So I've finally decided on what car I'm going to have for the foreseeable future. If I have my way, this means the next 10-15 years as far as being my daily.

2010-2012 ES 350.

Lately I thought more about a 3rd gen GS. I drove a couple hours today to look at one and I didn't care for it. As far as I'm concerned, the interior of the 2011 ES I saw last month is better than the inside of this 2009 I saw today of the GS. I know some on here will say the GS is nicer inside but I disagree. I think that's a biased mind speaking. Also not fond of the screen but some of you know how I feel about that lol. Several other reasons I have that brought me back over to the ES.

I think it suits my driving style more too. I drive tons of miles a year so I would just love to have a super smooth cruising car that doesn't make me want to drive like a maniac. I have a feeling that's what I'd want to do with the GS. The Camry I had for 10 years was a great highway car so this would be a nice upgrade.

One more thing... I do know there was a problem with the dash of the 5th gen ES but even if it does become a problem, I would be fine shelling out the money for a replacement.

 

Although it was not a major redesign of the basic platform introduced in 2007, substantial interior upgrades were done to the 2010 ES, in response to the general cheapening that was done from the (superb) 4Gen to the 5Gen redesign for 2007. There were customer complaints on the 2007-2009 models until the mid-cycle 2010 freshening.

 

The 2009 I saw was a GS, not an ES.

Everyone on this site and on the internet in general raves about how a GS is a "real Lexus" and a better interior and all that. Like I said, I didn't get that vibe. The GS had its face-lift for 2008 also, so if that's the best they came up with then I wasn't very thrilled by it compared to the ES I saw last month.

 

‘What colour combo are thinking of choosing?

 

I love the black interior with white leather. I don't want a white exterior but I'd be fine with anything else because Lexus has such nice paint. Red would be amazing.

 

This was from the 2011 ES I saw last month. It was white exterior with 97k miles. Very, very clean inside and out but I know I can find one with half the mileage in the next month or so.

 

What others (or even you now) think of the GS isn't relevant because you've decided you're getting an ES. The ES is definitely a 'real lexus' and probably the MOST 'real lexus' because they've sold more ES than any other sedan by miles.

good luck.

 

Thanks, yeah I don't get it. I just think some people favor the GS over the ES because it's a "drivers car" has RWD, can have a V8, all that stuff.

It may use the same engine and chassis but that's pretty much where the similarities end.

 

This gen I never liked this gen when it came out. But now over the years. I think it had aged very well. Love the interior colour there

 

I agree, I think it's very sleek and well designed. I remember when the 2007 coming out and having all these issues. Glad that they fixed them all by 2011. I suppose some 11 and 12's have dash problems but probably far fewer than earlier in the gen.

 

having driven those exact two models for long periods (ES and GS), i can attest to the comfort the ES has over the GS; dare i say the ES is even smoother than the GS.
don't get me wrong, i love and owned many RWD lexus vehicles (still miss my LS) but the ES surprised me. it's a great choice!

btw, the 'real lexus' debate can stem from place of orgin of which i believe the ES is made stateside and the GS is from japan. conclude from that what you will but as long as you're happy it doesn't matter what anyone thinks.

 

Very wise choice. The ES you are considering ranks very high compared to all other cars and will last forever with minimal fuss.
I do not recall any white leather option on any ES. It should be tan or parchment.
The melting dash was an unspoken recall over a certain period of time. The owner of the car at the time it was eligible should have/could have taken care of the replacement. If not, maybe your dealer would still honor it if you asked. I know a few who got it done after the campaign wrapped up.

 

The generation ES in this thread was the last gen ES that was exclusively made in Japan. New model year ES are as well, but you have to select the Japan made model or else it might be a US mode.

 

Put both cars on a lift.
Also study the powertrain components- engine / trans.
The GS engineering is on a totally different level.

The 3rd gen GS had a lot of cost cutting on interior materials.
The 4th gen was MUCH better in that regard.

The ES might be a better car for you but objectively the GS is built to a much higher level.

 

What about the interior of the 3GS was cost cut? Aside from some creakiness in some of the plastics, it seems to be very high quality. Most interior surfaces are padded and soft touch, I did look at some used 4GS's and they are very nice much better than the 3GS in most areas, but I did notice that the door handles are silver painted plastic VS the chrome ones on my 2010. And some were peeling off. eek! Another thing I don't like about the 4GS I cant rest my elbow on the door armrest it kept sliding off. Not comfortable. I am also very pleased the GS doesn't suffer from the melting dash problem that affects seemingly every Lexus model from this time period (Thanks Lexus for replacing my RX dashboard!).

In Feb. I got a 2010 GS 350 and I love it. My only complaints are the Interior is VERY tight for such a large car particularly headroom. (4GS much better in this regard) And the sunroof rattles on every road surface, Still need to try to figure that one out. I didn't even consider the ES. Although I do like the 2010-2012 ES. I did not want another FWD Lexus after having an RX for 6 years. Also 303 hp VS 270 for the ES. The GS drives and rides so much better than my 2007 RX which is too bouncy and even crashy on rough Memphis roads. And it is quieter too. Handles much better, although it does have a heavy luxury car feel to it, so it doesn't like to be hustled too hard.

I Initially wanted a 2013- 2015 GS with Luxury pkg. But I decided to save some money and get a clean 2010-2011 with the Gen 6 Nav system. I have always loved the styling and the gauges of the 3GS since I was in middle school and I wanted to get a chance to own one. I do plan on upgrading to 2016-2020 In a few years even though I don't care for the styling to get more modern technology and a roomier Interior. But I am very sad that there is no 5GS as I would have loved that. The ES as nice as it is just doesn't do it for me. It is severely handicaped by its powertrain choices.