"A Bit Louder & Stiffer Than the Previous ES"
12-01-14, 11:38 AM
#61
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Fl
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Having never driven any Lexus sedan prior to buying our Es this weekend we are thrilled with the firmer ride. We came from a lowered, stiff, loud, and tiny 2009 wrx. Needing a bigger car we were dreading the comfortable ride during the test drive. However we we're surprised by the ride and felt it was a little more planted and harsh which was a good thing for us. Granted we are early 30's coming from a little sports sedan but if it wasn't for the way it rode we wouldn't have bought one.
12-01-14, 10:23 PM
#62
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Salvation awaits those of us (like me and you) that want the soft, quiet ride that the ES's used to have (2012 and earlier model years). You won't believe the nameplate of the car that now rides like the 2012 and earlier year ES350's: It's called the 2015 Hyundai Sonata. !!! Rent one (Hertz and others have them) and you'll be amazed at how even the base $20,000 2015 Sonata smothers the road bumps and is almost eerily quiet at freeway speeds. Road noise on coarse road surfaces is pretty well muted too. The 2011-14 Sonatas were nothing special at all, but the all new 2015 model is a major advancement in refinement and isolation.
12-01-14, 10:38 PM
#64
Lexus Fanatic
I'd buy a Genesis long before I bought a Sonata. They ride great.
12-02-14, 04:21 PM
#65
Lexus Champion
Salvation awaits those of us (like me and you) that want the soft, quiet ride that the ES's used to have (2012 and earlier model years). You won't believe the nameplate of the car that now rides like the 2012 and earlier year ES350's: It's called the 2015 Hyundai Sonata. !!! Rent one (Hertz and others have them) and you'll be amazed at how even the base $20,000 2015 Sonata smothers the road bumps and is almost eerily quiet at freeway speeds. Road noise on coarse road surfaces is pretty well muted too. The 2011-14 Sonatas were nothing special at all, but the all new 2015 model is a major advancement in refinement and isolation.
12-08-14, 10:34 AM
#66
Salvation awaits those of us (like me and you) that want the soft, quiet ride that the ES's used to have (2012 and earlier model years). You won't believe the nameplate of the car that now rides like the 2012 and earlier year ES350's: It's called the 2015 Hyundai Sonata. !!! Rent one (Hertz and others have them) and you'll be amazed at how even the base $20,000 2015 Sonata smothers the road bumps and is almost eerily quiet at freeway speeds. Road noise on coarse road surfaces is pretty well muted too. The 2011-14 Sonatas were nothing special at all, but the all new 2015 model is a major advancement in refinement and isolation.
12-08-14, 10:36 AM
#67
12-08-14, 10:57 AM
#68
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?
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?
Many people believe that high mile drivers should not lease. I go the other way and believe it can make more sense to lease as you drive more. The reason is the depreciation. The leasing company carries that exposure when I lease rather than me. But let's do the math, I might be wrong: The leasing company says my car is worth $24,400 after 27 months and 23,000 miles per year. The purchase price was $41,000 for a net depreciation of $16,600 and total lease payments of $17,550. If I buy it on a 5 year note using your $716 payment, I would have paId a total of $19,332 leaving me a loan balance $21,668. This would leave me with positive equity based on the $24,400 lease buy out figure so you could be right about buying. Regarding tires, you may be right here as well. Sometimes I can get away without replacing them if I rotate them often and they are good Michelin tires. I can also buy used take offs just before lease turn in as well.
All good food for thought. I just wish I had done the deal on the 2015 Sonata, it really did have an incredible ride.
12-08-14, 03:32 PM
#69
Lexus Fanatic
12-31-14, 09:07 PM
#71
Intermediate
Thread Starter
The past week I did alot of test driving: Two base model 2015 ES350's, two base model Avalons, a Camry XLE V6, a Genesis and a Sonata. I thought the two ES350's were the smoothest and quietest riding and had the best interior acoustics (easiest to carry on a conversation at freeway speeds). The Avalon's ride motions were noticably stiffer and more abrupt over pavement imperfections and engine noise penetration into the cabin was a bit louder. The Camry XLE V6 was noisier than the Avalon and way noisier than the ES350's so I immediately crossed it off my shopping list. The ride of the Genesis seemed a bit busier than the ES350 on pavement imperfections probably due to its wide 18" wheels and 45 series tires. Overall, I came away sold on the comfort, isolation and feeling of refinement of the ES350...its ride was not excessively stiff as I had feared it might be. The ES350's and Avalons I test drove all had Bridgestone 17" EL400 tires.
01-24-15, 02:38 PM
#72
Well, I am extremely happy to say goodbye to my 3 month old 2014 ES. I have a person who will be taking over the lease and I could not be happier. I'm moving on to a 2015 Impala LTZ and can't wait. The ride is much more absorbent/comfortable and road noise is very hushed. The seats are just, if not more, comfortable and the controls are very easy to use unlike the tedious navigation, climate, radio controls on the LCD screen on the ES. I also get 10GB of mobile hotspot data for $10 a month, remote start (both from keyfob and phone app) that the ES does not provide. Oh yes, I almost forgot - it's less money to boot. I'm 55 years old and I want comfort - not sporty. I'm in sales and drive all day long and the Lexus was just too rough around the edges for me. Consumer Reports said they wanted to target a younger car buyer with the recent changes but also risked alienating their main customer base which is people like me.
Thanks for everyone's input and good luck to you all.
Thanks for everyone's input and good luck to you all.
01-24-15, 02:47 PM
#73
Well, I am extremely happy to say goodbye to my 3 month old 2014 ES. I have a person who will be taking over the lease and I could not be happier. I'm moving on to a 2015 Impala LTZ and can't wait. The ride is much more absorbent/comfortable and road noise is very hushed. The seats are just, if not more, comfortable and the controls are very easy to use unlike the tedious navigation, climate, radio controls on the LCD screen on the ES. I also get 10GB of mobile hotspot data for $10 a month, remote start (both from keyfob and phone app) that the ES does not provide. Oh yes, I almost forgot - it's less money to boot. I'm 55 years old and I want comfort - not sporty. I'm in sales and drive all day long and the Lexus was just too rough around the edges for me. Consumer Reports said they wanted to target a younger car buyer with the recent changes but also risked alienating their main customer base which is people like me.
Thanks for everyone's input and good luck to you all.
Thanks for everyone's input and good luck to you all.
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