rondocap

There are a lot of days where I have to drive nearly 300 miles, and not all highway. A lot of stop and go, traffic, and similar situations around the New York City and Long Island / New Jersey area.

Currently I am using a manual GTI, to go along with my Boxster. But I have painfully experienced that a manual car, while fun, is not the best vehicle for my type of driving environment. This is because of both the manual transmission, and the GTI's sporty ride. I think I may be an extreme case though.

Here are my more sensible choices, what do you guys think of these and which would you choose for a daily driver? Remember that comfort and ease of driving are priorities here, not as much the driving experience because of the traffic and bad roads.

All around similar prices used.

1.) 2011 Audi A4 - found the ride very good, soft, and quiet cabin. Can also be fun.

2.) Lexus ct200h or 2010 ES350 - both comfortable and seem to be good daily cars.

3.) 2012 Toyota Camry - xle with leather/nav, seems like a good value and comfortable.

Ideas?

Is it me or do you sit very high up on the es350?

John U

It will sit the same as the Camry and give you more room the the A4 or CT200.

mlacomb

You came to an ES350 forum, I'll throw in my two cents in regards to daily commute.

I love riding motorcycles. Found I had the bug 3 years ago when a good friend of mine convinced me I needed to ride. Riding these is similar to a manual / stiff suspension car. Can be a lot of fun out on the open road, but I've found that in town as well as when I'm pressed for time, it just makes the experience miserable. On the plus side though, for "fun" trips even to get some basic groceries or helping friends out with pets while they're out of town, it is an absolute BLAST. (Just picked up a 2011 FJR1300A a little over 2 weeks ago.... grinning ear to ear!)

I haven't driven the A4, sounds like a wonderful blend of the two. For my two cents, I'd recommend the ES350. Yes, it's not sporty (although it will get up and go if called upon). Yeah, it handles kinda like a boat. But that's what I want in a daily driver - insulate me from the road, from the other drivers. No hassle, no nonsense, just drive and get to where I need to be as stress free as possible.

I've driven the CT200h. I would seriously consider one for a daily driver, but I don't have a lot of cash lying around to grab one. The only benefit to me would be fuel economy - the ride is stiffer than an ES (especially the F Sport one, which I WOULDN'T buy if I was doing a pure commuter car. And let's not kid ourselves - the CT200h is a SLOUCH in acceleration, so why gussy up the suspension to make it feel fast?) Also, the Camry suspension is clearly set up differently than the ES350. My aforementioned friend's wife has a newer style Camry and while it's a nice ride, it's too harsh and too noisy for my tastes. I think they're trying to sport it up for the younger generation - and that's fine, but it's not me.

I'd say drive the A4 and ES back to back, maybe twice in series just to get a feel for the two.

rondocap

Thanks guys - so if it came down to a newer 2012 camry equipped similarly to a 2010 Lexus ES350, which would you choose? If the newer Camry has a bit harsher ride as I'm reading, then I think the Lexus may definitely be the better deal.

John U

Lexus, Compare the two. Nicer interiors, nicer paint colors...the Lexus red makes the Camry red look faded out when next to one another. More sound proofing material. Try the two out and vote with your wallet.