chromedome

Haha yeah, it does sound like a metro or a subway train slowing down. You'll get used to it. That sound is from the electric motor being used to slow down the car, whereas the friction brakes are used only at low speed or during hard braking. The battery is recharged during regen braking so all that energy doesn't go to waste.

Hope you don't mind me asking - how much does the ES300h cost in Korea? Are there high duties imposed on imported cars?

Masonchoi

In Korea, ES300h is almost more than 55.000$, even it's not a full option

also In Korea most car from the Other country is so expensive , except Hyundai...

i think Hyundai is doing lobby to goverment , so almost people have to buy Hyundai car....
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azipod

The braking can sound a lot like a subway metro because electric trains use regenerative braking as well. Not wasting energy is a good thing. I wish mine was louder!

mrBillFL

I'm a 2013 es300h driver. If you put your foot in it, it goes..... I'm getting about 35-31 mpg depending on how heavy my foot is. it runs to 90 PDQ.

once rolling, the direct drive makes it feel like a 6cyl. over 100mph the 350 pulls stronger, but under 90, it keeps up just fine. no problem merging and diagonal passing.

Sometimes the gas engine shuts off when you don't want it. but you learn how to manage it.
Like taking a right, but once the gas engine is running, the DC drive is almost instant power.

The gas engine is kinda loud when pushed. but overall the power is very good.

I only notice the brake whine below 25mph coming to a stop.

.02

sanyata

When put in Sport Mode the acceleration is plenty adequate however it does sound like the hamster wheel is spinning too fast. The sound of the engine is whiny and high pitched which is annoying to me. I travel a 500 mile round trip about twice a month on highways running 70-75 mph most of the time and I never feel under powered to the point it's unsafe. Hey, it's a hybrid so I knew going in it wasn't a speedster. I will say I was expecting better mpg than the measly 33mpg average I'm getting. This is my biggest disappointment with the car.
On brake noise, I've grown very fond of the "subway" sound when coming to a stop.

Sulu

I have not driven the ES 350 on the highway / freeway, only in the city, so I cannot compare the acceleration of my ES 300h on the highway. In the city, however, the acceleration of my Hybrid feels quieter and smoother than the ES 350. The 4-cylinder engine is loud (and a bit rough) at high engine speeds but I don't constantly drive at those speeds nor wanting that acceleration so it does not bother me.

When the lease ends on my ES Hybrid in about a year, I will most definitely be getting another Hybrid.

Maikerusan

I can't imagine many of us drive 100 mph either in the hybrid or the 350.

zes

What I like about my 300h is the absolute silence and almost no vibration when I am at a stoplight. I am super sensitive so I can feel the air cond electric motor's vibration very slightly in the steering wheel.

I have been been given many es350 loaners and in each of them have felt the steering vibrate due to engine idle. I know many es350 owners would disagree but like I said I seem to be super sensitive.

The 300h is smoother and quieter in eco mode because the engine is geared taller. But then it is sluggish. In normal mode it is more responsive but a little noisier, I think. In sport mode it is even more responsive but rough.

BigRon12

I touch 100+ just about every other day on my home from work. Good times. I'm still quite young tho (27)

sessionstu

I travel a lot for work. When I can, I always ask for a hybrid at the rental counter. So over the years I've driven quite a few different makes and models: Ford Fusion hybrid, Hyundai Sonata hybrid, Toyota Prius, Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid, and others. I have to say, the ES300h is by far the best performer. It out accelerates all of these vehicles and is much more luxurious. But then again it costs more as well. What impressed me when I bought my 2013 ES300h back in December 2012 was that for such a large vehicle it could get 40mpg. Well, that's only happened once. When I was stopped in stop and go traffic on the way to work. Under normal conditions, I'm getting around 33-35 mpg. I've read that others are getting much better mileage, but just not sure what they're doing to get it. I've tried everything over the years. It's almost an obsession now to get better mileage. I'm not complaining though. I've racked up a whopping 11K miles in 4+ years. I still think it's one of the best looking hybrid vehicles. And certainly the best "bang for the buck" hybrid out there.

chromedome

If you want to get 50 mpg, you have to drive slow and anticipate traffic conditions. If you want to get 65 mpg, you have to drive even slower Just don't be a moving chicane and give other hybrid drivers a bad name. I find that using the cruise control really helps to keep mpg up even at lower speeds.

The car can also do over 1000 km on a full tank. I tried it once, I didn't feel any aches from sitting down so long but it's still mentally exhausting. A fully optioned model with the full Safety Sense suite and adaptive cruise control would have really helped.

jollick

If you are using gasoline without Ethanol, you will also get better gas mileage that we do in the states.

norakat

I test drive the car and my biggest complaint is the braking. It has regenerative braking so the car is trying to charge your battery during the brake using its kinetic energy. A few times driving at 60mph and braking hard coming off a highway exit, the car kept sliding forward. It was very alarming. I had to press really hard on then take to stop.

Then there is the engine turning on and off, smaller trunk space (compared to ES 350) due to batteries and decreased HP when using then engine at higher speeds.

jollick

I have never experienced any braking issues with my ES300h and have never had to press hard on the pedal to stop from any speed. Also, acceleration has never been an issue. Just my observation. Your mileage may vary.

newyerker

like above poster said, braking is not an issue, but it definitely is different, you just gotta learn it (i dont mean that you need to get used to its bad braking or sliding forward. once you get the feel of how it works, it is no diff from regular cars without regenerative braking)