DavidZ

Why torture yourself so? Dump it and get something that doesn't annoy you.

artbuc

Mike, I feel precisely the same about my wife’s MDX. I used to hate driving that car compared to my 99 Avalon. Now I am amazed at how smooth and powerful the MDX is compared to my ES. A world of difference.

mikemu30

Waiting for the new RX in 2023. Then I take her RX for my daily commute and she gets the new model.

mikemu30

I like the look of the new MDX but would worry a bit about Acura reliability so I'm not steering my wife in that direction (yet)..

DavidZ

I had the same reaction as you. In fact, I spent about a month driving around trying to find fault with the transmission. Eventually, I was able to reproduce the problem they were talking about. I slowed down from about 25 mph to 15 mph and then hit the gas pedal hard. The transmission hesitated and then lurched as it downshifted.

But that's not how I drive. When I want power, I ease on the gas pedal until I feel the transmission kick in (which happens very quickly with a soft foot) and then let it rip by easing into it more. I get more acceleration out of the car doing it that way compared to using a heavy foot. I find the gas pedal to be very sensitive, responsive and well-calibrated. It works much better when used the way I described.

My ES was assembled in Kentucky.

debtfree1

Like I’ve said before, the es350 is a sedan and needs to be driven softly and smoothly. It’s not engineered for aggressive driving. Period! There is nothing wrong with the current transmissions. If there was, Lexus would correct it. Drive the damn car smoothly or go buy a race car or something more sporty. End of story!

artbuc

Not a fan of Honda either but my wife fell in love with it compared to the RX. She loved her 99 RX300 but hated the 2019 model...small, cramped and under powered compared to the X. Honda screwed the pooch with the VCM engine but it is easily defeated with the Muzzler.

artbuc

Thx for the advice. Post a few dozen more times so no one misses it. Believe it or not, there are many times you are in stop/go traffic where you can’t come to complete stop and have to accelerate to safely move with traffic. This is normal driving for many people. I have owned many cars which handle this with ease. The ES does not, period.

DavidZ

Of course. And how you deploy the gas pedal makes all the difference.

Have you considered adjusting the way you deploy the gas pedal?

artbuc

Having to consciously and carefully modulate acceleration to avoid whiplash is not my idea of a nice riding car. Yes, I can do it but it is work. When I get in my wife’s MDX, or any other car I have ever owned, I just drive and enjoy. I used to think I had learned to subconsciously and automatically modulate the accelerator so that driving my ES was no longer a chore. However, as soon as I drive my wife’s car, I realize how much my ES sucks.

mikemu30

So slowing down for a full stop sign is now aggressive driving. Hmmmmmmm

DavidZ

What are you talking about? What happens to you when you "slow down for a full stop sign?"

mikemu30

The whiplash downshift. Absolutely awful.

DavidZ

Just from stopping?! I've never experienced that one. Could you provide a more detailed scenario for me to replicate it?

mikemu30

Read the first few posts in this thread. You can't miss it:

The worst time I experience the jerks are when slowing down in city traffic, like coming to a stop light. When the light turns green and I'm still going 15-20 mph, if I try to speed back up, I get a big jerk as the transmission downshifts. If I stay very light on the accelerator, it doesn't do that, but it also takes a long time to get back up to speed. I don't think this is uncommon in automatics with more than 6 speeds, but it's not very "luxurious" for a luxury car.