Got mine last month, 2023 ES300h. It's the Ultra Luxury trim, which is what we wanted and is the highest trim for the ES hybrid. It is the Cloudburst Gray exterior with Acorn color semi-aniline leather interior. Total Installed Packages & Accessories: 1) Premium Triple-beam LED headlamps; 2) Smartacess Card Key; 3) Premium Paint; 4) Lexus Interface with 12.3-in Multimedia Touchscreen Display; 5) Ultra Luxury Package; 6) All weather floor liners and trunk mat; 7) Door edge film by 3M; 8) The Preferred Accessory Package; and 9) The Dealer added a 5-year windshield protection/replacement coverage package and tinted the driver and passenger windows. More: The three-projector headlamp design creates an eye-catching L shape. Adding to this brilliant design, the headlamps feature LED side turn signals, as well as an Adaptive Front Lighting System6 that uses steering and speed sensors to direct the angle of low-beam illumination as the vehicle enters a curve. The Adaptive Front Lighting System monitors steering and speed with a suite of sensors and will automatically adjust the angle of your low-beam headlights to improve visibility on curved roads. Ultra Luxury extras: 1) 18-inch split-five-spoke alloy noise-reduction wheels 2) Power rear sunshade with manual rear-door sunshades 3) Power open/close trunk with kick sensor 4) 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen display 10.2-inch Head-Up Display 5) Intuitive Parking Assist with Auto Braking and Rear Pedestrian Detection, and Panoramic View Monitor. Averaging 43+ MPG City/Hwy driving and I had the oil and filter changed at 1,000 miles for my own peace of mind. Just For Reference: I was not going to wait one-year or 10,000 miles to have the factory installed oil & filter changed. And, I shall be changing the oil (Liqui Moly 0W-16 Spec V) and Toyota filter every 5,000 miles from now on. Like Scotty Kilmer says, oil & filters are cheap, engines are expensive. LOL 😎
That is an interesting perspective. I would have imagined that the V6 would be smoother. Sounds like Toyota/Lexus have really perfected their hybrid powertrain. The V6 does seem to have too much power that it causes wheelspin (the jerkiness that you referenced). The fact that it has a more traditional 8 speed transmission (as opposed to a CVT) is another factor that comes across as jerkiness. I want to get an ES, and I have an affinity toward the V6, but the hybrid should be considered 100%.
I’ve test driven both and I have to disagree, the ES will most likely be our next vehicle OR the new model ES produced in Japan in the 2025 model or 2026 year. For this current model: The v6 is a 0-60 in 6.1 seconds, the hybrid is 8.3 seconds. 302hp to 215hp respectively. We are still considering the hybrid due to the 87 octane and minimum cost difference between the hybrid and gas model and the potential future gas savings… But here are some of the drawbacks that I’ve noticed, that makes me slightly hesitant to confidently land on the hybrid: The CVT transmission unnatural characteristics is definitely noticeable and we will need to get accustomed to. The eCVT is definitely noticeable in the hybrid, pound the pedal and you get that unfortunate, non gear shift cvt/high screaming sound but little feeling of “go”, I mean the numbers don’t lie 8.3 second 0-60 is not quite fast. The CVT feeling is also quite unnatural compared to a traditional 6-10 speed transmission, I’m definitely do not like it but I understand why it’s required for fuel savings purposes. I definitely notice the low end pick up on the hybrid to be quite smooth and torquey with the electric motor but it doesn’t compare in direct raw power to the V6. I’m wondering if the eCVT sacrifice is worth the savings in gas vs the pretty reliable v6 2GR FKS. Do you have any videos on your average fuel consumption? This is what I searched in RU-vid and your video popped up first. Currently: e90 BMW, 991 gen Porsche 911 and 2018 Acura RDX owner.
While the hybrid isn’t a traditional driving experience, I have found that the smooth power delivery and power band of the hybrid has really grown on me. I also love the transmission as shifts are unnoticeable and clean.
@@ryanhablitzel Thanks for the reply, what would you say your average real world combined mpg or L/100km? Lexus says the combined is 5.4L/100km but I doubt that in real world scenarios, maybe slightly more. Also do you live in a wintery environment, do you notice any differences between seasons? Despite the eCVT feeling, it’s still top of our list. Thanks for sharing your experience with the car!
I’m going back-and-forth right now between the two models. But power is supposed to be abrupt. There’s almost a 2 second difference 0 to 60 time between the two. Not sure you noticed but your traction control was kicking on when you floored it. Which is also killing your power you’ll really notice maybe 0 to 100 miles an hour the difference in power and acceleration. However, I’m looking for something smooth in this vehicle. I already have a vehicle that I use when I want power.
I own 2018 Es 350 and just test drove back to back newer 300h and 350. 350 felt exactly same as my old one. 300 h is less powerful on paper but very smooth and not loud as you would expect even during hard accelerations. Electrical motors do have a plenty of torque even at low rpm so it really helps hybrid drive train. It impressed me with 40+ mpg! Comparing to my GX460 that gets 16 mpg on the good day it is fantastic! The only reason why i did not pull the trigger is that they evaluated my ultra luxury es 350 at 22k and cheapest 300h was 39k. Thats too much for me for the vehicle that is 2 years newer and 50 k less mileage and no major upgrades to the multimedia. We will enjoy driving our 2018 es 350 another yeat or two and opt for newer 300h from around 2022 when they got infotainment upgraded with apple car play.
@@ryanhablitzel me too, though you should still buy the V6 while you can, cuz they will likely discontinue it in the near future, besides the V6 is still good, just not in today’s economy
My feeling is, if you can afford a $55k vehicle, you can afford an extra $500-$1k a year in gas. 🤷♂️ Get the vehicle/ engine you want. Don’t compromise over pocket change.
I think that you should have driven a fully loaded ultra luxury es350 as a comparison because that one that you tested lacked the 360 camera view,triple beam headlights with adaptive front lighting ,headsup display,larger infotainment display,power extending driver seat thigh extender and rear side window sun shades. Your personal car had all these features and as a result you probably was subconsciously a little bias 😂against the v6 which I own and love driving. I just love and appreciate the power and sound of that v6 naturally aspirated engine however it’s not that great on gas especially if you drive a little aggressive however it is smooth as silk but I totally understand your perspective.
I have the 2023 es350 I absolutely hate the constant shifting and poor pickup for local driving, the gas mileage is horrendous. If I could go back I would have got the hybrid.
I have the 2021 es350 ultra and I have no constant shifting and the pickup is great so perhaps there may be some issues with your vehicle. Love mines and look forward to driving it everyday however i will probably go hybrid next time around to get that great gas mileage.
Did you try out the different drive modes? The throttle response of the hybrid is a little bit muted usually, you have to go to the power/sport mode to get a quicker response. Probably the 350 is tuned differently in the normal mode already. The rest is more than true. Every normal car with normal automatic is jerky compered to a Toyota/Lexus Power-Split-Device-Hybrid, especially at low speeds, German high end cars are no different, tried some of them. The T/L-PSD-Hybrid actually should be seen as a luxurious feature, which puts a Lexus on the top of the comfy cars, not only as a hypermiling gimmick.
Good point. I didn’t switch drive modes. That may have made a significant difference. I’m surprised how much more I liked the Hybrid’s power distribution.
