Quick 2012 ES 350 vs 2013 GS 350 Comparison
#16
Advanced
Thread Starter
Agreed. I had a '13 ES as a loaner. In addition, the seats are flat and don't have enough thigh support and it still wallows around curves in comparison to the GS.
BTW, I bought my GS, and at $60k it is maybe $12k more than a similarly-equipped ES (leather, ML, etc.), and to me that $12k is absolutely worth it.
BTW, I bought my GS, and at $60k it is maybe $12k more than a similarly-equipped ES (leather, ML, etc.), and to me that $12k is absolutely worth it.
I thought the thing was going to through me off the road around a bumpy curve.
#17
Lexus Fanatic
quality of switches is the same as 4runners / tacoma's, not lexus quality (still better than domestics mind you).
Mirror buttons were oddly located on the dash.
Lots and lots of hard plastics (my 89' 4runner feels more luxurious, wing windows et al).
1989 Toyota 4 Runner:
2012 Lexus ES350:
Your 4Runner is nicer? Really?
A good friend has an 09' Genesis 3.8, and it feels cheap to me, nicer than the ES, but not nearly as polished as the GS. I let him take the GS for a ride, his first comments were "my Genesis feels tired."
I'm sure an LS will be quieter, and more torque than the GS, and with more (useless for the most part) creature comforts, i don't believe the gap between ES and GS, vs. GS and LS is nearly as large. I'd enjoy them both, for different purposes.
You can say cars are worth $12k or $20k more until the cows come home. GS is "only $20k more than the ES and its totally worth it", well....LS is only $20k more than the GS. Well...an S Class is only $20k more than an LS. So on and so on. People have to draw the line somewhere. If you're buying a car a $60,000 car is a huge departure from a $42k car, and am $80,000 car is a huge departure from a $60,000 car. If you're financing the difference is $750 a month vs $1,000 a month, vs $1400 a month. Leasing the ES is a $450 lease now. GS is a $650 lease. LS is a $1,000 lease. Thats not a small difference.
I thoroughly enjoyed my 2010 ES. I have thoroughly enjoyed my 2013 GS. I thoroughly enjoyed my my Dad's LS's. Hell, I rode in my old 2003 ES tonight (its still in the family) and at 11 years old and 175,000 miles it rides like a dream.
They're all great cars in their respective groups. I can tell you right now I would be driving a 2013 ES if I was plunking down the cash, or if it was going to be another $200 a month vs the ES. $70? No brainer.
I thought the thing was going to through me off the road around a bumpy curve.
Last edited by SW17LS; 09-17-14 at 08:40 PM.
#18
Advanced
Thread Starter
Ugh...Enterprise cars are always so crappy too...
I find the switches all the same between my 2013 GS and those that were on my 2010 ES.
All Lexus models had mirror buttons located on the dash in that location until the latest round of redesigns. Every Lexus I've had had buttons in that spot.
LMAO...no lol. I've been in a 4 Runner of that generation and you're not being fair. The 2010-2012 ES has some low rent plastics below the wood trim line on the dash, and the console boc below the armrest, but it has padded plastics everywhere else, fully padded doors, even the lower doors. Nice thick padded dash. Felt covered A, B & C pillars. You have to remember its an entry level car...and you also have to remember the one you drove was a 2 year old Enterprise rental.
Of course its not as polished...the GS is $20k more expensive...and the Genesis is 5 years old.
Having owned two LS's and two ES's and a GS...the gap between the LS and the GS is just as large as that between the ES and GS. You obviously haven't driven an LS, but almost every car feels coarse and unrefined after being used to driving an LS...including the GS. You have to compare the cars on an appropriate level. The ES is not a crappy car because its not as nice as the GS, nor is the GS because its not as nice as the LS. The GS is $15-20k more than the ES, and the LS is $15-35k more than the GS.
They're all great cars in their respective groups. I can tell you right now I would be driving a 2013 ES if I was plunking down the cash, or if it was going to be another $200 a month vs the ES. $70? No brainer.
Last edited by GregCanada; 09-17-14 at 08:53 PM.
#19
Lexus Fanatic
LOL okay, maybe i was exaggerating a bit. But the hard plastic dash and door panels look and feel cheap. I guess they match the C250/350 of the generation.
One of my salespeople has a 2012 C300, its very comparable inside, a little nicer...but much smaller.
They are very close to equal priced up here, within a few K. I'm comparing the Genesis to when he first got it. Hyundai only came out with the new model recently.
Cars in Canada are more expensive than here, but the same gaps in pricing still exist.
Obviously I've been in them though.
#20
I was dissatisfied with my 2013 ES350 after owning it for year & half, 10K miles. The front seats broke down, the plastic got louder, the front wheel drive got to me. I took my time and looked at the full line-up....had rule out Mercedes & BMW's (been down that road). The LS is a boat in my opinion, much like a Town Car....The GS had the quality & sporty-ness I was looking for. I'm 73 if age is a factor, so when I'm 93 the LS might appeal to me. It has room for a "Hoveround"
#21
I've had 3 ES's, the last one a 2007 that I traded in for a 2014 GS. The ES has had a lot of advances in technology, engines, transmissions, safety as the models have been refreshed. But in order for the latest edition to maintain the same pricing points as the previous generation some cost saving measures had to be made. I was going to buy a 2014 ultra lux ES. But the interior had too many hard plastic surfaces, blank "plugs" for switches, and most of all an 8 NAV screen in a 12 inch NAV hood area. There was no way I could get in that car every day and look at the plastic fillers on each side of that NAV screen. The ES does just what it was designed to do, be an entry level luxury sedan, and it does it very well.
SW13GS- LOL at that 4runner, I had one of those back in the day and loved it..........
SW13GS- LOL at that 4runner, I had one of those back in the day and loved it..........
#22
I came from a Camry with leather seats to a GS350FSport AWD. Yes they are different as they are different cars with about a $15K+ price difference. Is the GS350 better? Well yes. Is it $15K+ better? Depends on who you ask.
The GS has the better seats, handling and overall performance. The interior is much nicer and OMG that 12.1" screen. Obviously we like our GS but to some it's still just a pricey Toyota.
The GS has the better seats, handling and overall performance. The interior is much nicer and OMG that 12.1" screen. Obviously we like our GS but to some it's still just a pricey Toyota.
Yes.
#23
Lexus Test Driver
If we put BMW or Mercedes emblem on the Lexus it'll change people's perspective.
It's just cause Lexus is made by Toyota and people see it as a cheap, economical car maker.
It's just cause Lexus is made by Toyota and people see it as a cheap, economical car maker.
#25
Advanced
Thread Starter
LOL you couldn't have found a worse pic, here is what it looks like:
Sorry, maybe i just have a hate for hard plastic door cards. The ES interior is just bland with zero "character"
Mine is just a rice rocket
Sorry, maybe i just have a hate for hard plastic door cards. The ES interior is just bland with zero "character"
Mine is just a rice rocket
Last edited by GregCanada; 09-18-14 at 02:10 PM.
#26
I was dissatisfied with my 2013 ES350 after owning it for year & half, 10K miles. The front seats broke down, the plastic got louder, the front wheel drive got to me. I took my time and looked at the full line-up....had rule out Mercedes & BMW's (been down that road). The LS is a boat in my opinion, much like a Town Car....The GS had the quality & sporty-ness I was looking for. I'm 73 if age is a factor, so when I'm 93 the LS might appeal to me. It has room for a "Hoveround"
#28
#29
Lexus Fanatic
The ES has fully padded vinyl door cards. They aren't hard plastic. Yes the interior is bland...its an entry level car designed for 65+ year old non car enthusiasts!
#30
Advanced
Thread Starter
LOL...sorry...these pictures are no better. The 4Runner of that era is just a hard, angular, utilitarian truck. Theres very little quality to be found in the interior of that vehicle, and certainly nothing even approaching luxury. Saying that interior is nicer than that of a 2012 ES350 is just absurd.
The ES has fully padded vinyl door cards. They aren't hard plastic. Yes the interior is bland...its an entry level car designed for 65+ year old non car enthusiasts!
The ES has fully padded vinyl door cards. They aren't hard plastic. Yes the interior is bland...its an entry level car designed for 65+ year old non car enthusiasts!
The only door part that was padded in the ES that I drove, was where your arm touches. everything else was hard plastic. Maybe they are different north of the border? It reminded me of a GM.
I still feel that the GS switches and buttons are made of higher quality and heavier plastic, and that the buttons have a "tactile" feel to them. The ES switches were the same as my tacoma or 4runner. They still feel better than GM, but, you can feel the class distinction.
Last edited by GregCanada; 09-29-14 at 07:10 AM.