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Newbie here from the Texas Hill Country. Just picked up a 2013 ES300h Ultra Luxury package, with 27k miles. I own a 2014 Avalon Limited hybrid, Kia Optima EX hybrid, 2007 Tacoma hybrid, and '98 Tacoma PreRunner. Before I'm labeled a treehugger for the 3 hybrids, the only green I care about is the $ saved in my wallet on fuel, with long commutes from The Hill Country to San Antonio daily for work. A comfortable ride is critical on my commutes, and the ES and Avalon are definitely comfy. Glad to be here, Thanks.
Nothing wrong with saving money *and* reducing the amount of dino juice we use
Welcome to the hybrid bunch. How would you compare the Avalon and Kia hybrids to the ES? And isn't the Tacoma hybrid a really rare model that used the GM/BMW system?
Congratulations on the new ES... beautiful cars.... Like you I also owned an Avalon ( 2007 model ) bought it new in 06 and when I traded it in it was still below 80K miles... and still looked new.. went from my Avalon to a 2013 ES. Love the car and you will too. Congratulations again.
Newbie here from the Texas Hill Country. Just picked up a 2013 ES300h Ultra Luxury package, with 27k miles. I own a 2014 Avalon Limited hybrid, Kia Optima EX hybrid, 2007 Tacoma hybrid, and '98 Tacoma PreRunner. Before I'm labeled a treehugger for the 3 hybrids, the only green I care about is the $ saved in my wallet on fuel, with long commutes from The Hill Country to San Antonio daily for work. A comfortable ride is critical on my commutes, and the ES and Avalon are definitely comfy. Glad to be here, Thanks.
What a wise consumer. We also have a 2013 ES300h that we bought two years ago. Posted here many times that this is the best time to buy a hybrid. I never would have thought about it with gas at $4.00 a gallon. Our ES300h was about the same price as the other 2013 ES350's on the lot and the 450h was about $1,500 more than the RX 350's.
Lexus has been #1 in the J D Power dependability study for six years in a row. In 2011 they were ranked #2, 2010 #4, 2009 #3, 2008 #1, and 2007 #2. Lexus is the third least expensive to maintain behind Toyota and Scion. The ES is ranked by J D Power as #1 in reliability in the compact premium class.
As others here have already said, congrats on your ES purchase. Its very low mileage for the age so I would say a good find. They are very nice cars and I'm sure you will enjoy it.
We too owned an Avalon. I will say this generation of ES is very different from the Avalon we once owned. It has a stiffer ride, but it is considerably quieter. While we really enjoyed seven years with our Avalon, the ES is a nicer car in many ways. I would also be curious to hear how you feel the ES compares to the Avalon and the Kia. We switched from the Avalon to the Prius and had two different models over 9 years. Those were interesting cars but very purpose-built to be gas misers. The ES 300h isn't such an extreme hybrid and doesn't forego sound deadening and other comforts in the quest for fuel efficiency, so in my humble opinion, the ES 300h is a better compromise. You will find some on this forum try to justify a hybrid solely through fuel efficiency. They likely haven't owned one and don't understand the quieter and smoother nature of the hybrid drivetrain, so they believe the fuel savings is the sole benefit of a hybrid vehicle. Anyway, I certainly digress, enjoy your new ES 300h.
Looking forward to some fuel mileage reports. My 2014 ES 350 has really surprised me with how well it does ... my last tank was 29.5 mpg in mixed highway and city. I run premium fuel, and tires are at 35 psi.
The Avalon is now for the Missus and the ES is for me! I’ve only driven the ES from the dealer to the house, so I don’t have much info or comparison data yet. I always wait until I receive the metal tags and a temporary insurance proof before commissioning a “new” vehicle. The Avalon only has 35k miles on it. The main negative I have with the Avalon is the JBL Synthesis system. It’s dreadful, even after taking it to 2 Toyota dealers to check out. The Mark Levinson system is light years ahead of the Synthesis (but this is for another forum topic). Even though I drive an “old man’s car” (the Avalon), I still listen to metal and hardcore cranked up, and don't need really heavy lows, so the ML is great.
The ES300h’s Ultra Luxury package is totally decked out, so is the Avalon Limited. The Optima is surprisingly fun to drive, but the front seats, especially the passenger, are too low to the floorboard. If you sit in an Optima EX with the technology package (top of the Optima hybrid family), you’ll instantly notice the difference in the interior. Both the Avalon and ES are light years ahead of the Kia, with the type of leather and other trim, a different feel to the plastic and fake stitching, with no wood whatsoever in the interior. The other negative with the Kia is the low resale value, where most Toyotas (including Lexus & Scion), seem to have a much better $ amount. Another thing the Kia has the advantage over the Toyotas is the hybrid battery. The Kia shifts into EV mode even when you’re doing 70+mph, where the Toyotas only seem to stay in EV under 40mph. The Kia uses the lithium ion batteries and the Toyota products use nickel-metal hydride. I really don’t know the specifics or which system lasts longer, and which is cheaper to replace. The Ford products also use the lithium ion technology, too. The Avalon gets a steady 39mph, where the Kia usually gets a little over 40mph, depending on how I drive, and it doesn't calculate the current mpg over the long haul, like the Toyotas do. I haven’t checked the 300h’s mileage yet.
The coolest thing about the Optima is the 17.2 gal tank and the way it is placed in the vehicle. When the pump automatically stops while fueling, with most cars you can still pump maybe a gallon or so more if you touch the handle slowly. With the Optima, I've added up to 4 gallons more than where it stops, by turning the handle upside down and pump slowly, which allows me to get around 750 miles to one tank (depending on how I drive). I don't like topping off like this unless I plan on driving it immediately. The extra space in the tanks is for expansion/contraction. I just freak out that I can get 700+ miles on one tank.
Thanks again for your responses, and have a happy 4th!
The Avalon is now for the Missus and the ES is for me! I’ve only driven the ES from the dealer to the house, so I don’t have much info or comparison data yet. I always wait until I receive the metal tags and a temporary insurance proof before commissioning a “new” vehicle. The Avalon only has 35k miles on it. The main negative I have with the Avalon is the JBL Synthesis system. It’s dreadful, even after taking it to 2 Toyota dealers to check out. The Mark Levinson system is light years ahead of the Synthesis (but this is for another forum topic). Even though I drive an “old man’s car” (the Avalon), I still listen to metal and hardcore cranked up, and don't need really heavy lows, so the ML is great.
The ES300h’s Ultra Luxury package is totally decked out, so is the Avalon Limited. The Optima is surprisingly fun to drive, but the front seats, especially the passenger, are too low to the floorboard. If you sit in an Optima EX with the technology package (top of the Optima hybrid family), you’ll instantly notice the difference in the interior. Both the Avalon and ES are light years ahead of the Kia, with the type of leather and other trim, a different feel to the plastic and fake stitching, with no wood whatsoever in the interior. The other negative with the Kia is the low resale value, where most Toyotas (including Lexus & Scion), seem to have a much better $ amount. Another thing the Kia has the advantage over the Toyotas is the hybrid battery. The Kia shifts into EV mode even when you’re doing 70+mph, where the Toyotas only seem to stay in EV under 40mph. The Kia uses the lithium ion batteries and the Toyota products use nickel-metal hydride. I really don’t know the specifics or which system lasts longer, and which is cheaper to replace. The Ford products also use the lithium ion technology, too. The Avalon gets a steady 39mph, where the Kia usually gets a little over 40mph, depending on how I drive, and it doesn't calculate the current mpg over the long haul, like the Toyotas do. I haven’t checked the 300h’s mileage yet.
The coolest thing about the Optima is the 17.2 gal tank and the way it is placed in the vehicle. When the pump automatically stops while fueling, with most cars you can still pump maybe a gallon or so more if you touch the handle slowly. With the Optima, I've added up to 4 gallons more than where it stops, by turning the handle upside down and pump slowly, which allows me to get around 750 miles to one tank (depending on how I drive). I don't like topping off like this unless I plan on driving it immediately. The extra space in the tanks is for expansion/contraction. I just freak out that I can get 700+ miles on one tank.
Thanks again for your responses, and have a happy 4th!
$26k and some change. About what I gave the previous year for the '14 Avalon Limited. Don't regret either. Both fine vehicles. Have black Husky floor mats. Better fit than Weather-Techs, IMO. Getting both car's windows tinted, and N2 put in the tires to help quell the fallout from the extreme summer heat. I can only imagine having a dark car with black interior in Arizona.
07-02-17, 05:26 PM
Lexus virgin no more.....
