Reader Review of the Week: 2008 Lexus ES 350
"New Lexus Owner" in Savannah, Ga., who has an eye for luxury, decided on a Lexus ES 350 over other vehicles, like the Cadillac CTS. While happy on the whole, New Lexus Owner voices some concerns when it comes to interior design and long-term reliability. If you were interested in MotherProof’s take on the car, this is one real-world owner’s view. Read the full user review of the ES after the jump, then post your own review of your car here.
“I bought my '08 ES 350 in July. I am fairly happy, but I have a few concerns. I had laser surgery on my eyes three years ago, and my vision is very good. With that being said, the interior lighting in the car is horrible. When I need light in the car, I open the sun visor with the light that almost blinds me and lights the entire car.
“At 1,500 miles, I started hearing a ticking noise when the engine was cold. The noise goes away about 5 to 7 minutes later, after the engine has warmed up. It's embarrassing to me for the amount of money that I spent and for it to be a luxury car. At 2,900 miles, I was like, ‘I put out almost $40K for this car and this is not the noise I want to hear, or have my neighbors hear, every time I leave my residential area.’ I took the car back to the dealership and they tried to tell me this is normal for this vehicle. This is not what I want to hear.
“They gave me a loaner car and I do not hear the ticking in that car. I don't want people to think I use diesel gas instead of premium. But on the positive side, I love the way the car drives; it has a lot of pickup and go. I have plenty of interior room compared to the Cadillac CTS I was going to buy. The ride is smooth, and I look very good in it.”
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Here we go:
"I don't want people to think I use diesel gas instead of premium"
Diesel suddenly became gas.
My advise:
www.lemonlaw.com
Actually, this is not normal for this type of car even that it is basically a Camry
Not wanting your neighbors 2 think u have a diesel car is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard!! You'd get much better mpg's!
she's got herself confused.
Shouldn't you be more worried about the car's reliability, features, etc. rather than the cosmetics and such? That little noise you hear during idle is normal for gas engines, I think it's got something to do with new fuel-injection systems, but don't quote me on that. Either way, I'd be more afraid there was a defunct with the car than OMG A NOISE WHAT WILL THE NEIGHBORS THINK!?!
This was the most unhelpful review I have ever read. The car has bad lighting inside? Give me a break. It is obvious that the reviewer knows nothing about cars.
My 2005 Avalon also sounded like a diesel. The satin-smooth, ultra-silent Toyota engines are a thing of the past. The quality has declined suffering clunky transmissions, and the shabby assembly of cheap interior materials exacerbated by a cacophony of rattles. I traded it for a Nissan after 6 miserable months. No more Toyota products for me.
Legendary Toyota quality has become just a distant legend.
"Legendary Toyota quality has become just a distant legend."
Al, I don't necessary disagree with you...
I just not happy of you using my words, which I've said many times.
As for Toyota, if you buy one of Japanese assembly, I think, "the legend will continue"
Toyota cars have legendary reliability and people know it as it's based on real world experience of millions of owners. I own a fleet company responsible for supplying over 15,000 leased cars to the Pharm industry and can state unequivocally that Toyota's (and Honda's) are still light years ahead of the others for durability, engineering, quality, and resale value. It's no contest.
I think the feeling of you "look very good in it" is important! I don't think Camry or CTS can do that. Keep the car.
it's pretty embarrassing, i'd have to agree, when you are supposed to give off an image of "i've made it and going to pamper myself" when your car gives off funny noises. tell the dealer that they should keep the car overnight and listen for it in the morning, especially by the description it consistently makes the noise when cold?
nowadays most sedans that are diesel tend to be European cars, which i dare say in and of itself is by no means an embarrassing thing! a poorly maintained and/or abused new car (again, i'm talking about image here, since that's the main motivation for the extra 10k one spends for that letter "L"), on the other hand, IS embarrassing.
on a side note -- some people are bother more by road noise, some by wind noise; several V6 Lexuses (Lexi?), including the ES and RX, have a wimpy, unpleasant engine noise (quiet as it may be) at any RPM, which i consider to be annoying. i'd rather have a bit of wind noise and drown it out with a beautiful engine growl!
I've driven nothing but Lexus the last 10 years (2 ES's and a GS) and I can tell you no car is bullet proof whether you buy it new or used. Each vehicle will have something you dislike or annoy you. Each will have a problem you can get along with and something you hate. That's why you have choices like BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes. As for the ES, I agree the interior lighting is a drawback but so are the plastic surfaces compared to the previous versions. Would I complain about this all time if I owned a new one? No way because you would have had to notice this before you signed your name for a loan. So that tells me its something you could live with. As for the ticking sound, that's what the factory warranty is for. As long as its deemed safe to drive, your all good. Plus its only a minor annoyance (it disappears after 5 min. and it only happens when its cold).
Fact Check:
CTS has 98 cu ft passenger Volume vs ES has 95 cu ft
CTS is larger in very dimension except it is smaller in front hip room and shoulder room.
I understand the FEEL of roominess may not have anything to do with actual measured numbers; however, "I have plenty of interior room compared to the Cadillac CTS" makes it seem like the CTS actually has less passenger volume. I expected more accurate statements ...
I'm not contesting the interior size of the CTS however given that I just turned in my leased CTS and was a previous ES leasee I can state unequivocally that the Lexus is roomier both front and back. Maybe it's the way they measure them I don't know. And for the record I would have preferred the CTS (the ES is too isolated for my liking) but I couldn't put up with the numerous electrical problems that the dealers could never find let alone fix. I'm now in a Infiniti G35 and so far loving it.