ES - 6th Gen (2013-2018) Discussion topics related to 2013+ ES models

Just joined the ES family, got some questions

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 01-16-19, 05:49 AM
  #1  
AlexNY
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
 
AlexNY's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NY
Posts: 222
Received 50 Likes on 33 Posts
Default Just joined the ES family, got some questions

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
Old 01-16-19, 06:14 AM
  #2  
lesz
Lead Lap
 
lesz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Illinois
Posts: 4,279
Received 1,017 Likes on 695 Posts
Default

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.
Old 01-16-19, 06:17 AM
  #3  
yardie876
Lexus Champion
 
yardie876's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SoFlo
Posts: 3,438
Received 87 Likes on 73 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by 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
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.
Old 01-16-19, 06:21 AM
  #4  
pab12
Intermediate
 
pab12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Mass
Posts: 475
Likes: 0
Received 66 Likes on 51 Posts
Default

>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"
=================================
My karma just ran over your dogma
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '15 Jaguar XF (its aubergine)
Old 01-16-19, 07:29 AM
  #5  
AlexNY
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
 
AlexNY's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NY
Posts: 222
Received 50 Likes on 33 Posts
Default

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.
Old 01-16-19, 08:36 PM
  #6  
TechNut
Pole Position
 
TechNut's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Idaho
Posts: 2,690
Received 721 Likes on 528 Posts
Default

I think other replies have covered most of your questions pretty well, but I can add a comment on the Nav system. Just to put the update pricing in perspective, we upgraded the map data in our 2015 ES last week and the cost at our dealership was $280 USD for the SD data drive/license and one hour of labor ($140 per our at our dealer). This high cost is why I only update every two or three years as I don’t think there are enough changes to justify an annual update.

I know many people following this forum feel Nav should be on their phones, or dislike the Lexus interface. They also have issues with the update price of course - it’s probably fair to say we all do. It is very much a personal preference and there are no wrong opinions on this topic - but I prefer it on the dash for reasons I won’t get into here as I don’t want to hijack this thread. If you care to research this topic just run a search and you will find numerous threads that address this discussion, I really just wanted you to understand current pricing.
Old 01-17-19, 01:39 AM
  #7  
st1800
Advanced
 
st1800's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: A small village of one...
Posts: 577
Received 98 Likes on 77 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by AlexNY

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.......
put it in sport mode, the steering wheel firms up a little bit.
Old 01-17-19, 05:16 AM
  #8  
AlexNY
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
 
AlexNY's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NY
Posts: 222
Received 50 Likes on 33 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by TechNut
I think other replies have covered most of your questions pretty well, but I can add a comment on the Nav system. Just to put the update pricing in perspective, we upgraded the map data in our 2015 ES last week and the cost at our dealership was $280 USD for the SD data drive/license and one hour of labor ($140 per our at our dealer). This high cost is why I only update every two or three years as I don’t think there are enough changes to justify an annual update.

I know many people following this forum feel Nav should be on their phones, or dislike the Lexus interface. They also have issues with the update price of course - it’s probably fair to say we all do. It is very much a personal preference and there are no wrong opinions on this topic - but I prefer it on the dash for reasons I won’t get into here as I don’t want to hijack this thread. If you care to research this topic just run a search and you will find numerous threads that address this discussion, I really just wanted you to understand current pricing.
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.


Originally Posted by st1800


put it in sport mode, the steering wheel firms up a little bit.
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).
Old 01-17-19, 06:37 AM
  #9  
Littleguy
Intermediate
 
Littleguy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 390
Received 44 Likes on 32 Posts
Default

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.
Old 01-17-19, 03:05 PM
  #10  
nuraman00
Instructor
 
nuraman00's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: CA
Posts: 754
Received 21 Likes on 16 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by TechNut
I think other replies have covered most of your questions pretty well, but I can add a comment on the Nav system. Just to put the update pricing in perspective, we upgraded the map data in our 2015 ES last week and the cost at our dealership was $280 USD for the SD data drive/license and one hour of labor ($140 per our at our dealer). This high cost is why I only update every two or three years as I don’t think there are enough changes to justify an annual update.

I know many people following this forum feel Nav should be on their phones, or dislike the Lexus interface. They also have issues with the update price of course - it’s probably fair to say we all do. It is very much a personal preference and there are no wrong opinions on this topic - but I prefer it on the dash for reasons I won’t get into here as I don’t want to hijack this thread. If you care to research this topic just run a search and you will find numerous threads that address this discussion, I really just wanted you to understand current pricing.
Thanks for breaking down the price of the navigation update. Something I'll have to consider for when I update mine.
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Nole
ES - 6th Gen (2013-2018)
18
10-21-15 03:46 PM
markwill12
ES - 6th Gen (2013-2018)
80
03-10-14 12:43 PM
corradoMR2
ES - 6th Gen (2013-2018)
13
08-30-13 09:50 PM
RXGS
ES - 5th Gen (2007-2012)
35
08-05-07 07:20 AM
LexFather
ES - 5th Gen (2007-2012)
58
01-18-07 08:56 AM



Quick Reply: Just joined the ES family, got some questions



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:10 PM.