LexRuger

Never driven a previous gen ES but, it sounds like they hopped in the ES and were expecting the same old ES. But when they realized it had a little more personality, it left a bad taste in their mouth. Some people don't like change or are stuck on the saying, "If it ain't broke. don't fix it" But if Lexus did not add a little sportiness to the ES, I might not have bought one. Good job Lexus

LexBob2

The ES has never receieved stellar reviews. Usually they seem to be lukewarm. It's not necessarily an exciting car to drive and is geared to comfort vs. driver involvement. Most actual buyers really like their cars and that's the important thing. Sales of the ES over the years show that Lexus hits their target market wth the car.

wasjr

I am glad to hear your positive comments. All the negativity was causing me to have second thoughts. As I said in my introductory post we started looking at the ES after riding in a buddy's 2011. I was initially looking at used 2010 or leftover 2012, but with the model change we decided to go with the 2013. Then we decided on the 300h. The one area of noise that I notice is due to the hybrid. At low speeds the electric motor is so quiet that I notice road noise more, particularly wind noise from passing vehicles.

LexBob2

I had two previous gen ES350's. A 2007 and a 2010. Both were great problem free cars. Again, not too exciting but they exceeded our expectations. We recently traded in the 2010 for another brand. We just wanted to try something different after 6 1/2 years of ES350's.

wasjr

Ours is a similar situation. My wife had been driving Volvos since 1992, a1993 850 (which was a super car), a 2000 S80, and a 2006 S80. We never had any issues, but just thought she would try something else.

patcic

I just leased a 2014 ES 350 Luxury package with nav and cooled seats for no money down other than first month payment, 27 months and 23,000 miles per year for $650 per month. It was a great deal and I test drove the car on smooth asphalt and it felt fine. Once I drove it home and around town for a few days my 2013 Fusion rode better than this truck!
My god, it's awful. I feel every crack in the pavement and on the cement expressways the thing jiggles up and down constantly. I would trade it back for my Fusion in a heartbeat. If anyone wants to take over my lease go to: http://www.swapalease.com/lease/details/?salid=892215

SW17LS

Thats a TERRIBLE deal Why are you leasing to include 23,000 miles a year?!? You could have bought the car for that payment!

LexRuger

Trying lowering your tire pressure. If that doesn't work you might have to bite down and try out a different set of tires that were designed for maximum comfort. Preferably a tire with a soft sidewall and a soft rubber compound. You could also move up to a 245 width tire.

lesz

My first thought was that I was wondering if he/she has actually checked the tire pressure. It is not uncommon for tires, when the vehicle is shipped from the factory, to be filled to as much as 38 or 40 psi. It is also not uncommon for dealers, when prepping the vehicles, to neglect to check the pressure in the tires. When I got my ES, the tires were filled to somewhere around 38 or 39 psi.

I wouldn't be surprised if his/her tires are overfilled, and, if they are several pounds over the recommended pressure of 33, that would make the ride quite harsh. Otherwise, I would be hard pressed to describe the ES ride as anything even close to truck-like.

SW17LS

I too would recommend checking the tire pressure. Makes a huge difference, especially on these cars.

KennyLexus

What tires do you have? If they're not Michelin Primacy then your ride will be a little rough.

patcic

Well that can be debated. On a 48 month loan on $40,000 the payment is $882 / mo (2.8%) with total payments of $23,809. The lease payment of $650 for 27 months total only $17,550 and I don't have to replace tires or brakes and I drop if off when I'm done, very convenient. The only way to make the buy scenario work is to purchase a 1 year old car and keep it 4 years which doesn't fit me well. I like getting new cars every 2 to 2 1/2 years and being under warranty for the duration.

Thanks for the feedback.

patcic

Thank you for the suggestion and yes, I immediately checked the tire pressure on the Michelin Primacy's and they were at 35 psi. I lowered them to 31 psi which did help a little. I think it's just a transition from the Fusion to the Lexus. The seats in the Fusion had more cushion and were not as firm and the it had a more absorbent ride over road imperfections - really a pleasure to drive. I searched the web and many, many reviewers talk about the stiff ride which is where all of the automakers are going now. I guess I'm in the minority now being a guy that doesn't want "sporty".

lesz

Do you have the 18 inch wheels or the 17 inch wheels? The ride quality of the ES with the 18 inch wheels is considerably more harsh than it is with the 17 inch wheels.

SW17LS

You wouldn't finance the car for 48 months, the vast majority of people nowadays finance for 60 months. 60 month payment would be $716. If you are driving 23,000 miles a year, you will definitely have to put tires on the car before the end of the lease. My 2010 ES was turned in with 45k miles and I had to buy new tires, and it had the same Michelin Primacy as yours.

The issue is your mileage. I lease and leasing works well for me, but if you drive that many miles you're really better off buying. If you had gone with 15k miles your lease payment would have been in the high $400s.

As for your ride issue, do you have the 18s?