SW17LS

Just thought I'd report in. As many of you know I've been a pretty vocal critic of some of the decisions Lexus made when selecting materials for the 6ES interior, and that was the main reason why I upgraded to the GS after having owned two ES's.

I haven't driven a 6ES since I got the GS nearly 2 years ago, and today I was given one as a loaner (I usually request an IS or RX or whatever because I drove the ES for so many years). I just thought that I would give my thoughts. Still really unhappy with a lot of interior materials, but thats a dead horse.

I gotta say, the ES is still a great car to drive. Very comfortable, seats are great, very quiet. Engine note and feel is quieter and more refined feeling than the GS, by design since the GS has the intake sound generator, but I appreciate the refined sewing machine like feel of the ES' powerplant. ES has a MUCH better back seat. The GS is a more refined car overall, body movements are a little more solid. Little quieter maybe at speed...but I could go back to driving an ES no problem after having become accustomed to the GS...

Things from the GS I really miss in it:

1. The big 12" screen
2. The RWD feel and upright, non cab forward layout (in the GS you look out over the hood and the haunches over the front wheels, while in the ES you can't really see the hood which is typical in cab forward FWD sedans)
3. The aforementioned better interior quality and fit and finish in the GS.

Like I've said, I'm happy to pay $70 more a month than an ES to drive my GS, but if I were buying...I don't know about plunking down an extra 20 G's.

Just thought I would share. This unit is a starfire pearl/parchment luxury/nav model car (not a UL) with 978 miles on the clock.

Fillykonk

Thanks for your insight! I bought my first Lexus in August after owning Acura for my last 4 leases. I test-drove both ES and GS and really liked the latter but the extra $60/month was more than I wanted to pay. I ended up with an ES (Starfire/Black, Luxury, Nav, Blind Spot, Intuit Parking, ILL Door Sills, Rear Sunshade) and am very happy with my choice. That being said though I don't blame you for going the GS route - it's a fine automobile.

SW17LS

Drove it to work this morning. I really don't see where people who complain about the ride are coming from, it rides great.

LexRuger

Yea both cars have their pros and cons. But after owning 2 FWD cars, I'll probably be sticking with RWD or AWD from now on.

SW17LS

Oh no question I prefer RWD...

OceanView

Thanks for your review.
Which car is easier to work on for the person who prefers to DIY ?
I've always felt the ES was easier but I'm not sure about the newer models.

SW17LS

Theres really no difference insofar as being easy to work on.

jbm79

So, if you were BUYING the vehicle, would you think that the premium of the GS over the ES is justified?

Just my opinion: The price difference between the GS and the GX is not that substantial, and the GX seems like a more substantial vehicle. I have never driven a GS, but I have driven a loaner GX, and I can't see how a GS can trump that experience. I'm not bashing the GS, as I'm sure it is a great car. I am just curious if the extra $$$ is worth it. What are your thoughts?

SW17LS

I don't know. Got the GS back today and immediately loved it again.

If I were going to buy an ES, I would buy a fully loaded UL one, which is going to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $48k or so. The sticker on my GS was just under $60k, today the same car is about $60k. So, theres a $12,000 difference. If you're financing for 5 years @ 1.9% that $12k is $209 a month...which ain't nothing. But, you can negotiate a much better deal on a GS, which probably brings the difference down to the $9-10k or so range.

I owned two ES's before the GS, and while I Iiked them both, neither of them felt like "keepers". I kept the 03 for 7 years mainly because at that time in my life I appreciated having a car that was paid for, not because I didn't see other cars I wanted. By 2 years in on the 2010 ES I was actively looking for a replacement. The GS however feels like a keeper to me, I think I could drive it for 5+ years and be happy. In that sense if I were buying I might still get the GS..

As for the GS vs the GX, they're just entirely different cars. I've driven several GX's, and while the GX is a great SUV I would never trade my GS for one. What you find so appealing about it is its substantialness, thats something that you don't have in the ES and you do in the more expensive Lexus models, including the GS. Things like the gearshift, steering, doors and such all just feel much more substantial, and the vehicle feels much more solid on the road. I personally dislike some interior materials in the GX vs the GS, but as an SUV similarly priced its going to have more cost cutting. Once you get used to that, its very hard to go back to the ES. Immediately when I pulled the ES out of the dealers lot I felt how light and plasticky the gearshift felt as it moved through the shifter, the turn signals and such are just ordinary units instead of the click-back-to-center units in the GS and other models.

chromedome

I'm struggling to see the point of this thread, especially as the OP already had a lot of complaints about the ES (cheap plastics? not a handling bone in its body?) before switching to a GS.

Now the OP comes back to complain about the same niggles on the ES and says the GS is a much better deal, especially on finance. I don't think I see ES owners trashing the GS on that car's subforum.

Look, the ES isn't perfect, Toyota cut plenty of corners on it but my car's hybrid powertrain puts a big smile on my face during my morning commute. That's good enough for me.

SW17LS

I'm not trashing the ES at all...in fact the point of this thread was to express how much I still liked the ES loaner after having been used to a more expensive model Lexus for the past two years. Its a positive thread, not a negative thread. In fact...I think I said if I were buying and not leasing I don't know that I would purchase the GS over the ES.

I do have complaints about the ES, but if the interior niggles I have were addressed I could see myself going back to an ES. The ES is an enjoyable car for the money, especially if one can lease one for less than $450 a month which seems doable right now.

atoyota

Sounds like the OP is just continuing to try to justify his GS purchase to himself rather than provide any meaningful info to the ES owners There is no useful or meaningful info to an ES owner in this thread..

GregCanada

He may be posting it for people that are cross shopping the ES vs GS. I tried an ES as a loaner and had similar views. I would only buy the ES in hybrid form because of the superior gas mileage.

LexBob2

It might be because I don't currently have an ES, but I thought it was interesting reading from someone familiar with both cars.

SW17LS

Thank you. The point of what I posted was to express my surprise that after having not driven the ES for two years, and being used to a more expensive model that I still was very impressed with the ES...like I said...its a positive thread. Why people are reacting to it in this way I don't understand.

Obviously you didn't read what I posted. If anything...my post struggles to justify purchasing the GS over the ES. So you can better comprehend, quotes from it:

If this is me "justifying my selection of the GS over the ES" I'm doing a pretty poor job of it

Don't be so sensitive.