pab12

More particularly, what is it that separates an ES350 from a Camry or an Avalon? I know the ES and the Avalon have extended wheel-bases v.s. the Camry and the ES an upgraded interior compared to the Avalon. But what about the "mechanicals"?

I'm sure the drive-drain is shared, but what about the suspension, etc.?
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My karma just ran over your dogma
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 whp / 259.67 torque)
Past Ours: '05 X-Type 3.0/auto Jaguar Racing Green

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Hi Pab, as you may imagine this question comes up quite a bit. You can get instant answers to your questions by using the forum search feature.

For example, I used advanced search https://www.clublexus.com/forums/search.php to point at the 6ES forum and look for the keyword 'avalon' in thread titles, finding these among several others.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...ghlight=avalon
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...ghlight=avalon
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...ghlight=avalon
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...ghlight=avalon
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...ghlight=avalon

SW17LS

What makes an ES different from a Camry or Avalon is:

1. Lexus brand prestige
2. Lexus warranty which is longer than Toyota's
3. Lexus dealer service

When it comes to the ES, thats really it. Lexus has different tolerances for quality, paint quality, panel gaps, etc...but that kind of stuff is hard to quantify.

When you consider that a loaded Avalon Limited is about $42k, and a loaded luxury (not UL) ES is about $44.5k. I think you get a lot of mileage out of that 2.5K by going with the ES.

When you talk about the more expensive RWD platform Lexus sedans there are more differences.

chromedome

Resale value too, Lexus usually have higher residuals.

I wonder if there are tuning differences, especially for the hybrids.

pab12

Ok, I understand the fit/finish/materials upgrade, but what about mechanics such as brakes and suspension? Are the suspension parts/design shared between these cars? I'd expect that, at the least, the spring rates and shock absorber valving would be different. Since the Avalon and ES are longer than the Camry I would suspect that some suspension changes were in order.

I also think tha ES's, at least, get special laminated glass, but I'm more interested in the stuff you can't see.
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Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car
Oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car
Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, and
Torque is how far you take the wall with you

SW17LS

[QUOTE=pab12;9338344]Ok, I understand the fit/finish/materials upgrade, but what about mechanics such as brakes and suspension? Are the suspension parts/design shared between these cars? I'd expect that, at the least, the spring rates and shock absorber valving would be different. Since the Avalon and ES are longer than the Camry I would suspect that some suspension changes were in order.

I also think tha ES's, at least, get special laminated glass, but I'm more interested in the stuff you can't see.

Honestly, a lot of the suspension components are the same, laminated glass, does the new ES have double paned glass on the sides? I can't remember. If not then no, its the same glass. The ES will likely have more sound deadening material...but honestly the ES is really at its core a Toyota Avalon.

Resale is another good point, the ES does have better resale which will make up for that $2,500 cost of entry.

Mike728

Luck of the draw. There are a couple threads in reference to the subject. FWIW, my 2013 UL has them.

SW17LS

Then thats a different matter, unless I am mistaken the Avalon does not come with laminated side glass...

That makes a notable difference in noise.