, but with a bit more power all around, some zip factor from the start, some engine growl and a much tighter suspension. You can take turns and corners a lot faster.

EXTERIOR: 2019 just looks way more sporty. Lots more angles, sleeker and edgy the whole way around. Little things like the headlights, wheels and outside mirrors appear much more sharp -- but the outside mirrors are a lot smaller (and also they don't fold automatically, you have to get out the car and do that yourself, seriously Lexus?) and much less field view than the 2015. Optional colored brake calipers would have been nice, as would colored tire valve caps.

INTERIOR: Bucket seats definitely sit lower but are comfortable. The 2015 seats felt more like a Cadillac or like you're driving a boat, not necessarily negative -- it's just that the 2019 seats are clearly going for a more sporty vibe, so you sacrifice a bit of that recliner chair feel from 2015. That said, lots more supple touches across the cabin, it feels more stylish and they tossed out a lot of the cheaper looking plastics -- and thankfully, no more piano black finish anywhere. The wrapped steering wheel feels awesome, nice to have ditched the semi-wood treatment from 2015.

CONTROLS/INSTRUMENTS: Ok, the 2019 effectively fails here. The 2015 instruments and controls were a lot simpler, intuitive and quick to identify and adjust. It took maybe 10 days of driving the 2015 to know almost all controls by heart, so you could adjust just about anything without having to take your eyes off the road. You can pretty much forget that feel for the 2019 -- just about everything takes firm concentration to adjust or change, there's very little you can do while in motion (in fact, I was told the only way to adjust seat cooling/heating in the new GS is by clicking through a menu!!!). For all the new controls and advantages you get, it's all undermined by how clunky and frustrating the interface and UX can get. It's a classic case of over-engineering and creating solutions to problems that don't exist, just full-on sensor creep and UI overload. Here's a run-down:

• Gone is the 2015 analog mouse, which I never really had any issues with -- instead you get the common Lexus trackpad, and honestly it's just awful. Very jumpy and jittery, and often requires surgical precision to ensure you don't skip a desired setting. Really just a garbage element, and one that hopefully gets killed for good next year.

• Eco green light: Boy this one drove me nuts. The default setting for the normal drive mode had a nuclear-bright green "ECO" light on the dash that illuminated intermittently, obviously to demonstrate that you were using less gas at any particular moment. As it's unpredictable, it becomes extremely annoying and blinding every time it flashes. Took a lot of reading online to figure out how to disable it.

• No more elapsed time info metric. I always liked having that as a variable display gauge, now it's gone. On top of that, it's not as easy as the 2015 to switch between other info screens, e.g., tank miles left, tire pressure, etc.

STEREO/NAV/DISPLAY: I'm an amateur musician, and my 2019 has the Levinson package -- there is simply no comparison between this awesome system and the crap 2015 standard stereo. It sounds amazing, any serious audiophile would be pleased with the performance -- but sadly the Gracenote album database is buggy as hell and almost never displays album art, a shame given the bright colorful screen. Per nav, why any car maker still insists on drilling their own system into the car anymore is beyond me -- I'm sure there's all sorts of arguments against my position, but whatever -- as long as my phone has it, map apps will always be superior. The center screen is massive, bright and impressive, but does suffer pretty bad sun glare if you're positioned at relevant angles.

CARPLAY: You do get Apple CarPlay, a huge plus, but this has serious limits, here are my quibbles:

• CP only connects by cable and not wirelessly, so your phone has to be tethered to the car. And, the USB port to tether it requires that compartment lid to be open, and further (and honestly this is just unforgivable), you can't close the lid with the USB cable plugged in -- in other words, you have to keep that lid open constantly, an eye sore on the otherwise sleek interior look. Otherwise, you have to unplug your cable, wrap it up and stow it away.

• You can't do any of the car's voice commands ("lower the cabin temp") while you're using CP. Similarly, you can't do those commands either if you've got Siri activated, the car will default to Siri which can't control your car's settings, only the phone's.

• Waze or other map app navigation voices cut in loud and dramatically over any concurrent audio source, and this becomes super annoying immediately. For ex., if you're listening to music, the volume will very slowly dip out, Waze/Google Maps/Apple Maps barks directions while driving, then the music volume slowly rises again. Now imagine that happening rapid-fire during a multi-turn event, i.e., "exit... turn right in 100 ft... in 50 ft... police reported ahead..." etc. It destroys the audio experience, and the only way to keep your sanity is to disable the particular map app audio, which in turn requires you to keep your eyes on the screen at all times if you don't know where you're doing.

So I'd give the car an 8.5/10. Overall the experience is wonderful, but sadly minor missing details and problems sour the experience a bit.
Thanks. I was looking for someone to compare the new ES F sport, with a prior model.

Does the F sport take tighter turns? Is it more responsive when turning?

I agree, I also liked the elapsed time info. I can't believe they'd remove that.

I personally like using built in navigation. I want a data free way to get directions, and I don't want to use my phone's battery either.

I had a problem with Gracenote on my 2013 car. It didn't show track information or art 98% of the time. On the 2018 car, it's worked everytime.

I'm also used to the navigation audio overriding what I'm currently listening to. I just accept it. I haven't owned a car that didn't have that happen.

Do you think they could have enabled Car Play through Blue Tooth?

Can the Eco light be disabled on the 2018 car? I don't have any problems with it, but would like to know if it's possible. Just for my own sake.

I liked the mouse system on the previous ES cars too.
Old 12-03-18, 04:20 PM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by themanintx
@mikemu30, my mistake on the GS -- I meant the 2019 LS. Take a look at the owner's manual for the 2019, which verifies what the sales guy told me -- the only way to operate seat heater/ventilator in that model is through the menus, there's no analog button or physical switch. Pretty ridiculous!
So there's no slider switch for the seat warmers, like on previous years ES cars?
Old 12-03-18, 05:16 PM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by nuraman00
So there's no slider switch for the seat warmers, like on previous years ES cars?
Hard buttons as well for seat warmers and ventilators. Three settings, low,med, high.
Old 12-03-18, 08:29 PM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by themanintx
Hi everyone, I thought you all might like to read more about the new ES F Sport, so here's my own review after two weeks with the new car. A couple quick notes:

1) Before the new car, I had a new 2015 ES 350 for three years -- a great car that drove nicely, was super comfortable and never gave me problems.
2) Forgive me if I don't get some technical terms right, I'm a newbie here, but have been a life-long car lover

What's Different from 2015 v. 2019:

DRIVE: 2015 was a nice, comfortable, solid drive, but boring. Like a big bowl of vanilla ice cream with nothing added. Sure it drove smooth and could get moving, but no "wow" factor at all. 2019 is basically all the above, but with a bit more power all around, some zip factor from the start, some engine growl and a much tighter suspension. You can take turns and corners a lot faster.

EXTERIOR: 2019 just looks way more sporty. Lots more angles, sleeker and edgy the whole way around. Little things like the headlights, wheels and outside mirrors appear much more sharp -- but the outside mirrors are a lot smaller (and also they don't fold automatically, you have to get out the car and do that yourself, seriously Lexus?) and much less field view than the 2015. Optional colored brake calipers would have been nice, as would colored tire valve caps.

INTERIOR: Bucket seats definitely sit lower but are comfortable. The 2015 seats felt more like a Cadillac or like you're driving a boat, not necessarily negative -- it's just that the 2019 seats are clearly going for a more sporty vibe, so you sacrifice a bit of that recliner chair feel from 2015. That said, lots more supple touches across the cabin, it feels more stylish and they tossed out a lot of the cheaper looking plastics -- and thankfully, no more piano black finish anywhere. The wrapped steering wheel feels awesome, nice to have ditched the semi-wood treatment from 2015.

CONTROLS/INSTRUMENTS: Ok, the 2019 effectively fails here. The 2015 instruments and controls were a lot simpler, intuitive and quick to identify and adjust. It took maybe 10 days of driving the 2015 to know almost all controls by heart, so you could adjust just about anything without having to take your eyes off the road. You can pretty much forget that feel for the 2019 -- just about everything takes firm concentration to adjust or change, there's very little you can do while in motion (in fact, I was told the only way to adjust seat cooling/heating in the new GS is by clicking through a menu!!!). For all the new controls and advantages you get, it's all undermined by how clunky and frustrating the interface and UX can get. It's a classic case of over-engineering and creating solutions to problems that don't exist, just full-on sensor creep and UI overload. Here's a run-down:

• Gone is the 2015 analog mouse, which I never really had any issues with -- instead you get the common Lexus trackpad, and honestly it's just awful. Very jumpy and jittery, and often requires surgical precision to ensure you don't skip a desired setting. Really just a garbage element, and one that hopefully gets killed for good next year.

• Eco green light: Boy this one drove me nuts. The default setting for the normal drive mode had a nuclear-bright green "ECO" light on the dash that illuminated intermittently, obviously to demonstrate that you were using less gas at any particular moment. As it's unpredictable, it becomes extremely annoying and blinding every time it flashes. Took a lot of reading online to figure out how to disable it.

• No more elapsed time info metric. I always liked having that as a variable display gauge, now it's gone. On top of that, it's not as easy as the 2015 to switch between other info screens, e.g., tank miles left, tire pressure, etc.

STEREO/NAV/DISPLAY: I'm an amateur musician, and my 2019 has the Levinson package -- there is simply no comparison between this awesome system and the crap 2015 standard stereo. It sounds amazing, any serious audiophile would be pleased with the performance -- but sadly the Gracenote album database is buggy as hell and almost never displays album art, a shame given the bright colorful screen. Per nav, why any car maker still insists on drilling their own system into the car anymore is beyond me -- I'm sure there's all sorts of arguments against my position, but whatever -- as long as my phone has it, map apps will always be superior. The center screen is massive, bright and impressive, but does suffer pretty bad sun glare if you're positioned at relevant angles.

CARPLAY: You do get Apple CarPlay, a huge plus, but this has serious limits, here are my quibbles:

• CP only connects by cable and not wirelessly, so your phone has to be tethered to the car. And, the USB port to tether it requires that compartment lid to be open, and further (and honestly this is just unforgivable), you can't close the lid with the USB cable plugged in -- in other words, you have to keep that lid open constantly, an eye sore on the otherwise sleek interior look. Otherwise, you have to unplug your cable, wrap it up and stow it away.

• You can't do any of the car's voice commands ("lower the cabin temp") while you're using CP. Similarly, you can't do those commands either if you've got Siri activated, the car will default to Siri which can't control your car's settings, only the phone's.

• Waze or other map app navigation voices cut in loud and dramatically over any concurrent audio source, and this becomes super annoying immediately. For ex., if you're listening to music, the volume will very slowly dip out, Waze/Google Maps/Apple Maps barks directions while driving, then the music volume slowly rises again. Now imagine that happening rapid-fire during a multi-turn event, i.e., "exit... turn right in 100 ft... in 50 ft... police reported ahead..." etc. It destroys the audio experience, and the only way to keep your sanity is to disable the particular map app audio, which in turn requires you to keep your eyes on the screen at all times if you don't know where you're doing.

So I'd give the car an 8.5/10. Overall the experience is wonderful, but sadly minor missing details and problems sour the experience a bit.
I just ordered my ES 300h. I'm currently using a touch screen in my 2011 Camry. I have tested several different infotainment system lately. Here is my experience:

I'm not a huge fan of the track pad either but all things considered I think it's the best I could hope for. Considering the screen is farther up the dash (which I love because it makes it easier to see without having to look down) a touch screen isn't very practical. That means some other kind of interface. So, what are the options?
  • Previous Lexus models had that square thing that you slide around. It was awful. It offered little to no resistance and basically just slid all over the place.
  • The touch pad that Acura has with it's absolute positioning (put your finger on the top left corner and the cursor goes to the top left corner) but that sucks because you'd have to look down at the touch pad to see where you are putting your finger.
  • The rotating dial that some cars use(like the BMW iDrive) that suck and just make it take so much longer to get anywhere.
And I think you can adjust the sensitivity of the touch pad to make it not "require surgical precision to ensure you don't skip a desired setting".

I also like that the touch pad allows you to zoom in and zoom out of maps like you would on a phone.

While I do find the touch pad frustrating I think it is the least frustrating of all non touch screen controls.

To be honest I don't touch the screen in my current car all that much. Really just to enter a destination. Audio controls are usually just from the steering wheel and heater/AC is from the physical buttons.
Old 12-04-18, 08:51 AM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by themanintx
here are my quibbles:

• CP only connects by cable and not wirelessly, so your phone has to be tethered to the car. And, the USB port to tether it requires that compartment lid to be open, and further (and honestly this is just unforgivable), you can't close the lid with the USB cable plugged in -- in other words, you have to keep that lid open constantly, an eye sore on the otherwise sleek interior look. Otherwise, you have to unplug your cable, wrap it up and stow it away.
Suggestion: 1) remove the flimsy flip-cover over the two USB connectors in the center console. 2) purchase right angle USB to iphone cable. The lid will close.
I take it you don't use the iphone storage slot in that compartment? I find it really helpful since it holds the phone upright (when not in the wireless charger.)



Old 12-04-18, 10:52 AM
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Does the lid close with a micro flash drive installed?
Old 12-04-18, 10:55 AM
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Originally Posted by mikemu30
Does the lid close with a micro flash drive installed?
Not a chance!
Old 12-04-18, 11:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Mike728
Not a chance!
Well that stinks for sure.
Old 12-04-18, 11:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Mike728
Not a chance!
i have a 19esh and am able to close the lid. It’s a slim Lexmark flash drive.

Old 12-04-18, 11:36 AM
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Originally Posted by EV02is
i have a 19esh and am able to close the lid. It’s a slim Lexmark flash drive.
Do you have a part number? I bought this one and it wasn't even close:

SDCZ33-064G-B35


Old 12-04-18, 11:54 AM
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Originally Posted by mikemu30
Does the lid close with a micro flash drive installed?
yes it does

Old 12-04-18, 11:55 AM
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Unfortunately I don’t. It’s old I will see if I can find it online.


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