Hi all, first time posting.
I bought a 2019 ES350 with 17K miles.
I had test drove another 2019 and it drove great. I took it on a freeway near the dealership, and it sounded great (quiet).
I flew to FL to pick up the ES350 I wanted; it was the perfect color, interior color, features, price, and everything. It was Lexus Certified Pre-Owned.
17" wheels....it is more or less the "base model," but it has several packages on top of it to give it the heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, and other features.
The car was super, incredibly clean and was well taken care of, having been serviced every 5K miles.
It drives great as in; straight, smooth (suspension), no rattling, no wind noise.....it is very solid.
I think I made a (relatively) smart purchase.

However, on the drive back, when I hit rough roads, I could hear the road noise coming through pretty well. I was not 100% satisfied, a I felt I was going to be experiencing a "whisper quiet" ride on ALL roads.
I got back to Texas (where I live) and replaced the tires with brand new Michelin Defender T+Hs (the car had the factory Michelin Energy Savers on it).
I felt that made very little difference.
I went back and returned the Michelin Defenders, and put Pirelli Cinturado Stradas on the car. I feel like still, not much difference.
For the record the car IS quiet under 60mph.
And even at 60mph and above, it's pretty quiet as long as you're not on grooved pavement, concrete, or a badly maintained road.

BUT I feel like it lets a good amount of noise into the cabin if the above conditions are met: going 60mph or above, the road is concrete, grooved, or old/badly maintained.
The noise is not wind noise; it's not a whirring of a bearing; it's tire/road noise. It has that sound like the tires whooshing over the pavement.
Is this normal? I had read that the ES was "whisper" quiet; does that only apply to good pavement?
The mistake I made was when I test drove the other 2019 that was local to me; I realize now all the pavement I drove it on was pretty nice pavement, even when I took it up to freeway speeds (60mph plus). Maybe that car would have sounded the same if I had driven it on a badly maintained freeway?

Can anyone give me some ideas of what I should expect? Am I expecting too much? Is the car not able to "cancel out" noise if the road is bad enough? It's not SO LOUD that I can't have a conversation on a bad road, but I still am not experiencing "whisper quiet" noise levels when the road is bad.

Am I expecting too much? Please help. Thanks!

Edit: to make myself more clear, I guess what I'm referring to is that high pitched "screech" or "hum" that concrete freeways make every other car I've own make. It seems like a normal sound when you drive any car over a concrete freeway, but should the ES "get rid" of that noise? I thought it would. But mine doesn't. I still hear it; a bit muted over other, non-Lexuses I've owned, but it's still there. Is that just a sound that will never go away?

 

Road noise will always be a factor to some degree. Most new cars today are generally as quiet as eachother within their respective class. Just enjoy your car and stop worrying so much.

 

I suspect your expectations may be a little high. Unfortunately the car periodicals may build some brands up a bit too much. My observation has been much like yours, slightly quieter at highway speeds than other brands I have owned, but certainly not stealthy quiet. These cars have been designed to be very lightweight (for their size) and consequently they aren't like the old 1970's caddy's that were whisper quiet at about any speed and on any road surface. You certainly have the best tire/wheel combo for a smooth quiet ride so I doubt you are going to get much better. The hybrids and Ultra Luxury models supposedly had better sound deadening but I have no idea if that "claim" is accurate as I have only driven base and luxury package hybrids.

 

Not only that apparently the ES300h has less aerodynamic drag than the ES350, according to Lexus. 0.26 vs 0.29 coefficient of drag.

 

Thank you for your input. It has given me some insight. I am still glad I got a Lexus though. At least I know I got the best when it comes to a luxurious, quiet ride, even if it's not "dead" quiet. The ride is excellent. Soaks up bumps great. Better than the $35K Hyundai Sonata Limited (I didn't like the Genesis G80 too much). Yes, I know you're going to say "why were you cross-shopping a Hyundai against a Lexus?" Well a brand new Sonata Limited was the same price as a 2019 Lexus ES350 haha. Anyways, I'm happy with my choice, the ES is a great car, it feels substantial and luxurious, rides great, and looks amazing. Thanks again for your advice.

 

True on the adage that these won't be like '70s Caddy's. Those are my favorite cars too, so you totally "get" me, haha. I have a B Body GM car ('95 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon) and it rides like a dream too. So smooth. It is a little high on wind noise though, but I owe that to it having 215K miles and being 25 years old, haha. Definitely has plenty of "creaks and rattles," being such an old, well-used car.....it ain't no "spring chicken!" Haha.
I had a 2016 Mazda6 before I sold it and got the ES350.....The ES is a HUGE step up from the Mazda, so I have that going for me. I should be happy with the ES, it has been a much better driving experience than my Mazda was.

The ES is of course MUCH quieter, and smoother than my Mazda was. It "feels" more substantial and serious.....the ES feels like it is far, far from a toy, and more of a legit work of engineering prowess than any car I think I've ever owned (I even had a BMW at one point.....)

The ONLY thing the ES doesn't have that my 2016 Mazda had is.....my Mazda had an extender that would pull out of the sunshade to make it longer. That's it haha. I do wish the ES had that though. A little tiny oversight by Lexus. Oh well. Nothing is perfect. Cheers!

 

Good luck with your ES. Not sure what car would be whisper quiet on crappy roads like grooved and concrete surfaces. By the way, nothing wrong with Hyundai or Genesis. The new G80 is a nice sedan but ridiculously priced at the fully loaded 6cyl end.

 

I agree with the other posters and yourself below 60mph my 2019 UL ES350 is as quiet as a library. Above 60 and it does tend to pick up some wind noise, nothing major but definitely notice a slight uptick in noise level.

I came from a 2016 ULES350 and the noise differential is significant, not a huge jump but again significant. I do feel this is the most quiet vehicle I’ve ever driven and it’s my favorite quality of a Lexus. However, I also do understand the high expectations of a Lexus and perhaps feeling like the expectations aren’t being met. But all I have to do is take a quick trip around town in our 2015 Honda Odyssey to realize the serene environment of my ES350 can’t be beat.

 

No one has mentioned check the tire pressure. I have taken our vehicles to the Lexus dealer and they have put 40 lbs. in the tires cold which call for 32. Went with a friend last month to test drive a 2020 NX. After our ride she told me thought it was rough over bumps and noisy. We checked the tire pressure and it was over 40 in every tire. The service department took out about five pounds per tire since the tires were hot she went for another test drive and stated the ride was much better. We have a 2017 ES have none of these problems.

 

Yeah both my 2021s had like 41 lbs in it. After driving that turns into about 45 lbs. The reason the factory does this is cause some cars sit on the lot, port, ship etc before being sold and the pressure in tires naturally decreases over time--this is meant to compensate for that possibility. That's the leading theory anyway... makes sense though. Wouldn't want to set it to the correct "34 psi" then by the time the customer takes it home it's 28 psi. It's just a lot of work to do four tires on every car.

 

Do you mean the difference between the 2016 ES350 and the 2019 (and later) ES350 being "significant," is that the newer ES is louder, or quieter?

 

I 100% agree.
The brand new Sonata Limited (only Sonata that can compare to the ES350, as it has all the same features more or less like cooled seats, heated seats, sunroof, etc), is $35K. I think they should lower the price. That's just me though.

 

My 2019 is significantly quieter than my 2016. My 2016 UL wasn’t quiet as I would think a Lexus to be given their reputation. However, my 2019 UL definitely meets the quietness level I was expecting 90% of the time. Again, not perfect, but it’s definitely the quietest vehicle I’ve personally ever driven.

 

I"m not sure OP has the quietest wheel/tire combination available. Yes, 17" wheels are quieter than 18's, all things being equal. But in this case, all things are not equal, because the 17" wheels don't come with the noise-reducing Helmholtz resonators built into the 18" noise-reduction wheels. I don't think the effect of that feature would produce miraculous silence, based on my own very limited experience of one long test drive. Just noting the comment about the feature content.

P.S. Ultra Luxury also comes with acoustic side glass to reduce wind noise, and the performance dampers that might deliver a slight reduction in booming noise over bumps. But the wind noise in particular is an obviously different issue than OP mentioned.

 

So mine (not UL) doesn't have the acoustic side glass? Should I look into having that installed if I don't have it?

Mine not being UL might be the "issue." What else does the UL have that makes it a quieter experience?