Hello!

Does the ES330 perform well in the snow?

I have a chance to own a 2004 ES330 FWD. The vehicle is in great condition. My sole concern is the snow performance. Previously I have only driven AWD SUVs. I live in New York and occasionally go to Mount Snow in Vermont. New York winters aren't the worst but a few times per season the snow could get bad. Also, in Vermont I just drive to a cottage I rent and from there to the mountain.

Would ES330 be sufficient for my uses? Again, I have no experience with FWD cars only AWD SUVs.

Thank you

 

Welcome to Club Lexus!

Does the ES you are looking at have VSC?

The ES performs as well as any FWD car in the snow.

I'd invest in a set of snow tires if I were you.

 

I had a 2003 ES300, basically the same car. It was quite good in the snow and mine did not even have VSC.

If you are going to be traveling in areas where you might be traveling in real snow I would get snow tires, but I had driven the ES in 6-7 inches of fresh snow on all seasons and it was just fine.

 

Michelin Artic Alpins and you are all set.

Buy the car.

 

Thanks for the welcome, advice and tire recommendation! I don't believe that this ES has the VSC but I'll double check.

I currently lease 2013 RX350. I got married recently. My wife owns a 2004 ES with 65K on it. She wont sell it. She wants to get rid of the leased RX as the ES is all paid off.

Prior to deciding, I want to know what I am getting vs. what I am giving up. Getting used to a FWD sedan is an adjustment. Less cargo space and poor snow performance were my main concerns.

 

The other question is how easy is it to get rid of the leased RX? I wouldn't loose any money on that...

The RX is not a *great* snow vehicle, even in AWD. It certainly will get you around in a snowstorm, but its not a Jeep or Land Rover for instance.

I had the 2003 ES for a year when we only had one car, we took it on LOTS of trips loaded up for 2 or 3 people. Several times we had it loaded for 3 adults, a dog and a cat with enough luggage for two weeks at the beach. No problem.

Now that I have an SUV again in the household, I'm a fan of having one in the family for trips. It is much easier to load, you have the flexibility of loading the cargo area all the way to the roof if you want to, you have the flexibility of putting stuff on the top in a carrier if you want to. When traveling to places where you may have snow. bad weather, rutted roads, gravel roads, etc it gives you a much higher level of confidence.

You're going to be giving up that level of confidence, that extra cargo capacity (but like I said, the ES has a good trunk), and the technology of the new car vs the old car. Assuming it has Nav, the nav in the old car is clunky and outdated compared to the new ones. Technology the new one has a number of nice features you won't find in the old one, push button start, enform, bluetooth phone & audio streaming, parking assist, backup camera, etc.

Personally I like driving a sedan every day and then having my SUV to take on trips and drive on weekends. The RX is a pretty good combination vehicle, offering much of the comfort of the sedan with a lot of the attributes of the SUV...if you're used to that its going to be hard to go back.

 

I am not at all happy with how my '05 does in the snow, but I am sure some of that is due to it not having traction control, and I don't have dedicated snow tires. I had both in my previous ES, and it was much better. I just have Michelin Primacys on my car now, and although they are great in rain and nice and quiet on dry roads, they have not been good in the snow. Unfortunately, the Blizzaks I had for my last car were on 15" steel rims, and they wouldn't fit on this car, they rubbed on the brake calipers. I really should find a set of 16" or 17" rims on craigslist and get another set of Blizzaks.

OTOH, our Highlander, with TC and VSC, is amazing in the snow. I also have Michelins on that car (can't remember the model), and that car will go everywhere. I remember a sudden storm last year while we were at a church function, there was about a foot of unplowed snow on the parking lot when we were leaving. Nobody else could get out, we were actually using the Highlander to pull other 2WD (mostly FWD) cars out of the drifts.

 

And this is why you see so many over-confident SUV drivers in the ditch during a snow-storm. AWD only helps with forward traction.

I'm in the same boat as you, my ES330 sucks in the snow. I don't have traction/stability control either, it makes for white knuckle driving. The Michelin tires are nice and quiet on dry pavement, but when it gets wet or snowy, they loose traction fast.

 

Wouldn't traction problems while driving be solved by slowing down and then driving at an even rate? I am more concerned about getting stuck in the snow and not being able to get out.

 

Its not just the AWD. Its the ground clearance and the ability to negotiate multiple types of roads/trails. I know when I take my Jeep on a trip I can go anywhere. If I'm somewhere in the summer where I may have to get to a cabin or something with rutted unpaved roads, I can get there. If its the winter and I may be traveling somewhere that weather may be unpredictable, I know in any sort of weather I can get there, get around, and get home. Thats an extraordinary amount of peace of mind vs traveling in a sedan.

My GS is AWD, and I would be able to get around in more weather than when I had the ES but the rest of that package isn't there. I'm going to be worried about roads getting to a cabin, worried about weather when up north or skiing, etc. The Jeep removes that worry. The RX is less capable than the Jeep, but its capable enough for 99% of what a normal person would do.

If the OP is used to that security he will miss it.

 

I am definetly used to a sence of security (whether false or not) that my RX and my Murano before it provided. I had a chance to drive the ES. It is super smooth and is very easy to drive. It is a great road car but I don't feel like I can use it to get through anything. I am still on the fence about just having the ES, keeping the RX or maybe keeping the ES, getting rid of the RX, and getting a cheaper SUV like the new Rouge. However, financially, just having the ES would be the smartest idea as it is paid off and is sufficient for 80% of my uses.