dklanecky1

Just hitting the ECO setting scales back the HVAC performance a bit, without shutting the compressor off entirely.

Mine is on ECO all the time, except on the hottest summer days, when I notice the humidity in the car then it goes off the ECO setting.

ionian

Same here on eco mode. I even used Carista to make the HVAC runs in a quiet mode a while back.

ESh

I saw that option on Techstream, what is that exaclty?

703

The ES with the V6 is not a market differentiator. Plenty of other choices with petrol engines if you want handling and acceleration.

The ESh however is very unique in the market and with the latest generation of the hybrid drivetrain. It just feels more high tech than a 10+ year old engine.

ionian

My understanding is it reduces the noise of the compressor during operation but it will take a bit longer to cool your cabin. Since I live in a mostly mild climate in the U.S. I was just trying it out. It could be beneficial feature to those who are noise sensitive. For me it doesn't matter as the car is already quiet. I just don't want to renew my subscription to change it back to factory.

ESh

I think that means the compressor will turn at a lower speed which means it will consume less energy.

E46CT

I find the latest gen hybrid system from Toyota in our ES to be very capable and doesn't need babysitting like past gen hybrids from Toyota do get good fuel economy. I can do 40mpg easily being very aggressive and using everything full blast full force A/C.

with my CT200h, you'd need ECO mode and to super super baby the car to eek out 38 mpg. With my CT, i'd find myself contemplating switching modes, planning my moves, hypermiling, turning off AC, etc. a big part of it is the newer system is more EV biased. EV is doing more heavy lifting whereas past hybrids the ICE does more of the work.

the ESh is so relaxing in that i don't think about anything in terms of economy. Normal mode 95% of the time and my fuel economy hasn't dipped below 40 yet for a single tank. it's just a really smart well calibrated system. never really use eco mode unless i'm on a long highway stretch and i really want to use AGC.

the NX hybrid I think takes it a step further and recognizes where you are per GPS and adjusts accordingly. theres ways to eek out even more via learning.

TechNut

I agree. This has been my experience as well. My 2015 ESh was certainly better in this regard than our Priuses, but this generation ESh raises it to a new level. If I pay virtually zero attention to my driving habits I doubt it will drop below 40 MPG, especially in warm weather (one winter tank measured 39). If I monitor my driving style carefully, it’s easy to get mid 40s. I bought this car for comfort though, and I will not do anything that detracts from that like turning off the climate control or driving in some silly fashion to stretch my mileage. I do typically drive in Eco mode.

LexFinally

Disagree. Handling is another question, but if you want a midsize luxury sedan with this acceleration and the smoothness of a V6, the ES is your only choice under $70,000 except a Chrysler, a Nissan, and for a short time, the Avalon. And I don't do Chryslers or Nissans with my money.

glamglam

I was a Charger guy for 11 years and a Challenger guy for another 3 years. I can tell you one thing. Once you start driving an 8 cylinder full size Charger or Challenger, you don’t want to go back to a 4 banger gas/hybrid Camry engine ever again. That’s what happened to me and my wife. I was going to get another V8 Charger, but I don’t like the increased prices and the premiums that Chrysler dealers want over sticker for those cars.

I wanted something as comfortable as the Charger and Challenger. I already drive a 4 banger Mercedes E300 that I lease that’s nothing special. It drives like an anemic 4 cylinder Camry. I only leased it because it’s a Mercedes and because I got a cheap deal on the lease. The car is nice looking inside, but it doesn’t have much power when I drive it. It drives like a Camry 4 banger. These midsize sedans shouldn’t have 4 cylinders in them. Midsize cars are too heavy for 4 bangers. They should all have 6 cylinders or 8 cylinders in them.

I was looking for something luxurious and powerful to replace the Challenger and the Lexus ES350 checks all the requirements on my list. It has plenty of horsepower to satisfy my driving. This car has more horsepower than my 260hp 2001 Mustang GT lol.
I don’t care for 4 bangers and hybrids anymore. Those days are over for me. I’m not ever going to buy or lease a 4 banger or a hybrid ever again. I like the power of the 6 and 8 cylinder the most. Anything smaller is in rice burner category for me.

Stoodo

iTrader: (4)

If sounds like you have certain biases that don’t really make sense. If you had ever driven a GS450h you certainly wouldn’t complain about hybrids.

Your use of the term ‘rice burner’ completes the picture I already had drawn.

glamglam

I wasn’t referring to the GS450h. The 2018 GS450h has a 6 cylinder hybrid 338hp engine. That’s plenty of horsepower for me.

I’m talking about the anemic 4 cylinder hybrids and non-hybrids. The ES250h has 203hp and the ES300h has 215hp. I wouldn’t call that a lot of horsepower. That horsepower is Camry 4 banger territory. And yes, any car that’s a 4 cylinder that has less than 300hp is a rice burner in my book. Some people like them. But I don’t. I like my cars to have at least 300hp+. Hope that this clears things up.

lesz

You are completely ignoring the fact that, with a hybrid, when you are accelerating, the electric motor provides instant power, unlike an ICE, which needs to spin up before its power is completely provided to the wheels. The result is that, because of the instant torque provided by the electric motor, the 215 hp of the ES300h may not feel quite like it has 300 hp, but the real life effect of that instant torque provided by the electric motor will make the car's power feel a lot closer to that of the ES350 than you would think when just comparing the horsepower numbers.

Until I owned my first hybrid vehicle and was able to feel the effects of that instant power on a regular basis, I, too, would have allowed my preconceived biases mistakenly to conclude that the ES300h and other hybrids were under-powered.