New ES 330

I am planning on purchasing a new ES 330. Is there anything that I should be aware of in the options, or standard items? I presently own a GS 400, so I am very familair with the line, but this will be my first front wheel drive from Lexus. I am keeping the GS. Bob

Reply to
Bob
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I have it and love it. Some report a hesitation when punching down the accelerator. Edmunds.com's users rate the es330 sub-par because of it... but like i said, I have not experianced this problem....

Reply to
Dan J.S.

We have had one with all the options since late October. The hesitation thing is certainly not a deal breaker. I noticed it before I started reading all this about it, but just adapt the time into my driving habits. Otherwise it is an unbelievably nice car. SO quiet and smooth. You have to look at the tach to see if it died when you come to a stop. We have really enjoyed the Mark Levinson audio system and the Nav system as well. The only thing our car didn't have was the adjustable pedals but we waited 6 weeks for a dealer to find this car and our old car was dead so we took this one. It is the garnet (cherry metalic) color which we have not regreted once. My second choice would be the navy blue. I don't think this body style looks as good with the lighter colors, and black doesn't seem to show off the subtle styling cues of the body.

Reply to
Bob Muse

Test drove one today. Too bad you can't get the Mark Levinson audio system without spending another $2,000+ for the Nav system.

Reply to
David Z

Reply to
Stephen Keown

Also, why did they put the 6CD changer in the console between the front seats? My 1997 ES300 has it in the glove box which seems like a much better place for it. Now it uses up practically that whole center console compartment. :-(

Reply to
David Z

or get the weathertech mats from mats.com.... perfect fit in the es330... kinda sucky in the 4 runner (seem small) but exact in every other car i bought it for...

Reply to
Dan J. S.

Depends on driving habits and conditions, but the hesitation is a big unresolved problem for the new ES series right now.

Reply to
Steve Larson

I bought a 2004 ES330. It is very nice. Everything in it is nicer than my old 1994 ES300 except the hesitation from stop. That hesitation can be very annoying if you have many stop signs to go through on your drive to work. The hesitation could be deadly if you have to accellerate hard to fit into traffic when you are turning onto a fast road from a side street and you have no accelleration lane.

Reply to
tadd

Just test drove the ES330 again with the hesitation issue in mind.

I noticed that the hesitation is worse the harder you punch it. If you ease in on the throttle and push it when you feel the tranny engage, there not much hesitation at all. Or at the very least, a lot less than when you just floor it quickly.

Any thoughts on this? I'm still debating whether or not to buy one. I'm going to test drive it again the weekend. There's no other car that interests me. If I don't buy it, I'll just keep my 1997 ES300 and wait to see what the 2005s are like.

Reply to
David Z

Previously in alt.autos.lexus, "David Z" proclaimed :

There isn't, IMHO, a "built in" hesitation. That's like saying that Toyota/Lexus intentionally designed the software to hesitate. They didn't. However, I don't think they've done nearly enough to identify and resolve the issue. Or, at the very least, openly admit there's a problem.

Having said that, our 00 ES300 has *zero* hesitation. I've tried every situation, at just about every speed, to try and duplicate the problems people are complaining about and zilch. We did have a loaner 02 ES that we got from our dealer while our car was in for routine maintenance so I *do* know what the hesitation feels like.

What I'm saying is, not *all* Lexi have this problem, and certainly not *all* ES's have this problem. If you really want one, test drive a few until you find one that doesn't have the problem. They are out there.

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Reply to
wideglide01

I strongly disagree with your point that Lexus didn't design it to hesitate. The auto manufacturers are under pressure to meet mpg standards, and one way to do that is to prevent the driver from mashing the gas pedal at will. Lexus intentioally designed in such a lag to help keep their fuel numbers more positive, while also keeping the low emmissions designation for this car. The hesitation/lag problems started with the newly redesigned ES series in 2002, and has continued through the 2004 models. Lexus does need to fix this, I personally am very disappointed in their lack of customer focus on this issue. They have basically turned a deaf ear, and continue to plod along with their marketing adage "relentless pursuit of perfection". I have a different perspective on that, I don't think they are in pursuit of perfection in the ES, as my 2002 ES drives me nuts in city driving situations.

Reply to
Steve Larson

correction: "passionate pursuit of perfection"...

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Reply to
Steve Larson

Previously in alt.autos.lexus, "Steve Larson" proclaimed :

following your logic, they would of done the same thing to their Camry. In fact they would of done the same to their entire line. It's a defect in their fly by wire technology. It makes no sense that they would deliberately do that just to a particular line. Especially since the Camry and the ES has the same engine. Additionally, the complaint isn't just in their '02 and forward models, the complaint has been around well before the 02's came out.

I agree that Lexus/Toyota hasn't listened to the high number of complaints but to state that they're trying to keep within some mpg guideline in just the Lexus line and not their Toyota line isn't logical.

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Reply to
wideglide01

Previously in alt.autos.lexus, "Steve Larson" proclaimed :

the EPA mpg estimates are not measured by how much of a lead foot the consumer has. The EPA mpg estimates are only guidelines that Lexus, or any other manufacturer cares about.

hogwash. See my previous post.

the hesitation issue has been a complaint of some Lexus owners long before the '02's came out.

...on this point I agree.

...then sell it and buy a Camry. No one is holding your foot to the fire to keep your car. If enough consumers turn their back to Lexus, they'll have no choice but to fix the problem.

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Reply to
wideglide01

They wouldn't necessarily have done the same thing to the Camry. Let me expand a bit, as I left some of the supporting details out, which I assumed was common knowledge. I have read of complaints about the 5 speed automatic in the Toyota line as well. Further, Lexus may have a different ECU behavior because they want the Lexus driver to be insulated from the driving experience in their passenger sedans. Therefore, the accelerator and transmission are more subdued in order to maintain a "poised" ride, while also yielding the benefit of higher mpg to make up for the weight. I believe the ES is heavier than the Camry. Anyway, the argument is, in fact, quite logical.

Reply to
Steve Larson

Wrong. EPA is measured as a product of emissions. A lead footed driver will produce more emissions. Therefore, if you take away that ability, the emissions output is reduced, and EPA's formula for computing MPG is stacked in Lexus' favor. If you would read up on how the EPA does MPG calculations, you'd see it is a pretty contrived and inaccurate process, but is mostly attributed to measurement of emissions and 30+ years of data plugged into formulas. You would think they would take a car and drive it in real world scenarios to measure MPG, but they don't.

See my point above, you really need to understand EPA better before you spout off.

Perhaps, but the problem became exacerbated with the 5speed auto in the 2002 ES series.

I appreciate you offering to spend my money. I am by no means wealthy enough to turn and burn cars that quickly. Buying decisions in my household are carefully planned out to fit within our budget, and the next car purchase will be my wife's. So, while you have offered that "No one is holding your foot to the fire to keep your car", I think that may have been a misinformed comment.

Reply to
Steve Larson

No, it's not. :-)

John

Reply to
The Lindbergh Baby

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