BradTank

Thanks again to this community! I’ll pop in here and there but will largely be moving on. I hope some of the DIY posts I did helped and thanks for all the help from other members over the years.

Just decided it was time to move on, I’d had my LS for about 5 years and it was getting up there in miles. I have a vacation house that’s a few hours drive and needed something newer.



I came across a great deal on a 2014 ES 350, I was close to buying a brand new one but was able to get this one for about half the price and it’s still under factory warranty. It’s really clean and I got it substantially under market value. I was trying to find a few year old LS460 but just couldn’t seem to find one that was right and still have some concerns about it. I thought I would drive this for a while in the meantime.

If you want a comparison of the ES 350 vs LS430, the LS definitely has better craftsmanship and the fit, finish, and materials are of a higher quality. But I honestly prefer the overall driving experience of the ES 350. The seats seem far more comfortable, it has a smooth ride but also has good handling. The LS had the smooth ride down but the handling always seemed like too much body roll even with new struts and the Sport sway bar I added. The ES also just seemed to be geared better for around town driving. I know on paper the LS is supposed to be faster, but the ES feels like an absolute hot rod compared to the LS. It also gets better gas mileage, I’m getting around 26 mpg for around town (and that’s not on the Eco setting). And it’s made to take regular gas. The LS got around 19mpg for my commute and it’s “supposed” to be Premium fuel. So it represents an almost 50% decrease in my gas bill to go to the ES. So it's a nice bonus.

All the new tech on the ES really is nice, things like factory Bluetooth and smartphone integration are game changing. And the ES sound system is better than the LS430 with the Mark Levinson package.

On where the ES falls short of the LS would be the better noise and vibration isolation. It’s not that the ES is bad, it’s just the LS was made to be the best. Like when you come to a stop light, there’s basically zero vibration transmitted through the steering wheel. On the ES, you can feel the idle. The ride on both is really smooth. There’s a bit more road noise transmitted through the ES when you go over rough patches of the road, but it’s still a really quiet sedan.

There’s also some cheap touches on the ES, most noticeably the door panels. They would be fine on a Toyota, but Lexus should have spent a bit more on those. The LS definitely has the nicer interior that could be in a Bentley.
The LS has maybe an inch more leg room in the back, but has more overall headroom and feels more spacious.


So if anyone is thinking of changing down the road, I would definitely recommend checking out an ES. It's not a flagship sedan but it's a lot of bang for the buck if you're looking for a luxury car.

I’m selling the LS430 btw, it’s located in AZ if someone wants to buy it. Flint Mica on Black Leather. PM me for more info.

Thanks again!

LSGarry

Well good luck to you and thanks for all the nice write-ups helping other peeps. The ES is a very civilized along with as you say "a lot of bang for the buck" car and my reactions to it are for the most part the same as yours. The mileage difference and fuel requirements will be a big savings for you. I recently acquired an Audi A5 Sportback and the differences are night and day as to the quality of materials used but the handling, mpg and performance (4 banger) are also night and day to say nothing of the tech.
Shouldn't be a problem selling your LS but good luck anyway.

Johnhav430

Sweet...congrats! I hear you, sometimes 19 is a bit on the low side...if my wife drives my car, and she has it today....it is clearly in the 16-17 range....and since I only do 19.x anyway, I can't pull it up much by the time I fill up again...

warminwisc

Great job! 1/2 price of new warrantee kudos. Funny I was at Walmart getting premium bunny food last night just at dusk. An ES 350 pulled up silver, really nice wheels satin, bold LEDs headlights real nice sloping lines bold front end but not like the silly front ends on the latest RX. I was like "that thing looks nice" Walked up to the gal ( I live in small town Wisconsin she wasn't fleeing or looking for her piece in her purse, lol) I said "hey that car looks pretty nice with U in it". She blushed she was older and I am married. I was impressed, last one I drove was prolly like a dealer loaner base 09 but I just kinfd of yawned. I take yur word for it you always have good insight, it drives sweet. Do they mitigate torque steer thats what I always dreaded in FWD cars though here in our winters it has advantages? Is it the same 3.5 they have used for ever, nicely rated V6? I drove a 4Runner rental 4.0 V6 for a week in the mountains is that motor an option it had a nice sound to it? Did I kill the Sierra fire trails with the full frame and clearance! Enjoy all those high tech new features and a sweet ride!!!!

Jabberwock

Your new to you 2014 ES sounds like a very sweet deal. Thanks for your contributions on our forum and best of luck going forward. If you can let us know how the sale of your LS430 goes.

Stu

Glad you are happy in the ES350 after driving the LS as there is a pretty good chance that the ES350 will be my next car. The V6, front wheel drive and regular gas are attractive to me, but not the drop in noise and vibration isolation. I have the premium LS with the basic stereo and find it fantastic so I am happy to hear you like the sound system too.

My LS now has 130,000 miles and the time is coming where I need to consider something newer with fewer miles. I too am not a fan of the LS460 and really dont need a big car anymore and honestly, if my check engine/VSC lights were not on I would just keep it. I will see what needs to be done to repair it and the other minor issues and if turns out to be an acceptable number I will fix her all up. If not I'll trade it in at the Lexus dealer and get the ES350

Thanks for the post and enjoy the ES

tallcaguy

Congrats on the 350. Sounds like a great deal. We've got a 330 (Base) and it's a very comfortable ride. There are definitely advantages in owning a smaller car. For example, I can easily parallel park my wife's car. The 430? LOL. Thanks for your DIY contributions over the years.

bloomwcjkl

I drive a 2001 LS 430 and we have a 2007 ES 350.

I do like the ES 350. I can't compare a 2007 ES to the 2014 ES. I have not ridden in or driven a 2014 or newer.

My best description is the ES feels "thinner". When the door shuts, engine starts, accelerating, etc.

New/different is always better, at least for a while. I am going to have a hard time driving something after the LS 430. It drives EXACTLY how I want all cars to drive. Not many cars drive like the LS 430 as you all know.

Good luck with the ES 350!

Bob04

Congrats. I too could notice the idle vibration in the steering wheel in every ES I've driven. Worse than on my wife's Honda Accord. Not sure how Lexus allows that to happen, but it doesn't surprise me since they allow that horrendous direct injection injector ticking in the LS460. Otherwise, I actually preferred the ES to my LS460. I think I could live with the slight vibration over the ticking. Drove me crazy.

warminwisc

Stu was it U who had the front end shake and what did it take to get rid of it? Thanks

Stu

I has a problem with the car wandering on the highway ... is that what you mean ? Never had the front end shaking.

warminwisc

Thanks yes what was the resolution to that problem thanks.

Daspyda

iTrader: (1)

This car sounds like a luxury Avalon, which is really a luxury Camry...

BradTank

I would agree the idle in the steering wheel was probably the biggest "fly in the ointment", but you get used to it quickly. I almost think it was done purposely in order to give some sort of "sport" feel to the car, which would be silly if they did, but Lexus has been making some odd decisions lately. I had an older ES300 and I don't remember feeling the idle through the wheel like that. Again though, the LS is so good at that (and it has a V8 which naturally vibrates less than a V6) that it was never going to win that comparison.


The ES 350 is built on the bigger Avalon chassis now, it used to be built on the Camry. So it's much roomier. I drove a loaded Toyota Avalon to compare, I actually liked the lines on the Avalon. But the car really feels cheap, lots of road noise and a creaking interior. The ES really is night and day different and just way better, I wouldn't have been able to tell the cars were related had I not known beforehand. It's also not that much more expensive than the Avalon.

Bob04

My wife's old 2007 V6 Camry had the same vibration, and it didn't both her. To this day, she still talks about how she loves that car compared to the 13 Accord company car she has today.