+1

Or even a touring ES, with firmer suspension, sporty seats, 18" wheels, and some decent tires.

 

If that's what you want, drive a standard ES350 and see how you like it. The tires and suspension on the ES350 last year were stiffened up noticeably over the old ES330...too much so for my tastes. It's still no Miata or S2000 in ride stiffness, but it is noticeably more stiff than the car it replaces.

(for an accutate evaluation of the ride and handling, make sure you check for the recommended tire pressures on the car you're going to drive.....despite denials to the contrary, this is a BIG dealer screw-up on a lot of cars sitting on the lot.....tires are often grossly overinflated, rarely underinflated).

 

Honestly... the ES is too much of a marshmallow to do anything but confuse itself with a 'sports suspension'. I mean you'd need to completely revise the way the drivetrain acts, too - and I the interior just looks too soft for sports seats to really look right in there.

While Lexus having two entry level luxury sedans (the ES and IS) isn't necessarily the RIGHT or WRONG solution, I do think they should at least use that to their advantage by keeping the ES luxury and the IS sport. No need for any more overlap than there already may be...

 

I'm wondering if they keep the tires over-inflated during transit, to help avoid damage? And then the guys prepping the cars for sale don't ever bother to adjust them. Wouldn't surprise me.

 

I agree with what you're saying. Though I still wouldn't mind having an option for stiffer shocks and sways on the soft ES. There isn't much we can do about the horrible throttle response, and obsession with trying to get into 5th gear as quickly as possible, but keeping the handling more controlled would be a welcome addition. I think there was an option on the previous ES, but good luck finding a model that was equipped as such.

 

You got it.

With the number of cars that I review, I get a LOT of dealerships on this that INSIST to the contrary and end up with red-faced salespeople and managers when I take out my gauge and clearly show them 45-50 PSI tires that are supposed to be 30-32. One dealership offered me a job as new-car-prearation manager right on the spot.

 

I think he said that jokingly The thundercloud & the Diamond Black are pretty classy paints, & I don't think there's really anything wrong with most of the paint colors of the special editions (the tigereye mica is not loved by many though), but I don't like them using the same paint for their special editions that's also available to the regular cars, like the starfire pearl for 2007 & smoky granite mica for the 2008 SC.

 

Yes, but only partly.

I had this gem in mind...

LOL at the exclusivity plug. Be very very girly.

 

Maybe they want to attract women buyers too , nothing wrong with that

 

I honestly wish that more cars used Amethyst.....I know that is one of your favorites as well as mine. Particularly nice-looking, IMO, were the medium purplish-gray that Cadillac used in the early 90's and the more purplish Amethyst that Subaru used on the American-market Impreza from 1993 to 1995....it is still offered on some Subaru models overseas but not here in the U.S. any more.