dklanecky1

My point was to show the dimensions are virtually identical between the ES and the Avalon. Useless?

mikemu30

got it - that metric is well known. It referenced "comparison" and the three really can't be compared the way they do it other than dimensions I guess.

gemigniani

Can't agree on the seats. Like many other people, I find the new Camry's front seats small, hard and thinly padded. I have to put TWO memory foam bath mats on the Camry's drivers seat to make long trips tolerable. I do agree the new Camry exudes a level of ride comfort, body rigidity and isolation from wind and engine noise that is a surprizingly close match to the ES350.

irishbrahm

The seats are a big deal to me. All of my prior ES and LS vehicles had overly-soft or insufficiently padded bottom cushions that became incredibly uncomfortable on long drives. I have a bony butt! The Camry's seats aren't nearly as luxurious as the '19 ES but the bottom cushion is firmer and/or better bolstered which again works better for my bony butt.

1stTimeLex

I also cross shopped the ES 350 (F Sport) which I purchased and the XSE Camry V6 in the metro Atlanta area. The Camry certainly felt more 'nimble' given that it's lighter (3,572 lbs vs. 3,649) - so the 302 HP seems a bit stronger in the Camry. I also loved the availability of pano roof and the 360 cameras in the Camry- which is great for minimizing curb rash on rims and front valance - but sadly is not readily available on F-sport trims of the ES. The Lexus certainly has a more 'polished' ride and the steering feels more responsive vs. the Camry. The fit/finish of the interior is also WAY nicer in Lexus but the Camry was much nicer than the rental units I've had in the past - and nicer than the top trim Accord.

But the clincher for me was the sales experience. My Lexus rep really took her time to help me find the right color/equipment combo that I wanted - where Toyota reps from 2 different dealerships had the attitude of "you either want what we have here on the lot - or go online... I don't have time to hold your hand if you're not ready to purchase right this second."

I guess that's part of the price difference.

irishbrahm

You're exactly right. The Lexus dealership experience is second to none. My experiences at two Toyota dealerships in Atlanta last week left much to be desired. At the first, my salesperson had to leave me for 30 min. to attend a sales meeting. Said meeting took place out in the open (as opposed to a conference room) where the sales manager chewed out the sales staff for being slackers, etc. After waiting all that time my salesperson couldn't find the car that I wanted to drive. Come to find out that a manager was driving it and the car had 3k miles on it! At the second dealership, the general manager ended up doing the deal personally, which I thought was impressive. But the rest of the sales staff was, for lack of a better word, slovenly. Also, I've had the car for a week and my salesperson hasn't checked in (and she's been selling cars for 3+ years, so she should know better).

Mike728

So wait, did you already trade in your ES?

1stTimeLex

I've had no less than 5 calls since my purchase 3 weeks ago. I had to get my front protection film and all weather floor mats installed a few days after purchase. 2 people from the sales team have called to thank me for my purchase, 2 people from the service department have called to follow-up - and the technology guy called and wanted to know if I had any questions about car connectivity. Impressive! Never received this much attention for the 5 Infinitis I've previously owned.

irishbrahm

I no longer own it.

Mike728

So, you traded in your 2019 RDX for a 2018 Explorer. Now, you traded in your 2019 ES for a new Camry. Is there a reason you keep trading down? It seems costly.

irishbrahm

Thanks for being so observant, but things have worked out okay!

ccuttner

On the hunt for a hybrid (we had Camry Hybrids '07 and '12 representing the first platform revision cycle)... when looking for the 2019 "next generation" we test-drove the 2019 fully-loaded Avalon Limited. We mentioned that we might consider a Lexus ES300h, and the 'very confident' Toyota dealer told us to find the very-rare Lexus and take a test drive... which we did -- and the Lexus was much better in noise, ride, quality -- to that guy's lament, after waiting a month, we have a ES300h Luxury -- that was diverted to our dealer on the ship from Japan.

Very good product.... looking forward to many years of service.