first 48 hrs ! test

[wynants]

Well, after a long, long wait i finally received my fully spiced ES ! black graphite and takumi brown interior (pictures follow later) , i clocked 250 miles in the last 48 hrs and here are my first remarks. 

1: driving: this car is a dream car to drive, provided you're not looking for a true sports car. But driven with relaxation and comfort in mind this is a tough one to beat ! the atmosphere of serenity and calm is unbelievable. Suspension is a little more harsh then my previous 7 serie, but that one had air suspension so not a real 1-to-1 comparison. I find acceleration and torque more then ample for modern day traffic, not once i felt myself wanting for more. As for the whining sound of the CVT some motor journalists go on about, i wonder if they driven the same car as i do, absolutely not an issue! cornering and curves are taken with a relaxt air, again it's not a porsche, but it never was ment to be, as i was a bit afraid of the handling i now can say that the car is surprisingly nimble on its feet, it handles better then its size would LED to believe it does. 

On a mixed day of driving ( 40% motorway, 20 % city and 40% country roads ) i'm averaging 5,6 liter  / 100 km  

2: cabin: i can honestly say that the cabin of the ES is one of the best i ever sat in, everything feels well put togheter, the seats are marvelous and lay out is fairly logic. View to the back is restricted, a problem most modern cars seem to suffer from. 

The size of the doors however takes some getting used to, man they are large ! When fully opened , you have to extend yourself quite a bit to close them . 

Special mention for the climate control, i put the climate control in concierge mode and haven't looked at it since, works like a charm, it switches on the seat cooling when needed and keeps me in a very comfortable climate ! Dials and head up display are crisp and clear , the central big screen lags a little bit behind that of my 7 in clarity and crispness but the difference is small.  

3:Multimedia: The elephant in the room ! first of all, the trackpad ! it takes a bit to get used to it, and it will never be as intuitive as the I-drive i loved, but it isn't halve as bad as some try to make it out. 
after a day or two of use you learn to live with it, besides for the most used functions there are short-cut buttons,  and honestly, once you configured your car to your likes, how often do you change the settings afterwards? 

Pairing and using the phone is really a doddle, better then my 7 series, the only thing i'm missing is when i stream music from TIDAL from my Iphone, i don't see the playlists and can't select numbers, the only option is moving one number up or down . 

Navigation is OK, no more than that, this is one area where the German competition has the upper hand, maps could be better and more detailed, traffic problems are not, or too late put in the system. Voice command ( addresses etc ) is working very well, to my surprise the system understood my input correct in 90% of the cases. 

Radio: i have the ML system and i'm happy with it, although it depends a great deal on the source you use, i find DAB rather bland, but the hifi or CD quality from TIDAL is sounding really good. In short the recording quality and the steaming quality are very important to get the most out the system. Making and receiving phone calls works fine, again the 7 series did it a little better. 

4: Safety systems: Love it! they work almost flawless and unobstructive , very happy with them, they perform better then the ones on my 7 serie ! 

Head up display, it was a conditio sin ne qua non, got used to it in my BMW's and consider it indispensable , to my joy i can say that the HUD of the ES is very, very good ! 

Final thoughts

After more then 20 years of German cars ( Audi and BMW ) i found the time has come for something new, it was with apprehension that i placed the order for this ES, but for now i can say, very happy driver so far ! the only thing i can say to anyone looking for a car in this price segment, you would be mad not to go and try out this Lexus before ordering the usual black or grey mercedes/Audi/Bmw 

It isn't race car, but for those who are looking for comfort, space, relaxation, full saving and reliability, it's more then a serious contender ! watch out for falling acorns however ! 

 

[James W]

I have just bought an NX300h, first Lexus I've owned, and overall it is outstanding. The ride over awful London speed bumps and potholes is incredible. 

There is only one downside so far.  The navigation system is infuriating, The graphics are fine, but entering a postcode takes ages and it's nowhere as good at journey planning as Waze. Is there any App that can be downloaded to the car or any other method I can run Waze through the system?  Otherwise I will have to impersonate a minicab driver and rig up the phone to the windscreen, which seems a bit luddite for a brand new car. 

[wynants]

apple CarPlay  (if you have an Iphone of course ) is very soon coming to Lexus Europe, so waze users should rejoice! 

[James W]

13 hours ago, wynants said:

apple CarPlay  (if you have an iPhone of course ) is very soon coming to Lexus Europe, so waze users should rejoice! 

Will it be retrofitted to existing models? I will be very annoyed if not especially as mine is 2019

[SH20]

I've seen a lot on USA  ES videos and heard a lot about apple car play or Android Auto, something the US seen to get as standard but don't really know what they can do, although the new 2020 NX will have ACP now I believe,  but if you can obtain background system updates when you are on the move via the e store icon after clicking the Apps icon surely the retrospective upgrade for ACP or AA is possible wouldn't you think?.   If so I wonder at what cost.   Like JW says buying a £40K +  new Lexus and being told your new car can't be retro fitted with either ACP or AA will be hard to swallow.   I know nothing about either of these much talked about  App systems  and haven't been educated by anyone who has either one of them so what am I missing I wonder?. 

[wynants]

According to my dealer and the talk on the grapevine the 2019 models will be retrofitted BUT only the one's with the big nav screen, ( 12 and something inch i suppose ) so apparently not the basic models 

[James W]

Ok but can those of us slumming it with small screens pay for it ourselves? Or are we stuck? 

[wynants]

pictures ! 

The last one gives a view of the incredible reflection of the black paint ! 

[jumbojake]

very nice, I don't envy you parking in one of those garages, looks a tight turn!

 

is that the premium pack?  

what colour leather did you go for?   (is it a brown dashboard, or trick of the light?)

[wynants]

11 hours ago, jumbojake said:

very nice, I don't envy you parking in one of those garages, looks a tight turn!

 

is that the premium pack?  

what colour leather did you go for?   (is it a brown dashboard, or trick of the light?)

Yes parking here is a bit tricky , but i already got used to it with my previous car (bmw 730) no small boat either! 

the dashboard is indeed a brownish/aubergine like color, i prefer it to the everlasting black, it is remarkable how many cars have a full black interior , i'm fed up with that (my age maybe?) but all that black gives me a depression! so the color of this interior is brown shimamoku ( that"s what it says on the bill at least! ) and the wood inlay is black on paper but dark brown in reality