I wanted to get the 7ES and that was it. I took no other car into consideration.

After 7 years of driving the 5ES with 100% realiablity, with all the features of the 7ES it
was a no brainer.
It was hard to find it though, almost 5 month of searching.

 

I believe you, and if I had your experience, I'd buy another Lexus without a doubt. But we also know that not every Mercedes owner has a series of nightmarish, undiagnosable problems. What I'm interested in hearing from wmoor004 is, what does he like best about the E450 when it's working as designed? Hopefully I'm know a little more from his answer than I know now.

 

I have to agree about the money pit thing. My new ES replaces a MB E350. The drivetrain components were great, but the electronics were a total pain. Problems were intermittent and often random which the dealer could not, of course, replicate. For instance there was a period when the parking sensors would loudly go off while driving and then shut down until you restarted the car; that went on for a few weeks, then cleared up and one recurred once more for a few days. Some of the dash lights would also fail until the car was restarted, but again because it was intermittent they could never figure it out. So all told, that was one of the big reasons I regretted getting a Benz and retuned to Lexus!

 

Thanks for sharing that experience. It's informative. And, I'm still interested in hearing the answer to the other question. Let me ask you, too: What did you like about the MB E350 that attracted you to buy it in the first place? The Lexus ES already existed then. What drew you to the Benz?

 

We have a 2013 GS 350 and a 2014 E350 in the family, I have extensive hours and miles in both. Here's how they compare, in my opinion.

- The GS, despite the adaptive suspension, has a floatier ride, BUT it is more comfortable overall.
- The E, power delivery, despite the extra gear, is smoother and more immediate I feel
- Seats, the seats in the GS are superior, despite the fact the E has a massage function. The seats are far comfier and just softer in general.
- Interior quality, I would put these two at about equal and the aesthetics are subjective. I love the aluminum trim in the F sport we have with the red interior. The black interior with the wood trim in the E class is classy. Quality of the materials used are equal.
- Driving feel, I feel the E class drives overall better. Steering isn't as numb, I can feel what the front tires are doing, less body roll, and it's a quieter vehicle. Both are quiet, but I think the GS lets in more tire noise. The GS feels much lighter and sporty, but even in S+ mode with the suspension tightened up, it doesn't feel as sharp as the E class. However, in normal mode, it is a much softer ride that absorbs road imperfections pretty nicely. Between the two, I think the E class is actually the car most drivers would prefer in terms of feel, I know I do.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd probably go with the E class. I think it's a slightly better all-around car and although maintenance is more, I feel that it gives the driver more for the money (both MSRP around the same price).

 

Thanks for sharing that.

I seriously considered getting a GS, either new or used. But several things combined to put me off it, despite its obvious excellence. One is that they had very few interior colors to choose from, and I really didn't like any of them — as I recall, pretty much nothing but grey, black and a peculiar taxicab amber. The exterior styling, while not objectionable, was a litlte tall and bland and I couldn't really warm up to it. If those things had been perfect, I might have put up with the infernal mouse. But they weren't, which made the mouse the deal breaker.

 

Fantastic car, I actually chose it for my mom vs some other makes back in 2013 and she's really loved it. She didn't even test drive it until pickup day. It definitely is a safe design, but it's aged pretty well in my opinion, just the other night I was following my parents home and the rear of the GS still presents itself nicely, though I'm pretty sure the updated taillights must look even better.

Yeah I never got used to that mouse, even when I was using it for a few weeks while they were out of town. Overshoot every option, but at least my parents don't really use it either. They both hate it, but the car does everything they need it to easily; hooks up to their phone for music and can use the dedicated HVAC buttons and track tuning, easy enough.

I just drove it earlier today actually and I was still very impressed with the ride quality and how quiet the interior is. The engine still has really great pick up with less than 72k miles on it. I do a wipedown of the interior at least once a month for them and am surprised at how modern the interior still looks. Very high quality by Lexus and it's been reliable as clockwork.

 

I have owned several MB and none of them were money pits. The E450 is an overall better vehicle than the ES, in my opinion. I bought the ES as my new daily but I miss the MB.
I know this is a Lexus forum so I expect the MB hate. Ahhaah. Both are good car but I prefer the MB.
The pri e lead me to the Lexus.

 

I agree. We had a 99 E320 in the family and we just donated it last week. It was kept around as an extra car but it was overall great. Car had regular maintenance all its life and is still holding up well.. Had about 180k miles on the odo and it was looking at needing some suspension parts replaced, but just about any car at that mileage and age would need it. AC still blew nice and strong, engine was strong, transmission was still smooth, and it still is a solid car. Sure maintenance costs a bit more but that's cause everything about it was more; bigger fuel tank, took more oil, more spark plugs (ok that one hurts). That's what makes maintaining a MB cost more than a Lexus.

Even the current 2014 E350 in the fleet has been rock solid. One side of the suspension gave out (thank you crappy CA roads), but the same happened to the GS and they were about the same cost. Heck, probably paid more for the Lexus cause I didn't have a personal mechanic when that strut did go, so took it to Lexus dealership.

 

My 2011 E350 is pushing 180k no issues whatsoever. I guess we got the luck of the draw.

 

I dunno, I think just like with any car, you keep up maintenance and care for your car, it'll go a long way. Yeah some do have their electrical gremlins, but my Acura TLX hasn't been short of any either. As long you're on top of your maintenance and not beating up the car, I think any car is good, especially the NA engines. You only hear horror stories because that's when people get most vocal, when something is not working the way we expect it to. I trust Mercedes as much as I do Honda, Acura, and Lexus.

 

I cross shopped my 2022 Lexus ES350 against the latest MB E-class(350) and BMW 5-Series(530i).

> means greater/better than

Isolation and Quietness : Lexus >> MB & BMW
Interior Space: Lexus >>> MB >>>>> BMW (Back seats is for people without legs)
Interior Quality :BMW/Lexus >>> MB (Felt like trash…definitely not better)
Technology : BMW > Lexus >>> MB (NO TOUCH SCREEN)
Power : Lexus > MB & BMW
Gas mileage(I didn’t really compare): MB & BMW >> LEXUS
Residual Value : Lexus >>>> MB & BMW
Maintenance : Lexus >>> MB & BMW
Exterior looks : BMW > Lexus >>> MB(Soap box…looks like a C-class)

Overall Value : Lexus (Adaptive Cruise control, Lane Centering, Cooled seats, Remote starting with full climate control using Google Assistant or One-click app) >>>>> BMW >> MB

 

Yes, you’re very right about the electronics being a problem. Everything that’s a problem on my E300 is all computer and electronic issues. My E300 has a mind of its own and all the computer and electronic problems would occur intermittently too. Mercedes service could never figure it out either. I’m working with a lemon law lawyer to try to get Mercedes to take back the vehicle. I’m totally done with Mercedes Benz. I’m not got to look into BMW or Audi either because they too are very problematic vehicles. I’m going to stick with Lexus for the time being. I’m looking for reliability, styling, luxury and an excellent residual/resale value. I think that Lexus IS the best choice for all of these things that I’m looking for in a new vehicle.

 

You also forgot to mention that a fully loaded Ultra Luxury Lexus ES350 costs $20,000 to $25,000 less than a fully loaded BMW 5 Series and a Mercedes Benz E350. The Lexus ES350 looks much nicer too.

 

I buy used and like to play it safe, so Lexus. All my friends drive German and they have been pretty happy with them, as far as i know and will probably never drive anything else.