SW03ES

But thats precisely why Toyota has done so well when, GM by comparison has done so poorly. GM has put their production an R&D dollars over the last 20 years into Gizmos, electric notification screens, parking assist, oil quality meters, "magnasteer" and fancy sounding bullsh!t like that, etc. Toyota may not offer the same gizmos but they have put their R&D dollars into build quality, ride and drivetrain refinement, reliability etc. Its really only been the last few years that you've started seeing more technology in Lexus vehicles in general. If you look at the latest GM vehicles, they are moving to an approach more similar to Toyotas. Before 2006 or so, Lexus vehicles other than the LS were pretty devoid of techy gizmos. If you think 1-2million is nothing to Toyota...you don't understand Toyota. Its a very conservative company. So, while you may not have forward facing parking sensors, you have the best ride and noise isolation in its class, incredible build quality, excellent reliability, etc. When it comes to parking sensors, we've demonstrated clearly though that Lexus is a class leader.

I don't understand, you're irritated about the lack of a feature that you agree isn't needed? You don't understand the purpose of the corner sensors. The corner sensors are used when turning in tight areas, a garage, parking lot, when parallel parking. Its to ensure you don't scrape the corner of the bumper on anything, which is a very common thing to do. IMHO, they are far more useful than a dead on center sensor. And, as we've seen none of the ES' competition has *any* sensors on the front at all, so Lexus is already offering a feature that none of their competition offers. If you want dead on center sensors...you can spend $10,000 more for the GS, or $30,000 more for the LS which has them. This is the entry level car, when you really look deeply there are a lot of areas where the car doesn't have the content that the more expensive cars have...and rightly so since its so cheap.

Personally I don't really see the need for a sensor in the front...I have no problem judging the distance of objects relative to the front of the car. Sure it would increase their cost. The ES is a volume model, they sell like 80,000 of them a year, so lets say it saved them $20 per car, $10 per sensor, thats $1.6M per year in savings. When you deliver a car with the features of the ES at the price point its at...they have to cut costs somewhere. The 3 series BMW offers parking sensors in the rear only. So does the Infiniti G. So does the Cadillac CTS. The Acura TL doesn't have parking sensors at all. So if anything Lexus offers more content in this feature than the competition.

Correct...I would never put a K&N filter in any vehicle of mine.

I've not yet experienced it on my ES350...but did on my ES300, my dad's 98 LS400 and his 04 LS430. It sounds like the typical throttle by wire lag that Lexus vehicles have exhibited since they came out with drive by wire in 1998. In short, its a computer glitch. It probably wasn't as long as 3-4 seconds, it feels a lot longer than it actually is. Can be very scary. On the new cars its a lot less of an issue than the older cars...

The rear actually has 4 sensors, not three. One on each corner and two in the center. You're correct, the front has no dead ahead sensors. Other more expensive Lexus sedans do. Its a cost saving measure...thats all. We'll just have to do what we did before parking sensors...actually look where we're going when going forward ;)

No backlights. Is this your first ES? My previous '03 had no backlighting in the console either.

Actually quite the opposite...too shiny. In my opinion Zaino gives a "plasticky" shine to the paint that robs it of its depth and luster, as do most other sealants.

Very hard to estimate, who knows what they'll find when they get in there. Using OEM or aftermarket parts? OEM...$5k easy.

The voice commands suck in general...

Not everybody likes the way Zaino looks though...

The issue is not the hybrid battery, the issue is the 12V battery that is used to start the car. If you leave it in the garage with the smart key on the dash, I would be surprised if it didn't go dead while you were gone. Basically when the key is in the car the car is in "ready to start mode" and the car is constantly communicating with the key, preparing for you to push the start button. This has nothing to do with it being a hybrid, this would happen in any car with a keyless start and entry system. That constant communication will kill the battery over 3 weeks. In general leaving your keys in your car is never a good idea anyways, even in a garage. If someone breaks into the garage (garage door openers are rolling coded and do spontaneously open sometimes, and sometimes respond to other people's openers) and someone steals your car for instance...your insurance company won't pay because you failed to properly secure your vehicle. Best practice is to keep the keys inside the house.

Even keeping the vehicle only 2-3 years depreciation still matters a lot, I think thats a significant reason luxury cars are leased at such a higher percentage than other types of cars... Run lease payments on a Lexus and a Lincoln, the Lincoln is really unleasable unless its a subsidized lease (which Ford does all over the place) because the projected 3 year resale is so much lower.

Thats awesome! What kind of LED do they have?

It can definitely be done, but I'd think it would be cheaper to sell the 95 and buy a 99...

The LS has all the same ambient lighting as the ES plus illuminated door handle cups, etc. You'll be happy. In terms of quietness, its definitely quieter than the ES...but its not as huge a difference as it once was. This is my second ES, and I have a lot of experience with the LS because my Dad drove them for many years. I also very nearly bought an '06 or '07 LS instead of my '10 ES. The ES350 is considerably more LS-like than previous generations, and actually this car has me feeling like I really don't need an LS...which is not how I felt about my previous ES...

They are VERY sensitive to balance issues...what they did was a RoadForce balance...that was going to be my next suggestion...

I think luxury carbuyers definitely care about depreciation...

I'm actually not really a huge Beemer fan, they're not my kind of cars. I like a well sized smooth and quiet sedan. I wouldn't really buy a G or a 3 series, objectively though the 3 series is really the archetype for the small sports sedan...

I'd be surprised if running 87 would cause drivability problems...

I wonder if my Blackberry would stream it through Bluetooth...don't see why not...

Oh yeah, the G37 is a great car...I've driven them but its still not *quite* like a 3 series in the solidity department. The 3 series drives like its a solid peice of metal, the Japanese cars just aren't quite the same...a BMW really isn't about all out performance or numbers on paper, its a driving experience and IMHO nothing else is really quite to that point yet. As for the M, you're thinking of the old M. No more M45, its the M37 and the M56. The M37 has a 330HP V6 with a 7 speed auto, the GS350 only has 303HP and a 6 speed. The M56 has a 420hp V8 while the GS460 is only 342. So the M37 absolutely will blow the doors off a GS350 and even probably be close to a GS460...and Lexus just doesn't have anything to compete with the M56. Plus the car is more modern and its cheaper. I drove both back to back when I was looking...and I wouldn't even consider a GS over an M.

I never thought about using Pandora...cool...

The issue is what they are selling them for. I'd like to see their profits compared to a few years ago. Based on our experiences they are selling cars, but with razor thin profit per unit and subsidized leases and interest rates...

On a spot that large touch up paint is going to look terrible... How perfect a job are you looking for? You might be able to get away with having the bumper spot painted by a detail shop, but that result is never perfect especially on silver.