I know the ES is based on the Avalon which was created as an upgrade from the Camry in terms of size (otherwise why would you buy an Avalon over a Camry) however the Camry's main competitor is nearly a 1:1 direct match with the ES.

How so?

Dimensions. Combined legroom, the Accord is ever so slightly bigger. Shoulder/hip room the Accord and ES are practically identical--Accord has ever so slightly more. Trunk space, I believe the Accord is bigger or the same. Headroom, Accord wins. Weird huh? The wheelbase, the ES is indeed longer. Body width? identical. Front and rear track? identical. Height? Nearly the same. I hadn't realized the Accord was that big. Some how the ES appears bigger. Or maybe it's in my head.

Again, Accord is Camry's competitor, so why is Accord competing size wise with the upgrade to the Camry aka the Avalon of which our 7ES is derived from. This means the next Camry has to get bigger which puts pressure on the next Avalon and ES to get even bigger. When does it end?

*Yes obviously an ES is nicer than an Accord* but just sharing these observations from a practical point of view. Despite the nearly identical if not outright identical interior and exterior dimensions of the Accord and ES, the ES is about 400-500 lbs heavier. I'm guessing that's insulation.

Strange times! Just found this interesting. I like the Accord except the rear. A facelift is needed. The 2.0 Turbo should outgun the ES350 and their hybrid seems very competitive if not even a tad more economical/faster. ES still looks better overall though.

If Acura made a version of the Accord it could be a hit and a competitor to the ES. I miss the old days of Acura. Their lineup is very strange today and doesn't really directly line up with anything. Maybe done on purpose. Basically the Accord is Honda's Avalon and the Civic closer to the Camry.

Also get this.. the EPA classifies the Accord as a full size and our ES as a mid size..

 

As long as our waistline keeps getting bigger it is only natural our vehicles have to keep up

 

Here is some interesting stat of the two vehicles:

Length
196.1(Accord)
195.9(ES350)

Height
57.1 (Accord)
56.9 (ES350)

Truck volume
16.7ft (Accord)
16.7ft (ES350)

 

yup. as you dig deeper, you'll see most if not all the specs are nearly identical.

 

And remember the Accord way back when was a pretty compact car. But it's a Honda so no thanks.

 

I find this information amazing. My wife will not drive the Lexus (that's a good thing) because it's "too big". She has a new Honda. Figure this one out men...

 

LOL. I think this got a lot of people and me included. My brother in law has Accord Hybrid. To me the Accord looks smaller from memory compare to ES. The way Honda packages Accord does give the appearance it is smaller. Maybe it is Lexus packages the ES makes it looks bigger. Some sort of optical illusion going on. Therefore one can't always trust the eyes

 

^If you look at the rear doors of the Accord, the door ends well before the ES rear door. ES rear door integrates the rear quarter glass into the door while the Accord integrates it into the body. As a result the gas tank lid on the ES is set a bit more rearward. I think this adds to the visual weight of the ES making it appear more substantial. bigger doors give the perception of bigger car.

I prefer how the ES has its rear doors/windows. it looks classier. The Accord despite having an identically sized rear seating area, looks awkward with its short rear doors. The drawback of the ES rear doors is they're super long and make it harder to open in tight spaces.

 

Another plus for the ES rear door design is it allows the glass to retract all the way into the door, whereas the rear door glass on the Accord does not. I owned both a 2018 and 2019 Accord. The 2019 was a Touring Hybrid, which I liked a lot. It is an excellent vehicle for the price, but in no way can compare to the build quality of the ES. The infotainment system is simpler to use (a touch screen) but has fewer options. It is more tossable the the ES, especially because of its lighter weight and adjustable suspension. Because the hybrid systems used by Toyota and Honda differ in design, I found the Accord to get slightly better fuel economy in town, but the ES better at highway speeds. My comparison is based on my ES UL, so it might differ with an F Sport.