Of course decibel levels at idle are less, the engine many times doesn't run at idle. At speed though, there is no difference.

What publication did you see that the ES300h was quieter than the LS600h at 65 MPH? I've never seen that, and having driven both that's not at all true, the LS is significantly quieter. You have to be careful comparing dB readings because there are so many variables. All the dB readings I've ever seen are in the 56-58 range for the LS600 which is pretty rarefied company.

There is nothing about a hybrid that makes it quieter at speed. The engine runs most of the time at speed, and at 65 MPH its running all the time. ES350 and ES300h are going to have the same interior noise levels at a flat 65 MPH.

dB also don't tell you the whole story. dB are simply sound pressure readings. The frequency and pitch of those sounds will have a huge impact on the perceived loudness or quietness of a certain car. For instance, 100 dB at 100 hz, a range where we can't hear well is equivalent to 80 dB at 1000hz...but on a dB meter it reads 100. The differences in the sort of sounds and feel of the engine revving during acceleration may not change a sound pressure reading, but it has a huge impact on the feel of the car.

 

Late to the party but some thoughts from a 2023 es300h owner:

I’ve had a v8 jaguar XJ8, a v8 ls430, a v6 Acura TL and an i6 bmw 5 series among other cars. For a daily driver I far prefer the Toyota hybrid system although the Lexus v8 is a very close second.

the benefit of how quiet and smooth it is at almost all times outweighs the harshness above half throttle.

I’d really like the plug in NX450h+ drivetrain in a midsize sedan like the ES if I could have my wishes, though. I assume that’s coming in a couple years.

 

A plugin hybrid ES would be great. I have a 2019 ES 300h and I'd trade in tomorrow if there was a plugin hybrid ES.

 

yup a plug in ES is my dream. 60 miles range please

 

I was considering trading for an NX450h+ in a year or so but just discovered Cablegate last night affecting multiple vehicles with the rear electric motor and Toyotas fix thus far isn’t promising. Look it up.

Im thinking I might wait for the next generation and problems to be ironed out more.

 

CCN talked about the cable problem and he said this is fixed on 2022 model.

 

You live in Texas, do not worry one millisecond about the cablegate corrosion issue. It's a salt belt issue, for example, Quebec.

 

The fix was simply to have the plastic connector shield to be half open now so water won’t collect in it. There are people with corrosion already starting on the redesigned newer models although so far it doesn’t seem as bad and none failed yet I’ve seen in forums.

Salt Belt locations are far worse but there have been failures in states like California and some people down south have shown photos of theirs starting to look bad.

You already come into an electrified car knowing an expensive battery replacement is coming in maybe 15 years, but now some people are looking at $6,000 cables every so often also out of warranty.

Also a big reason the cable is so expensive is the labor - much of the car has to be taken apart to replace it inside and out, and that’s a lot of trust to put on a single dealership mechanic assigned to your car.

 

UPDATE:

Bought wife a 23 IS350 F Sport (8sp V6) to go along with my 23 ES300h, have been driving both around two weeks now the plan was for us to kind of share the two cars and enjoy best of both worlds. If anything, I like the hybrid powertrain a little bit more now for its smoothness and quietness. But you can’t go wrong either way, depends on what you want.

The IS is really really good in many ways but seems overpriced compared to the ES.

 

there's a guy who does fleet service on A25A hybrid engines and he's posting info about overheating & head cracking issues on the A25A starting to show up on higher mileage cars. That and the hybrid gearbox. basically he says toyota went extra thin on the materials this time around, causing failures cylinder 1&2. He has a boat load of remanned A25As ready to be installed into hybrid fleets.

 

That prognosis is wrong.

 

If you want PHEV, be ready for a major bump in sales price. The RAV 4 started it and was commanding $10k markups with very little inventory. The Lexus PHEV lineups are going to be the same if not even higher. I looked into other PHEVs like the Volvo XC's - they are all marked up with the market frenzy for the plug ins!

 

Just traded in my 2017 ES 350 (which I loved BTW) for a 2021 ES 300H with <15k miles. When I got the 350, I wouldn't even consider the hybrid because I like having plenty of passing power, but I got the 300h as a loaner during a service and I was super impressed - in sport mode it has adequate power, and the gas mileage cannot be beat given the luxurious feel. I've had the 300h for about 1 month so far, very happy I switched, the cost difference will be covered by the time I hit 175k miles (assuming $4/gal). It sounds like alot but, I am happy to be using less fuel. All that and I get a 2021 which has a better nav and sound systems...although I did like the little joy-stick better than the touch pad.

 

Well, if they do a PHEV ES300h it shall have three electric motors, a larger EV battery and will not get 60 MPG. 40+ MPG would be a game changer for a PHEV ES300 or ES350h. It may get the same power plant as the 2024 TX500h, but not until the 2025 model, which will be Made in Japan not Kentucky and all of them shall be hybrids or PHEVs. And it will be expensive and replacing the LS500 & LS500h which start at $114k+. That's just the way it is in this CAFE rated World of vehicles.

 

I think that is unlikely, given the RX plug-in hybrid costs $70,000 and the RX already costs more than equivalent ES models.

https://www.lexus.com/models/RX-PHEV