Es 300H experience

[Hich]

Hello Es Owners ! I am about order the es 300h in the ultra luxury trim and would love to have your feedback on the driving experience overall ( does it feel slow ? )🙏 Also is the boot space good enough for familly road trips etc ? Thanks in advance 

[Cs150]

Smooth, refined and can run at motorway speeds all day. Subjective of course but due to the weight and bulk of the car whilst handling is fine you cannot throw it in corners and it lacks feedback through the steering. The Ford Mondeo I had previously had older hydraulic power steering and had much more feel communicated from the steering and the confidence to chuck it in corners at somewhat spirited speeds and it handled it well. The ES is of course a superior car to the Mondeo but in my opinion does not handle as well, power is reasonable but at 0-60 coming at 9 seconds is not fast but the ES is so relaxing you just want to cruise 

[Sandandlime]

Hi Hich, I've had an ES300h Takumi (the French version of UL I believe) since September 2019. The answer to your questions is very subjective. I have the ES to be comfortable to spend a lot of time in but it isn't XJ6 levels of comfort, either suspension or seating. Compared to German cars, however, the suspension is much more compliant and the seats less hard. Personally, I'd prefer more padded seats but the range of adjustments always makes for a comfortable seating position.

Is it slow? Well there are many that say so but I'm not one of them.  That said, I'm typically on 80 or 90 km/h roads. The 0-60 time is reportedly quite low but in day to day driving that isn't what I experience largely due to immediate electric response and no drop in acceleration whilst waiting for a gear change. It's a large car and not what I would describe as chuckable (I have a TR4a for that as well as a couple of motorcycles!) but better on the twisty bits than I envisaged. This is particularly noticeable when I cross the Pyrenees by my preferred less major routes and much easier to drive than my previous oil-burner due to engine/ev braking. Overall performance is fine for normal driving. if you want to be at the head of the pack look elsewhere. Since new I've averaged 5.2 l/100 km overall and as low as 4.7 on longer runs ( 54 and 60 mpg in old money).

The boot is amply large for most normal situations, indeed capacious, but the lack of a folding rear seat can be a drawback from time-to-time, only really once for me when I bought some new non-folding garden chairs and needed my mate and his Espace to collect them. Mostly though I find the lack of a folding seat a benefit as it keeps the two compartments separate. Depending on the age of the kids you may have issues with them constantly playing with the controls in the centre armrest (don't know if they can be isolated?). The wide opening rear doors make it easy to get kids and car seats etc in and out. I no longer have dogs but if I did I would have chosen something else for two Border Collies.

In summary, I've found the ES to be a quiet and refined car that just gets on with doing its job without fuss. Other than routine servicing, nothing has required any attention in my three years of ownership. Annual trips to my dealer are a bit tedious as it takes at least half a day but is always made a pleasant experience by the staff there.

[beyond the blue]

I have had mine for 12 months from new. It's a great car but not perfect (nothing is). It is lovely to drive, very smooth, glides over rough roads and is very comfortable. It is responsive and easily powerful enough for my needs, however l find it has quite a poor turning circle and one or two other niggles. Mine has been back to the dealer quite a few times for various rattles to be sorted. I had an RX 300 for 10 years and l find the ES is not a patch on the old RX. 

[e-yes]

Hi,

I have my Premium Pack (I think it is 3 trim levels down from Takumi which you are referring to as Ultra Luxury) Are you based in North America by any chance as that trim nomenclature is not use in UK. We have ES -> Premium Edition -> Premium Pack -> F-Sport -> F-Sport + Takumi Pack -> Takumi (I think there used to be a F-Sport + Tech Pack as well but haven't checked if that is the case currently as well)

For the specific questions you asked.

Does it feel slow ?

NO. On the contrary I think Lexus are quoting the worse observed 0-62mph time of 8.9s. I have not timed it myself but it positively feels more responsive than the Audi A6 (C7) 2.0 TDI I had. That turbo engine in the Audi had significant turbo lag, that might be the reason. The ES just gets up and goes... no drama. Acceleration while on roll is no worse than other cars in its price point. If you are looking for sub 6 second 0-62mph then obviously the Hybrid is not going to do it. In fact no car in its price range will likely do it. For most of the use cases the ES Hybrid is plenty fast.

Handling wise as well it feels more planted, steady and composed than the A6 I had. I also test drove a Volvo V90 and S90, I would say that the V90 was maybe a tad softly spring but overall the ES drives better than the Volvo. However it is not as sure footed and confidence inspiring as the BMW 3-series I had before the Audi... but then no surprises there, the ES is definitely not a BMW (and vice-versa.. the ES is miles ahead in terms of comfort and refinement)

Boot space ?

I think Lexus also underquote the boot space at 454 litres. For a family with two adults and two kids, the boot is big enough to pack for a vacation for week. I think it is possible to fit 3x cabin bags easily and some other "stuff" in the boot.

The biggest features for the ES Hybrid are Comfort, Refinement, Fuel Economy and Reliability. Lexus in UK offer a 10 year / 100k miles warranty. If the car is serviced at a main dealer continuously then at each service the warranty is extended for another year up to 10 years or 100k miles.

If you want a track car.. get a GR Corolla 🙂 

HTH,

--E

[b4u2]

On 11/29/2022 at 10:27 AM, beyond the blue said:

I have had mine for 12 months from new. It's a great car but not perfect (nothing is). It is lovely to drive, very smooth, glides over rough roads and is very comfortable. It is responsive and easily powerful enough for my needs, however l find it has quite a poor turning circle and one or two other niggles. Mine has been back to the dealer quite a few times for various rattles to be sorted. I had an RX 300 for 10 years and l find the ES is not a patch on the old RX. 

@beyond the blue

So Neil why don't you go for another RX300?

[beyond the blue]

1 hour ago, b4u2 said:

@beyond the blue

So Neil why don't you go for another RX300?

Good question! The RX300 is an old car now, wasn't hybrid and only averaged around 26mpg. The ES is a nice car but it has faults (like everything in life). If I could afford it I would move up to an LS but unfortunately on a pension that is out of the question. 

[Guest]

Very smooth and relaxed, boot certainly large enough for most  scenarios, I find the power more than enough unless you are wanting a true rocket ship, people focus on the 0 - 60 time but it certainly feels quick up to 30/40 due to the electric assistant and to be honest how often do people accelerate from 0 to 60. Also very economical for the size (50 mpg plus). You can’t throw it around but it isn’t for that. Agree about the large turning circle though