dxerg3770

All the options are nice. Especially rearview camera and blind spot monitoring. I don't think I can buy another car without rearview camera. Good thing, it is quickly becoming standard in most newer cars.

I can tell you what is NOT a useful option.

Rain sensing wipers.

These rarely work accurately, I find myself adjusting sensitivity every time it rains and its practically useless in snow situation. I would rather have old style interval wipers any day of the week.

Mike728

Odd. Mine work quite well. This is my 2nd vehicle I've had with them, 1st was a 2006 Trailblazer SS. They were sporadic in the TB, but work so well in my ES, that I rarely even think about them. Maybe you have an issue with the sensor on your mirror.

lesz

Likewise. I've now had rain-sensing wipers on several vehicles, including my ES and my GX, and I think that they are a wonderful feature that works quite well.

atoyota

I thought I was the only one. I wasn't going to say anything on this thread since it is kind of anti-topic. I am happy to have the feature, but have yet to "beautiful mind" the logic or basis for how to make it consistent. It seems to be an optical system and the issues I have are more at night and twilight. That being said sometimes the things come on with the slightest of mists and other times they don't come on until the windscreen is almost completely covered and visibility is poor. The speed at which the wipers runs is also a circus sometimes too. Again - I am happy the feature is there and just assumed I hadn't played with it enough to figure it out.

dxerg3770

It works wonderfully when it works. Which is little more than half the time when it actually rains and almost never works in the snow. But considering other optional features work flawlessly 99% of the time, rain sensing wipers have quite a short coming.

roxy208

True, it's not a perfect feature, but living in southeast TX where it rains on & off sometimes for days I like havering the feature so I'm not continually turning the wipers on & off.

Kijug

How I got here: I had a basic '87 Subaru, then '90 Subaru Legacy (one of the first made), then upgraded to "luxury sport sedan" with a 2003 Acura TL. I kept getting more gizmos--I love buttons (and buttons in buttons!) So time for a nice luxury car. So you can see that FWD and a manu-matic were high on my list. The ES UL/ML fit that bill along with all the features.

First: I wanted a quiet car and ML sound. I love it. My wife and enjoy hearing the details of music at 60 (80?) MPH on highways. Next, I've used cruise control for years and all the time--surface streets, highways, rush hour. So having the PCS for me is what I've waited years for. No more manually adjusting things for changing traffic. I guess being able to have my iPhone and a billion songs on a USB stick is also [finally] a fun thing, given I enjoy music.

Second: I enjoy the nicer leather of the UL; I didn't purposely want the power trunk but now I'm spoiled with it; heated steering wheel is actually nice too--don't need to wear gloves. Oh, I like the power steering column. I'm not big but I pull the steering wheel low. My '90 Legacy had a "manual" lever to move the steering column up to get out and you just pulled on it to move it back--very effective and cheap. But now I got a POWER steering column! https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ima...es/biggrin.gif

Third: The Cross Traffic Alerting is WONDERFUL for backing out of parking spaces. The rain sensing wipers work great--kinda weird to suddenly have the wipers go off by themselves during a very light mist (I leave them on). My Acura had the side mirror go down and loved it for backing up; but with a rear view camera on the ES, I use that most of the time now.

Fourth: I use LDA on long road trips, just in case I were to dose off--a safety feature, purely; and the ambient lighting on dark, long highways is nice. The HID and side and rear sunshades are OK, not a big thing for me. The ventilated seats don't do much, IMHO. I've used the navi here and there 'cause I have it. We all have cell phones so that's not a big deal (and cell phone keep up to date!) I use Siri Eyes Free with my iPhone here and there, that's nice, too. I generally like the Remote Touch interface and clicking around.

Great to hear how others like things and use their car! https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ima...ies/tongue.gif

GrumpyDave

On the off chance you weren't aware based on how you worded that, the ES side mirrors can point down while backing up too. You turn it on/off with the mirror adjustment selector.

SLH

I agree the NAV is very poor. And that's being charitable. A $150 Garmin both finds better routes, and comes with map updates. For ten times that price, Toyota/Lexus really should do at least as well. The car _should_ connect to the wifi in my house to download new maps and software updates... Garmin figured that one out two decades ago.

BrazLex

+1

Use a Garmin & Waze.

Waze is changing everything. So, soon, Garmin will either use Waze or become obsolete.

In summary: changing times call for not overspending in navigation.

lesz

While I agree that the navigation system leaves something to be desired compared even to those available on smart phones, I still find utility in having a vehicle with a navigation system. Even though I don't often need to use turn-by-turn directions, what I do find to be very valuable is to have a large and easy to read map screen that is permanently positioned in a location that is easy to view without distracting my eyes from the road.

With all of its shortcomings, the ES screen is located in a spot where it is easy to glance at without even having to turn my head, and the way that it is recessed makes it easy to see even in bright sunlight. So, even if I don't often need directions to my destination, I appreciate being able to conveniently refer to the screen to see what intersections are coming up, how close I am to my destination, etc., and, for that reason, having a built-in navigation system is a feature that I don't want to have to do without.

Even though navigation systems are very much overpriced, they are one of the vehicle options that, at trade-in or resale time, returns the highest percentage of initial cost. If you are trading in a vehicle with a navigation system, the dealership's used car manager is generally more anxious to take in that vehicle because he/she knows that navigation systems are in high demand among used car buyers, and vehicles with navigation systems rarely end up sitting unsold on used car lots for very long. So, considering the return at resale time, I'm more than willing to pay for a navigation system and to have its utility when I buy a new vehicle.

kxaz145

My wife and I couldn't do without the memory function: remembers seat and mirror positions. In Houston, I use the moon roof in the fall and spring. The avoidance systems are OK, but I agree with others that the cross traffic alerts when backing up are super! I used the rear sun shade every day until I had the windows tinted, haven't used it since. The heat/cool seats didn't excite me in the least until I tried them. I was used to electric thermal wire heating in my past car; used it but it was slow to heat up. The electric ceramic heaters come on almost instantly and will burn your butt if not careful. I would not want a car without Nav system any longer and calling for help and then having the operator download the directions saves many input strokes doing it manually. I agree with others on this forum that figuring out how to select satellite/radio stations is a major PITA and I hope there is a firmware upgrade in the future that simplifies the process. BTW, does Lexus do firmware upgrades over the air (cell) or from the dealer only?

JimB

mrBillFL

Power Rear Sunshade $210 (msrp)

Well, its cheap.
and it would provide more rear shade on that huge rear glass, plus it would help at night with bright lights.




the BSM is a must I think. had a few close calls in the beginning.

but with some blind spot mirrors and practice I'm ok now.

http://www.carid.com/k-source/wedge-...FdgBgQodspUAKQ

atoyota

The upgrades come via bluetooth and your phone. There's only been 2 or three since I got my car in July '13.

Arty101

I agree too. I wish Lexus could learn to improve their Nav like the little guys.