adpock

We have a 2015 Lexus ES 300h in for review. What would you like to know about it? Fire away and we'll let you know!

Read the rest on the Club Lexus homepage. >>

rx11fan

It would be good to know if there is any difference in ride quality between this and es350. Also, how is the trunk space? Any special maintenance relative to the gas model?

PirelliRC

are there any differences in the suspension components in the ES 300h and ES 350 ?

chromedome

I'm surprised why they got a 2015 for review. A facelift 2016 would've been a better review model because of the many changes over the old model.

Anyway, there was a long discussion previously about the hybrid suspension vs the gas models. Apparently the part numbers for the shocks and springs are different because the hybrid is heavier with more weight at the back.

zes

I have a couple of questions:
1) can you do careful mileage tests in Eco mode, normal mode and sport mode? The people on this forum use all three but it is not clear if they get any poorer mileage on sport mode, or particularly better mileage on Eco mode.
2) how about 0-60 and qtr mile data on all three modes :-). Actually 0-30 and 30-45 data will also help because that represents most city driving.
Thanks!

chromedome

Fuel consumption isn't easy to measure unless you have the same driver doing the same thing, over the same course. I get higher mileage on Eco and Normal because it's easier to modulate the throttle to stay in electric mode whereas the throttle response in Sport can be too abrupt.

As for performance testing, anyone else tried it? My Android phone doesn't have a fast enough GPS to record sprint times. You'd need a proper race datalogger that records a few times a second to get accurate figures.

zes

Does Eco actually give better mileage than normal? I do think it stays in EV mode more in Eco. But since all the power comes from the ice eventually, at some point it becomes a zero sum game.

chromedome

EV mode reduces the strength of the climate control cooling/heating, adds molasses to the throttle response and makes the steering super light. Only the first reduces your fuel consumption directly. The gentle throttle response makes it easier to stay in electric mode when gliding; it seems counterintuitive but you should use ICE power to accelerate.