SW03ES

Nice install! I'm headed out of town but when I get back I want to touch base with you about getting this writeup featured on the site somewhere, how's that sound?

I always figured the Toyota nav was too hard to put into a car after purchase but they seem to offer a comprehensive kit that can be put anywhere. Very impressive.

The seats/room are just like the 04, I'm 6'1" and I have no problems. There is a lot more room in the new ES than in the older ones, and more headroom than 95-00 LS400s, the 430 has more room though. In 05 they legnthened the seat bottom a little bit because taller drivers were complaining about shorter legnth. Never bothered me but I have short legs.

Go into the setup menu and look at the map color. The Lexus nav screen can be set to an "AUTO" background color that changes depending on the season. Mine just changed the other day, I have a feeling this is probably it. You can also chose any one of the 4 season colors to be displayed all the time, or a default white.

Actually they're not Xenon ;) The guages are actually quite simple, they're constantly lit with super bright LEDs, the needles are also LED, and they sit behind a tinted cluster cover in a face that is made of a nonreflective plastic. The LS has a cold cathode tube doing the illumination but all other Lexus' use these LED bulbs. The only "xenon" technology is in the headlights and the LX doesn't have xenon headlamps. As for the wood, I'm going to move this to the detailing forum. The wood is actuall;y only a very very thin veneer mated to a plastic backing and topped with a clearcoat. Really anything you can use on your paint you can use on the wood, polish, wax, quick detail sprays etc. I use either Plexus (do a search in the detailing forum for that and it can be purchased from www.lexuscarcare.com its a plastic cleaner, also works well on the instrument cluster lens) or lemon Pledge. Both work well but the Pledge resists fingerprints better.

No, only if you have the coach edition. All RX300's have "Regency" leather.

Very cool!

I was expecting to really like the STS but the LS430 and the new GS are both more appealing inside and out.

Seen a couple 300Cs on the road now, they definately have a great look.

No pass through on the LS because the gas tank is between the rear seat and the trunk...

The ES is much cheaper to maintain, especially older ones as more components are shared with the Camry. Even at the dealer the ES costs about 1/4 what the LS costs for everything (they have different fee schedules for 6cyl and 8cyl cars. The SC and GS are less represented on the road than the ES and are going to be more expensive to repair, closer to the LS. If you've got your heart set on a Lexus I'd look for a nice low mile 95-96 model ES.

Thought I'd post this here as a follow up since I had been having a discussion with blake, vbdenny, Tmaxxtim and a couple others about the new STS in another thread. As they know I was quite interested in the STS after seeing pictures and reviews of it and thought this car might just put Cadillac back on the map. Well I saw one today in person and I was, well, less than thrilled with it. Where the car looked very well proportioned and smooth and handsome in pictures it looks kind of bulbous and misshapen in person. Also as blake saw from the photos the rear looks significantly higher than the front and the wheels don't look nearly as impressive. The grill also sits way ahead of the headlights and looks, well strange. Car looks short and stocky instead of long and flowing like it appeared in photos. The interior was also a dissapointment, cheapo GM carpeting and cheap looking heavily grained plastic used throughout. Wood looked nice and the switchgear seemed nice. All in all the fit and finish was good inside and out, but I wouldn't be interested in one at all. I'll get by to drive it eventually and see what it has to offer there. I was quite dissapointed :(

Geeze guys chill out, you know as well as I do there are horsepower modifications that can be done to the ES.

Actually I did mention the air conditioned seats ;)

Its the way you drive, very gas unfriendly. That coupled with the fact that the car is still pretty new it needs to break in, my gas mileage continues to improve and I'm to almost 30,000 miles now.

Check out our responses in this thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...howtopic=12402&

I get a better picture of it now, I agree it doesn't sound normal...

Looks like them ;)

I've heard several people on the GS boards complain about the throttle lag and have felt it myself after test driving it. Think about it this way, whenever there is talk of problems (Lexus even sent letters home to ES owners) more people will willingly complain about a problem (like to the NHTSA). The GS is far less popular and talk of problems is few and far between, people aren't so willing to complain thinking they're the only one. Every Lexus I have driven with an e-throttle (LS, GS, ES, RX) has this lag. The GS DOES have an ECT PWR mode though which as I found on my dad's LS's really minimizes the lag.

I agree with Tim that is very common. Mine doesn't do it with the sunroof but it does if one of the rear windows is open.

jrag- I'm pretty convinced that as long as they keep that electronic throttle its going to have that lurch. The GS has the same thing though. You should take one for a spin and judge for yourself, maybe the gearing of one would make it less perceptable to you. Lexusfreak- They were Bridgestone Turanza ER33s I believe. Not great. I didn't ask for a brochure...

We were out running around today and decided to stop by the Lexus dealer and see if they had any 05s in stock, they did one black one with tan interior and no nav. I spent probably 20 minutes walking around it parked next to my 03 and then took it on a short test drive. I thought this would be interesting for people especially jragosta who is toying with the idea of letting Lexus replace his car with an 05. Styling: Like most Lexus it looks better in person. I now officially don't like the headlights, to me the projectors look too prominent in the large ES housings. The great thing about projectors is you can design smaller housings (like in the RX and LS) retrofitted into the ES they look strange. The grille looks better in person but I still prefer my grille. The grille definately will not retrofit into the 02-04 as the opening is slightly different. The bumper and the headlights definately will though. That brings me to the bumper, I didn't like it much in the pictures but it looks much better in person. The large single barred opening looks better than the plastic eggcrate opening in mine, and the round fogs are chrome rimmed which make them look very classy. Warming up to the front. As for the rear, the thin chrome strip above the license plate looks GREAT and I will definately add that to my car. The taillights also look great in person and look more jeweled and expensive than the 02-03's. I may make that upgrade someday but they're not really better than mine just different. Wheels: The car DOES have standard 17s, the 16s are not offered in the US, only in Japan and Canada. The 16s in Japan and Canada are our 16s. The wheels look great on the car and fill the wheel wells much better. Definately a good move, providing it doesnt change the ride. Interior: Another thing that I was more happy with in person. They changed the trim around the door handles to the lighter shade and I wasn't too thrilled about it in the pictures, but the tan interior car I set in matched it much better. I still don't know how good it will look on the black interior. The new blond birds eye maple is beautiful and very rich with a VERY nice distinct grain. I don't care for the blond wood but it suits the tan interior better than the cherry. The blond wood also comes on the grey interior (which is odd) but the black maintains the cherry wood found on the 02-04. The steering wheel w/radio controls is EXCELLENT, huge improvement and styled well. My fiancee really liked the memory passenger seat. The leather is the same quality but the perforated seats give an interesting new look. Cooled seats are okay but do not work as well as those on my dad's 04 LS, his are actually fanned and vented the ES' are not. All the materials are the same high quality ones found in the current car, I was dissapointed to find the steering wheel was not power tilt telescope like the RX and all the other cars, no bluetooth either. Also Lexus swears the tan is the same tan only with a new name but it is not, its a few shades darker than the 02-04 tan and it kind of stares you back in the face. Sort of dijon mustard in color. Drive: First out I immediately noticed what I feared, the 17s have changed the ride quality and slightly increased cabin noise. Its still good, but not as muted over bumps or as quiet as my 03. The 3.3 liter feels the same as the 04 (which has a higher note than my 3.0.) The transmission seemed to be more solid with shifts being felt firmer, but yes the throttle lag is still there just like in my 03. So if you're expecting the 05 to fix that issue it has not, but the transmission seems all around less confused. Other than that, same as my 03. All around I am happy, wont get me to trade (the salesman tried to get me to let him appraise mine) but they made some upgrades they needed to make. There have also been some packaging changes for instance you can now get the rear sunshade without the nav package. The headlamps ARE dynamically active like those in the RX and LS. The mirrors now tilt down in reverse (why they dont on the 02-04 nobody knows) I wonder how hard that would be to retrofit. jragosta- If you do let Lexus swap you out I'd insist they swap the wheels to your 16s.

The new one drives more like the LS than the previous generations, its a difference between luxury and sport, your 95 is significantly sportier than an 02-04. The sloppiness and heavy feeling is the softer springs and the heft ties into the solid feel.

The 97-99 are identical ;) See everyone likes their model the best ;)

I think this is outside the scope of what is appropriate for us to host. This was not a transaction that occured on the LOC, nor is the vendor an Authorized Trader or advertiser with the club. The club has been offered both sides of the story now and our members can make decisions based on what they've seen. I suggest that these two parties sort this issue out amogst themselves. Thread closed.