AllinCLE

Well, I decided to part ways with my '19 ES 350 Ultra Luxury. I enjoyed my time with it overall, sunroof issues notwithstanding. It was a great car and exactly what I expected it to be: a supremely comfortable and quiet cruiser to eat up the miles on my long commute. Competent if you pushed the pace, but not an ounce of sporting pretension to speak of. The G80's certainly possesses more athleticism, but it isn't particularly sporty either, with an identity that is also firmly in the comfort end of the luxury spectrum. I'm not going to make unfair comparisons, there is a big gap in price and the G80 has its sights set on the German competition. Obviously I think its better or I wouldn't have parted with the ES plus a hefty amount of cash, but here's some areas I think the ES was/is superior:

Value: No question, the ES is a great car and an even better value.

Stereo: The Mark Levinson sounds wonderful in the ES, and initially I give it the edge over the Lexicon in my G80...I say initially because I haven't played with the settings to get it optimized like I did with the ML.

Fuel Economy. The 7th Gen ES 350 is shockingly efficient in my experience (and yes, of course the hybrid is even better still). I logged every mile driven and every gallon of gas I pumped into my ES, and over just under 52K miles averaged 30.4 MPG (or 3.29 g/100mi). Comparing to the EPA's 3.8 gallons per 100 mile rating (a better, linear indicator of efficiency), I beat it by 13.41%. Best tank was 35.9 MPG, worst was 25.8. To me that's incredible in a luxury sedan of this size/weight and with a NA V6 engine making 300HP. The G80 is nowhere near as efficient, averaging 26mpg so far in my hands. Still not bad considering it's much heavier, twin turbo's, and AWD. It costs me about 3 cents per mile more in fuel, due both to the decreased efficiency and the use of premium.

Steering wheel: I loved the steering wheel in in the ES, it looks and feels much better than the odd design of the G80's.

Forum: Way better forum here! And a lot more active users.

If there's anything you're curious about between the two cars, I'm happy to give my opinion. I plan stick around, as we've got my partners 21 Rx 350 still as well.

AllinCLE

And some pictures:









With newly installed snow shoes

Mike728

Congrats! I really like the G80.

KennyFSU

I see someone likes white (same here). Congrats, the G80 looks great.

LeeSoFL

Pretty, lots of luck.
White always looks good in three-foot snow drifts.


FLforever

E46CT

Had it not been for the leaky roof, would you have kept it? What was the primary factor that made you want to pull the trigger on a trade? Congrats.

ionian

Genesis is on a roll lately. Their tech and infotainment implementation is top notch. A buyer is definitely getting a lot of vehicle for the money. However they still need to work on their long term reliability. But for those that switch out their vehicle every 3-4 years Genesis should be on their top shopping list.

E46CT

I'd go German if i planned on switching out 3-4 yrs.

LexFinally

Congratulations. Obviously the pro's of the G80 won out for you, and by a large margin. So it's generous of you to say nice things about our cars on the way out.

The G80 is a damned impressive piece. It easily comes off as a more expensive, beautiful and capable car than the ES, and I say that as a new ES buyer. All the best with your new baby.

G1H1

I can only dream of that fuel economy with my 2021 ES 350. 15.4 mpg on my last tank. And that was driving full-time ECO. I shudder to think what it would be in Sport mode.

ionian

15.4mpg? Is that combined or in the city?

mikemu30

G80 is sharp no doubt but turbos are still a non starter for me and oh that price point🤔 Good luck with it. Good you passed on the 2.5 though.

PrznPrince

May I ask how you managed such an exceptional fuel economy, did you mostly go on highways?

mikemu30

The only way to achieve that is with highway cruising.

bc6152

So what is the price point for the AWD turbo edition of the G80?