I have a Jan 2022 built ES.
Do you feel the transition more between the first and the second gear?
It is usually more apparent when I get stuck at a traffic.

 

Wait, 10 speed?

 

Ooops. Sorry. Was thinking about another car haha.

 

The ES is 8 speed (non hybrid)

 

There's much discussion about this in other threads. Yes the jerkiness typically occurs from 2 to 1 when it downshifts.

 

Mine is also a bit harsh from 1 to 2 at slower speeds.Don't know if it is normal for a 8 speed.

 

Perhaps when it's cold but I don't notice that otherwise.

 

I have a 2024 and mine shifts very smooth.

 

Same here 2024 shifts smoothly.
The only time I have noticed anything odd sometimes when it's really cold downshifting to a stop has been a bit harsh.
I never really appreciated my '99 Avalon 4 speed automatic until I drove the ES 8 speed. Even though the ES is reasonably smooth its definitely more noticeable when it shifs.

 

Noticeable is the word.
It doesn't rev or anything.
I just notice it more when I am stuck at traffic.
Driving normally, its pretty smooth.

 

I wonder if the 8 speed is tuned differently for the 4 cylinder ES250.

 

I haven't noticed rough shifts in my 2024 350 but driving mountain roads with many sharp curves and hills while slowing and accelerating I noticed that when letting up the car would slow more than expected then when accelerating there was some jerkiness. It could be I haven't learned to feather the gas pedal sufficiently but I believe it is for saving fuel which it does quite a good job of. For other driving scenarios it shifted efficiently and smoothly enough though I am still not totally familiar with its characteristics. Sport mode may have helped this and will experiment when given another opportunity in the hills.

On another topic lane assist for me is best turned off for I haven't found a road/lane where it doesn't continually hunt but I'm still learning the car.

 

It doesn't really make much difference for me eco/normal/sport.
At slower speeds, I notice the 1 to 2 shift.
I notice it even more if I have the radar control on and I am stuck at driving & letting the car do gas& brake.
Surprisingly my 2 to 1 downshift is really smooth...
Other gears upshifts/downshifts are smooth.
1 to 2 shift is smooth if I am accelerating normally (lets say I am just leaving the house).
Accelerating slowly which happens a lot during back to back traffic, I can feel the shift quiet a bit and this is after car has warmed up as well.
When everyone says "smooth", can you not tell the car is shifting?
I still feel the gear change which is the normal characteristic of any automatic transmission.

 

Perfectly smooth for me would be the way my '99 Avalon shifted.
With the 4 speed '99 Avalon, most the time I wasn't even aware the car was shifting unless I really stomped on the gas and then the engine would rev. Gear changes under light to moderate acceleration would hardly be noticeable, just a slight change in engine rpm with barely a sound or change in engine noise.

With the 8 speed, very slight pressure on the gas while accelerating on an entrance ramp or just trying to get up to speed results in a very noticeable downshift and a racing engine. This would have only happened with the 4 speed if I was trying to pass someone and i was really stomping on it. Someone who never drove an older car with just a few gears might not understand what I mean. My wife thinks with my ES that I am driving aggresively when all I'm doing is trying to get up to speed but my gas pedal foot is still calibrated to the old car.

 

Yes you can feel shifts of course but there are smooth shifts and then not so smooth either up or down. This 8 speed at least in my case has some jerking in particular going from 2 - 1.