imz14u2nv

I participated in the original thread “What do you really like about your 2013 (or 2014) ES” because there are so many things that I like about my 2013 ES 350 Ultra Luxury, I am not new to Lexus as I previously owned the 2007 ES 350 and felt I wanted to get a newer vehicle.

I don’t think you can have one threat without the other and I really feel that both can be useful. If we only state things that are great, you will never get anyone to improve on the things that need to be sorted out. So with that I decided to start this thread, it is not meant to be negative in any way, just a tool to improve on a product that I think is Really Good already.

I will get things started, but first I am going to list the things that I really like again so that you can see that I really like and enjoy this vehicle:

What do you really like about your 2013 (or 2014) ES:
I have an 2013 ES350 Ultra Luxury (Upgraded from a 2007 ES350 Ultra Luxury) and I love how smooth and quiet the car is.
I also love the fact that you never really feel the car shift in normal mode even though it is not a CVT
I also love the sport mode selector as it really changes the eagerness of the car to get up and go (I only use it when I know I am going to have to get a little more aggressive).
I also love the way they made the Mark Levinson Audio more powerful as the one in my 2007 Ultra Luxury was great sounding but would bottom out the sub woofer when pushed hard, the new system handles everything in stride.
I absolutely love the fact that the ES350 runs on regular instead of premium fuel now.
I love the power trunk.
I love how smooth the shift lever feels and sounds compared to my 2007 Ultra Luxury .
I love the way the 2013 looks compared to the 2007.
I love the Blind Spot Monitor (Great feature) and cross-traffic (Really comes in handy).
I love that I can program the Navigation from my Laptop while still in the house doing other things (mostly waiting for the teenager to get ready)
It’s crazy to talk about this car and not mention how well Lexus has done the keyless entry, On most other cars with the exception of some really high end ones like Bentley, you don’t push a button on the handle to unlock the vehicle, you simply grab the handle, the car knows it’s you so why would you need to push a button. Pushing the button makes more sense when locking the car and Lexus even took that to the next level by eliminating the physical button and just having the little indents!!!
The Panoramic Roof is something that I am used to from my previous ES, but I still love it and wouldn’t want to be without it, looks great on this car.
I love the way the Armrest storage area where the usb port and other outlets are is lighted, makes a huge difference when it is dark.
I love the ETA time with Traffic (Based on actual Traffic Conditions) Display (Navigation), I just wish it was life time or not tied to XM Radio (Which I don’t plan on keeping)
I love the heated Steering Wheel, that is so cool….or Hot lol!!


What do you really dislike about your 2013 (or 2014) ES:
This was one thing I noticed and didn’t like the first time I test drove the 2013 ES350, My 2007 had the Sunglass holder in the roof, it is MIA on the new car (What Dumb A__ thought that was a great idea?)
I don’t like that I have had problems with the usb port playing music from flash drives (I have tried several drives of varying brands and capacities, with various file formats).
I don’t like that to get around the above issue I have been using a brand new iPod Classic 160gb and it works almost flawlessly, I say almost because there are two issues that I am having with that also:

1. The iPod has locked up twice since I started using it, someone started a thread on this topic so it is not the iPod.
2. When I receive a phone call, the music is muted but it doesn’t stop playing so when you hang up the call you find that you have missed what you were listening to (There is no question in my mind that this should pause the iPod)

I don’t like that my 2007 Ultra Luxury with Mark Levinson would lower the volume for Navigation voice and would mute audio and even pause the music playing from the 6 disc changer, but my fresh new 2013 Ultra Luxury with Mark Levinson does not.
I don’t like that the heated seats are way too hot on the lowest setting.
I also don’t like that the cooled seats pale in comparison to my 2007 ES350 Ultra Luxury.
I don’t like the fact that my 2007 ES350 Ultra Luxury with Mark Levinson played DVD-Audio Disc and this car will only play 1 out of a collection of many (what a letdown)

Now, I just want say that despite the things that I don’t like, there are so many things to love about the 2013/2014 ES, but we must be able to state the Good along with the Bad, This is still a great vehicle, just not perfect…..Yet!! 

Mike728

There's already a thread for this here ---> LINK (it should include the ES350, though)

That said, what's your issue with playing flash drives?

imz14u2nv

I don’t have a ES300H so I didn’t post there.

lesz

While I liked having the compartment for sunglasses in my previous ES and like having it in my GX, I suspect that the reason why it was eliminated from the current ES was not because of it gave Lexus a cost savings. Instead, my guess would be that it was eliminated because of design issues related to space. With more and more electronics and gadgets being added to vehicles, space around the front area of the headliner where the compartment for sunglasses would have been is at a premium, and having the option for the larger panoramic sunroof makes the space in that area at even a greater premium. Even though I was initially disappointed when I saw that there was no compartment for sunglasses, I got over that disappointment quickly when I saw that the (very large) center console has the removable tray that provides an excellent spot for storing sunglasses and other small objects.

I said, in another thread, that I thought that the heated seats in the ES are the best heated seats that I've experienced in any of my vehicles from Lexus or other manufacturers. What I like, especially, about them is how quickly they start to produce heat, and I suspect that, when temperatures get down to near zero and when I really want to use the heated seats, the extra warmth produced by the seats on the ES won't seem "too hot", and that will especially be true when I'm wearing my heaviest parka and want that heat to penetrate through the parka.

Just like auto manufacturers began to phase out cassette players about 15 years ago, the same is happening with CD decks and changers now. In a few years, I will be surprised if vehicles even have a single disc CD player. Technology moves on. And the upside of the single disc player is that the cartridge that would be needed to hold the discs for a multi-disc player isn't needed and isn't taking up precious space in the glove compartment or the center console or somewhere else in the vehicle. For me, I'd rather have the extra space, instead of having a multi-disc player that I would likely never use.

Sorry to hear that you are having problems with using flash drives.

I know it isn't what you want to hear, but the phrase "first world problems" comes to mind when read your list of issues with the ES design.

Idlefree

Wow it is consistened here people cannot have there oppionon, I guess you shouldn't have an oppinion to (first world problem)
I agree sunglass holder would be great, and yes a 6 disc player would be great, the quality of a CD is greater than an mp3 player. Toyota or Lexus saving money your correct there was more than enough room.

SW17LS

Sorry, but I'm not buying that. I'm in the same boat in my GS, no sunglass holder. Having the console is nowhere near as convenient, the sunglasses aren't protected and they just bang around. The only thing that really infuriates me about my GS is the lack of a sunglass holder. Its just so senseless.

There is obviously no space concern, the overhead console has plenty of room, and the small little SOS button in the center of all that dead space just looks dumb. My 2010 ES has an SOS button, and a panoramic roof (well, mine didn't but it was available) AND a sunglass holder. Its cost cutting, thats the only reason.

This is the 2010 overhead console, as you can see everything fits just fine:



Somehow they can still make it work on the LS, and it has more technology up there behind the mirror than the ES...



Its a small thing, but its something that really does impact you every day. Every day when I dig into the console to find my sunglasses I grumble...there are just so many things I would have rather seen them omit to save a couple bucks than that. I'd rather see no vanity mirrors, as an example.

mspearl95

i agree that a 6 disc changer is really no longer necessary, as cds ARE a dying media format, whether we like it or not. I know some new cars are already starting to come without cd players, and I'm sure this will be widespread within 5 years time. I've used my cd/dvd exactly once since getting the car, and that was only to see what a dvd looked like on the nav screen.

i guess the thing i don't like the most about my ES is how long the transmission takes to find a gear when you floor it.

the dynamic cruse control could be a little quicker reacting as well, as far as recovering after a slow- down.

it really is very hard to find things that I dislike tho. :-)

and I guess I'm in the minority, but I could care less about a sunglass holder.

lesz

I think that the reality is that, as the number of features/gadgets/technology items that could possibly be included in a car increases, the opportunity for people to expand the list of things that they consider essential and the list of things for which they have no use increases. And I would expect wide variation from one potential buyer to another with regard to what is considered to be essential and what is considered to be of no use whatever. For me, I don't consider the loss of the compartment for sunglasses to be an issue. I'm more than happy with keeping items that I would have put there in the center console tray. Others, it would appear, consider the loss of that compartment to be an issue. I know that there are some who would consider a feature like adaptive cruise control to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Others, like me, don't even use old-fashioned (dumb) cruise control. While some are lamenting the loss of a CD changer, others, like me, would prefer to have access to the space that the CD changer would otherwise use up. On the other hand, there are features, such as the blind spot monitor, that I think should be standard, but I'm sure that there are others who feel that they have no use for it.

The bottom line is that auto manufacturers have to make decisions, whether they be based on design, cost, or some other factor, regarding what to include in a vehicle and what to leave out. Regardless of what they do decide to include, I would imagine that the array of included features would perfectly match the list of features that very few potential buyers would have decided to include. Thus, the potential buyer has to look at what is offered by a manufacturer and to decide whether what has been included is a good compromise that meets most of the needs of that buyer. If it does, then, he/she should buy the car. If it doesn't, it is time to move on and to make a decision to buy from a manufacturer whose build choices are better in line with those of that buyer.

SW17LS

I think that overall though they made a mistake omitting the sunglass holder, we see a lot of posts here about it, its brought up in reviews.

I drove an Infiniti QX60 yesterday thinking about options for replacing our Jeep in a year or so. I made a comment about it having a sunglass holder, and the salesman (knowing I have a 2013 GS) said that he hears a lot of complaints about people when they come looking at an Infiniti sedan be it the M or the G or the Q50 who are also looking at the IS, ES or GS about Lexus deletion of the sunglass holder.

jonmanch

I put my sunglasses in their case in the pocket on the driver's door. Not as convenient as a sun glass compartment, but it is easier to get to than in the console.

GES

I put my sunglasses on the flat surface under the navigation screen and to the side. Initially I thought it would block my view of the screen, but not much, I can still see most of the screen. This is better than the center console.

imz14u2nv

So,
What happens when you accelerate hard, do your sunglasses go flying to the back of the vehicle?

I think the only point that I was making is that the sunglass holder was there in my 2007 and I was really shocked when I found out I would not have it if I purchased the newer version of the same vehicle, I don’t think that is unreasonable, just logical thinking.

If people are placing their sunglasses in the tray in the center console I could just picture them falling out of the tray and being difficult to get out of the large space with taking your eyes off the road.

imz14u2nv

Wow, I’m really surprised to hear that, I use my cruise control all the time, you are correct when you say everyone has different uses.

As far as your comment about the Six Disc Changer taking up space, in my 2007 ES350 Ultra Luxury with Mark Levinson Audio, the unit had a Six Disc In Dash Unit, No separate physical changer taking up space that could be used for anything else.

I think the only point that I was making is that the sunglass holder was there in my 2007 and I was really shocked when I found out I would not have it if I purchased the newer version of the same vehicle, I don’t think that is unreasonable, just logical thinking.

To suggest that we should look to another manufacturer because one expected a newer version of a vehicle that they previously owned to have feature of the previous model plus more is a little extreme don’t you think?

The rearview mirror use to have the digital compass, that was removed also. Of course there was a compass in the Navigation screen, but it is logical to expect it to be there on the newer vehicle because it was there before, and we got used to having it.

I drive a Lexus and I think it is a great vehicle, I also think that like anything else, there is room for improvement and sometimes product manufacturers get it wrong for many different reasons. Bottom line is I think Lexus can handle themselves, the don’t need anyone to defend them unless they are on the Payroll.

mikeys350

I just took our new '14 es350 to San Francisco for the weekend and spent a lot of time getting familiar with the entire car since we just bought it a week ago. The one thing I wish I had gotten is the one touch trunk option. Every time I open the trunk it goes flying up and I feel like it's going to go crashing into the rear window. Other than that I didn't see anything I disliked a lot about the car. I really like the BSM and Parking assist on the car also. I'm more of a muscle car type of guy so there are a lot of things performance wise I would like, but for the type of car it is and the style of driver my wife is, it fits our needs well.

SW17LS

I am surprised by how much I like this feature actually...driving a car without it now feels awkward...