Drove The Es300H, Almost Walked Out Of There In A 2013!

[SW03ES]

Hey gang,

Went over and drove the ES300h today, the dealer got one in. I liked it overall, not for me though. One thing I noted was how hard it rode compared to my car and the gas car, looking through the displays I found the tire pressure readout (which now reads the actual pressure in all the tires by the way) and saw the PSI was 55! That explained that. In normal driving you really don't feel the differences in the hybrid and gas powertrains, the hybrid is very smooth and the transitions between gas and electric are almost imperceptible. I don't care for the bamboo trim, and I didn't care for the hybrid wheels. I also don't like the way a CVT feels during acceleration. Nothing against it, its just not for me.

So, they did have a ES350 optioned the way my 2010 is optioned, silver with grey interior with the better looking liquid graphite 17" wheels. I took that for a spin, I really do like the car a lot. The interior is just great, ride and drive is great as well. MSRP was $43,800...max discount was maybe $500.

So, I have 10 months left on my lease. I let them go ahead and appraise the car and run the numbers. Trade in came in where I'd be upside down a little bit, with the lack of discount and even with the high residual (60%, same between the 350 and 300h) we're talking $150 a month more than I'm paying now, which doesn't make sense for me to get out of what I've got early. I'll keep mine for a while, let the payoff get lower, let the 2013s get out a little more and get some bargaining room, and see what we can do.

[pj8708]

I've looked one over at the dealer, sat in it and had the salesperson take me through the mouse app's and so on. But to be honest, I'm scared to death to drive one because I know I won't be able to leave the shop with out buying the thing.

Even though my 2010 is payed off , we had planed on just driving it for five or so years, and enjoy no payments for awhile .But every time I read a review from someone like you Steve, I start to get the cold sweats again. LOL

One thing that I noticed on the 2013 was the lack of the chrome strip along the bottom of the doors. I wonder if that is something they will add in a few years if they bring out a "refreshed" version like they did with the 2010.

Paul

[SW03ES]

Yeah Thats one of my big niggles with the exterior, it looks kind of plain without the chrome strip and without the chrome door handles...

[LexBob2]

I wonder too about the chrome strip on the bottom of the doors and door handles. The various exterior and interior updates/improvements given to the 2010 made a world of difference with the car. I had a 2007 and wasn't planning on a new car until I saw the 2010. My guess is that they will do something similar with the mid-cycle refresh of the 2013. Maybe even something like an 8 speed transmission etc.

[JB1906]

Well I took the plunge and purchased a new 2013 ES300h!! So far I'm loving it. I find the ride to be very smooth, acceleration more than adequate, and I'm getting the hang of the mouse-driven controls. Still trying to assess what mpg I will be receiving. They claim it should be 40/39 So far I'm getting around 34mpg, although admittedly this is actually my first tank of gas. Don't know if there is a 'burn-in' perod or not? Any other ES300h owners out there yet???

[palermo22]

Well I took the plunge and purchased a new 2013 ES300h!! So far I'm loving it. I find the ride to be very smooth, acceleration more than adequate, and I'm getting the hang of the mouse-driven controls. Still trying to assess what mpg I will be receiving. They claim it should be 40/39 So far I'm getting around 34mpg, although admittedly this is actually my first tank of gas. Don't know if there is a 'burn-in' perod or not? Any other ES300h owners out there yet???

We're in the process of gathering information - concentrating on which color to get and which package, etc. Out of curiosity - which color did you get and and approximately how much below MSRP or above invoice?

Also, which package did you get?

Thanks

[Uncle Ben]

Yeah Thats one of my big niggles with the exterior, it looks kind of plain without the chrome strip and without the chrome door handles...

It's funny you mention that, as I thought the absence of all this chrome actually gave the ES 350 a touch of class. Just like a beautiful girl does not need a $5,000 gown, jewellery and tons of make-up to look pretty... the ES 350 is nice naked!

When I see some of the competition on the road with all these chrome accents, they look "toyish" to me. As for the ES 350, its beautiful lines and curves need no further ornaments.

[Uncle Ben]

Well I took the plunge and purchased a new 2013 ES300h!! So far I'm loving it. I find the ride to be very smooth, acceleration more than adequate, and I'm getting the hang of the mouse-driven controls. Still trying to assess what mpg I will be receiving. They claim it should be 40/39 So far I'm getting around 34mpg, although admittedly this is actually my first tank of gas. Don't know if there is a 'burn-in' perod or not? Any other ES300h owners out there yet???

We're in the process of gathering information - concentrating on which color to get and which package, etc. Out of curiosity - which color did you get and and approximately how much below MSRP or above invoice?

Also, which package did you get?

Thanks

In Canada, we have four packages to choose from:

• Premium
  
• Leather & Nav
  
• Touring
  
• Technology
  

We ordered the Deep Sea Mica, with ivory leather interior, with the Touring Package.

No discount, and they low-balled the trade-in by about $1,500 ... but I went for it any way. Unless it's a year-end sale, Toyota and Lexus dealers in Canada usually don't budge on the selling price. It's probably the wrong time to buy right now, with all the hype and peaking demand. And we bought it any way.

The best time to buy is on the last business day of the month, when dealers will tend to give in a little bit more in order to meet their sales quota for the month. We were at the beginning of the month ... and we bought it any way. ;-)

[SW03ES]

It's funny you mention that, as I thought the absence of all this chrome actually gave the ES 350 a touch of class. Just like a beautiful girl does not need a $5,000 gown, jewellery and tons of make-up to look pretty... the ES 350 is nice naked!

When I see some of the competition on the road with all these chrome accents, they look "toyish" to me. As for the ES 350, its beautiful lines and curves need no further ornaments.

I disagree. Nothing over the top about the sort of chrome the previous car has, a subtle strip along the base of the doors, and chrome door handles. To me that similarity to the LS showed that the ES and LS were the luxury minded sedans, where the GS and IS, which are all body color, were the sport focused cars.

To me the body colored handles and lack of any kind of chrome garnishment along the sides makes the car look cheap from the outside compared to other vehicles in its class like the Hyundai Genesis, the Buick Lacrosse, the new upcoming Lincoln MKZ, and the BMW and Mercedes. Hell, even the sporty BMWs have a little chrome adornment on the door handles.

Too plain for my taste.

[Uncle Ben]

So I guess we have to agree to disagree on the merits of chrome accents.

Notwithstanding, one thing is certain, at least for me, is that the 2013 ES 350 definitely DOES NOT LOOK CHEAP.

I like plain Jane. ;)

[LEXIRX330]

You know this is kind of funny. I see a 4 runner with the chrome door handles and I think it looks cheap. It just doesn't add to it IMHO. However on my GX, I love the chrome door handles and the strip on the side...it looks refined. I think if done right and not BLINGED out...it looks classy. However...some of the newer cars seem to take it to the extreme.

[PhyllisZ]

I just purchased an ES 300H and am wondering if the extended warranty is worth it. I tend to keep cars a long time. I'm trading in a 2001 LS 430 with only 87k miles. I have the nav system and wonder weather I need the extended warranty for that.

[SW03ES]

I don't like a blingy car either, but I like a little bit of adornment on a luxury car.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the new ES, I'm just a little frustrated with some of Lexus'.trim choices, the deletion of any chrome adornmet along the sides on the outside, some cheap downgrades such as the removal of be high quality rolled rear exhaust tips, etc. inside I lament some of the material choices, namely cheap plastics on the door panels, especially around the door handles where you touch a lot, and e deletion of the wood trim on the console. A lot of things I do like too, I like the shape, I like most of the new interior.

I'm torn. I'm thinking I might hang onto mine for a few years, and I've also started looking at 2010 LS460s...

[palermo22]

I just purchased an ES 300H and am wondering if the extended warranty is worth it. I tend to keep cars a long time. I'm trading in a 2001 LS 430 with only 87k miles. I have the nav system and wonder weather I need the extended warranty for that.

Don't have an answer about the warranty but I am on the verge of purchasing one as well (ES 300H). Mine will be Silver/Gray with the luxury package. What did you get?

[Uncle Ben]

I looked into this and was tempted; but believe or not, the sales rep at the dealership dissuaded me. "Mr. ____, other than your regular oil changes, how much did you have to spend on repairs on your 5-year old XLE."

Answer: I don't know, about $300 I guess.

Salesman: ...."So why would you want to pay thousands of dollars upfront for insurance about potential repairs that, according to statistics, are not likely to be required?"

He invited me to do my own homework and Google ownership/mtce costs. And I did; and if you do the same, you will likely come to the same conclusion.

That being said, as they say, sh..t happens. And I know folks that have been very thankful to have the extended warranty--but they weren't Lexus owners!

My nephew paid thousands of dollars over and above the market value for a 3-year old ES 350 (2006) with a 2-year extended warranty. He did have a few minor repairs done under warranty, but they only added up to a small fraction of what he paid for it, roughly $2,000 down the drain. But you know what, we pay for fire and theft insurance every year ... and aren't we glad that nothing happens!

I don't think it's worth it, likewise any other extended warranties on anything we buy - they are nothing but a cash grab for retailers, such that sales reps who manage to convince people to buy them are often rewarded with a bonus.

My two cents.

Cheers!

[SW03ES]

The other thing to realize is that you can wait to buy the warranty all the way up to when your original B2B warranty expires, so you don't have to decide now...

[PhyllisZ]

Thanks for your comments. I purchased a black with cream interior. I have the luxury navigation package. I live in Florida and while I know that they are just trying to give me a sales pitch, the one comment that made me think about buying the warranty is that the heat could make the nav system have issues down the road. They likened it to my cell phone being left in a hot car for a long time. I garage the car at night but during the day it is mostly out. Is it true that i don't have to buy it right now and can buy it any time before the regular warranty expires?

[Uncle Ben]

But Phyl, if your only concern is the NAV, I doubt very much that it would cost $4,000 to fix it.

I have two GPS units that are now gathering dust on my library shelf. If my NAV gets a heat stroke or sea sickness ... the price to fix it better be to my liking; otherwise, my Garmin friend will come out of the dusty zone.

Yes, it is true, you don't have to buy the extended warranty right now ... at least, that's what my sales rep told me.

Cheers!

[SW03ES]

You don't have to buy the warranty now, you can buy it all the way up to when the original warranty expires, and you can find better deals on the warranty online.

As for the GPS, I had a 2003 ES, still in the family with 170k on it...GPS works fine. We had a 2004 Toyota Prius we traded last year...GPS worked fine.

If my NAV gets a heat stroke or sea sickness ... the price to fix it better be to my liking; otherwise, my Garmin friend will come out of the dusty zone.

Issue is everything is controlled via the screen, so you would loose your ability to use basically all the car's functions. You would HAVE to repair the nav unit if something went wrong.

[Uncle Ben]

"Issue is everything is controlled via the screen, so you would loose your ability to use basically all the car's functions. You would HAVE to repair the nav unit if something went wrong."

Not quite, as many functions, if not all, are also available with buttons. But you're right, if the whole screen went dead, I think I would have to get it fixed. I comment referred to the GPS module per se which could, theoretically, go bad and still have a good screen. The map data for example could get corrupted, or the GPS chipset getting fryed somehow ...

[SW03ES]

Even with the buttons though, you wouldn't be able to see what you are controlling, you'd have no radio readouts, no advanced climate control readouts, no access to any of the apps, etc.

Any issue wouldn't be with the GPS module, it would be with the screen. I've never heard of just the GPS going bad, typically the failure is with the MFD (the screen).

If the map data got corrupted you'd just reinstall it.

[Uncle Ben]

No, no, Steve. GPS's do go bad, chipsets get fried for a number of reasons, a slight static shock being one of the primary ones.

[SW03ES]

I've been on auto forums for along time, and have never heard of a GPS chipset going bad...

[Uncle Ben]

I've been on auto forums for along time, and have never heard of a GPS chipset going bad...

I once had to return a Garmin 260--the screen was still in perfect working condition, but nothing else was working. I couldn't get the signal, no matter where I stood. There are a number of GPS forums where you'll find plenty of evidence of GPS units going bad, again for a number of reasons. The chief reason has to do with people trying to hack their system - the HP iPAQ 310 was famous for that. The second reason is static shock. Another reason often cited is heat and cold exposure. Anyway, I just offered an opinion and since this is off topic, perhaps we should both leave it just at that for now.

[SW03ES]

Yeah but thats a portable Garmin unit, we're talking about a built in OEM nav system. Totally different items and built to completely different standards.

I've been on Lexus forums for over 10 years, as well as other auto forums with significant discussion of built in GPS units and failures, and while I have definitely heard of instances where the screen has failed on Toyota/Lexus nav systems, I have never one time heard of a chipset or hard drive failing. I'd say thats something thats pretty unlikely.