According to Consumer Reports Magazine (April 2007 issue) surveys of actual ES350 owners. CR also notes in its evaluation of the 2007 ES350: "reliability of the redesign has been impressive". Traditionally, CR owner surveys like this have been considered the most objective and accurate measures of vehicle reliability available.

 

I like that paint\trim (door trim....) and body integrity (missing welds....) also rank very highly. In fact it all ranks the highest, yet customer satisfaction is not the highest ranking.

Anyway I agree that the car is highly reliable. Yes the trans design has issues and I think it sucks. Yes there are many other problems with the car but none of it really affects reliability. As long as its still running and doesn't physically breakdown it will probably get top marks here as its a reliability rating.

 

on another note, why is the IS350 all the way down there...

and what the hell are those asterisks next to the vehicle names?

I think it was mentioned before.... the * means that all data is not in yet, and that the ratings are predicted based on the 2006 model or some crap.

 

It indicates prediction on both pages rather than actual owner data, lower left above the word luxury, lower right and upper right under report card. The shopkeeper up the street pointed that out to me the other day.

 

Has anybody actually got CR survey in the mail? I only had survey from some "Strategic Vision" company and directly from Lexus (on-line survey) which I received both a month after purchase where naturally I marked everything high before my flares started. I wonder if CR taps into that Strategic Vision database? On contrary, my GS350 Strategic Vision survey came just yesterday, 4 1/2 month after I got the car. This is a better time interval which can really let you experience the car to have a more objective opinion.

Another question, does CR do a follow up to go back and see, for example, a year later how their predictions worked out?

 

Yes, I have received the survey many times. I am a subscriber. I believe the data is used for their annual auto addition. It is very detailed.

 

ES350 rank the highest in reliability? You gotta be kidding!! I did a simple search and look at how many people are upset with the ES. Whatever the consumer reports write is pure BULL****!! http://autos.yahoo.com/lexus_es_350-...art=1&show=atl

 

I did not have in my posession our ES350 when the Consumer Reports questionnaire came. It will be a different story April 2008.

 

What a bunch of whiners on Yahoo.....Geez....

 

Whiners? I should have posted the links in the CL forum. oh wait, just look at the first page of the forum

 

ES, I was saying that sarcastically. I am with you, my friend.

 

That's not even close to the truth bud....it's hard for me to comment on the current ES's problems, however it's common knowledge that the majority of people posting on the types of sites that you scoured for negative feedback, are doing so out of frustration, and with the belief that it will truly affect someone elses purchase decision. Think about it, If someone loves their car, there's no need to go post about it all over the net is there? On the other hand, if you've had nothing but problems, you are clearly going to be upset, and would like nothing more than to take something back from the manufacturer (so to speak). With that in mind, the internet is the most easily accessed means of doing so....so it should be pretty damn clear as to why you came up with all of those negative reviews.

The CR's are the most relied on product studies in the industry (typically affecting roughly 40% of car buyers), and I'm sure they didn't they didn't gain this reputation by publishing a bunch of crap. Everyone knows that Lexus builds some of the most reliable cars in the world, and I have no doubt that the ES 350 will live up to these standards as well.

 

ES350 scores as high as the Honda Accord in Customer Satisfaction in Yahoo Auto's survey

 

I believe if you should read the actual written reviews you will see where when you do not have major items like transmission, engine knocking tapping, other, the focus is, and resultant overal tally is, then based on lesser issues. I personally read them several weeks ago.

Those Honda folks are some hard task masters, brutal even....LOL.... e.g., viewing not quite getting EPA mileage rating as a huge deal.

 

FWIW, here are the Consumer Reviews on Edmunds and MSN. The ES350 averages 9.2 out of a possible 10 from all of the reviewers, and 8.5 out of 10 on MSN.

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2007/lexu...dex...1.Lexus*

http://autos.msn.com/research/userre...?ModelID=12080