My lease has expired and instead of another RX, I chose to go with an ES350. Our travel over the past year and plans for the next year call for long trips on mostly Interstate highways. I chose the sedan based on quieter highway ride and better highway mileage.

I loved the hybrid and will probably go back after the all new one is out for a year or so. The sedan so far has been outstanding, but there are some things about the RX that I miss:
1: The interior storage space, particularly the center console.
2: Cargo space
3: The CVT! I forgot how annoying kickdowns at part throttle can be.

There are also some things I don't miss:
1: Road noise!
2: Range on the Interstate
3: My left leg pressed against the door (I'm 6'3")

The sound system in the ES is much better than the ML system in my RX and the XM radio is great. The new NAV is a major improvement. The ventilated seats are nice as is the extender on the driver's seat. I'm ambivilent about the smart key, but my wife loves it. She also loves the panorama roof.

I'll follow this forum to see what the future brings. I find I still drive as I learned in the RX400 and that seems to help mileage on the ES.

Steve

 

Congrats!!

Yeah I think my dad's waiting out on an ESh. He likes the ES but wants a hybrid. He likes the Camry Hybrid but wants a Lexus. So basically an ESh is the only solution right now.

 

When is that ESh coming out? You got any infos on that?

 

I wish I had but I don't . Sorry.

I hope it comes out soon otherwise my dad (being stubborn as he is) might be waiting a long time.

 

Wow, I am actually surprised about the Road Noise. Did you drive on the factory Good Year / Michelin? If anything, the RX 400h is literally a Uboat compared to all other SUV's on the road, and many luxury sedans as well.

As for range, are you looking for Diesel range, because if you are the RX 400H is hard pressed to beat.

I am 6'4" and I have no issue with front leg room, perhaps its all about positioning. Not all interiors fit like a glove, and many times you need to sit and adjust everything just so. The Driver / 2nd Driver memory presets are great for that. Also, I find the front seats sofa like and you are actually sitting in them like sitting in someone's living room unlike i.e. M5 seats which literally feel like spandex on a hot humid day.

Cheers,

MadloR

 

While the RX400h is quiet for an SUV, it is still pretty loud inside at 80mph compared to most luxury sedans. The ES350 is dramaticlly quieter at similar speeds. I think it has to do with the size of the "box" and the window area. As for the range issue, on the interstate I was hard pressed to comfortably go 300 miles. Between Tucson and either San Diego or LA, the gas stations are pretty far apart. With the ES350 I can go about 400 miles comfortably. That means I can gas up in Yuma at Arizona gas prices and not need to refuel until I get back to Yuma on the way home. Price difference between AZ and CA is now almost $.50 a gallon.

The seats in the RX were very comfortable for me, but I found at the end of long trips my left leg had been resting on the door and I had a sore spot on my knee. I tried shifting around, but that position always returned when I relaxed.

As I said, I really miss some of the RX400h features and will certainly look at the new one when the lease on this sedan is up. Some of the neat new features on the sedan should be in the RX by then.
Steve

 

I dont know why they havent done an ES hybrid yet. My dad would definately prefer are more economical hybrid compared to the GS. I could see why Lexus wouldn't want to mirror it after the Camry hybrid, but if they put the RX400h powertrain in there that would be sweet. It also might be nice to have an AWD ES. Only thing that concerns me is the big battery pack.

 

+1.

Maybe use the 2.5 litre from the IS? Lighter engine in the front and battery pack in the back should help with weight distribution. Also, then they don't have to use a 4 cylinder which might hurt the Lexus image.

 

Good luck! The roads out of Tucson are long! (My son used to go to the U of A) My 4OOh does better in the suburbs or city than long highways so I see your problem. I can usually eek out about 400 miles a tank but never push it that far as NJ has many gas stations. Ironically, I've had 2 RXs in a row (300 and 400h) and I missed driving a car so much. At the Lexus event (Pursuit of Perfection?) I had an opportunity to drive the different sedans on driving courses. I thought I wanted a GS but instead fell in love with the IS! The LS was a great car (I pushed the tight steering and curves) but felt too large. So we just bought an IS to add am having a lot of fun driving it.

 

Yeah, I don't know why Toyota doesn't use that 2.5L more often.

 

Well it doesn't really fit in the Toyota lineup. Those looking for a 2.5 litre are looking at 4 cylinders and those that want V6s want a powerful one (3.0 litre and up). Works well for the IS since you can't put a 2.5 litre 4 cylinder in a Lexus.

Given that the ES is over 1,600kg, that'll be a lot of weight for a 200hp engine to pull.

 

Yeah, but not in hybrid form. Itd be more like 250 hp.

I could see Toyota using the 2.5L in a vehicle like the Tc, or perhaps even the Matrix if they wanted to go there. Or what about the new sports car in addition to the Subaru boxer engine?

 

True, it'll be a good setup for an ESh.

Hmm... They'll probably replace the 2AZ (2.4 litre engine) with a new 2.0 litre or 2.4 litre with dual VVT-i and valvematic. That should match Honda's 190hp Accord or 205hp TSX without requiring premium fuel or higher redlines.

The 09 Matrix will come with the new 2ZR 1.8 litre engine with dual VVT-i or the 2.4 litre engine from the tC/Camry in the XRS version.

The new sports car won't have anything bigger than a 1.8 litre engine. I believe they're talking about a 1.5 litre range with 110hp. Seems small but the target weight is no heavier than 1,200kg (Hmm, the 1.5 is a bit small. Our 2000 Corolla weighed 1,145kg and had a 1.8 litre engine).

 

I really don't get the point of the 2.4L being available on the new Corolla. Its not that much faster, it just sucks down more fuel. I almost regret not buying my sister's Corolla as it got 41 mpg hwy. You could go really far on one tank of gas. However, I like my AWD too much to give it up.

 

Mostly cause everyone else has one

Mazda3 - 2.3 litre
Lancer Ralliart - 2.4 litre
Nissan Sentra SE-R - 2.5 litre
Dodge Caliber - 2.4 litre
Chevrolet Cobalt - 2.2 litre
Golf/Rabbit - 2.5 litre
Impreza - 2.5 litre (I think?)

No worries. The new 1.8 litre has dual VVT-i. It should get equal mpg under the new rules.