Used 2015 Lexus ES 350 Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2015 ES 350, so we've included reviews for other years of the ES 350 since its last redesign.
Not a car, badly integrated collection of features
mentin, 11/08/2014
updated 11/14/2019
2014 Lexus ES 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
41 of 47 people found this review helpful
My wife moved from Infiniti G20 to Lexus ES 350. The new car is definitely an upgrade in most dimensions, and adds a lot of features. But G20 felt like a well designed car that does everything exactly as you want it to do, the ES 350 feels like a poorly integrated list of features - kind of the way (bad) software was done and advertised in nineties. We have feature A and checkbox B and support C - except trying to use A, B or C drives you mad. * E.g.: when the rest of the car moved from daylight saving time, the navigation is still on summer time. So it would show correct current time, but the estimated time of arrival is 1 hour off. * The navigation is horrible and voice command is exercise of despair. It is not even able to find its own nearest dealership. * The radio has satellite and everything, but feels intentionally designed to make listening to plain old FM stations as inconvenient as possible, forcing you to buy sattelite subscription. * The driver seat has memory, but if I get into car when the seat is still in my wife's settings and start car, ES 350 does the following: moves seat forward and makes the back more vertical, simultaneously trying to hit my head to the roof and press my chest against steering wheel. Only after doing this, it moves back-and-down simultaneously - away from the roof and steering wheel. But why did it have to almost kill me first? * The car constantly beeps whenever it finds something it does not like. Like leaving sunroof slightly raised (not open) on a sunny day. Or opening doors in wrong order. Or anything. If you have a sleeping baby in the car - it is impossible to leave the car without waking up the baby. * There is radar cruise control that keeps the distance to the car in front. Works perfect on the long stretch of straight highway. But when you are in the mountains and the road turns - (1) everybody slows down, (2) the radar loses the car in front due to road curve, and thinks it has clear road ahead, (3) car starts accelerating! Right when you are doing the sharp turn! Could they use the signal from the steering wheel to understand it is not a great time to accelerate? They could, but they probably just slapped a feature (radar) designed by third party, and did not integrate it with the other stuff. * This radar is also supposed to stop the car in case of potential frontal collision, but the government data shows it is not efficient at all there. Seems like a problem with many cars, but some (e.g. Honda) do much better. There is also active recall for radar causing breaking in some very rare scenario. * Finally, radar does not work in heavy rain - not due to rain of course, but due to wipers. Quickly swiping wipers block radar! There are tons of features in this car, but when you actually start using them, you find out they are garbage, done without real thought about the usability and comfort. On the other hand, the car drives OK. It is a reasonable compromise between comfort and drivability, great traction control. I think if they spent just a bit money on usability engineering and making sure their features actually work well, rather than spend all the money on stuffing as many features as possible - it could be a great car.
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2015 Lexus ES350
qwkcut, 03/05/2015
2015 Lexus ES 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
38 of 45 people found this review helpful
I picked up a 2015 Lexus ES350 for my wife on Valentines Day to replace our 2003 Lexus ES300. We couldn't be more happy with all the changes/ upgrades that this new model brings to the table. I rent cars several times a month and have always told my wife that our 2003 Lexus drove better, interior quieter and functionality of gauges better suited than any rental car foreign or domestic that I have ever had. This holds true for the 2015 model as well. BMW and Mercedes only wish they had the repair history of the Lexus ES350. Lexus voice command navigation and Microsoft mouse type entry keeps your fingers off the screen and eyes on the road.
Everything but the "New Car Smell"
dale gifford, 03/21/2016
2014 Lexus ES 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
15 of 17 people found this review helpful
This car gives the best ride I've ever experienced. (That says a lot since I've been driving for over 50 years.) Yes, I'm an "old guy", but that doesn't mean I'm looking for a car with the performance of a hearse. This is a very stylish, elegant vehicle that has the 'grip and go' that a fella needs to move through freeway traffic with ease. All of that while providing the quietest ride possible. My wife says that riding in this car is like riding around in musical sound room. Although it is two years old it is free of any squeaks or rattles that usually come with age.
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Disappointed
texas81, 07/27/2014
2014 Lexus ES 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
After owning my ES 350 with Ultra Luxury package for 3 months, I am truly disappointed. Several rattles have developed in the doors, dashboard, and sunroof. When washing the car, water accumulates inside of the rear taillights. Overall, I'm dissatisfied in the build quality of the new ES.
Not Your Child's Car
DrV1968, 07/19/2015
2015 Lexus ES 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
71 of 90 people found this review helpful
First of all, I didn't even consider Lexus when my husband and I test drove cars recently. In fact, I wasn't going to purchase ANY car because I was perfectly happy with the one I had, but my husband wanted to look, so well, let's be honest, much easier to give them what they want! We drove several luxury sedans that day, and my husband wanted to look specifically at Acura to replace my loaded Honda Accord, which was a car that I loved. We visited dealerships up and down "motormile" including Audi, Acura, BMW, Honda, and so on. At the end of the day, I was happy to have proven to my husband that my Honda was, even after a few years, unbeatable. THEN, at the end of the day, he asked me would I like to visit Lexus, which I really didn't, but like any good wife, my response was Why not? Oh. My. Goodness. I've friends who own Lexus, BMWs, Mercedes, etc. but I'm not one to be persuaded to buy for the "label" unless it's truly a better product and an exceptional value. That said, I should have stopped while I was ahead that day... Because I'm now officially a Lexus addict. There are three things that I demand of any vehicle I own: comfort, reliability, and power! When I press the accelerator, I want that car to move; however, I'm not a twenty-something looking for a sports car, (or a mid-life crisis hot rod) and if that's what you want, look elsewhere. Try their slightly more affordable IS version for a stiff sports ride if you need that speedster experience. There is no go-kart, stiff, bumpy, hardcore ride to the ES 350 at all --- it is pure comfort and smooth luxury. After test driving cars all day, including a few for $60K and 80K, this one actually made me realize that I did in fact want a new car- THIS car!! Let me be blunt, if I shell out over $40K from my pocket - not the bank's money, but cold hard cash - it must be an amazing bang-for-the-buck because, personally, it hurts to turn loose of that much hard-earned money in one fell swoop (Note to cash buyers: If you pay the dealership $9900 in cash and write a check for the balance, they are still required to report that to the IRS. Checks count as cash, go figure.) All this to say, I'm not a Lexus fan, or a gadget junkie, or a new car aficionado, but that ES 350 literally sold itself. Period. If you haven't driven it, what are you waiting for? No review is going to convince you like the car itself! There is a reason that the ES 350 is Lexus' best selling model - it's just that good! Yes, even if it means I have to admit my husband was right! Three things you should know: Most surprisingly, Lexus of Knoxville mailed us a refund check for $100 because we overpaid (after we had dickered over price for an hour) which tells me the associates working for that dealership have integrity! It would have been extremely easy for someone to stick that cash in his or her pocket. They were honest during the entire process, even when it came to telling me what they were going to do with the Accord I traded in. (I loved that car! And FYI they auctioned it. For less than they gave us in trade in value.) If you have the ability to deal in Knoxville, definitely buy from them! Next, the accessories and safety features definitely stand head-and-shoulders above the rest. A back-up cam is nice, sure, but features like the park assist and blind spot monitoring are fab-u-lous. The dealership tech expert sat in the car with me and taught me all the nifty tricks and short-cuts. For example, If you activate the voice command system and say, "I'm cold," the car increases the temp by four degrees, without ever taking your eyes off the road. Same with "I'm hot" and "I'm hungry" is a simple way to get nav to display local dining options. Take advantage of your tech expert because he or she knows how to make it easy and fun to drive this car and will answer all your questions no matter how long it takes --- then gives you his number in case you have questions after delivery. Lastly, when you do purchase the ES 350, and if you drive it, you will buy one, make sure you get all the accessories you think you might want; having them added at a later date (like a spoiler or body-side molding) is actually more expensive than the price on Lexus' website "due to the added labor costs." Unfortunately, we bought ours on a Sunday night and I regret not getting those items added in at a set price, thinking when I drove back to Knoxville to have the car officially delivered, I could add accessories at their stated price. Luckily, I found a spoiler and body-side molding online for less than $100 each (original equipment branded In a Toyota box when delivered) and our local body shop installed both in under an hour... So, we spent $200 on options that would have been a grand had we had them done in Lexus' service dept; however, these parts aren't covered under warrantee. If the car is already equipped from the factory, according to the dealership, you don't pay labor.
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