Es300h fsport ride quality

george72 · February 1, 2022

I am 6 months into the ownership of a 2019 es300h and generally pleased with the car. I do miss by 530d and the 6 pot engine, but I am at a stage where reliability trumps everything else. My biggest grip is the low speed ride quality on the f sport model, it really feels un lexus like and discordant with a common view that these cars are all about comfort rather than sportiness. The thing is I love the look of the fsport it really does look excellent, especially in graphite black! But the jittery ride quality at low speed rather spoils the experience. I suspect the hard ride is down to the 19 inc wheels? Or am I missing something? Many thanks

ColinBarber · February 1, 2022

16 hours ago, george72 said:

But the jittery ride quality at low speed rather spoils the experience. I suspect the hard ride is down to the 19 inc wheels? Or am I missing something?

The wheels are going to play a part yes. I assume you aren't using sport/sport+ drive mode, or custom mode with the chassis control set to sport as that will make the adaptive suspension harder? Are your tyre pressures correct, or maybe even 1 or 2 psi under the recommendation?

george72 · February 1, 2022

15 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

The wheels are going to play a part yes. I assume you aren't using sport/sport+ drive mode, or custom mode with the chassis control set to sport as that will make the adaptive suspension harder? Are your tyre pressures correct, or maybe even 1 or 2 psi under the recommendation?

Just in standard mode. Dont really see the point of any of the sport set up in a car with this engine and gearbox. What about the tyres? Presumably they will make a difference.

Mincey · February 2, 2022

My ES F Sport on 19" wheels has a less choppy ride than my IS F Sport did on 18" wheels. It is also smoother on many surfaces than my wife's Ioniq on 15" wheels. I'd go with Colin's suggestion and check your pressures. My car is on Bridgestones which despite taking Michael Schumacher to several drivers' titles, aren't rated too highly on here.

george72 · February 2, 2022

4 hours ago, Mincey said:

My ES F Sport on 19" wheels has a less choppy ride than my IS F Sport did on 18" wheels. It is also smoother on many surfaces than my wife's Ioniq on 15" wheels. I'd go with Colin's suggestion and check your pressures. My car is on Bridgestones which despite taking Michael Schumacher to several drivers' titles, aren't rated too highly on here.

yes, mine are Bridgestone too! the car only has 7500 miles on the clock, and that too very lightly driven- it will be a while before i get a chance to swap tyres

peniole · February 2, 2022

This is one of the reasons I stayed away from the F sport. While it would make sense on an ES350, which we don't get here in the UK, i didn't to me on the 300h. I was willing to forgo some options in the hunt for comfort. I'm on 18", with the standard suspension setup and on softer rubber; the low speed drive is butter smooth and quiet, enough to put you to sleep.

I swapped tyres at delivery, beyond that all you can do is adjust pressures. Do 18"ers even fit on the F sport? i.e. do they have larger calipers?

george72 · February 2, 2022

Peniole but the fsport looks fantastic! 😊 Might have to look at a softer tyre when I need them replacing. Life is all about compromise I suppose.

peniole · February 2, 2022

1 minute ago, george72 said:

Peniole but the fsport looks fantastic! 😊 Might have to look at a softer tyre when I need them replacing. Life is all about compromise I suppose.

It does, it wasn't an easy decision. I especially like the LFA nicked instrument cluster. 👌

george72 · February 4, 2022

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/lexus/es/first-drives/lexus-es-300h-f-sport-2022-uk-review

e-yes · February 4, 2022

"The chief bugbear is the ride quality. Over broken surfaces, there’s a disconnect between the seat and the suspension, so one part of the car is reacting in one way and another is moving at a different rate. It means it all feels a bit fussy and flustered, as if the dampers don’t ever really know what they’re meant to be ironing out. Cross axle bumps upset it the most."

That's how I would describe the A6 S-Line I had before the ES. Also, the leather seats on the A6 were very hard. Could also go on how bad the steering was as well but...

When the Lexus dealer asked my what I didn't like about my A6 I told him about the ride quality (amongst other things) and he just simply said it would be a waste of time to have a test drive in the F-Sport and asked me to take the standard ES (the one with 18" wheels due to the Premium Pack) away on a test drive for a few hours.

--E

Mincey · February 4, 2022

I must ask for an 18" clad ES when I take Betsy in for her next service. She provides a very smooth ride so on 18" wheels, it must be phenomenal!

cdmaskell · February 4, 2022

I loved the look of the F Pace, especially in Azure blue, stunning. The dealer said you won’t like the ride. As I had an ES P/ Pack before I ordered another. Coming March. Mind you that extra VED hurts!

george72 · February 4, 2022

16 minutes ago, e-yes said:

"The chief bugbear is the ride quality. Over broken surfaces, there’s a disconnect between the seat and the suspension, so one part of the car is reacting in one way and another is moving at a different rate. It means it all feels a bit fussy and flustered, as if the dampers don’t ever really know what they’re meant to be ironing out. Cross axle bumps upset it the most."

That's how I would describe the A6 S-Line I had before the ES. Also, the leather seats on the A6 were very hard. Could also go on how bad the steering was as well but...

When the Lexus dealer asked my what I didn't like about my A6 I told him about the ride quality (amongst other things) and he just simply said it would be a waste of time to have a test drive in the F-Sport and asked me to take the standard ES (the one with 18" wheels due to the Premium Pack) away on a test drive for a few hours.

--E

Yup, unfortunately i did not get that good advice and my testdrive was mainly on good quality roads and only a few mins 😞

beyond the blue · February 4, 2022

1 hour ago, e-yes said:

"The chief bugbear is the ride quality. Over broken surfaces, there’s a disconnect between the seat and the suspension, so one part of the car is reacting in one way and another is moving at a different rate. It means it all feels a bit fussy and flustered, as if the dampers don’t ever really know what they’re meant to be ironing out. Cross axle bumps upset it the most."

That's how I would describe the A6 S-Line I had before the ES. Also, the leather seats on the A6 were very hard. Could also go on how bad the steering was as well but...

When the Lexus dealer asked my what I didn't like about my A6 I told him about the ride quality (amongst other things) and he just simply said it would be a waste of time to have a test drive in the F-Sport and asked me to take the standard ES (the one with 18" wheels due to the Premium Pack) away on a test drive for a few hours.

--E

I traded in an Audi S-Line for my recent ES and remember saying exactly the same thing, very uncomfortable and noisy ride, couldn't wait to get rid of it, never said goodbye to it, just abandoned it on the forecourt. I made sure (by a good test drive) that the ES was the car for me. I wasn't interested in a car that even mentioned the word 'sporty', wasn't interested in sport suspension, low profile tyres, large wheels, hugging seats or fast acceleration, just plain old fashioned quality and comfort. I made the right choice.

peniole · February 4, 2022

4 hours ago, Mincey said:

I must ask for an 18" clad ES when I take Betsy in for her next service. She provides a very smooth ride so on 18" wheels, it must be phenomenal!

It's what sealed the deal for me along with the whisper quiet cabin on my B road test drive, and that's despite the fiddly nav, which is saying something.

EvilRacer329 · February 4, 2022

I see that someone has already posted the Autocar review! One question: are the ES300h's tyres run-flats? I find the Bridgestone run-flats on my UX very noisy, and apparently regular tyres are quieter and slightly softer due to having software sidewalls. Perhaps you could could look into a change there?

I don't believe Lexus change the size of the brakes on their F-Sport models - it's just styling, bigger wheels, and in some cases, adaptive dampers. Can the adaptive dampers be switched to a softer mode than standard? Alternatively, I'd see about snagging a set of 18" wheels; you'll have no trouble reselling your 19s.

I'm about to trade my UX250h F-Sport in for a new one that also has the Takumi pack, and I'm going to insist that they ensure that I have something other than the Bridgestone's fitted my current car came with. I did actually test-drive a regular Takumi before buying my original F-Sport and have even driven a couple of base-model UX's while mine was in for repairs, and I was never able to notice any difference in the ride quality between the F-Sport and regular models. It sounds like perhaps the ES is a different story...

I hope you find a satisfactory resolution! I'm an outlier who would absolutely like the option of switching into some sort of super-stiff, high-power sport mode and blasting down a few quiet mountain roads, but I don't think that's what most Lexus customers are looking for...

Nick

ColinBarber · February 4, 2022

27 minutes ago, EvilRacer329 said:

are the ES300h's tyres run-flats? I find the Bridgestone run-flats on my UX very noisy, and apparently regular tyres are quieter and slightly softer due to having software sidewalls. Perhaps you could could look into a change there?

I don't believe Lexus change the size of the brakes on their F-Sport models - it's just styling, bigger wheels, and in some cases, adaptive dampers. Can the adaptive dampers be switched to a softer mode than standard?

not run-flats unfortunately as that could be a simple fix. The suspension is just hard and relies on the tyres to provide some of the cushioning. The adaptive dampers are 'soft' in standard mode, or more precisely 'hard' and then go to very hard in sport+ mode. The trouble is I think the springs are too stiff so the dampers can't compensate.

The brakes aren't different so you could put 18" or even 17" wheels on it, but then you are detracting from the F Sport looks.

The latest MY22 revision to the ES has changed the suspension - not sure how much it improves things.

george72 · February 4, 2022

I have the bridgestones and they are not run flats. As people here have already said it really is the suspension set up thats very stuff. I naively thought that as the F-Sport has adaptive dampers it was bound to have a better ride! How wrong I was. Its not terrible but does ruin the wafty lexus experience that I wanted.

GMB · February 5, 2022

I just changed my tyres a bit earlier than I expected due to a nasty puncture.

Now that I have Michelin Pilot Super Sport TPCs all round on the car the difference is amazing. The Michelins seem to have more supple sidewalls and a softer running surface. No more clatters over ripples and hard juddery ride. They will probably wear out a little bit quicker but it is worth it.

To the Bridgestones that were junked I say Good riddance.

It was a pity that the tyre fitters put one tyre on back to front. Not even an apology and just said it was not dangerous and refitted it - It IS an MOT failure, take care with asymmetric tyre fitting - inside/outside faces.

george72 · February 5, 2022

27 minutes ago, GMB said:

I just changed my tyres a bit earlier than I expected due to a nasty puncture.

Now that I have Michelin Pilot Super Sport TPCs all round on the car the difference is amazing. The Michelins seem to have more supple sidewalls and a softer running surface. No more clatters over ripples and hard juddery ride. They will probably wear out a little bit quicker but it is worth it.

To the Bridgestones that were junked I say Good riddance.

It was a pity that the tyre fitters put one tyre on back to front. Not even an apology and just said it was not dangerous and refitted it - It IS an MOT failure, take care with asymmetric tyre fitting - inside/outside faces.

That's hopeful! Take it yours is an f sport?

GMB · February 5, 2022

Yes a 200t f sport. I haven't tried the normal one so cannot compare. Many, many years ago I had an Audi 200t. That was an unpredictable 2 ton beast with a 2 second turbo lag and then it would take off, drop a couple of gears in kickdown and front wheel spin off into the distance. Should've kept it!