LexBob2

teach, you might want to post this down in the RX specific forum. You'll probably get more responses/input from RX drivers there. Good luck...

Tesla seems to be doing pretty well right now. How sustainable they'll be is anyone's guess, but I wish them well. Competition is good for consumers as well as for the other automakers.

That sure sounds like doom and gloom to me. Things are never as bad as they seem AND never as good as they seem. The reality is somewhere in the middle.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends the LaCrosse due to much worse than average reliability. It gets the big black dot in that area. It has been a sales success for GM though.

In answer to the thread title - Yes, yes I do... Just kidding. I don't think things are all doom and gloom but changes are needed.

I agree. Ride quality, quietness, audio quality is something you really have to experience and then decide if they meet your needs and expectations. Good luck in your search.

There are some good, easy to follow instructions in the Owners Manual. Seems scary the 1st time you do it, but it works,

When the new gen ES came out I read a couple of articles that talked about workers receiving training for the hand stitching of tne dash material, whatever it happens to be. At the time I thought the information was embellished a bit, but the point was the hand stitching. If it's important, a search would confirm the info.

I thought I read the dash was hand stitched. Maybe someone else can chime and and confirm.

The combination of the ES and Avalon are doing very well for Toyota/Lexus.

I just noticed a couple of typos in the thread title. It should read ES350 To Be Built In U.S. (Ky). Sorry...

It's been confirmed that ES350 production is being moved from Japan to Toyota's Kentucky plant. This has been rumored for quite a while and is now official. It makes sense since the Avalon and Camry lines have been there for years.

The 2013 ES350 has the same 6 speed auto as the 2007-2012 generation (the hybrid has a CVT), so it should sound and perform the same. John, it sounds like something you should bring up to the dealer. Maybe they'll say it's normal but it should be mentioned and entered on the cars service history just in case something develops down the road.

You didn't say how many miles are on the car now but it might be suspension related. I had a 2010 for three years on the OEM Bridgestones and the car was stable at all speeds. If there is any mfgr warranty left on the car you might have the dealer look at it.

Several reviews of the 2013 ES have been critical of the ride quality vs. the previous generation. Consumer Reports was especially critical of the new car vs. their opinion of pre-2013 models.

The average age of the buyers of new ES350's is around 60. Lexus hoped to lower that a bit with the 2007-2012 gen but I don't think the needle moved too much. Maybe the new gen will be different but that remains to be seen. It seems that buyers of pre-owned ES350's tend to be a little younger.

When in doubt go with the mfgrs recommendation. It's the best starting point. You can go up or down a couple of pounds later to suit your prefrences.

Young guy, eh? Welcome to LOC. I had two ES350's. Great cars for guys like us...

I owned back to back ES350's (2007 & 2010), so for 6+ years I was driving basically the same car. It was time for a change. Both Lexus were all I could ask for in a car. Problem free and comfortable for long trips etc. I could easily go back to a Lexus in the future. In the meantime I still enjoy hearing what other owners and non-owners have to say about the brand.

Kind of. In late-November we traded in our 2010 ES350 (with 25k miles) on a new Audi Q5. An early Christmas present, although my wife is still wondering why we did it. :) We like the Audi a lot, but just didn't really need a new car.

Thanks for the reply LexBob! The dealer told me that the 12.1 update was out, but not released. Sometimes I can get to the 12.1 page on Lexus.com, but most of the time when inquiring about the latest version, I am directed to the 11.1 page. It's possible that he could be correct on this one. I had a 2010 ES350 which I traded in. Before I decided to sell it I checked at a nearby dealership and confirmed the thumb drive with version 12.1 was in stock ($169). It was released on October of this year. I've seen on another Lexus forum posts by owners of various models, including ES350's who have had 12.1 installed. I hope you are able to get some resolution on this.

I recently bought a new Audi with their MMI controller. At first I really missed the touch screen that was on our 2010 ES350. After a brief adjustment period I'm getting comfortable with the controller. I agree with SW they are the wave of the future vs. touchscreens for controlling all of the necessary functions..

My guess is if you wait a while there will be some available. With the new model it might take some time for the aftermarket to make various items available.

Zoom, Zoom. Merry Christmas to you too LEX-SV.

Who is this "Pack" you speak of??? :) Merry Christmas to you too...