They are super rare, they sold very poorly until the second generation came out. I've seen roughly as many of them in person as I've seen Sterlings and USDM Daihatsus. They make the sales disaster 1st gen GS look common. Bonus fun fact: The first gen GS was available with a V8 in Japan but not in the USDM.
Even rarer is the 5spd manual ES250.... Almost was able to nab one from New Mexico about 5-6 years ago, but it slipped through my fingers before I could book a flight.
People love to call it a dressed-up Camry, but Lexus really nailed the refinement back then.
Ride quality, noise isolation, overall feel — it was a different experience.
People love to call it a dressed-up Grand Highlander, but Lexus really nailed the [TX] refinement back then.
Ride quality, noise isolation, overall feel — it was a different experience.
I’m drawing a parallel that is either blatantly obvious or highly controversial. But I would bet in 35 years we will say the same about the Grand Highlander/TX.
As someone who upgraded from a '14 Camry -> '14 Avalon (hand me down) -> '15 ES350, I could tell you that each car feels properly different from each other. I'm not saying the Lexus is a Rolls Royce or anything crazy, but "dressed up Camry" is like saying "The M3 is a suped up 328i", technically you're not incorrect, but no person ever would actually compare the two after sitting in one.
The ES is now what it was. A comfortable luxury car that's more Buick than BMW. The fact the the ES is still being built (and Lexus' best selling sedan) and the LS is not speaks volumes. I'd buy one.
Buick outside of China doesn't even sell a sedan anymore, and the Cadillac CT5 cost a fair penny more than the Lexus ES so it still sits in a fairly comfortable market position.
As for the new upcoming ES electric? The jury is still out for that one.
I hope it doesn't become electric. Since Toyota canceled the Avalon (the Crown is not a car) the ES is their full sized car. Most likely the ES will lose the V6 (tear) and replace it with the Hybrid system similar to the Camry.
>I hope it doesn't become electric.
Oof. That is exactly what they're going to do with the MY26 ES.
[https://www.lexus.ca/en/vehicles/es-all-electric/overview/](https://www.lexus.ca/en/vehicles/es-all-electric/overview/)
I love the attempted gotcha people try with the Camry insult.
“Oh no, you drive one of the most reliable and popular cars in the world that’s been made better in almost every measurable way! What a loser!”
"It's just a Camry in a suit"
Well yes, that's exactly why I bought one. A Camry (insert the *actually it's an Avalon in a suit comments*) with more leather, softer touch points, "premium build", improved NVH, etc.
You don't see me calling your base A3, a Jetta with lipstick, Dave.
Just oil changes every 5k, cabin air filters, engine air filters. 84k Miles now.
Did a transmission drain and fill at 60k (Lexus claims lifetime fluid but this is a widely debated topic)
Other than that, I haven't had any issues. I do have a very slight vibration (just annoying and apparently only I can feel it, nothing alarming) while idling in D, thinking I might need a new front mount.
Thank you for the detailed answer. I want to look forward to one because of how comfortable and I have a thing for "boring" cars. Just like you said, a Camry with a more premium build is exactly what I want to own in the long term.
Not really, it's a 156hp car with only 4 gears, there's only so much you can do when you're nearing the top speed.
Modern cars are quicker with modern wide spread gearboxes but we're still talking like mid 20s to get to 100mph from a standstill.
I guess that implies 1-3 are meant to be able to accelerate up to highway speeds, then 4th is a ridiculously tall OD gear for fuel efficiency?
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R | Final Drive
---|---|----|----|----|----
2.810 | 1.549 | 1.000 | 0.734 | 2.296 | 3.625
My first car! Drove it from 150k to 310k miles with only preventative & general maintenance. Way better car to be in than the 2000’s civics a lot of my friends drove. Slow as hell, and a total boat, but super easy to live with. Plastics were starting to fall apart when I sold it, but I wonder if it’s still alive today.
The sheer number of cars which tried to compete directly with the ES demonstrates how successful the formula was at its peak. And with the introduction of the latest ES, it's back to having few real alternatives.
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