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Lexus ES 300/ES 330
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Comments
5173 -- ES 300
4534 -- C-Class
4447 -- TL
3575 -- A4
2569 -- I35
1523 -- A6
~alpha
rebelsk asks: >>I have not seen it yet but apparently the March Edition of Consumer Reports magazine does a comparison of the Lexus ES 300, Audi A4, Jaguar, Acura TL, and the Infiniti I35. Has anyone seen the issue and how did the Lexus fare in the comparison?>>
CR has a generally good review. They predict "much better than average reliability"
They found it offers "a well-furnished, accommodating cabin, it offers a well-rounded package with very few flaws and scored highest overall in this group." They predict better than average reliability.
Their comments pretty well track with my own experience in the black jet, which now shows 6,750 miles on the odo. I'm averaging 21.1 mpg, at an average speed of 31.5 mph. I'm alternating fillups between 89 and 91 octane.
One of our members had a rattle in front of driver's dash where it meets the windshield, and I'm hearing it too. I'll have dealer look at it when I take it in to have the airbag replaced.
Wish list: 1. Better cupholders; they don't hold standard travel mugs. 2. Place to stash or clip my cellphone.
Still getting a lot of "oohs and aahs" from enthusiasts who see the car. The owner of a restaurant I frequent saw mine and went out and bought a black one with a wing and gold kit, and the stock wheels in chrome. I like the GS chrome wheels better.
She's still the one...!!! Couldn't be happier.
Cordially,
RNBESQUIRE Phoenix, AZ
1. Go to prnewswire.com
2. Click on "industry focus"
3. Click on "auto industry"
Hope this helps.
btw, I averaged 15 mpg on my first tank of gas. According to the Lexus computer I was averaging 21mpg, but the reality, based on total miles and gas tank size, I averaged 15.
hk2la... how does fuel tank size matter in the calculation of MPG? shouldnt MPG be calculated Miles Driven/Gallons of Gasoline consumed... hence the designation "MPG"? I don't see how the "Lexus Computer" could be in error 6 MPG.
~alpha
About downshifting...not sure exactly what mean, but if you mean how the ES has a tendency to resist downshifting when you step on it, then yah, you're not the first one who has asked about that. Maybe the "intelligence" part of the ECT-i transmission will adapt to your needs over time.
I saw some posts about some resistance at 55/60 but didn't see anything re 20mph. Well, still breaking in the car so I guess I shouldn't be gunning it just yet.
Anyone out there know of any up-grades to a 94 ES's braking system. Does Lexus offer different brake pads or rotors to it's car line? It just had it's 30K service in which they flushed out and replaced the brake fluid. Any ideas if that might be causing the brake pedal play (approx. 2-3 inches before any reaction to the brakes). Does it sound like it needs new pads or is there an upgrade fix.
Any help or advise would be appreciated, thanks.
~alpha
so I am not some disgruntled owner of another brand trying to downplay my darling lexus-but it is like a child to me and no "parent" would like their child to have flaws
I love my ES but absolutely feel very dejected at the mileage I get--thereis no justification for the 21/29 and claims that mileage improved--I think that is all false marketing to get people to buy it and justify the status quo on horsepower
I think teh ePA is more like 15/23 and Lexus should apologize and issue a correction like infiniti did when they could not meet the 260 hp claims on I and G-35
Facts must be true
from the mileage data on this board I don't think others are getting the 29 on 100% highway either
my vaerage is usually around 20 with 80% highway and 20% city-On my 100% highway trip for 6 hrs I got 26
any comments
Can we hold Lexus own their mistake--is this a consumer misinformation?
Experts here must know the answer
Someone here posted about a Lexus service tech saying that he knew that poor MPG was an issue with the earlier '02 ES cars. Of course, when the ES owner wanted it in writing and the service tech went to the service manager, you know what happened.
I'm getting bad mileage, but I'm not going to know how things stack up against the 21/29 claim until I start using the '02 ES as a daily commuter.
~alpha
How is that comparable to 14 mpg?
~alpha
More HP for the I30, it's faster, (and especially now that it's the I35) AND better mileage to boot?
Why pay $5k for the L on the hood? Tell you what - pay me just $2,500 and I'll get you an L to go on the hood of whatever you want.
~alpha
and I bought her 1994 ES 300 for my wife. It had only 30,000 miles on it
and not a scratch, always Lexus dealer maintained. Well now that me wife
drives it, she seems to feel that the brakes could be more responsive and
less play in the pedal feel. I've driven it and seem to feel there is some lack
of responsiveness when it comes to the pedal.
Anyone out there know of any up-grades to a 94 ES's braking system.
Does Lexus offer different brake pads or rotors to it's car line? It just had it's
30K service in which they flushed out and replaced the brake fluid. Any
ideas if that might be causing the brake pedal play (approx. 2-3 inches
before any reaction to the brakes). Does it sound like it needs new pads or
is there an upgrade fix.
Any help or advise would be appreciated, thanks.
Sadly for you, that's not the case...
If you want a more entertaining argument, tell hk2la her '02ES sucks. Now that'll be interesting.
Hope to hear from you before Feb 22 via the Talk to the Press discussion or at jfallon@edmunds.com with your thoughts and contact information.
Thanks as always,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director, Edmunds.com
on to more interesting ES arguments.
~alpha
Clark
The ES is priced higher than the I35, yet is outselling the I35 by more than double.
If Infiniti made the I35 more appealing:
1. They could raise the price to the ES level without fear of not being able to sell any cars.
2. Lexus would lower the price of the ES to better compete, and we'd all win.
I drove both when shopping for a new car.
I35 had a power advantage. I liked the feel when I floored it. And I could've gotten the I35 for below invoice.
ES had the advantage in: Luxury (higher quality leather and interior), noise isolation, ride quality (fully independent suspension, AVS option. I35 still uses outdated rear beam suspension), 5-speed automatic (vs. 4-speed in I35), reliability rating, design longevity (first year in new generation, will stay current for the 5-year design cycle), the design itself (the ES stands out, the I35 blends in), brand appeal, and supposedly better mileage (21/29 vs. I35's 20/26...can't determine true mileage in a test drive).
I expect the next-generation I35 to be a great car. That's probably when Lexus will release the ES350 to keep pace.
The upcoming Infiniti G35 looks to be a winner. It's the only Infiniti model so far that I would purchase over the Lexus equivalent (IS).
again I adore my Lexus--I think the issue is they claimed a number-the reality fell far short of it
and the car has worse mileage than my 2001 which I also owned so I can compare accurately.
with premium gas I get avg of 19-20 with 65% highway-that is not what was claimed
All I am saying is this may be consumer misleading case and maybe as consumers we can make a stronger case to lexus and have ourselves heard
Lexus did not pay much attention to my claim and said I should wait and watch--For lower grades of fuel, no mileage impact-slight decrease
So I bought the car, paid a damn good price for it-but my issue is just the principle of the matter
How can you as a billion dollar ( I think!) corporation make a claim, boast total quality management and then fall so short of your claim
So any car manufacturer ca start doing this and ethics will be at stake-you can lie about 0-60, slalom, etc
What is the recourse
what can we as current and potential consumers do to help each other as a group
Let us address the issue at hand tahn digressing
Lexus wants us to digress so we do not bother them
Let us not fall in this trap and ask ourselves-if I am getting 20% less mileage than promised, did I not get misled
I don't know if this means it only affects early production '02 ES or not.
When was your car made? (It says on the sticker located on the driver's side door jam).
Also, the powertrain is different now since the ES 300 has a 5-speed and the Camry only a 4-speed. Further, on cars like mine with the AVS the suspensions are different (they may different without AVS but I'm not sure).
Speaking of ads, Lexus actually ran one about 10 years ago that was great re: BMW. It said something like: "Owning a BMW is a once in a lifetime experience. For most owners, once is enough." The ad referred to the fact BMW had one of the lowest loyalty (repurchase rates) in the luxury car class, while Lexus was the highest.
I'm not knocking BMWs. I think they're great for people who like sportier cars. But that ad had a fantastic headline.
When I tried to start it this morning, I couldn't turn the ignition key. I jiggled the steering wheel, as the 'roadside assistance' folks suggested, but still, the ignition key wouldn't turn. Finally, after jiggling the wheel some more, it totally locked up. And i still couldn't turn the ignition key.
I gave up. They are coming to tow the thing tomorrow morning. Not a good sign. In my 20+ years of car ownership, i've never had a problem like this before :-(
I guess perception and reality aren't always the same.
I wonder if that Toyota/Lexus engine sludge problem has anything to do with it???
2-3 more years? They can be had for approx $800-1200 range. I have already had the
A/C compressor replaced under warranty, speaking of which, the dealer put in a re-furbished
unit...is this normal?
well don't know what Could do unless it becomes a known issue
I had the car towed to my local lexus dealer. The techs were stumped, they've never seen anything like that before. It may be a design flaw.
if anyone else has had the steering column lock up, and subsequently couldn't turn the ignition key, i'd like to hear about it. It looks like my car will be out of commission for a few days.
As an aside, they gave us a 2001 ES300 as a loaner. There's no comparison between the two cars -- the new ES300 feels much more "luxurious", and a bit larger/boatier. I can see why old ES owners felt a bit perplexed by the new model. They are radically different machines.
on the es300 in Chi? Should I wait until the 2003s arrive in showrooms to get a reasonable price on the 2002s? I consider a reasonable price as $500-$700 over invoice. This price is still $3500 more than the Acura TL which I'm also considering.
I don't think you will ever see a ES300 for $500 over invoice, except maybe in it's final year of production. Is Acura going to sell you a 3.2TL for $500 over invoice? I doubt it.
And the CL-S is different from the TL. The CL has been a sales dud(compared to what Acura's projections were).
gambhir - maybe it's just because those who got the car earlier have driven more miles and have been able to better determine that mileage does stink with this car. But for what it's worth, I do remember someone posting here who said a Lexus service tech told them that bad gas mileage was a known problem with the (earlier?) ES.
$1K over on a 2002 is fabulous.
I wonder if they'll ship a car to Mass.
Shipping the car on a flatbed usually runs from $500 to $1000. My friend who shipped his car coast to coast said it cost him $1000.
And if you're from one of those snowy areas, you get a short vacation in sunny southern California. I was out playing golf in 76 degree weather today.
Search for dealers in southern California through lexus.com and deal exclusively through the Internet/phone.
What I would not do is to buy the car and have it shipped without having inspected it first.