jgcec

What is better about the ride in a 350 compared to a 330?I am considering buying an ES 330.
I used to lease a 2010 350, and absolutely loved it.

How does a 330 ride compared to a 350?
What was changed in the 350, to make it better?
I have only done one test drive at a Lexus dealer of a 2006 330 a few days ago,
and the ride was floaty and the acceleration was not as smooth as the ES 350.
It was not as good as the 2010 350 that I leased a few years ago.

I did 2 test drives of a 350 recently, a 08 and 07, and in both cases it was exactly how I remember my 2010 es,
very solid, smooth, quiet ride with no imperfections to what I would say is a flawless experience.

How would a 330 compare to that assuming it is in excellent condition?
What would be the differences?

ES300TX

I am not sure about the ride as I have never driven a 350, but I do have a 300.

I enjoy the ride immensely. The other things I like about my car is the simplicity of operation and the outward visibility that the car offers.

I was also told that the 300 is extremely reliable as it is the Japanese built model. I would be okay with an American built car as well as the Camrys have been built in Georgetown KY since 1990. There is no evidence to suggest that the cars would be anything less than stellar in reliability.

I would bet that the ES330 would be a bit softer in handling and ride than the 350. In addition, the ES350 is quite a bit more powerful, having north of 270 HP versus 220 in the 330.

Since purchase price was the most important consideration, I had to purchase the 300.

My only beef is that I cannot seem to find anyone interested in tuning the suspension on the 300.

The car could use thicker sway bars and tighter springs, as the ride is slightly floaty.

In dynamic cornering on exit ramps, you have to tame your speed quite a bit compared with say, a BMW 320 or even a Subaru Legacy (which is what I used to own).

The only viable option other than lowering springs from a camry is to install a thicker Camry rear sway bar. While that may flatten cornering somewhat, it will increase understeer, so I would be cautious.

I have told Whiteline that I would donate my car for research on establishing a good tuning package for potential customers.

Since many ES owners are now the kids and grandkids of the former owners, I can only imagine that there might be a small market for a sleeper suspension setup.

I know I want one... bad.

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speedkar9

I used to have an ES330 and have driven a few ES350's before settling on my GS350.

The ES330 does have a floaty ride, with little steering feedback and a lot of body roll in corners. The ES350 is much more isolated and quieter than the ES330, which is already a fairly quiet car. You feel even more disconnected from the road with its super smooth electrically assisted steering compared to the hydraulic steering of the ES330.

The ES330's engine is rather coarse, especially compared to the 3.0L unit in older versions. Peak torque is lower than the ES350 at 3600RPM, where it pulls pretty nice on the highway and has some torque steer. The ES350 peaks much higher past 5000RPM, has has a lot of torque steer, so make sure you hold onto that steering wheel.

The driving position and body style of the ES350 make it much harder to see out of than the ES330, since you sit quite low, and the dashboard and window sills are higher up.

Material quality in the ES350 is not up to the quality of the ES330's interior, which in my opinion had the best quality interior of all Lexus ES to date. You can definitely tell there was some cost cutting going on with the newer model, this fact alone drove me towards the GS350 instead of the ES350 when I was upgrading.

The worse part of the ES330 is the throttle and transmission lag, which has been discussed at length here on the forums. It's most noticeable in stop and go traffic and is the primary reason I got rid of my ES330. The ES350's transmission is much smoother, and has an extra gear for better fuel economy.

In terms of reliability, the ES330 would have the slight edge here, as long as the timing belt has been changed. The ES350 had a few first year model quirks, which included transmission flare, ignition coils and failed water pumps.

My suggestion would be to look for a 2008-2009 or newer model and stay away from the 2007. You can also cross shop the Toyota Avalon which shares the same drivetrain as the ES350.

jgcec

I have read that the lag is the reason people sold the car.
Does the 300 have it?
Do you only notice the lag in stop and go driving?
Should I consider a 300 instead?

In terms of reliability, the ES330 would have the slight edge here, as long as the timing belt has been changed. The ES350 had a few first year model quirks, which included transmission flare, ignition coils and failed water pumps.
What is more reliable on the 330 than the 350?

My 2010 ES350 that I leased for 2 years and put only 30,000 miles on it was flawless, no problems of any kind,
other than slight wind noise in drivers window that was fixed.

My suggestion would be to look for a 2008-2009 or newer model and stay away from the 2007. You can also cross shop the Toyota Avalon which shares the same drivetrain as the ES350.
Yes I have been looking at 2008-09, because of the problems with the 07s.
2009 is the best on consumer reports, better than 2010 for problems.