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New ES 350 Owner Reports
I picked up my new Ruby Red with Navigation yesterday after driving an Acura TL for the last 3 years. The Lexus handles better than I thought it would. The steering doesn't feel as good as the Acura's but the ride is much smoother without feeling too "luxury" if you know what I mean. The car's styling is awesome. The Ruby Red in sunlight is gorgeous and I also got the 10 spoke chrome rims which I think look much better on this car than the standard 7 spoke. Hooked up my IPOD and it sounded great, even in the standard stereo. Haven't called XM yet to swithch my account to the ES. The dealer installed the XM antena inside the car and you can barely see it, it is so small. The keyless entry and push button start is awesome. Acura's navigation is much better, however. The screen is bigger on the TL and you can input addresses while driving. I know Lexus is trying to be safe, but you can change all sorts of views on the ES and mess with the display, all of which take your eyes off the road, so why not just be able to input addresses as well? The voice commands work great for phone numbers but work terrible for addresses, especially cities. Also, on the Acura the radio is switched to the back speakers when route directions are given, but on the lexus if you have your music turned up, you won't hear the navigation voice. Using the phone automatically turns the radio off so I don't know why they didn't do something similar for the navigation voice. My Blackberry 8700 from Cingular hooked up no problem to the Bluetooth. Finally, and I know this is stupid, but I can't believe lexus uses the cheap camry green backlit dash controlls. The speedometer/tachometer look so great in the bright white led, why didn't they make the rest of the car match? The stereo and AC controls, etc. look like a cheap Chevy Malibu at night.
Anyway, these are small things and I definitely love the car! I'll post some pictures in a few days.
Anyway, these are small things and I definitely love the car! I'll post some pictures in a few days.
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This thought came to my mind as I just got back from a road trip up North. As I was passing trucks and slow cars on two-lane Highway 1 on the coast, I was thinking to myself I hope the ES will be as responsive and powerful when I need it. :confuse:
We had the spoiler added along with the Sport Wheels. The wheels give the car a great look. For now, we have lots to learn. So far, this has exceeded our expectations.
MSC
MSC
The car is great overall, I have an issue with the transmission - intermittent hesitation changing from 1st to 2nd. Other than that it's great so far. I have'nt played around to much with the NAV system and voice commands other than Bluetooth
Your car shares the new 6-sp. A/T with the 2007 Camry. Might wanna log onto the Camry discussions and read the archived 6-sp A/T "snap-ring" posts if you haven't already. (Some units self-corrected in the course of normal operation with the snap-ring finally popping into its retaining grove on the gear carrier shaft, thereby locking the gear into its intended position on the shaft. Others weren't so lucky and the fix required replacing the entire transmission under warranty.)
Navigation works beatifully even though it can be a bit wierd, it calculates three routes, and you have to choose one of those routes before it automatically begins route guidance. So if your in an unfamiliar area, you might be scratching your head at which route to pic... but usually they cover their bases and choose "fastest route", "no high/toll ways" and something else.
I love the power, you never want to let up on the gas, but trying to do something other than going in a straight line and you'll quickly find out that this car isnt sporty. The super cushy ride serves its purpose, just dont try to push this car near its limits.
The backup camera is a great feature [comes with NAV] .. but its almost a must since VISIBILITY is rather poor. Looking rearwards for reversing or checking blindspots can become a chore since the body paneling can get in the way.
ONE MAJOR PROBLEM: I dont know i this has been discussed in any other forums, but check this: You can turn on car normally with keyfob, but if you remove the keyfob from the car, the car is still operational!!! Even if your in park, and you get out of your car [with key]... the engine will stay on!!! This makes me almost doubt wireless keyfob pushstart systems ... since normal cars cannot operate without the key, this one will. obviously once you turn it off, the car will not start back up again [without key], but to think of the many things that can happen with this vulnerability ... kinda shocking this went through Lexus Testing and didnt get fixed.
We upgraded from a 03 TL type S ... and its like the lexus is a completely different car. The TL was nice, but the suspension was too sporty and steering to stiff. I liked those aspects, but my mom obviously beared with it since it was something that she liked and we could afford. The lexus is defintaly a very nice car that gets looks from everyone. Many people will say the es350 is basically a upgraded camry in hopes to knock on this car... but i dont care. Its beautiful, and the lexus dealership is nice and the service there is excellent. Your paying for some prestige, great service and a excellent car.
You offer a valid concern/point; however, here's my counterpoint (mind you, I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your point about the vulnerability of the engine still running even though the keyfob is not in proximity):
I would offer to venture that the majority of folks who would exit their vehicle while leaving the engine running do not do so unintentionally--IOW, for whatever reason they consciously chose to exit the vehicle w/o turning off the engine; in this regard, there would be no difference between getting out of a vehicle like the ES 350 w/ keyfob in hand and getting out of a vehicle w/ the key still in the ignition. Ask yourself this--is getting out of and walking away from an ES 350 w/ keyfob in hand and engine running leaving the ES any more vulnerable than if you were to get out and walk away from a different vehicle whose engine is running w/ the key still in the ignition? If anything, the former scenario is a bit less vulnerable overall since w/o the keyfob it is not possible to unlock the doors (if locked) or restart the vehicle on the ES 350.
In any case--it's not as if Lexus was totally oblivious to this "vulnerability"; if you exit the vehicle and close the driver's door while the engine is still running, the vehicle will beep at you to let you know that you left it running.
Another concern ive had is the fact that these keyfobs work off of frequencies that could potentially be hacked right? There are means of hacking peoples garage doors ... whose to say it couldnt be done with keyfobs? Now this would effect ALL car manufacturers that use such ignitions systems.
Besides...how many car thefts were discovered to have done via some guy using a hacked transmitter to deactivate the car alarm? No more than a relative handful, I'd be willing to bet. In any case, the majority of cars are stolen and driven away by one of two methods--they're either hotwired or they're towed away...so IMHO I don't think there would be too much to worry about someone discovering the transmitting frequency for your vehicle.
All in all though, i love the es 350. Its just a wonderfully pleasant car. being a college student, i drive a hand-me-down 98 regal. Last weekend i went home and ran an errand in the es350 ... and it felt like i was in a whole new luxurious spaceship. I love the way the car comes to life and the telescopic steering wheels moves out to meet you.
Its so easy to get comfortable in the car too. I usually just mess with simple forward/back movement of seat and seatback ... but i just noticed controls for THIGH support... now thats sweet. Lumbar is a goodie but i dont need that. The thigh support is a really nice feature that can support drivers of all shapes and sizes.
I know this may seems like a long list but i want to keep this car for awhile especially since i had to wait almost 2 and 1/2 months to get it. I will post some pics up as soon as i get a chance, but all the help would be greatly appreciated.
I am so sad this beautiful car has this problem and probably will sell it in a year.
So, if you had to do it again, I'm assuming you would have passed if you had known all of this, huh?
thanks
You offer a valid "exception" regarding a person who keeps the keyfob for the most part inside a purse or other kind of storage item, who then for whatever reason leaves said item inside the vehicle. I would offer a counterpoint to that--a thief who's looking to steal a purse or other valuable item sitting inside a vehicle is for the most part not initially thinking about stealing the car as well. After all, why would such a thief increase the odds of getting himself caught for stealing a purse by stealing the car too, given that the relative odds of getting caught from having taken property that was inside the vehicle are somewhat small?
the rear half of the ceiling makes rattling noises when driving even on smooth road.
the engine sounds like an old mercedes diesel engine from the 80's!!! but not as loud though. Still, i can hear the diesel sound inside the car. This is supposed to be a quiet car!!! The only noise that should come into the car is the engine acceleration growl.
What is a gold package? I didn't find it in the listed packages. I liked the Red Ruby too, but my wife didn't like this color for me. I havn't seen this colour in DC area either.
but lexus shouldve tested and abused this car thoroughly before selling it on the market. They should use a shaking machine to shake the hell out of the car and see what rattles.
ES 350 is a quiet car, but not as quiet as a submarine. The engine roars a little at each stop sign.
Compared to a BMW 328i or an Acura TL, ES 350 lacks the responsiveness when you step on the accelerator. It has a half a second delay before the car dashes. Nevertheless, it is a pretty fast car and has no trouble merging into a busy freeway.
Navigation system is very good especially in local driving/complex local driving situations. It tends to guide you through major highways unless you set it to local only. From SF to Las Vegas, the best way should be 80-580-5-58-NVI-15. However, none of the three routes that the Nav system guided me was trying to use this route. It kept trying to get me to I-99, which would get me into LA but in fact I could get on 58 at Bakersfield. After about half an hour drive on 58 East, the system gave up the effort to get me on I-99.
From SF to Las Vegas, my ES 350 had two adults and two young children plus luggage and maintained an average mileage of 30.2 mpg on average speed of 80 mph, which is pretty amazing. (It exceeded the official mileage number.)
Currently, the ES 350's mixed mileage is 24.3 mpg, with 99% of the time SF city (avenues) stop-and-go drives.
The voice control system works well despite the fact that I have a heavy accent and have not recited all the voice commands. I simply say "I am hungry" to bring up the restaurant POIs and "next song" to listen to my CD's next track. "CD" to turn on audio system and "too hot" or "too cold" to turn on the air conditioning. However, when the car is noisy when children are laughing, the system has a hard time picking up my voice command.
Blue tooth cell phone pairing is an excellent feature. I have a Nokia N80 cellphone, which is not one of those that got approved by Lexus to connect with ES 350. However, I had no problem pairing up my phone with the car. Whenever I enter the car, they pair up and I can make and receive phone calls without pulling out my cellphone from my pocket.
Many people worry about leaving a keyfob in the car would allow a car theft to steal the car. In fact, I found that if you leave one of your keyfob somewhere inside the car, you won't be able to lock the car. A beep would also alarm you that there is a keyfob inside the car.
This is a car that is fun to drive -- when you need power and handling, it has them all -- when you need comfort, it is there at all times.
Thanks
Mark
Thanks again
The professional reviews of the ES 350 make it sound like it handles like a Lincoln Town Car on winding roads.
Thanks
If highway 1 is your weekly or monthly drive, then I would suggest that you buy BMW 328i since it handles winding roads so well that you forget that you are driving a car. However, ES350 is definitely NOT a Lincoln Town car. It handles winding roads competently and it is FUN to drive, especially when you drive down highway 1 from Daly City to Big Sur. The handling is precise and the feedback is excellent, especially when you engage in the Sports mode. It lacks the firmer road feel that BMWs share, and it is not a sports car, however, it handles far better than MB's C or E series.
I have yet noticed any unusual windnoise. The only time that I noticed windnoise was the day we drove back from Las Vegas. The windnoise was so loud that voice command could not be executed. I thought that I finally got the windnoise that others had complained about. However, when we got out the car at one of the rest area, we found that it was so windy that we couldn't even stand still! I was so glad that my car was able to hit 85 mph so easily when the wind was blowing against us so badly.
In terms of transmission, I've tried both the automatic and the sports manual and found no problem so far. The dealer explained to me that the ES350s produced in May did have serious transmission problems but it was quickly noticed by Lexus and had been corrected since.
it seems either some speaker paneling is loose or the speaker could be partially blown.
However, it's often the little things that drive you crazy:
1. I don't like daytime running lights. Went to the dealer and they told me they cannot be turned off. Can anyone out there verify that's true? Anyone know a work-around?
2. The key fob. Absolutely hate it. I didn't care for the large-ish key from the ES300; the fob for the ES350 is definitely a step in the wrong direction. I feel like I'm carrying a deck of cards in my pocket. I think the Lexus people made a terrible decision sticking us with a fob of this size, especially leaving us with no alternative.
Comments ??
I agree with your second issue with the key fob. It is annoying that I have to carry this extra piece of hardware. I can't put it in my key-chain, as it is too large to fit in there. As a result I often forget to take it with me. It should have been of credit card size.
How do daytime lights bother you? You are not seeing them. Some states even have a law that they are required for safety reasons. I will agree that they can not be turned off.
Re: the daytime running lights...let me explain: I like daytime running lights. I like using them. I just don't like the fact that I can't turn them off. If I want to go to a drive-in movie with my wife and sit there with the car one, my frigging lights have to stay on (yes, I know they're somewhat dim). If I'm waiting to pick up my kid at night, my lights are on. I WANT THEM OFF !!!
I said, in my original post, that it's a small thing. But one of the reasons I drive a Lexus is that I don't want to sweat the small things.
What can I tell you...doesn't everyone have one small, fairly insignificant thing that just drives them frigging crazy? Daytime running lights are mine. And that damn fob.
In Canada where I lived for 20 years, driving lights has been a law for ages. I am actually surprized that it is not a law in the US. For me I could not imagine that these lights could be a problem to somebody, but as cleveland3 mentions, to some they are!! If someone is waiting to pick his kids, generally either car should be shut off, or if it has to be running, lights just tell people around that car is running (and can move any moment, so be careful). Just my thoughts.
As far as whether the DRLs can be "permanently" turned off--yes, they can be turned off; find another dealer whose service department is willing to look up the instructions on how to do so. And yes, they can be turned off--my local dealer turned them off on my ES w/o raising a fuss or questioning my motive(s) for wanting them off. Heck--I even had the service tech turn off the seatbelt chimes at the same time...now I'll be waiting for someone here to ask me as to why I would want "to do something stupid like that"...
now I'll be waiting for someone here to ask me as to why I would want "to do something stupid like that
Uhh, not meaning to offend, but could you have posed the question and answered it in the same statement above??