It's to bad you haven't pressed the issue...settling for a $35,000 luxury car that bucks and lurches (at least, my 02 does) is a poor bargain. And I have seen many postings indicating that the 03 still has the problem.
I am extremely upset since we traded a very fine 98 ES300 for a car that acts more like a cheap Chevy Nova. And frankly, the dealer and Lexus are stonewalling this issue for many of us loyal buyers.
All ES300 owners who experience this very poor implementation of engine/transmission (mis)communication should press Lexus into responding with a solution or settlement.
I have a meeting with a Lexus field rep tomorrow but I expect nothing but frustration in getting them to address this problem.