Earlier I posted about my first road trip in the ES (St. Louis – Chicago round trip). Well last weekend we took our second road trip (St. Louis – Natchez, MS/Vidalia, LA round trip), which was over 1,300 miles. I’m now TOTALLY sold on the ES350. It’s fun to drive. I tap on the gas asking it to go and it zooms off answering “how fast?” The power seemed endless and the shifts were silky. The highest posted speed limit on my trip was 70MPH on I-55 in MO and MS. I never exceeded 105 (which was just as smooth and steady as 60). While running around 95, I got dusted like I was standing still by a guy in a new LS460L down in MS, just south of Memphis, but that’s okay because someday when/if I grow up, I’ll have an LS too.

My ES is extremely comfortable, quite, and smooth. The gas mileage is awesome. I got 29.8 on the trip down and 31.4 on the return trip when I stayed between 70 and 85 most of the way. I was able to find just the right adjustments on the seat to remain comfortable for the entire drive. I didn’t think too much about the seat extender initially, but on this long trip, I was able to use it to take away any stress on my thighs and legs (very nice touch Toyota).

So far, we’ve driven this good looking car over 3,000 miles in temperatures ranging from 17 degrees to 87 degrees. It’s been in snow, ice, rain, and ideal “Chamber of Commerce” weather and has handled magnificently in all of them. No rattles, no diesel noise, no slips/lurches/flares, and no problems. I know there are a lot of ES owners out there suffering with an abundance of issues. I truly hope that Lexus does the right things to satisfy you all, be that via repairs, swaps, upgrade offers or buybacks. I just wish that everyone could experience the ES350 in its true colors, the way that we have. If we didn’t still need our Camrys as daily beaters, I’d be willing to trade them in on another new ES. We’ve been Camry owners for more than 15 years now and those cars have been “rock solid”. This ES350 is off to a start on that same path.

I love this car!!

 

Lex, glad to hear that you're having a good experience with the new ride. Shortly after we bought our car, we took it on a 2 week driving vacation and had the same experience as you. It is indeed a nice long distance cruiser. The car performed as expected. I agree, the gas mileage is impressive. It seems you have to consistently run at over 80 mph before there's much of a drop in mpg. Next week, it will be 11 months of ownership and we're still more than pleased with the ES.

 

Always good to hear of another happy ES owner. My ES just turned 11K miles and, so far, without a single problem. I've never owned a car as enjoyable as the Lexus. I also own a BMW, and it's a great car too but I find myself taking the Lexus every chance I get . Comfortable, great gas mileage , good looks . I'm a happy camper. Just wish every ES owners could be as satisfied with their purchase. I guess it's just the "luck of the draw".

 

Thanks the sharing, I just wonder how it is possible to get 29.8 - 31.4 MPG? This is really cool.

 

Quite possible! I got 33 mpg on my first road trip. I made it from Pittsburg to VA Beach, almost 470 miles if I remember correctly, with plenty of gas left in the tank. And I wasn't p*ssy footin' it either.

Simply incredible for a car with this much power.

 

I 2nd that!! 33 mpg on a recent road trip. Getting about 26 mpg with a mix of highway and stop and go traffic daily. I must admit, very impressive considering the size of the car and the size of the engine.

 

Yep. That's what I've been getting.