yardie876

I took my GS in for maintenance today and to my surprise I was given an ES300h as a loaner (not even 200 miles on the odo!) Funny thing is I could not get a GS loaner because I am under 25. Go figure I can own it but can't "loan" it lol. Anyways, after driving around town all day I am a true fan of the new ES hybrid. I was underwhelmed at first. I mean I knew it wasn't a v8 but man it was slow. Then I realized I was in Eco. Once I switched over to sport, I was blown away by the way this thing accelerates. The combined power of the the engine and the electric motor is more than enough for this car. Then when you wind down and cruise along, the real world mpg is more than decent. I actually decided to keep the car overnight and enjoy the stellar mpg for a little longer before going back to my gas guzzling GS. Well I'm just about done rambling. One day in the future when Lexus NA brings the GS450h F-Sport to the US maybe I'll join the hybrid crew.

ElliotB

The GS's big advantage (but not the only advantage) over the ES is its improved interior materials. It of course also has some advanced options available that are not available on the ES and many improvements you can't see. Otherwise the ES and GS are quite similar in many ways in styling anyway. When I had my 11 ES 350 in for service a while back, I had a 2013 GS as a loaner for several days and liked it a lot. For the money, the ES offers a lot of car.

I agree, a GS hybrid model would be of great interest to many who have complained about the increased use of plastic in the interior of the new ES.

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

An ES hybrid interesting, I have never seen one at my dealership wish they had one here would be nice to test.

Fly4u

The OP review inspired me to "build" a roughly comparable GS hybrid to my '13 ES300h.
Wow, the price differential is astounding and no doubt acceptable to some. Though I could afford this, the shortfall of MPG is a deal-breaker as the quest for superior efficiency was a prime directive.

yardie876

It's a great car. I've seen a couple people banter on how it's not worth the price of admission over the Prius. I don't see how that comparison can be made after driving both. If luxury and efficiency is your goal, then there's no comparison to be made at all. Overall, the ES was a true gem to drive.
I completely understand. Owning a GS currently and seeing an avg 18mpg( on a good day!), my preference would be something more along the lines of a performance hybrid, and the GS fits that bill nicely.

amphipri0n

This was definitely a compromise in my choosing the 350 over a hybrid, electric or advanced diesel engine. Currently averaging 25mpg combined, I feel it's decent (considering the size of the engine), but when I see 300h owners here at 39-40, it does make me pause and consider that I am not completely following my own "prime directive" which is to send the least amount of $ to the Middle East as possible-- I think a shared ideal among a lot of people here in the US, and a contributing factor to the success of hybrids here since the mid 2000s.

Arty101

True, but the grass seems to be greener on the other side. Look at the MKZ and the Fusion's 45-47 mpg. These are the most comparable hybrid lux cars with higher FE compared to the 300h. Although the Prius has higher FE, it isn't a lux car nor in the same class.

Fly4u

I haven't followed the MPG shortfalls from EPA suffered by the 2013 Fusion Hybrid since my decision to purchase the ES300h. Last I heard they are achieving sub-40, though Ford has promised retroactive improvements.

Arty101

I have read the same, that most hybrid Fords aren't getting anywhere near the 47 mpg, and more like sub 40's. Someone on this board (another thread) mentioned only the Ford C-Max is being revised on the epa.

LexBob2

According to Consumer Reports:

55% of the hybrids they tested fell short of their EPA estimates by 10% or more.

28% of small turbos fell short by 10% or more.

10% of conventional cars fell short by 10% or more.

Several Ford and Lincolns were at the top of the hybrid list, led by the MKZ Hybrid which missed the EPA estimate by 11 mpg's in their Road Test. The ES300h and Avalon Hybrid were on the list too, but both of them missed by 3 mpg's.

jrlxr7

I totally lost faith in Consumer Reports when they claimed in their 2013 road test article that the 2013 ES had lowered its interior quality from the prior year. They gave the ES350 an 80 out of 100 and the ES300h an 82. CR's total embrace of the Tesla giving it a 100, without a dealer network and its limited (although for an electric significant) range was also disturbing. Over the years it seems that I disagree with CR more frequently than I agree, especially in their treatment of Ford and Lincoln.

IS350atWOT

iTrader: (1)

I agree. It has very sufficient power. That was a major concern for me when I was deciding on hybrid or not. I mean, when I pulled out into traffic during my test drive and barked the tires, I was pleasantly surprised. I have passed cars on two lane highways using the Sport or Normal mode and had plenty of power.

Arty101

I've also read some reviews where the MKZ and Fusion hybrids accelerate 0-60 in about 10 sec, almost the same as the Prius. So they may claim (operative word) to have better FE, but they're also much slower than the 300h or Avalon hybrids.

jollick

Here is an Autoweek article regarding the MKZ.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2013...iews/130509801

yardie876

The MKZ is an interesting car. It is the first Lincoln I am actually attracted towards. I parked next to one and it is definitely a looker. In regards to the review, it went exactly how I imagined it would play out. It's pretty cool the ES300h is the benchmark. I think it deserves it looking at the whole picture.