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I find my 2021 battery charges extremely fast. I love its battery management.
The good:
I am surprised I can have my cake and eat it too with this car.
What do I mean by that? Large, heavy, lumbering car that has quick (sometimes dare I say powerful) acceleration that also gets 40+ mpg.
Surprised I can get 50+ mpg on highway trips, 72+ mph easily with AC on.
Surprised even though its Camry/Avalon, Lexus spent good money on the finishing details. Surfacing on stampings are excellent.
How quiet and smooth the hybrid powertrain is, exception while under full throttle acceleration (which is really rarely needed/used for this type of car)
How good the handling is. Despite being the non-sport and large/heavy, the handling is confidence inspiring and sharp. Though weak traction with the energy tires.
at 10,000 miles, the cross-hatching on the brakes still show. thanks to the hybrid system. (See pic below)
bad:
The front doors feel and sound cheap when closed, at times. Close them as softly as possible.
The spring/damper setup is pretty much identical to Camry. (except for tuning) i wish there was more differentiation between the ES and lower models. As such the suspension doesn't feel too refined at times.
If I was a V6 owner, I'd want bigger brakes. Especially an F Sport owner. The TRD Camry/Avalon borrows brakes from the highlander. The ES350 F Sport should get those brakes.
The trunk shuts kinda flimsily. feels like it's 1 lb. the trunk flexes side to side, it's not stiff. Minor, but still a little off putting. but i guess that's how the car gets 40+mpg... by basically being a Camry using generally Camry-like build. i understand the necessary evils to keep the car light and economical (and affordable)
Not a fan of the hybrid brake pedal engagement at very slow speeds like 1-5mph. Camry hybrid had a service bulletin which addresses this with software, but Lexus to my knowledge did not get this software update. If reversing out of or pulling into a parking spot for example and using your brakes to adjust (or while in stop and go traffic speeds) the pedal will click very strongly at times as you engage/de-engage the brake pedal. If you've ever driven a BMW with broken front control arm bushings and tried to brake, you know what this feeling is like. it's a sharp click you feel in your foot. it happens only at times. I know with 22 models, there's some mention of a new tuning of the brakes for "better feel at slow speeds" not sure if that's what this addresses. I get the general way the hybrid brakes system may feel different, but this I feel can be resolved with a software fix. My CT200h although had awkward transitions from regen to friction, did not do this sharp click/clunk for example.
Push and hold for a few seconds always works for me.
Apparently your Lexus ES was a custom build, one off, that has this feature. Mine as well as everyone else's trunk that has posted on this subject cannot be closed by pushing the inside button, holding the inside button, or using the key fob either inside or outside the vehicle. Guess you're just lucky. Wish mine worked like yours...
Apparently your Lexus ES was a custom build, one off, that has this feature. Mine as well as everyone else's trunk that has posted on this subject cannot be closed by pushing the inside button, holding the inside button, or using the key fob either inside or outside the vehicle. Guess you're just lucky. Wish mine worked like yours...
I think it can be enabled by the dealer. This is what I found on Carista app. There are 3 options
I think it can be enabled by the dealer. This is what I found on Carista app. There are 3 options
Open/close power rear hatch via interior switch
Disabled / Close only / Enabled
Can these be enabled with Bluedriver?
edit: Nevermind, won't work with bluedriver apparently. According to their site. I may try it using my buddy's bluedriver later though.
Edit 2: Friend has a Carista dongle and I used it. I only skimmed really quickly but saw no option to enable a trunk close option, only trunk open.
The window roll down from fob or doorhandle is disabled by default so I may enable them. Another weird omission I saw was passenger mirror tilt down when in R was "user setting" or something like that. I never realized I'd miss this feature until my ES. So will enable that was well.
Those ES with Navigation also have the Weather Channel. Gets both traffic and weather updates
from terrestrial Hybrid Digital (HD) stations and from the Lexus App in phones that are Bluetooth connected.
The really smooth part is to use the voice commands. Overall trick to using voice commands is that she does
not speak (or listen) as fast as I do. Press the speech button and wait a moment. Second trick is to always start
with a verb: Show, Call, Dial, Tune, Cancel... Try "Show weather forecast" or "Show weather map". "Tune
satellite channel Bluesville", "Call Mom home". Great Nav command is "Show Previous Destinations"..."Number 3"!
Yes, the Lexus ES350 has cheap parts and cheap and light sheet metal. The alternative is to either live with it or do what some ES350 owners are starting to do and douse gasoline all over the car and torch it to a crisp and then buy something else.
1. While not so out of the ordinary but I never realized how dependent on the Panoramic View monitor I’d become until I had to drive another vehicle that didn’t have it. I was surprised at the slight anxiety I had when driving in situations where tight maneuvering was necessary. I kept second guessing my distances.
2. After signing up for the app, I was pleasantly surprised the first time I forgot to roll my windows up and left a door unlocked. I had no idea I would be alerted about that kind of thing. I was relieved because I can be forgetful.
2. I was surprised at how much my car reminded me of the Predator.
What I found surprising is the power and quickness of this car. I previously owned a 1985 IROC-Z Camaro that did 0-60 in 7 seconds flat. At the time one of the quickest on the road. My 2020 ES 350 smokes that.
I also found the “Sport Mode” exhilarating!!
As for interesting, I find the ride height to be deceiving, especially when parking at curb stops. It should be obvious that it sits as low as it does, after all you can see it. I guess after driving a SUV for the past 16 years, I had some reprogramming to do.
She is, without a doubt, the finest car I’ve ever owned. I love driving it, and so far have nothing negative to say about her.
What I found surprising is the power and quickness of this car. I previously owned a 1985 IROC-Z Camaro that did 0-60 in 7 seconds flat. At the time one of the quickest on the road. My 2020 ES 350 smokes that.
I also found the “Sport Mode” exhilarating!!
As for interesting, I find the ride height to be deceiving, especially when parking at curb stops. It should be obvious that it sits as low as it does, after all you can see it. I guess after driving a SUV for the past 16 years, I had some reprogramming to do.
She is, without a doubt, the finest car I’ve ever owned. I love driving it, and so far have nothing negative to say about her.
If the harshest criticism I can co me up with for my 2021 350 ES is that the Car Play is not wireless, then I know it's pretty much as close to "perfect for me" as a car can get...
Last edited by Shaboom; 10-04-22 at 06:01 AM.
Reason: correct a typo
If the harshest criticism I can co me up with for my 2021 350 ES is that the Car Play is not wireless, then I know it's pretty much as close to "perfect for me" as a car can get...
At least this has been addressed and updated for the 2023 Model.
Those ES with Navigation also have the Weather Channel. Gets both traffic and weather updates
from terrestrial Hybrid Digital (HD) stations and from the Lexus App in phones that are Bluetooth connected.
The really smooth part is to use the voice commands. Overall trick to using voice commands is that she does
not speak (or listen) as fast as I do. Press the speech button and wait a moment. Second trick is to always start
with a verb: Show, Call, Dial, Tune, Cancel... Try "Show weather forecast" or "Show weather map". "Tune
satellite channel Bluesville", "Call Mom home". Great Nav command is "Show Previous Destinations"..."Number 3"!
I like the fact that the voice prompt can be stopped for certain operations and only tone prompts allow for speedier operation.
Those ES with Navigation also have the Weather Channel. Gets both traffic and weather updates
from terrestrial Hybrid Digital (HD) stations and from the Lexus App in phones that are Bluetooth connected.
The really smooth part is to use the voice commands. Overall trick to using voice commands is that she does
not speak (or listen) as fast as I do. Press the speech button and wait a moment. Second trick is to always start
with a verb: Show, Call, Dial, Tune, Cancel... Try "Show weather forecast" or "Show weather map". "Tune
satellite channel Bluesville", "Call Mom home". Great Nav command is "Show Previous Destinations"..."Number 3"!
I only use the voice feature for texting or calling someone. I once tried "fill up regular" but that command didn't seem to work.
I had 2 very pleasant discoveries after buying my ES.
1) The amazing ML sound system. I hesitated for about 2 or 3 months before buying the ES because of all the bad comments I read on the Internet about the sound system. Turns out these comments were all about the base sound system. In fact, many of the comments didn't specifically say which sound system they were bad talking and a lot of people mistakenly thought they were talking about the ML system. So, I went for a test drive with a few of my best sounding CDs to allay my concerns.
2) The Bird's Eye View. I had no idea this feature even existed. It's now my second favorite feature.
10-03-22, 09:45 AM
