AlexNY

Hello fellow ES owners!

lease on benz matured, needed a reliable car with some luxury. Was in the market for a CPO gs 350, but holy molly these things are expensive (close to 30k).

Ended up buying a CPO 2015 es 350, that 1.9% interest rate was impossible to pass.

no pics yet since i picked up the car after work yesterday and i was tired as hell (dealership is in manhattan..........rush hour traffic..........never again).

anyhow, i've not seen a FAQ section for the 6th gen ES, so here's a couple of questions:

1) i received 2 keys, but one of them has only the smart key, no mechanical key inside (it works, but still...). am i supposed to get 2 mechanical keys?

2) nav updates, i searched online and i can see my gen8 nav unit can be updated via SD card. Has anyone tried? or do i have to go to dealer?

3) is the steering wheel supposed to be sooo FLOATY? it kind of reminds me of my 1992 lincoln towncar, i could drive it with my thumb. but aren't newer vehicles steering supposed to be more FIRM? maybe i'm used to german cars.......

4) side mirrors don't auto fold? what the heck..........sister's old IS 250 had auto folding mirrors >.<

5) how do you guys deal with the mouse controller while driving? i'm a tech geek at heart and a gamer for almost 30 years (pc gamer mainly) and i still find the darn mouse very challenging to use while driving. i lowered the sensitivity, but i still overshoot the pointer while driving. This is going to take a while to get confortable i guess.

6) any advise for a new ES owner?

Overall i'm loving the confortable, soft and quiet ride. But boy does the car handle like a boat LOL. it's been roughly 20 years since i drove a front wheel car with this type of floaty suspension and steering

lesz

1. There should have been a mechanical key for each of the 2 fobs.
2. While the navigation system has an SD card, my understanding is that, in order to install the updated map information, only the dealer has the capability to authorize the new SD card.
5. For some, the mouse controller takes some getting used to, but, for most, using the mouse quickly becomes 2nd nature.

yardie876

Congrats on the new car! To answer a few of your questions,

1) as a CPO Lexus, it should come with two sets of keys, with the mechanical key included. I'd talk to the dealer regarding getting the second mechanical key.

2) The nav maps can be updated by you but you'd have to purchase the SD card preloaded with the map data from the dealer.

3) the ES is a VERY comfortable ride, with absolutely no handling dynamics. The GS sounds better suited to your driving style (not to give you buyers remorse though lol).

4) Not sure if auto-folding mirrors is equipped on your car, but if equipped, the controls will be adjacent to the mirror adjustments controls.

5) I actually have the sensitivity one tick less than full. I find the greater force feedback easier to control, especially on bumpy roads. I also use the lower part of my four fingers (above the palm) opposed to the tip of my index and middle finger to control the mouse while driving.

pab12

>Was in the market for a CPO gs 350, but holy molly these things are expensive (close to 30k).
Yup, GS is a totally unique car that shares very little with any other Toyota vehicle, unlike the ES that shares almost everything with the Camry/Avalon", that makes it expensive, like the LS that is even more expensive
>2) ... nav updates
Like all manufactures updates the nav unit are unique and expensive. I never bother, if I figure anything has changed I'll just use WAYZ
>3) steering wheel supposed to be sooo FLOATY?
It's a lux car with a very smooth ride, it's not supposed to be sporty. What size wheels do you have, 17" with be floaty-er than 18"s.
>4) side mirrors don't auto fold? what the heck.........
Ya, what can I say, seems Toyota wanted to save a bit of $
>5) how do you guys deal with the mouse controller while driving
I rarely do, and he wife yells at me if I do, ya just gotta be careful
>6) any advise for a new ES owner
Yes, unless your car is already a dark color, paint the cross bar in the grill to match the color of the grill. That will make your car look much more current.
Also, get the side moldings for the front/back doors. They are available from Toyota, are actually pretty cheap, and can be installed by you (they come with double-sided tape already applied. The side of an ES is pretty plain so the molding gives it some character and also provides protection from "door dings"
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My karma just ran over your dogma
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '15 Jaguar XF (its aubergine)

AlexNY

thanks for the quick reply gentlemen!

i contacted dealer about extra mechanical key, they said they had to order it from japan and will take a bit of time.

TechNut

st1800

AlexNY

oh, i stopped doing car nav updates since the industry switched to hard drive based. if it was possible to just buy the sd and install it myself, i'd have done it.

i think i'd pay up to $120ish for a nav update. anything more than that, i rather use google maps in my phone.

i honestly think the cost of nav updates are a little too high for what they are.


yeah, i tried yesterday. The steering is a bit on the lazy side, but this was as i expected it.

i think the es in sport mode is what i expected the car to be in normal mode. slightly floaty and lazy response. but i was shocked at how much floatyness there is in normal.

now, driving around town, my gosh this thing is confortable as hell.

outgoing mercedes c class was stiff as hell compared to the es (but very well put together).

Littleguy

Congrats on your purchase. I think the ES is one of the only old school "luxury" cars left that puts comfort above "sportiness". You should be good to enjoy years of trouble free driving in these cars. And yes, even compared to my wife's 2013 RX 350, I think the steering on the ES is very light and floaty.

nuraman00

Thanks for breaking down the price of the navigation update. Something I'll have to consider for when I update mine.