wmoor004

I take it that you do not have a '22 ES? While the triple beam looks better the rest falls short. IMO. The 2022 ES is the best yet. 👌

LexFinally

In any MMC, there's going to be some change just for the sake of change. The people who buy the new one want to think there's something distinguishing so nobody mistakes them for the owner of a 3-year-old car, so you get arbitrary and frankly rather insignificant tinkering like this, and like the pattern of the grille bars. Either way, it's no big deal to me.

mikemu30

so true. The alternative is buy the model first year it's out and risk the bugs like I did 🙃

PrznPrince

Great point, good thing too is the machined plastic is where it counts most and that piano black change does make help differentiate it

dezymond

100% agree.

Manufacturers know people will get the MMC because majority of people want the newest shiniest model. I personally believe this was mostly started and reinforced by smartphones + marketing, BUT it's always been true, now it's magnified. That being said, many of the differences I started to notice pre and post MMC, are pretty minimal, but it's the details that really matter. For example, I think the MMC has a very sleek and minimalistic design in comparison to pre-MMC. Others have stated that pre-MMC, materials seemed of higher quality and the aesthetics looked/felt more luxurious. I personally have always been very detail oriented, but some of the changes between the years are so subtle, such as the trim piece under the Navi, was something I didn't notice at first. Overall, I would say pre-MMC, the ES had more of a luxurious and classy feel. MMC, I think with the layout changes, present a more minimalist and tech approach, which I do appreciate and personally prefer.

kingofire

No, I have a 2021 ES300h but I don't need to own one to see whats different between the two. Like I said, with my naked eye I feel that it was a step backwards in quality.
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glamglam

Just because the 2022 model year eliminated the metal strip below the infotainment screen and is using dark plastic doesn’t mean that the material is cheap or that the interior is a step backwards in quality. I sat in an ES300h Luxury yesterday at the local dealership and I was eyeing the area that you are talking about under the infotainment screen. I did notice that the metal piece that went horizontally across the dashboard was replaced with black plastic. It doesn’t look bad or cheap to me. Maybe Lexus got rid of the metal piece in order to avoid it from being scratched or dented easily or maybe they wanted to save money on the amount of metal that they use on the interior. I don’t know the real reason why they did that. But the dashboard still doesn’t look cheap with that metal piece being eliminated for the model year 2022 on the ES.

Also, from what I’ve been reading on here, Lexus made the infotainment system a touchscreen and they also moved the screen closer to the driver. That’s a very good thing because they made the touchscreen more ergonomic for the driver.

E46CT

I feel like the screen being closer closes off some space and might make the cabin feel unnecessarily cramped or smaller. Open air is a good thing. The ES already has slightly less cabin room than both the Avalon and Accord (typical for more premium cars vs standard ones all things being equal) so even less room (perceived or otherwise) isn't too welcome.

I can see the benefit obviously of being able to touch the screen as I've posted before, but the cabin wasn't designed for that to begin with. I'd be open to trying it out, that's just the perception I get.

As for headlights, I'd like new cause new, but honestly the old ones look better. (triple beam)

glamglam

I just sat in a 2021 Avalon at the Toyota dealership yesterday and I didn’t find the interior room in the Avalon any larger than the room inside the ES. The Avalon’s interior also looks much cheaper quality than the ES’s interior. The infotainment screen on the Avalon is Squamish and very large though and it does look nice. I’m not sure if the rectangular shaped ES infotainment screen is smaller or the same size as the Avalon’s infotainment screen though.

dezymond

I do agree that the screen moving closer to the driver does make the cabin feel a bit smaller since there isn't as much open space in the dash anymore. The 7th gen pre-MMC feels bigger inside because of it, to me at least. I will say at least Lexus blended it in real nicely and it doesn't look like an afterthought like many other manufacturers have their UI setups. It's not as clean of a design as pre-MMC, but it still looks good. I like the added functionality of the touchscreen, but I wish Lexus had also revamped the software too, especially if users such as myself will be using Android Auto or Apple Carplay. Having to use the trackpad buttons to get out of Lexus' software is one step too many.

Check it out if you have the time, some of it is intuitive but overall it does feel like the addition of touchscreen was a little bit of an afterthought, although a welcomed one imo.

ionian

The one thing I like about the Avalon Limited they come with sequential turn signals. I was hoping Lexus would brought it to ES mid cycle refresh. Lexus also keeps the crappy back up camera. It looks worse for those paid for the large screen and when throw in reverse they get this to see this:

dezymond

It's pretty sad and unacceptable that Lexus put such a crappy reverse camera. I mean they couldn't even put a higher quality one in the MMC. Yes it serves it purposes, but that's a constant reminder that Lexus decided to cut corners in their $50k car. Cameras on Civics and even Corollas are higher quality....

LexFinally

Honestly, all three interiors are cavernous, so I'm not too worried about it.

The headlights, I agree with you. I don't know if any functional change drove the restyle on the triple beams, but I concur that the old trapezoids looked cooler than the new little rectangles. But again, nothing I'd call any kind of deal breaker. Just that little tinkering MMC stuff.

E46CT

I hate seeing this guy. like loathe. he spreads his legs in every video thumbnail--like he's trying to appear tough--and it just looks odd. plus his approach to car reviews are vanilla and just hate watching him for some reason.

dezymond

same boat, something about this guy annoys me, so I don't watch his videos. He has this somewhat salesman pitch vibe and speech, so I find that annoying. I forget which car but he mentioned "you can fit a pizza in this map pocket", like who the hell would even consider that...