consumers review the Lexus ES 300h

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4.2

Overall Consumer Review Rating
for the Lexus ES 300h

Lexus ES 300h v. Avalon Ltd hybrid

By john sims written on 01-24-2017

I read the reviews describing the Lexus 300h and Avalon ltd as comparable. I shopped for > 1 yr. I bought because of a good deal (thank you Edmunds for posting the incentives); in August 2016 the incentive on the Lexus was $3500 and the Avalon was $1000. I test drove both cars and here are the differences I think that exist. The Lexus was a little quieter, the sound system a little clearer, the wood finish clearly wood (and nicely finished), the seats a little more comfortable, and the interior a little bigger. the Lexus Navi system is 1" larger and recessed so it isn't as affected by sunlight. The bad parts of the Lexus are the storage--less trunk space, glove compartment, center console space. it doesn't have the number of "nooks and crannies" that a Toyota does. The Avalon Ltd had these included--plus the rear windowshade. neither trunk passthru works. (the non-hybrid models have a trunk pass thru .) the maintenance cost of the Lexus will be higher; my wife's Sienna has 24 mths free maintenace; the Lexuas has 12. Oh.... the additional "24/7 roadside assistance" on the additional service package is really AAA so just join AAA. compared to my previous car (an 8 yr old Acura RL), the Lexus has worse interior storage, much better mileage, better visibilty / smaller blindspot, and similar size trunk. I had previously thought that the Acura had small storage space! the Lexus' glove compartment, center console have even less storage room than the Acura! the acceleration on the Acura is definitely much better but the hybrid is acceptable. I wish the Lexus ES and/or the Avalon had a AWD AND hybrid model. I guess my biggest surprise disappointment was that I expected more interior storage in the Lexus---especially since our Sienna has so many clever nooks for cup holders, console, etc. update 7/31/17: I've owned the car 11 months now. it is a comfortable car. the rear seating area is very spacious. my favorite feature, however, is the bluetooth "auto connect and play" feature with my iPhone. after the car starts, it automatically connects and plays whatever audio (music or podcast) through the sound system. this is very convenient and meets my music content needs. the most frustrating part of ES 300h ownership is not related to the car itself. it is the Lexus "e-mail reminder" feature which reminds me to service my car depending on the time (estimated mileage) weather (wiper blades in the winter), etc. the worse episode was when it "automatically" made an appointment for me (that I did not request and cancelled by calling person to person) and then sent me an admonishment that "I did not show". Lexus really needs to fully test a software feature before activating it. the navigation screen does not have as many customization options as the Acura (nor is it as easy to program a route) but it works. the Acura is better suited for "touch controls"---the main navigation screen knob with rotate and press feature is much easier (and IMHO, safer) than the Lexus mouse-like control. Lexus should just provide a touch-screen (like the Sienna, and, I presume, the Avalon) which would be more intuitive. The blind spot monitor and rear view camera showing the anticipated direction of the car based on the wheel position is helpful, as expected.. update 1/31/18: I forgot to mention that one of the features that I've delighted and still enjoy is the "custom seat" setting. when you get in the car, there is a lot of space between the steering wheel and seat making it very easy to slide in. then when the car starts, the seat slides forward and tilts to your custom settings, making you feel like you're in a spaceship. I still believe the Acura navi system is more ergonomic. I still think the interior storage is poor. the trunk space is acceptable.

Inflated advertised MPG

By Withheld written on 01-01-2016

Bought this 2016 ES300H in early December 2015 with a (at least allegedly) full tank of gas by dealer. Fuel gauge did show full tank. At 450 miles, "Low Fuel" light came on. Assuming 3 gallons of gas still in the tank, mpg comes to 32. The mpg calculator/indicator in the car shows 33. I live in the mid-Atlantic area where the December 2016 weather was very mild. I have been driving very gently, no hard acceleration or stopping, as I wanted to see what gas mileage I would get. I've been driving about 60% in-town and 40% highway. I've read elsewhere people getting 33, 37, or 40 mpg. Does individual ES300H's have such large disparity in mpg? Lax quality control? Or the car should have low mpg during "break-in" period (first 600 miles) when the engine is "tight"? After one year owning the car, I can confidently say that my ES300H never achieves the advertised mpg, even in ECO mode. 34~35 mpg is the norm, and low fuel light comes on at about 450~500 miles, and at 500 miles, need to add 14~15 gallons. Also, actual mpg calculated from added gas versus mileage is always lower than shown in the dashboard. Jan 2018 Update: I have owned my 300H for 2 years now, at 18K miles. Have been driving it in ECO mode for almost 2 years. In pleasant temperatures (e.g. May or October), I can get 39~41 mpg reading on dashboard. Actual mpg calculated from gas filled/miles run is always about 2 mpg below car reading. In winter, mpg is much lower. I am currently (December - January) reading 33~34 mpg in car, expecting actual mpg to be 2 mpg lower.

Leg room kinda tight

By nOrakat written on 07-18-2016

I think one problem that stood out for me was that my left leg hit the door moldings. I like to open my legs a little when I drive and not have them straight in front of me (which if I did may not have been a problem). Another thing I noticed, that others have pointed out is that the braking was not too great. The brakes on my current car are pretty sensitive and responsive, but braking with the same pressure on this car felt like the car was sliding forward and actually alarmed me. It was sort of scary but did not have enough time with the car to see if I would get used to that. The ceiling on the car was sort of low so w me at 5'9" I had only a half an inch above my head; same with the back seats, but the leg room is very good. Three large adults in the back would be very tight. What stood out as exceptional for the car was the suspension. Absorbed the bumps very well, even in the horrible streets of NYC. Another thing that stood out was the engine noise. This car revs very high when accelerating from 0-50/60mph and even with the sound deadening, engine is still loud due to the RPM. The sound system only sounded OK in the Premium version.

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consumers review the Lexus ES 300h

consumers review the Lexus ES 300h

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consumers review the Lexus ES 300h

consumers review the Lexus ES 300h

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