- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 15 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Superb, in so many ways"
Pros: Luxurious look and feel suggests a much more expensive car, first rate customer service
Cons: About the only thing I can come up with is that if you shop at Whole Foods, you might have to take a moment picking it out from all the other Lexi in the parking lot.
Summary: I'll skip the redundant portion of the review; you've already read about the smooth and quiet ride. (and the one controversial reviewer; I don't know what car he was driving, but my LS is pretty darn quiet) Instead, I'll focus on something those of us into technology have been coerced over time into overlooking far too often--service. Shopping for cars, seeing a regular Toyota dealership and a Lexus dealership by comparison really drove home (pun not intended) the difference customer service really makes. Lexus is quite different from the usual high pressure sales; there's no overriding sense of urgency to buy, and the dealer with whom I spoke was even willing to talk me out of purchases that wouldn't work with my lifestyle. The Lexus service center resembles a four star hotel lobby, but you don't have to go there; Park Place Lexus in Plano will pick up your car, maintain it, and leave you a loaner, also a Lexus model, to drive in the mean time. Quite a far distance from the psychotic cowboy ads or the giant purple gorilla out front of the other places. Lexus knows its clientelle, and they're willing to go the extra distance.
Technologically, I have driven the Toyota counterpart to the ES, the Camry, as a loaner when my old Celica was in for maintainance. And, I can safely say it's a world of difference. The ES has a more solid feel, inside and out. It's not just a Camry with extra features added on. The interior uses noticably better materials throughout.
This car is intended for people who favor a smoother ride and a more relaxed, luxury-minded driving experience. To people more interested in a sporty approach, I would recommend looking at the IS350, also from Lexus, or the Acura TL. I sat in an IS and then an ES, and my mind was made up between the two pretty quickly; the ES was noticably more comfortable. I test-drove a GS, which is a more upgraded model with a sportier engine but the ES's comforts, but I felt that the price difference was reaching a point of diminishing return; the $10,000 jump from a Camry to an ES was a quantum leap, whereas the additional $10,000 jump to the GS felt more incremental by comparison.
The technology features are pretty intuitive; most CNet regulars will have the car figured out in detail by the end of a test drive. If you have a less tech-savvy companion, he or she will certainly appreciate the surprising ease of use, even with such seemingly intimidating features as push-button engine start and wireless remote keyless entry.
I have heard rumors that Lexus soon intends to offer one with a hybrid engine. It's a highly plausible rumor, since Toyota has already announced plans of an all-hybrid lineup by 2020 and the present existance of a hybrid Camry. If you can wait a year or so, it may be well worthwhile, since hybrids offer superior performance and fuel economy. But, I have no regrets about owning this year's ES--though my other car is a hybrid.
