"A Bit Louder & Stiffer Than the Previous ES"
 

So says Consumer Reports:
Not what I wanted to hear. None of the automakers seems willing to build a really quiet car that smothers the big bumps well anymore! The Mercury Marquis and Lincoln Towncar are gone forever. The latest Buick sedans I have rented have 55 series tires that transmit alot of road shock to the car body. As do all the Cadillac sedans.

Steering and handling have never been strong points for the ES. If they can improve these areas without degrading the quiet and comfortable ride, that would be a good thing IMO. Some mfgr's do this better than others. The video mentions the 18" wheels - The 17's probably quiet things down a bit so buyers have an option there.

The ES 350 is a quiet car, but I really believe that my 2010 Buick LaCrosse was a bit quieter still. I have no doubt that the build quality is much better in the Lexus, though.

CR's test car in that video is a UL with the 18" wheels. I have only driven the 2013 with the 17s, but I have driven several of them back to back and I can tell you that the 2013 rides and drives very similarly to my 2010. If you shut your eyes, you would be hard pressed to tell which car you're in. So I would say that the statement that the 2013 overall is louder and stiffer than the previous ES isn't the case, I would attribute that tester's experience to that specific ES having the 18" wheels.

If you want the smoothest, quietest ride, definitely get the 17s. If I got a UL I would swap them for 17s, the dealer should be happy to do that since he can upsell a downlevel ES on the lot if he puts the 18s on it.

My 2013 ES is definitely quieter than my 2007 ES was both at idle and at highway speeds.

Here's Dallas/Ft Worth based car guru Ed Wallace tv review of the new ES 300:

Ed Wallace - Lexus 350

Last Modified: Oct 12, 2012 8:06 AM CDT

Read more: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/search?vendo...#ixzz29xTWbgaS

He found the noise level only within 2 decibels from the LS. Also stated that the longer wheel base allows the new ES to ride "infinitely better" than past ES.

Might have something to do with over inflated tires. My short test drive of the new 2013 ES had tires set at 38 pounds which also contributed to an overly light steering effort. Never know...

What ^^^^ said. Mine was delivered with TP at 38#. According to the sticker, they should be at 32, I think. I dropped mine to 32# cold and it rides better and improved the steering feel. According the the display, they increase about 5# when hot.

To be fair, 2dB isn't a small difference. dB is only part of the story of a car riding quietly however...

I wouldn't agree with "infinitely better" than my 2010, but certainly not harder riding. Like I said, the two cars ride very much the same.

+1 for air pressure. I drove a 300h and a 350 back to back, 300h had PSI at 40, and the 350 had them aired correctly, huge difference.

So I have a question for anyone knowledgeable in this: the car (ES 300h) sticker states tire inflation should be at 33 - I originally had Brdgestone and the dealer swiped them out for me to the Michelin. The dealer inflated the Michelins to 38 (for whatever reason) and I can't seem to find o the tires themselves what the proper inflation should be. So after reading some of these posts I dropped all four tires to 35 - can anyone give me insight on this (like why the dealer would have them at 38 and is 35 a good level - even though the car sticker states 33?)?

Thanks

There is nothing on the tires that tells you what the proper inflation is, the 33 on the door sticker is good for whatever brand tire.

If you want the best ride, air them to 33. Dealers always over-inflate tires.

"Dealers always over-inflate tires." And why is that Steve, just curious.

Thats a question I've been asking myself for many, many years LOL

I think they just don't take the time to look at the individual specs on the different vehicles, and every tech has a different idea of what tire pressures "should be", so they just air them to that.

I have never had a car come back from dealer service without needing air let out of the tires...

I only drove the new car in a controlled track, so I can't judge how it rides compared to our 2010. However, I felt the steering to be as dismal or worst than our car. Steering devoid of all road feeling and effort way too light. However, that's what my wife likes. I think that car's tires could've been overinflated and that might have been the reason for the steering effort to be so light.

MY 2010 tires call for 30psi. I hate it whenever they rotate tires. They set it at 30 psi and the darn things feel like marshmallows going into a turn, unless your speed is like those in a funeral procession. I usually set them back at 33 psi and it seems to feel better.

No I agree, the 2013 has much lighter steering. It's because it's a fully electronic assist system. Takes a little getting used to, but at low speeds I kind of liked it...