Tuanle

I got the ES350 Luxury package about 3 months ago. Now I wish I had purchased the UL instead to take advantage of the Dynamic cruise, lane assist, pre-collision, etc...

Can it be added aftermarket? Or is the only way to do this is a trade in?

ElliotB

trade only. Usually your dealer will work with you on something like this. Let us know what they say.

Mike728

I have a UL with all options, except those two. They weren't worth the cost (to me). Why do you feel you need them? For me, the best thing about the UL is the panoramic roof. I absolutely love it!

KennyLexus

Yes, you'll probably have to trade. However, keep in mind that the '13 UL model with LDA and Radar Cruise aren't readily available so finding one on the lot is a long shot.

You might have to special order a' 14 UL with LDA and Radar Cruise but be prepared to wait about 4 months to take delivery .

susm

That's the boat I was in, Dynamic cruise was a must have for me and there were only 2 in the country and neither was available for trade. So I ordered to get the cruise, I opted against the lane departure though.

uicandrew

If you do a lot of driving in the dark countryside, the ambient lighting is fantastic! It "livens" up the interior with a warm glow. If you're in the city with a lot of street lights everywhere, you won't notice it nearly as much.

I also wanted the ML audio system which has been a disappointment

Arty101

I was testing driving an LS with the dynamic cruise, and I wasn't too impressed especially in the urban areas with stop and go. Every time someone cuts in your lane or in stop and go traffic (although they tell you not to use it in that instance), the car beeps and brakes, widen's the distance, and then another car jumps in. That said, I think it's a pretty cool system especially when you're cruising along on the freeway and traffic slows abruptly just when you're not paying attention for a split second - this may save you from an accident and maybe your life.

susm

Yeah, it's definitely not good for any kind of stop and go situation, but neither is regular cruise either really since most if not all won't engage at 20 mph and below anyway. you're constantly resetting it etc. It is pretty great on long stretches of highway where speed varies with the people in front of you but not significantly.

ElliotB

There is a right time to use cruise control and a wrong time - stop and go is NEVER a good time to use cruise whether it is regular or dynamic. I have the dynamic cruise control, lane assist and pre-collision system and would not drive a vehile without these and all the other safety features Lexus offers.

If you do a lot of driving on the highway, dynamic cruise is the best option Lexus offers, aside from their Advanced Pre-Collision system (not available on the ES) which effectively steers the car for you on the highway.

amphipri0n

If I had to pick the least useful option on the current UL configuration, it would be the auto high beam assist. I've used that twice.

Actually, lane departure alert, which auto high beams are tied to, could be improved by linking it with something like eye-tracking so that it would only trigger when not looking at the road. Too often the alert comes on when I'm intentionally crossing over the lane line to avoid obstacles....

Tuanle

Safety reasons. I nodded off while driving several times just for a split second, but that second can be life threatening. Once, I drifted onto the next lane. Luckily, no one was nearby. I know it's not safe driving sleepy, but it happens sometimes.

danolo

if you do opt for UL, you should have good luck on west coast. they usually are fully-loaded. that is where I purchased mine.

KennyLexus

Tuanle,

You also may want to consider an Audi. The '13 Audi S6 can be optioned with the Radar Cruise (that actually has a stop & go feature...comes to a complete stop and resume cruise without a reset) , Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Alert. These features my also be available on the Audi A6 without the S6 price. Of course, these cars cost more than an ES300h UL but I think it has all the features you're looking for. But then again, a GS can be optioned this way too (but without the complete stop & resume feature) if you want to stay within the Lexus family.

BTW, FWIW, the LDA alert warning in my car isn't very loud. I asked the dealer to increase the volume on the alert warning at my 5K check up. He said that it couldn't be changed.

jrlxr7

A fully equipped Lincoln MKZ also has all the options and bells and whistles that a UL has. Definitely worth considering at about the same or less than a comparably equipped UL.

susm

Dollar for dollar the lincoln is about 4-5k cheaper spec'd out. You lose a lot on the size of the car and seat comfort on long haul's. If you dont need the larger space it certainly is a worthwhile option and the new software update for the hybrid system should push it well ahead of the es300h if you are going the hybrid route.