Hey guys, before anyone jumps down my throat, please know I am not a gear head by any stretch of the imagination, so I hope you can answer a question for me. Just bought a brand new ES 350... still at the dealership, will pick it up this weekend.. I am trading in a 2007 Avalon. My question is, is the motor in the avalon and the lexus es 350 the same? I ask for a couple of reasons... first the paper work that came with my avalon said it's a 3.5 L fuel injected V6. The sticker on my Lexus says its a 3.5L 4 cam 24 valve v6. Another reason I ask is if they're the same, why does the owners manual on my avalon recommend premium fuel, where as the manual on my new lexus says use regular. If they're the same wouldn't they both require the same octane fuel? Is the engine in the Lexus fuel injected? Could it be that the two motors are "tuned" differently.... I just want to know what's the correct grade of fuel to use when I pick up my new car this weekend... also, does Lexus recommend any particular "brand" like Chevron or Shell... again, just curious... thanks for the help people, I appreciate it..

Roland
aka: Cooper's ( my grandson ) Poppa

 

Your new ES only requires regular. Enjoy the $aving$! While the engines may be similar, they are not the same - a lot has changed in 7 years!

 

I traded a 2006 Avalon on the new Lexus. I had it for 7 years and used regular fuel from day one. The engine in the Lexus is virtually identical to the Avalon. The horsepower rating is the same, each had 4 valves per cylinder, and they even use the same oil filter. Recommended oil for the Avalon was dino, for the Lexus, synthetic to increase mileage and change intervals. Not sure, but I think this is the engine used in the V6 Camry.

Elliot is correct in informing you that regular may be used in the Lexus so enjoy the car and enjoy saving some bucks...

 

My understanding of the fuel requirements (for modern engines) is that for engines that require premium, FE can suffer a bit if you use regular. I have a vehicle that requires premium and have never checked to see if there was a difference, I just pay the premium for premium. Who knows???

 

yep same engine, both have an engine designation of 2GR-FE.