Hasman69

So in the market for my 3rd Lexus. (Previously owned a 2004 ES330 and now drive a 2009 GS 350 AWD) Ideally I was looking to find a 2015 but really cant find any decent priced ones so I have narrowed it down to 2 cars. A 2014 ES350 with 33k miles for $20,000 or a 2016 with 29k miles for $25500. Both cars have Navi but the 2016 has all the safety features like lane assist and radar cruise. I really like the 2016 refresh inside and out but really am not trying to spend $25k. Original budget was to stick to around $20k but did some research and the 2015 has the Gen 8 navi vs a Gen 7 in 2014 so started looking at those but they all cost around $23k so might as well go to $25k and get the 2016 with the refreshes. I guess what I am looking for is any suggestions on any issues with 2014 vs 2016? Also is there a huge difference between the Gen 7 and Gen 8 navigation? I have seen sd cards on ebay for navi map updates but havent seen any usb drive which are used in the 2014 I believe. And then lastly, what is the better deal between the 2.
Thanks in advance

ESh

2016 for sure.

lesz

I previously owned a 2013 ES (very similar to the 2014 ES), and I now own a 2017 ES (very similar to the 2016 ES).

The reasons why I traded the 2013 ES for a 2017 ES included a couple of the things that you mentioned.

First, the upgrades in the interior after the 2016 re-fresh, to me, made the inside of the car feel considerably more upscale. Replacing the piano black trim on the center console (for Luxury package and Ultra Luxury package ES) with wood trim was a big improvement. The stitching on the seats after the re-fresh is more detailed and nicer looking. Further, adding soft padded material around the perimeter of the center console, using nicer switch plates, and wider use of LED interior lighting were also nice upgrades.

With regard to the navigation system, yes, there are significant differences between the Generation 7 navigation system (2013 and 2014 ES) and the Generation 8 navigation system (2015 and 2016 ES). Some of the most significant differences have to do with much better capability to use the system with voice commands. The Generation 9 navigation system (2017 and 2018 ES) is even better, but the improvements made in the Generation 9 system, compared to the Generation 8 system, are much less significant than the improvements made in the Generation 8 system, compared to the Generation 7 system.

Finally, by the 2016 model year, inclusion of the various safety systems became more common (and the Safety System + became standard on all ES in the 2017 model year). Further, the system in the 2016 is a newer and improved generation. I know that I'll never buy another car without a comprehensive suite of safety features.

Thus, even if the 2016 is a few thousand dollars more than the 2014, I think that the extra money would be well spent, and you will, at least, get some of that extra money back at trade-in or re-sale time.

Albo

Yea dude totally go with the 2016. It's so much better. I went with a 2015 exclusively for the crafted line series. Otherwise I really would have liked the refreshed 2016 version.

DavidNYY

I was in a similar situation a couple weeks ago and I am very glad I chose the 2016+.

TechNut

Agree with the others here. The 2016 was the first year after the refresh. It has numerous advantages including the safety systems. However, it ultimately depends on your budget and you won’t be disappointed with the 2014.

Hasman69

Thank you all for your suggestions. So I decided to go look at the 2016 first and had a number in mind and if I don't get it then will walk away and go get the 2014 but after some back and forth they said OK to my offer and viola, I have a 2016 ES 350 with 29k miles in Atomic Silver with Black interior with every option that I wanted and then some like the powered trunk.
Thanks again.

mcomer

The 2016-2018 upgrades also include the HD NavTraffic and Weather Channel rather than the substandard
XM subscription setup.

jollick

Our 2015 ES350 has the HD NavTraffic.

mcomer

Yes, but the 2014 of the OP's consideration didn't. We went from a 2014 ES300h to the 2018.

dspcap

Keep in mind the safety features are great, but they cost a **** ton of money to repair if they break. I have a small rock chip in one of my parking sensors and they want $700 to fix it.