radiologym

Hello,

I have fully loaded 2007 ES350 with 140k miles on it. This car has been trouble free but lacking some safety features expected now. I bought Tesla Y but that turned out to be major downgrade from ES in ride quality. Y is much worse ride even in comparison to my wife's RX350. Something tells me upcoming Tesla S with it's air suspension will not be close to ES in ride comfort and therefore my next car will be ES.

I value very smooth quiet ride and refined luxury over acceleration. Now the question is should I get a current 7th gen ES350 or wait for a next year's update since my 2007 still rides fine? Since NX getting touch screen, do you guys think ES will return to touchscreen soon?

artbuc

Sort of like asking us if you should paint your living room blue or beige. Read this and other forums and take a nice long test drive. You are the only one who can answer your question.

toyotaman7

It's everyone's guess, but RX and IS got touch screens for their mid model change.

mikemu30

I painted my living room gray. Should I have painted it beige or blue? Don't let touchscreen or not be a deciding factor. There's bigger fish to fry when choosing a car

E46CT

The screen fits too far near the windshield to get touch features. So I do not think it will get it.

If safety features are you thing, the 7th gen is leaps and bounds safer than your old ES.

If luxury is prioritized over acceleration, consider the hybrid. The engine is off half the time so inherently the car is quieter during most of your driving. The gas engine will turn off completely up to 75mph.

That being said, the dynamic force engine of the hybrid system accelerates very strongly. As soon as you step on it, it feels like a traditional car that "kicks down" and takes off. Does not at all feel like the older generation prius powertrains where it's like a rubber band. Dynamic force is very responsive and powers the Sienna and Highlander hybrids so it's designed to move a lot of weight.

kalel2127

Seems like you should be researching a full-fledged luxury vehicle, not an entry-level one.

E46CT

Not necessarily. I believe he's talking in relative terms, not absolute.

Even with models such as the CT200h and UX, they offer F Sport variants which give you firmer ride and handling. One could want the softer approach of those as well.

With the ES, you have three tire sizes to choose from fat, medium, and skinny with varying degrees of noise/comfort levels. So we have choice between the various models.

CJS57

The new generation of ES 350 does not ride as soft as your 2007 ES. It is ok but with the low profile tires the ride is firm and the bumps on the road come through to your butt in the seat. On dead smooth road the ride is a dream. Drive a new one to see if it works for you.

radiologym

Luxury reference was indeed relative, as ES already looks very luxurious in comparison to spartan Tesla Y interior. I do not need to upgrade to latest ES if ride is not as soft, I may just get a good deal on off lease older ES. From my research, larger size of ES helps with ride quality and ES was engineered for comfort more than sportier Lexus sedans or SUVs.

Hybrid sounds interesting. From what I can gather it is a smoother and quieter ride except during acceleration when V6 does not get as loud and shows it's power.

I will drive 2007 ES for now and will need to take off winter tires soon. Which all season tires would you recommend for quiet and soft ride?

TechNut

You might be surprised by the hybrid. In my humble opinion, it has plenty of power for most of us that would purchase this class of vehicle. The only way to know if it meets your needs or expectations is to drive it for yourself. When they introduced this generation of ES, they reported there was extra sound deadening in the Hybrid (and Ultra Luxury for that matter) to help mask any additional engine noise from a harder working internal combustion engine. I can only say that I have not noticed any particularly loud engine noise in the cabin - even when accelerating to freeway speeds. I don't have any experience with the 2007 model so I cannot compare them for you, but I can say the ride quality of the 2019 is plenty comfortable for my tastes. I believe the hybrid may also feel more luxurious due to the reported harsher shifting of the transmission that some on this forum have reported for this generation of ES.

E46CT

I reduced my PSI yesterday from 42 to 38 PSI. Car came new with 44 PSI. The door jamb says 36 PSI. The car does seem to ride nicer with a 4 PSI drop. I watched Car Nut's video on the 2018 Camry with the 19" wheels and he says tons of people come in for bent wheels and tire replacements. So in that sense I'm very happy with my fat 17" tires. One thing I notice though at high speeds, the tall sidewall allows or the car to slightly sway around a bit if it's very windy outside. Not a huge deal but is noticeable. All my past cars had low profile tires. Happy with my cruiser though.

radiologym

Can I just put 17in high profile tires on gen 7? Or does gen 6 ES 350 ride as soft as 2007 ES 350?

Shaboom

Betcha’ next year’s 350 ES will be the same except that the Apple Car Play will be wireless. I expect a significant styling refresh in 2023 or 2024. If you keep your cars a very long time, I’d wait an extra year or so to get the refreshed styling. My guess. No one knows for certain.

radiologym

I am okay with keeping my 2007 ES longer, especially if gen 7 ride is not as smooth. The update I am really interested in is the just announced level 2 autonomy with over the air updates. Lexus said that it will eventually come to all models. From presentation looks like they don't want to sacrifice ride comfort for autonomy. My Tesla does not even slow down when turning on autopilot, yikes.

Shaboom

Gee, I wish I knew what the heck you’re talking about. My shortcoming.🧐