Rob_LexusTech
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one of the cool things about working at a dealership is that i get the first crack and driving all the new stuff as it comes out. when a new model comes in i follow it off the truck, into the bay for its inspection, and then snatch the keys before anyone else gets to drive it 
our first new ES, a blue hybrid showed up a few weeks back, but i missed the first crack because i was on vacation in beautiful south Florida visiting family. one of my fellow co-workers sent me the pic about the first one that showed up, and rubbed it in my face that he beat me to the first drive. figures cause i really wanted this one lol. one thing about when new models show up, we will get like one or two a few weeks before it actually come out, and they sell fast, so i need to grab it quick before it goes away for awhile. its sort of like what McDonald does with the McRib. suddenly out of the garbage it turns into food, a succulent bit of deliciousness between a sesame seed bun shows up, and like a cold cruel joke, vanishes again. this happened with the LC, as i and others were on the edge of our seat waiting for the first LC to show up, when it finally did, it was gone in a day and few of us had the blissful experience of driving it and listening to that delicious exhaust note, but only briefly. suddenly, the LC was gone, and it was 3 long and painful weeks before i got to have any real seat time in one other then taking a "forsyth special" (basically around the block, forsyth road is the next major road over a block, which is never long enough). the forsyth special is a tease. nothing more.
Enter the 19 ES...
heres whats painful about my ES saga which is finally over. we had that first one which i never even got to see in person. then another came in, and WHAM it was sold in under an hour after it hit the lot. i didn't get my first real look at the new ES until one was in the showroom, and as much as i wanted to drive it and get to know it, it was a big fat NO from the desk manager, as showroom cars dont get to be played with, well, not for awhile. i will say this. just seeing it in person, it is a very different kind of ES.
first thing i noticed about the new ES is just how aggressive and downright imposing it is. from it razor sharp, hard lines the previous model didn't have, it seems to sqat lower and has a bigger footprint as well. the rims are bigger, theres more bright-work on it, and its has adopted the whole "4 door coupe" that a lot of other brands are going with these days. the DRL running lights are sharper, the 3 beam headlight assembly looks better then ive seen on other models, and now with 5 years under its belt, the spindle grill design has been tweaked to where it dosent look awkward anymore. ive always liked it, but the cars always seemed to have been designed to not have the spindle grill and that it was thrown on as a last decision thing. this one along with the rest of the next gen lineup, also sports a more refined and appropriate spindle grill.
the side and rear profiles are much sleeker now as well. they really did a bang-up job designing this one. sleek sharp and low with a more pronounced big chrome hoffmiester kink in the c-pillar (always have been a sucker for those, maybe its because it reminds me a little of the Ls400. i dont know) tail lamps are much thinner but seem to wrap further around to the rear quarter panel then before, the spoiler is a bit more defined, and the big dual exhaust ports really give it a fast look. its lines are cleaner then the LS but just as intense, dare i say as good, if not better looking then the LS - as an LS fanboy i didnt think id ever hear myself say that. so it looks pretty sexy on the outside, but how is the interior?
absolutely NOTHING like the previous model.
yes, the normal new ES is as soft and quiet as its ever been, however this is a spot model. well bolstered bucket seats with perforated leather are firm but supportive. the steering wheel is thick and meaty and the digital LFA inspired gauge cluster defiantly gives the impression of speed. the new remote touch pad is vastly improved over the outgoing one on other models, and its absolutely better then the remote touch joystick from the previous. one thing i DONT like is the gearshift. although aesthetically pleasing and feeling good to the touch, the shift lock button on the side feels like a throwback to a camry from the mid 90s. no idea why they would go with that at all. however, once put into gear, it hits drive and into manual mode with a very satisfying mechanical clunk. the center console in general has improved, with deeper cupholders as well as seen-mounted USB ports and even a notch for a smartphone to sit. it borrows the center console armrest lid from the LS which lifts side to side, seemingly stupid but way more practical then the traditional up & down type. the center stack media and AC controls are very straightforward and streamlined, and feel good to the touch. Like the LS, the volume knob is integrated with the tuning knob which clicks across the dial like its assisted by ball bearings. i could go on and on about how much tech is in the car, including apple carplay etc, but this review isnt about all the gizmos and telematics, its about the drive, and what a drive i was.
under the pretty sheet metal, flashy chrome, and electronics is an all New platform. like all next-gen Lexus vehicles, its riding on the GA-L platform and it is very noticeable. the 3.5 V6 also got a big boost in HP now at 302, putting it into IS and GS territory. the transmission is also different with an all new 8-speed. which i both love and kinda hate.. i received the keys for a fully loaded F-sport model on Wednesday, spent most of the day with it getting to know all its new tech, features, feelings, etc, and had quite the first impression. however, was it a true f-sport?? was it truly worthy of the rumor of the so-called GS replacement? could the ES fill its shoes? it looks awful damn good and feels nice to sit in, but thats only 1% of whats important to me when it comes to a car. yes, im lead LTS at a dealership, and if it wasn't for all the gizmos and technology, i wouldn't have a job! however, i enjoy the mechanical drivers experience a hell of a lot more then what its telematics capabilities are.
first time i got a 19ES on the road was just a base model that was slated for the loaner department. since it was the ONLY one i could get my hands on so i swiped the key fob when nobody was looking and took it for a few "quick forsyths" its handling was responsive, acceleration was very much improved, but really wasnt blown away by it. still soft docile quiet and calm as the outgoing model. it was still an ES, however the F-spots wasnt anything like that at all. not even close!! since i do all of the dealer video demos i pretty much have free reign with whatever car i want to play with and for as long as i want, but with new people coming and going from so many different departments and especially with opening a second location, i just couldnt find the time to really know the ES F-sport, and on my video days, i couldnt ever find help for the shoot, so i was stuck playing solo and only had a few mile radius to be able to play. yesterday however, i was finally able to get some shooting help and got to spend half a day driving it and really getting to know it and how it behaves.
on the road..
one of the very very first things i noticed about the F-sport, is that it had a rock solid very tight suspension. stuff, and i mean racecar stiff, ontop of that, the wheel gave a bit more resistance, however it feels very well planted on the road with great feedback and full confidence.
it has VERY solid acceleration, the ES has always sort of been a hidden gem in the acceleration department as it always still had the sould way deep down, of that old ES300 sports sedan of the early 90s, but it was buried. now it took a quarter of a century to make its presence fully known again, and not just fully known, but in your face screaming it! over bumps and twists and turns, the best way i can honestly describe the way the new ES F-sport is like a oversized IS350 with FWD (which hopefully never happens). it feels almost identical to it, hand to god! one thing about the new 8 speed tranny. in lower gears in normal street traffic, it feels quirky, confused, and stumbles over itself at first, which is kinda normal for any car thats brand new with ECT-i, it has to learn the driver. however, stomp on it going 25-30 mph, and it takes off like a G-force rocket train. its almost brutal and theres no waiting for it at all. normally, when you stomp on a car, even one that has real balls behind it, will accelerate briskly but still smoothly. this one did not. it feels like you are sitting still and someone rear ends you with a BANG. at first i thought maybe i had a dud with bugs, but they all do this. it feels very unrefined, but in a good and very fun way! thats what it is, a bang with acceleration. never felt or experienced anything like it before not in any lexus or anything else ive ever driven. being that it has thick wide tires and a wide center of gravity, it grips the road like crazy glue and doesn't break as much as a light sweat in hard, and i mean HARD high speed cornering. absolutely zero body roll at all. ive always considered the current GS350 F-sport, the gold standard of driving in the twisties, however, the RWD design of it although more fun, can get sloppy and break away after a certain speed. if you are an experienced driver and know exactly how to handle a RWD car and know what its limits are, great, but alot of people are not these days so it makes sense. the FWD combined with the sticky tires on this one, really do show itself off, and yes very much in GS territory, dare i say maybe even better, if you really love FWD cars, which i personally hate no matter who makes them, this one really had me grinning ear to ear ripping around turns. it also has a great exhaust note as well. it really does sound gutsy! however, where it would truly prove itself to me was on the highway, where lexus has always been the king of the open road at high speed.
sadly, most modern cars although have better 0-60 times then the old ones, but loose alot of steam once on the highway mostly due to being 4 bangers on a respirator. even V6 when induction is forced, kinda start to loose it after about 80 or so, which was something that shocked, saddened, and horrified me about the LS500. yeah, its fast, but a wilting flower when approaching triple digit speeds on the highway. my 1995 LS400 has more moxie after 80. this ES tho, not only impressed the hell out of me in the twisties at high speed, but continued to on the highway. my typical driving habit when merging on to the highway, is to stand on the gas when coming up the on ramp, holing it there for a few seconds, then leveling off around 75-80. the ES had absolutely zero complaints and got there in a hurry. being that its a naturally aspirated engine with no turbo to wait for, i gave it the beans at 80 and again it took off like a slingshot! i was flirting with 100 before i knew it and the ES was barley even trying. i could tell it still had plenty more left to spare but it wasnt my car so i wanted to be easy on it. plus my boss would have my head if i was unfortunate to be rewarded a nasty speeding ticket and i may loose my driving privilages for awhile. it happened once already for a few months, and let me tell you what a special kind of hell it is to work at a dealership not being allowed to drive anything for a few months. for a car guy like me, it was true punishment. anyway brought it down to a civilized speed and went to my routine spot for my video demo and finished the film. on the way back i played a bit more with the drive modes, and when twisted back into eco mode, and it turned back into its normal ES self, smooth quiet and docile, but its a true barbarian in Sport+. the ES F-sport is a delightful car both in the neighborhood and in spirited driving, with its only sin being that its FWD, which is for me at least, unforgivable. because of this, it will never be a true GS eater, but if they finally do the right thing, and give the ES what it deserves, which is RWD, the GS would seriously have something to fear at night.
our first new ES, a blue hybrid showed up a few weeks back, but i missed the first crack because i was on vacation in beautiful south Florida visiting family. one of my fellow co-workers sent me the pic about the first one that showed up, and rubbed it in my face that he beat me to the first drive. figures cause i really wanted this one lol. one thing about when new models show up, we will get like one or two a few weeks before it actually come out, and they sell fast, so i need to grab it quick before it goes away for awhile. its sort of like what McDonald does with the McRib. suddenly out of the garbage it turns into food, a succulent bit of deliciousness between a sesame seed bun shows up, and like a cold cruel joke, vanishes again. this happened with the LC, as i and others were on the edge of our seat waiting for the first LC to show up, when it finally did, it was gone in a day and few of us had the blissful experience of driving it and listening to that delicious exhaust note, but only briefly. suddenly, the LC was gone, and it was 3 long and painful weeks before i got to have any real seat time in one other then taking a "forsyth special" (basically around the block, forsyth road is the next major road over a block, which is never long enough). the forsyth special is a tease. nothing more.
Enter the 19 ES...
heres whats painful about my ES saga which is finally over. we had that first one which i never even got to see in person. then another came in, and WHAM it was sold in under an hour after it hit the lot. i didn't get my first real look at the new ES until one was in the showroom, and as much as i wanted to drive it and get to know it, it was a big fat NO from the desk manager, as showroom cars dont get to be played with, well, not for awhile. i will say this. just seeing it in person, it is a very different kind of ES.
first thing i noticed about the new ES is just how aggressive and downright imposing it is. from it razor sharp, hard lines the previous model didn't have, it seems to sqat lower and has a bigger footprint as well. the rims are bigger, theres more bright-work on it, and its has adopted the whole "4 door coupe" that a lot of other brands are going with these days. the DRL running lights are sharper, the 3 beam headlight assembly looks better then ive seen on other models, and now with 5 years under its belt, the spindle grill design has been tweaked to where it dosent look awkward anymore. ive always liked it, but the cars always seemed to have been designed to not have the spindle grill and that it was thrown on as a last decision thing. this one along with the rest of the next gen lineup, also sports a more refined and appropriate spindle grill.
the side and rear profiles are much sleeker now as well. they really did a bang-up job designing this one. sleek sharp and low with a more pronounced big chrome hoffmiester kink in the c-pillar (always have been a sucker for those, maybe its because it reminds me a little of the Ls400. i dont know) tail lamps are much thinner but seem to wrap further around to the rear quarter panel then before, the spoiler is a bit more defined, and the big dual exhaust ports really give it a fast look. its lines are cleaner then the LS but just as intense, dare i say as good, if not better looking then the LS - as an LS fanboy i didnt think id ever hear myself say that. so it looks pretty sexy on the outside, but how is the interior?
absolutely NOTHING like the previous model.
yes, the normal new ES is as soft and quiet as its ever been, however this is a spot model. well bolstered bucket seats with perforated leather are firm but supportive. the steering wheel is thick and meaty and the digital LFA inspired gauge cluster defiantly gives the impression of speed. the new remote touch pad is vastly improved over the outgoing one on other models, and its absolutely better then the remote touch joystick from the previous. one thing i DONT like is the gearshift. although aesthetically pleasing and feeling good to the touch, the shift lock button on the side feels like a throwback to a camry from the mid 90s. no idea why they would go with that at all. however, once put into gear, it hits drive and into manual mode with a very satisfying mechanical clunk. the center console in general has improved, with deeper cupholders as well as seen-mounted USB ports and even a notch for a smartphone to sit. it borrows the center console armrest lid from the LS which lifts side to side, seemingly stupid but way more practical then the traditional up & down type. the center stack media and AC controls are very straightforward and streamlined, and feel good to the touch. Like the LS, the volume knob is integrated with the tuning knob which clicks across the dial like its assisted by ball bearings. i could go on and on about how much tech is in the car, including apple carplay etc, but this review isnt about all the gizmos and telematics, its about the drive, and what a drive i was.
under the pretty sheet metal, flashy chrome, and electronics is an all New platform. like all next-gen Lexus vehicles, its riding on the GA-L platform and it is very noticeable. the 3.5 V6 also got a big boost in HP now at 302, putting it into IS and GS territory. the transmission is also different with an all new 8-speed. which i both love and kinda hate.. i received the keys for a fully loaded F-sport model on Wednesday, spent most of the day with it getting to know all its new tech, features, feelings, etc, and had quite the first impression. however, was it a true f-sport?? was it truly worthy of the rumor of the so-called GS replacement? could the ES fill its shoes? it looks awful damn good and feels nice to sit in, but thats only 1% of whats important to me when it comes to a car. yes, im lead LTS at a dealership, and if it wasn't for all the gizmos and technology, i wouldn't have a job! however, i enjoy the mechanical drivers experience a hell of a lot more then what its telematics capabilities are.
first time i got a 19ES on the road was just a base model that was slated for the loaner department. since it was the ONLY one i could get my hands on so i swiped the key fob when nobody was looking and took it for a few "quick forsyths" its handling was responsive, acceleration was very much improved, but really wasnt blown away by it. still soft docile quiet and calm as the outgoing model. it was still an ES, however the F-spots wasnt anything like that at all. not even close!! since i do all of the dealer video demos i pretty much have free reign with whatever car i want to play with and for as long as i want, but with new people coming and going from so many different departments and especially with opening a second location, i just couldnt find the time to really know the ES F-sport, and on my video days, i couldnt ever find help for the shoot, so i was stuck playing solo and only had a few mile radius to be able to play. yesterday however, i was finally able to get some shooting help and got to spend half a day driving it and really getting to know it and how it behaves.
on the road..
one of the very very first things i noticed about the F-sport, is that it had a rock solid very tight suspension. stuff, and i mean racecar stiff, ontop of that, the wheel gave a bit more resistance, however it feels very well planted on the road with great feedback and full confidence.
it has VERY solid acceleration, the ES has always sort of been a hidden gem in the acceleration department as it always still had the sould way deep down, of that old ES300 sports sedan of the early 90s, but it was buried. now it took a quarter of a century to make its presence fully known again, and not just fully known, but in your face screaming it! over bumps and twists and turns, the best way i can honestly describe the way the new ES F-sport is like a oversized IS350 with FWD (which hopefully never happens). it feels almost identical to it, hand to god! one thing about the new 8 speed tranny. in lower gears in normal street traffic, it feels quirky, confused, and stumbles over itself at first, which is kinda normal for any car thats brand new with ECT-i, it has to learn the driver. however, stomp on it going 25-30 mph, and it takes off like a G-force rocket train. its almost brutal and theres no waiting for it at all. normally, when you stomp on a car, even one that has real balls behind it, will accelerate briskly but still smoothly. this one did not. it feels like you are sitting still and someone rear ends you with a BANG. at first i thought maybe i had a dud with bugs, but they all do this. it feels very unrefined, but in a good and very fun way! thats what it is, a bang with acceleration. never felt or experienced anything like it before not in any lexus or anything else ive ever driven. being that it has thick wide tires and a wide center of gravity, it grips the road like crazy glue and doesn't break as much as a light sweat in hard, and i mean HARD high speed cornering. absolutely zero body roll at all. ive always considered the current GS350 F-sport, the gold standard of driving in the twisties, however, the RWD design of it although more fun, can get sloppy and break away after a certain speed. if you are an experienced driver and know exactly how to handle a RWD car and know what its limits are, great, but alot of people are not these days so it makes sense. the FWD combined with the sticky tires on this one, really do show itself off, and yes very much in GS territory, dare i say maybe even better, if you really love FWD cars, which i personally hate no matter who makes them, this one really had me grinning ear to ear ripping around turns. it also has a great exhaust note as well. it really does sound gutsy! however, where it would truly prove itself to me was on the highway, where lexus has always been the king of the open road at high speed.
sadly, most modern cars although have better 0-60 times then the old ones, but loose alot of steam once on the highway mostly due to being 4 bangers on a respirator. even V6 when induction is forced, kinda start to loose it after about 80 or so, which was something that shocked, saddened, and horrified me about the LS500. yeah, its fast, but a wilting flower when approaching triple digit speeds on the highway. my 1995 LS400 has more moxie after 80. this ES tho, not only impressed the hell out of me in the twisties at high speed, but continued to on the highway. my typical driving habit when merging on to the highway, is to stand on the gas when coming up the on ramp, holing it there for a few seconds, then leveling off around 75-80. the ES had absolutely zero complaints and got there in a hurry. being that its a naturally aspirated engine with no turbo to wait for, i gave it the beans at 80 and again it took off like a slingshot! i was flirting with 100 before i knew it and the ES was barley even trying. i could tell it still had plenty more left to spare but it wasnt my car so i wanted to be easy on it. plus my boss would have my head if i was unfortunate to be rewarded a nasty speeding ticket and i may loose my driving privilages for awhile. it happened once already for a few months, and let me tell you what a special kind of hell it is to work at a dealership not being allowed to drive anything for a few months. for a car guy like me, it was true punishment.
anyway brought it down to a civilized speed and went to my routine spot for my video demo and finished the film. on the way back i played a bit more with the drive modes, and when twisted back into eco mode, and it turned back into its normal ES self, smooth quiet and docile, but its a true barbarian in Sport+. the ES F-sport is a delightful car both in the neighborhood and in spirited driving, with its only sin being that its FWD, which is for me at least, unforgivable. because of this, it will never be a true GS eater, but if they finally do the right thing, and give the ES what it deserves, which is RWD, the GS would seriously have something to fear at night.
