ES Sales and concerns
 

I recently bought a 2013 ES 350 and am enjoying the car so far. However, I am concerned that I am not seeing many on the road (I live in Atlanta). That and coupled with the fact that I was able to purchase one at $4K under MSRP with no negotiating has me wondering. Has the sales of the car been very slow so far? That makes me start to wonder if Lexus has succeeded in upsetting the very people who buy this type of car. What I mean is that people who have bought past ES models have done so for comfort, luxury, and smooth ride and not necessarily cared about performance and sporty handling.

With the 2013, I have noticed that the ride is not as smooth as the 2012 and also that the seats are firmer and not as plush. I'm just wondering why they decided to go in this direction (sporty) with this car when it clearly has not been the demographic this car has attracted in the past. Also, they already have the IS and GS that fills this need, why mess up something that was already working? Has Lexus shot themselves in the foot on this one? Are loyal customers gravitating to the Buicks and Lincolns and away from Lexus to get the plush ride that they desire?

It may just be that people are placing special orders, like I did, to get the options they want. I placed my order In September, at Hennessy Lexus in Duluth, GA. I still do not have a build date. I was told 3 to 4 months for the car to arrive.:sad:

To also add, I waited almost a year for the 2013 to come out. I have a bad back and have had surgery on my tailbone so I wanted a car that felt like it floated on water, but still felt luxurious (which is why i didn't want a Camry). I liked the way the 2012 rode, but the dash was hideous and had none of technology (Apps, Bluetooth audio, etc.) that I wanted in a car. I was coming from a 2005 Acura TL that rode extremely rough due to a tight suspension and basically killed my back especially on terrible Atlanta roads.

When i first looked at the 2013 ES, I was extremely disappointed. The seats felt too firm and the ride was not as smooth in my opinion. I eventually did compromise because i wanted stay Japanese and neither Acura or Infiniti offer plush riding sedans.

Hmmm...curiously, what configuration did you have to special order? My dealer told me that most cars come prepackaged from the factory with things like Nav, Luxury package, blind spot, park assist, etc.

ES300h Ultra Luxury, with all tech options.
Rain sensing wipers with de-icer
 Lexus Pre-Collision System (PCS) and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control Package
 Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
 Pre-Collision System
 Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert
 Lane Departure Alert with Auto High Beams
 Rain sensing wipers with de-icer
 Navigation System/Mark Levinson® Audio Package
 Park Assist
I think that covers it.

Lexus hopes to sell 60,000 ES350s and 15,000 ES300hs in 2013. You are not going to see a lot of them on the road just yet.

I read here on CL that the previous gen ES350 (2007-2012) sold something like 215,000 or 225,000 cars. I would imagine that the new gen will be similar, even with increased competition across the board. The dealers around me have very little inventory which indicates they are still ramping up and sales are brisk.

Lexus has been trying to lower the average age of the ES buyer and have the car appeal to a wider demographic. Maybe the changes in ride, handling and seating reflect this. i'm not really sure, just a guess.

No need to rub it in. If u saw other posts, including the multi-page thread, some people have to pay full msrp.

Consider yourself lucky :)

I ordered the UL package but without the PCS, Lane Departure and Dynamic Radar. I placed the order Oct.1 and the latest ETA is the end of November. I'm pretty sure those three items are causing your extra wait time. I hope I don't regret not getting them.

For October to ES sales were 5,971 +39%. YTD sales 42,105 +35%.

They don't break out hybrid sales in the totals.

To the OP, does your car have the 17" wheels or the 18" wheels?

As for sales, I've seen a few. It takes time for a new model to filter into the car population so much that you see them a lot.

I have the 17'' wheels upgraded to 10 spokes with Michelin tires.

But look at the latest Buick's and Lincoln's. The LaCrosse and MKZ only come with hard riding 18" wheels and ultra wide 55 or 45 series tires. And they discontinued to soft riding LeSabre and TownCar models. So to my mind the question becomes: Why have ALL the near luxury model carmakers conspired to offer only sporty, hard riding models with ultra wide wheels and tires? Why have all conspired to offer interiors with thinner carpeting and more hard plastic surfaces which further contributes to the non-luxury car feeling? Why have all conspired to do away with insulation in the doors and floors to combat road noise? Why have all festooned their interiors with fustratingly complicated electronics labelled with tiny, illegible icons (though Toyota's are more legible than the competitions)?

Possible the only Toyota/Lexus model left that can produce a soft, plush, library quiet ride is the Camry LE with standard 205/65R/16 tires aired down to 30-32 PSI and then strip down the interior and add $1,000 and 100 lbs worth of sound barriers and absorbers.

What PSI are your tires aired to?

I ask because I've driven several 2013s with the 17s and I find the ride to be very similar to that in my 2010. I guess maybe I need to drive a few more before I reach a decision.

I think the answer is pretty obvious...to the majority of buyers the style of larger wheels is more important than the ride characteristics that smaller wheels bring. Manufacturers build cars that the consumer wants, and overall throughout the industry there is a shift towards larger diameter wheels. You can't blame Lexus for following suit.

They cancelled the LeSabre and Town Car because nobody was buying them.

Its time to realize that what you're looking for in a car isn't mainstream anymore.

Because as they offer more and more technology, they have to cut costs somewhere to hold the prices at a certain level. Sure the new ES has lesser quality plastics than the previous car, but it has blind spot monitoring, enform with apps, a new platform, a more sophisticated suspension...for about the same price.

Look at the price of the LS now, basically starting over $75k when just a couple years ago it was $65k. Thats because of the increased technology, without a reduction elsewhere.

Entry level cars are built to a price.

People want more and more technology, more technology is more complicated.

When I took the car home, I noticed that the dealer had inflated them to 38 during the PDI. I went back the next day and had them drop it to 33 as shown on the door jam. This did improve the ride somewhat.