natnut

Get the new 2016 ES. Cheaper, plenty of space and since sporty driving isn't a priority, you won't even miss the sporty dynamics of the GS.

mmarshall

If it was up to me, I'd agree, but the OP has (probably) already considered that possibility.

SW17LS

Personally, I would keep my older LS vs trading for a new ES.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i thought the front end of the 4gs was bad enough, but the refresh is (imo) even uglier.

natnut

Stunning. I think this is the best the GS has ever looked. Yes even better than the 2GS. And I say this as a hopeless fanboy of the 2nd Gen GS.

BTW, one HUGE compelling reason for getting the 2016 ES is that it aced all the IIHS crash test protocols including the infamous small overlap test and it's roof strength is tested to be one of the highest in the industry. Say what you want but one thing advancing tech does bring is ever increasing safety and chassis rigidity. The current gen LS is probably not as safe as the 2016 ES. The LS as it exists right now is 2006 tech, the current GS, IS, RC, NX, RX and ES have Lexus' latest safety advancements.

SW17LS

Perhaps marginally safer, but the LS still has ~800 lbs on the ES, and is no doubt a very, very safe car.

As someone who essentially went from the LS to the ES...I will not do that again. I did it because the LS was a family car, it was not my personal car, and I was at a time in my life professionally where I could not afford the LS, and I didn't want to buy used because I needed to lease for business, and I did not want the additional upkeep cost of the LS over the ES. The ES is a good car, but in any comparison to the LS the LS blows it completely away. Going from the LS to the ES is hard, believe me. If you're accustomed to the ES and you don't really know what you're missing, thats a different matter.

The only LS I would consider trading for a 2016 ES would be an aging LS400. If I had an LS430 in good repair, I wouldn't trade it on a 2016 ES, and I certainly wouldn't trade any year LS460 on a 2016 ES, unless for some reason financially I had to...

Now that I have my own LS that I've had from new, if I get to the end of the lease and cannot get into a new LS for some reason, I will just buy this and keep it. IMHO a 10 year old LS is significantly more car than a brand new ES.

Toys4RJill

I can't imagine that the 16 ES350 is that much safer than a 16 LS460. The LS has a lot of safety features. You are absolutely right about the LS being 06 tech, when a 16 tech is 5 years old it be riding around on a chasiss that will be 15 years old at that point. It's hard to believe that the current LS is in its 10th model year when the first gen LS went 5 years and 2nd/3rd gens went 6 model years each.

Toys4RJill

I would go for a 16 ES over a 16 GS. But a 16 ES over a 16 LS is stretching it a little bit.

natnut

OP says his budget doesn't include a brand new LS. Considering his priority is space and comfort and presumably safety on a semi restricted budget, the ES fits his needs better than a GS. Lexus never submitted the LS to the full battery of IIHS tests unlike the 2016 ES which I take to mean that they know current LS won't pass the tests including small overlap. So if he wants a sedan and wants to stay in the brand, the new facelifted ES is his best bet.

Stroock639

you basically just gotta ask yourself which one comes standard with a V8 and the choice will be clear

SW17LS

Lets not overstate this. The LS has not been subjected to the small overlap test, but that does not mean that Lexus does not think it would pass the test. LOTS of cars have not been subjected to that test, and the NHTSA purchases the cars they use for the test, Lexus does not submit them to them. The car DID get the highest rating for the moderate overlap test.

If anybody thinks an LS460 isn't a safe car I don't know what to tell them.

I wouldn't, unless I had to carry people in the back on a regular basis and that was a must. The GS is a far superior car.

SW17LS

My LS is in for the 10k service, I have a 2015 ES loaner with 5k miles on it.

Just to reinforce, I would never trade an LS for an ES, even an older one unless it was just totally at the end of its life and I needed a new car. The ES is a nice car, but it is a considerable downgrade in all areas.

Toys4RJill

The LS is two and maybe three times the price of an ES so it would be expected that the ES is a downgrade in all areas. But, it is still very disappointing that the LS is still riding on a decade old platform where as the ES was updated with a new gen chassis in 2013. The ES is also using an engine that debuted in the 05 Avalon. The decade old LS and the older 3.5 ES is engine is disappointing any way you look at it.

SW17LS

Of course, the only reason I would even compare them is that natnut recommended to the OP that he trade his older LS460 for a new ES.

The old platform doesn't really bother me, the car had nearly half the platform replaced in 2013. I think if the car had gotten an updated powertrain at that point it wouldn't be as big an issue. Even though its an old platform, the LS still compares very favorably with the competition especially from a value perspective, I know I just drove them all. The LS still rides the best and is the most refined feeling out of everything but the new S Class, obviously I have not driven the all new 7 it was not out when I was shopping.

Lexus has launched a LOT of new product between 2013-2016, I don't really begrudge them trying to get some extra mileage out of the LS. What is an issue is their refusal to update powertrains.

situman

The current iteration of the LS has all the latest construction techniques like laser welding and structural adhesives and structural rigidity has actually improved as it ages.