jc3103

Just purchased 2019 ES350. I live in South Florida and noticed the car has pre-heater as an option. Car has about 900 miles.
My transmission is very rough shifting when first started and gets a little better after engine warms up. Still not shifting like my other ES 350's. It feels like the transmission mapping is wrong. I am wondering if this particular car was tuned for cold weather or maybe the computer can be adjusted or updated. When I told my service technition, he said that the computer was still learning, and wait a few miles. It's been a while but no change.

Funny thing is that I have two ES 350's bought new at the same time. One has the quirky transmission, and the other is smooth as silk. Also had two 2017's with 8 speed transmission and they were great.
Anyone else have this problem?

Moisture

That's not normal. If it is very rough like you say, you need to get it checked out as soon as possible. Probably defective shift solenoids.

bc6152

My experience is that the tranny in the gen 6 ES 350's was a smoother shifting transmission. Gen 6 had a 6 speed and the gen 7 (2019) has an 8 speed. I prefer the 6 speed as the 8 speed seems to always be searching for a gear... I now have just around 3000 miles on my car and I can't say that anything has changed (learning?) that makes it better... I don't think that Lexus "tunes" its cars for cold/warm weather states but really don't know...

Moisture

The transmission does learn according to driving style but in the obvious case of defective transmission components it is a moot case. The fact that it gets a little bit better once the fluid warms up (and consequently gets thinner) is a sure-fire way of knowing that something is wrong. It's very rare for something like this to be an issue on such a low mileage vehicle but if OP for whatever reason has been hard or abusive on the car while it is still brand new (aggressive full throttle acceleration, especially when done multiple times in a short period of time) is a sure way to damage your gearbox and engine.

Yes, cars are tuned slightly differently depending on the destined market. But that is a moot point in this case; again.

LexRuger

I've owned a 6th gen and had a 7th gen as a loaner and my 6th gen had a smoother transmission to me. Not unpleasant or anything but you can definitely feel the shifts more. The 7th gen also seems to wanna down shift with just a light tap on the gas. I guess it does that to keep the engine in a optimal RPM range.

mikemu30

My non-mechanic opinion on this is that the fewer # of gears, the less you're likely to notice the shifts. My ES shifts just fine but there are some instances where they're definitely more noticeable (up and down) than other six speeds I've owned.

User 41924

My guess is that 900 miles it was probably out on a few test drives, and may have been driven a little more aggressively than you normally drive. However, as Moisture mentioned, it will eventually learn your driving style. You might be able to accelerate the re-learning process by asking the dealer to re-flash or re-set the computer, but I really doubt it will be the difference you're looking for. It wasn't in my case. I also thought the transmission was a bit rough. Especially downshifting. I decided that part of it was because of the 8 speeds, so I changed my expectations a little. The biggest difference I found was when I decided to try ECO mode based on a suggestion of f someone on this forum (bc5152?). This is contrary to my driving style, as I have NEVER used ECO in any of our other Lexus. I usually use Sport mode so t was a little hard to get used to the less responsive throttle mapping, but I rarely notice it anymore. The transmission feels WAY better! When accelerating from a stop it shifts like it should, and you can hold a gear if you want. The thing I notice is that it doesn't downshift as often or as soon, which is where I was seeing MY issue. If I need the lower gear I just force it by harder acceleration or the paddles. This made all the difference in the world. When I do put it in Sport, I really feel the difference.

It really changed my ability to enjoy the car!

hlu

If this is related to driving style, it should be able to reset by disconnecting the power from battery. However you may loose your current setting too.

CJS57

Probably nothing wrong with the OP's car. The new 8-speed is just not as smooth as the older 6-speeds. Glad to see that new owners are finally acknowledging the issue. Last year many owner's were in denial and refused to recognize the defects in the new transmission. If the car is driven like a grandmother on the way to Sunday school the new 8 speed transmission is smooth as silk. Start to get aggressive with the gas pedal and it gets confused.

User 41924

This is so right! The minute you got a little aggressive it gets very harsh. I don't mind the harder up shifts (I kinda like them) nearly as much as the hard downshifts where the whole drive train slaps around.

It was WAY worse in my '16 NX, and it had a 6 speed. I think the turbo confused that one as much as anything, though. It's why I gave it back.

terryakhan

My dealer examined my jerky transmission and cleared the learning memory, it is a bit better than before. No firmware upgrade available as yet.
Many owners have voiced this already.

bc6152

I think its just a characteristic of the 8 speed tranny. I wish I had the 6 speed back... Not all "upgrades" are for the best...

mikemu30

So true but I think the CAFE ratings benefit from the additional gears.

User 122922

I like your statement Not all "upgrades" are for the best 👍🏼 do you really know if all the 6 gen ES’s comes in 6 speed ? And Which year exactly do you recommend if you don’t mind asking? I’m in the market and looking for one I also wonder how the new technology engine 2GR-FKS on gen7 compare to older 2GR-FE on the 6gen and below ? Thanks 🙏

E46CT

If the transmission is the only thing dissuading you from a 7ES, might I recommend a 7ES hybrid? Cause objectively, the 7ES chassis is leaps and bounds better than 6ES (as it should be). I'd hate for you to get in a worse car just cause you hate the 8-speed.

And if power is a concern, it shouldn't be. The hybrid in the 7ES has pretty good authority when it accelerates. Very usable nice power that gets out of its own way very easily. I'd say it's only lacking at higher speeds but even then not at all inadequate. The electric motor gets the car moving from a stand still.