Vihzel

Greetings everyone! I'm a prospective buyer looking at the 2016 Lexus ES300h. I am really excited to see the reveal at Shanghai Auto Show. I honestly wasn't even considering the ES, but I the teaser pic got me really interested. Even though the spindle grill has been really controversial, I quite like it. The current ES is a bit too conservative in design, but the refresh looks like it'll be more exciting.

Anyone have a general idea when we could reasonably expect to see the 2016 MY? I should expect sometime in the 'fall', but that could be anytime between September to November. Also, would the refreshed hybrid be coming later than the gasoline powered one or could we expect them to come at the same time since they're just refreshes most likely utilizing the same engines?

chromedome

No idea, maybe early 2016 even? I don't know if ES production will shift to the Kentucky plant for MY2016. The hybrid would probably continue to be made in Japan. Hope to welcome you to the ES community soon

Vihzel

Thank you! I hope that the 2016 refresh will impress me. I'm currently looking at the 2015 C-Class, Audi A3 TDI, and Infiniti Q50 Hybrid. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but I would definitely like a Lexus in that mix. I didn't choose the IS because the mpg is pretty 'meh' for today, but I really like the design of the car, especially its interior. I personally like the Lexus brand the best for its reliability and fantastic resale value ,and can definitely see myself growing in it and moving up to a future GS performance hybrid of some sort.

The thing that I really have not been impressed by with the current ES is the quality of materials, but hopefully the refresh will fix that issue. A slight change in the interior design would be welcome as well.

SW17LS

My guess is we are all going to be impressed with the upgrades in the interior material department.

The ES is quite a bit bigger than any of the other cars you're considering, and its FWD which is a big departure from the C Class and the Q50...

If you haven't spent any time around an ES, you might want to. Its a big car, about 18" longer than an A3

PirelliRC

judging by the other vehicles that you are considering i think you should wait til 2016 for the Lexus IS 200 Hybrid. The ES is a whole nother animal.

Vihzel

Yeah the ES is definitely quite a big longer than the C-Class and A3. I actually find the A3 to be a bit too small for my taste, and the C-Class is essentially borderline. The Q50 is about 4" shorter than the ES, but surprisingly has the same interior passenger volume.

I have driven my mom's 2006 Lexus GS 300 quite a few times, which is only 2" shorter, so I know what to expect in terms of overall size of the ES. I would actually prefer a larger car with more interior passenger volume + nicely sized trunk.

Vihzel

Are you talking about the 2016 Lexus CT200h? I don't think Lexus will ever bring the IS hybrid to the U.S. as it would cannibalize sales of the CT200h. The absolute latest that I can purchase a car is in December of this year. Basically, either I am purchasing one of the current cars in my lineup in June before I move to Louisiana, or I am taking my mom's old Lexus GS and waiting until the 'December to Remember' event to purchase the 2016 Lexus ES 300h.

If I had to choose between the refreshed Lexus ES and a new CT200h, I would choose the ES all the way just for the extra size and higher end materials.