I've now had my ES 300h for just over 9 months and I have to say I'm not as happy with it as I hoped I would be. There are just way to many things upsetting me for a $50,000 car.

There is a rattle in the dash somewhere around the gauge cluster, steering wheel or air vent. It's really hard to pinpoint. The dealer said I'd have to have to take them on a ride along so they can hear it. The problem is that it doesn't happen all the time and I don't like the idea of them tearing open the dash which could cause even more problems.

I am experiencing the same driver's side wind noise that others have mentioned.

The ride really isn't all that smooth. Not much better than the 2011 Camry Hybrid I replaced.

The road noise isn't really any lower than the 2011 Camry Hybrid I replaced.

Even with ECO mode on with cruise control set to 70MPH with 90% freeway driving I'm only getting 37MPG which is almost 20% less than the 45MPG estimate given by Lexus.

The leather on the driver's seat back is stretched and sagging. That started to be noticable after like 4 months of owning the car and has only gotten worse since then.

That's pretty bad for a $50,000 car that isn't even a year old yet.

Based on the reputation I expect from Lexus and the quality of my two previous Toyotas I've very shocked and upset. I expected much better from Lexus.

 

Just thought I'd add a picture of the seat.

 

I understand your frustration. I’m going through something similar. What year is your car ? Did you purchase it brand new ? In November of 2019 I purchased a brand new 2019 Lexus ES 350 F sport. I am very disappointed with my gas mileage too. Only around 21.7 MPG, sometimes even less! Sticker said average of 25 MPG. Granted I am a first time Lexus driver but my fuel economy felt so poor I brought it back to the dealership to have it checked. And it checked out ok. I then contacted Corporate Lexus about the issue and they said it’s normal. I also posted about it here and was told that’s normal. I also can’t help but notice the howling wind noise too. Disappointed in that as well. I could have spent 30,000 less on a car that wouldn’t make as much noise. My previous car was also a 2011, however mine was a Honda Accord and I can’t say the new Lexus is any smoother then the Honda I had. Actually the Honda might have even had less road noise because it didn’t have that howling wind noise I mentioned my new Lexus makes. Beautiful car but kind seems like I could have gotten a similar and or better car for tens of thousands of dollars less. Is the Lexus worth tens of thousands of more dollars then say a new Accord ?

 

Mine is a 2019. I purchased it brand new in April 2019.

 

How was the MPG on your previous less expensive car ?

 

Much closer to the sticker estimate.

My 2011 Camry Hybrid had an estimate of 34MPG and got like 32MPG pretty consistently.

My 2000 Corolla also had an estimate of 34MPG and also got a pretty consistent 32MPG.

That's just 5% below the estimate on the sticker. That's a big difference compared to the 37MPG I'm getting on the ES 300h that has a sticker estimate of 45MPG. That's 18% less than the sticker. A 5% drop from the ES 300h sticker estimate would be like 43MPG. I'd be happy with like 41MPG.

 

I’m not sure of your driving conditions (terrain, traffic, lead foot, etc), but I’m getting over 40 mpg on the highway in mountainous terrain, in Normal mode, at 60-75mph. In town I’m getting 36-38 mpg driving very short (10 minutes or less) trips. I’m happy with the fuel economy and ride/fit.

My 2020 ES300h (Premium) is much quieter and better driving than the 2011 Camry Hybrid we use to have...sounds like maybe you got a bad apple??

 

Our 2019 300h appears to be well constructed and rattle free. We have no wind noise and the ride is very good. Now with that said, it’s been clearly noted in some reviews that Lexus firmed up the ride with the 2019 redesign in favor of better handling/cornering. A worthwhile trade off IMO. So it’s not as floaty as it used to be...by design.

It’s also worth noting that you will normally not get the EPA rating driving at 70. We’ve averaged 40mpg, which I think is very good considering we bought the car as the weather turned colder. During a day or two when the weather was warmer, it was apparent we were getting in the low to mid 40s.

 

Coming from a 2015 ES 300h, we are very happy with our 2019 300h. It is a better looking car, with a similar ride, although it seems to absorb larger road imperfections a little better. If it is any quieter, it is only by a small margin. Our last tank of gas registered 43mpg. This is our fifth hybrid and we always run on eco mode (which I suspect the manufacturer used for developing the mileage ratings). I’m not trying to minimize your points at all, but you are also comparing against some nice cars that just don’t happen to wear the Lexus label. Remember, this car is based on the Toyota Avalon so I would expect the ride and noise levels to be similar. Gone are the days of the Luxo-barges with inches of sound deadening as that adds too much weight and that impacts their CAFE scores. The last generation of ES also generated ride complaints from owners that had higher expectations. My wife and I purchased the 2015 ES after owning two Priuses so I can tell you we had very different expectations and have not been disappointed. Remember too, this is the first year of this generation and there are often issues that don’t show up until there are thousands of a particular model year on the road - such as the driver’s window noise complaint some owners have experienced.

Motor vehicles at today’s prices depreciate fast - even more with luxury brands. If I wasn’t satisfied with my purchase, I would trade it off before it loses any more value. If it was a lease, I understand there are web sites where you can essentially sell your lease (I may be oversimplifying as I have never leased a car). Just Google “auto lease takeover” to see what I mean.

Life is too short and modern cars are too expensive to live with one you aren’t happy with. Just my opinion.

 

I’m very very unhappy with my 2018 ES 300h.

 

Most genuine leather the auto mfrs use just doesn't hold up that well. I see it in my wife's 2017 RX and its one of the reasons I chose the ES FSport which has the Nuluxe and so far isn't showing even a single sign of wear.

 

I did a lot of research before purchasing the ES and one thing that I noticed is that a lot of vehicles now fall under the $50k price category, even Honda. If you truly want a luxurious vehicle you will now need to spend around $70-$80k or more. This being my first Lexus I didn't have high expectations since it's just a Toyota with some upgrades.

 

If I test drove a Lexus and it gave me the same impression as a similarly equipped Toyota, I'd head out of the Lexus dealer to the nearest Toyota dealer and purchase the same or similar car for roughly $5K - $10K less. I've sat in a new Avalon (forget the Camry as that comparison is laughable) and just didn't get that impression so I purchased the ES. But this is what makes the world go around - different strokes for different folks.

 

EPA mileage ratings are conducted in Normal, ECO is supposed to improve fuel economy "up to 7%"
E10 Ethanol fuel will reduce your mileage by a percentage, I have read a couple different amounts.
Since you are likely using the same stations with the ES300h as the others that should factor out, right?

 

My 2019 ES300h also has loud wind noise on the freeway. The noise is VERY loud when the sunroof liner is opened. When i close the liner, the noise is gone from the roof and the noise on the driver side window becomes more evident.