vkaushal

Hi everyone, What are your thoughts on the Lexus ES350? I test drove it and it rides nice. The price is also $10k less than the E class. I have never owned a Lexus before so any feedback / suggestions are welcome.

hoezee

to me it looks just like a camry, but they do have a pan. roof!

gl996tt

I tested drive both car before i go with my 2007 E550. Lexus is nice but really doesn't have good lease deal so I ended up with the E550 special lease. It also depend on your budget, If the money is not an issue go with the MB.

Dema

I have owned ES350. Indeed, it is a nice car, very luxury, fast, comfortable, quiet. I also liked that it is based on Toyota Camry and FWD. However I wouldn't recommend to buy it. It ages quite fast, after a year of owning interior had look as I owned it 10 years. Another thing it is brakes. Something wrong with design, car was shaking when you brake on high speed. I'd recommend to save $10K more and buy Camry or Avalon. Actually direct competitor to E class is GS which is RWD as well and built on unique platform. Test drive GS as well, you will be impressed with performance.

Dema

Do you mind to share your E550 lease term details? I paid for ES350 something $400 tax included and $5K down. It was really rip off.

DaCeptak0n

The ES350 looks ugly as hell, the ES model overall looks ugly compared to an E-class!

gl996tt

$2K drive off with $780 lease payment. 33 month term. MSRP $70K.

vkaushal

I don't agree with that. Also, I thing the new C class looks better than the E. 2007 ES350 is a good looking car.

Vik888

One is a Lexus, and the other is a MB. Its just a rebadged Toyota to me. MB isn't a rebadged anything, its a pure product.

Yes, you pay $10k more for a MB.

... I love my 08 E550.

V DuBb

sna767

ES and E??? didn't even know these two're considered by the same market segment...

CosmoManic

I too am making this comparison based on used 2007 to 2008 model year prices, which are similar for the Lexus ES350 and MB E350.

I have an aging BMW 540i with over 200k miles and a 2009 Civic. After a few runs to Las Vegas from So Cal in the Civic, I knew I needed another car that is quiet, comfortable, and has good power.

I do not like the newer BMWs and my research on quietness and comfort in my price range yielded the Lexus and MB.

The Lexus ES350 has better reliability and gas mileage, is built in Japan and has excellent comfort and luxury features. The CPO warranty is 3 yrs and 100k miles from the purchase date.

The MB E350 has better styling, prestige and a ride closer to my BMW than the Lexus. The CPO warranty is 1 year from the expiry date on the original warranty and 100k miles.

So the decision comes down to rational vs emotional (Lexus vs MB). The CPO warranty for the MB is a factor that keeps the MB from being a solid choice for me.

WEBSRFR

You know you can extend that CPO warranty to 7 years 135 miles...

gnma

Cannot compare FWD ES350 to MB E350. Direct competitor to E Class is the Lexus GS. (Ever noticed that neither MB, BMW or any high-end scale automobile manufacturer does not make one model that is FWD)? And I hope they never do IMO.

IMO - Keep a FWD vehicle for grocery-go-getting, and keep a RWD for driving pleasure, or get an AWD (4MATIC), and be done with it.

Good luck!

storm10

How can you compare E-Class to ES350? ES350 is Toyota Camry in disguise, with more buttons and it does not use a single layer of steel.

To me, any Front Wheel Drive is not a serious car. If you compare to Lexus, at least compare to GS...

TheGreatOne45

u do realize that mb makes the a and b class which are fwd. non quattro audis are fwd as well

Sportstick

Yes, as well as some upcoming models of the BMW 1 series.

Barry45RPM

...and BMWs next 1 series will have some variants as FWD.

Barry45RPM

Not the same calibre of car, and not a "drivers car", but it will be a pleasant ownership experience, and you'll likely never have an unexpected visit to the service department. If Mercedes were as dependable and with fully developed electronics like lexus, there would never have been a Lexus in the 1st place.

Heatwave

I would rule out the Lexus for one reason: it is not rear-wheel drive. I've owned front-wheel drive cars that were excellent in just about every respect. But I simply don't like front-wheel drive "feel." The Lexus is a fine car and will likely be the most dependable, reliable, cheap-to-keep car you'll ever have ... and all that counts for a lot. A rear-wheel drive Lexus, especially an LS, could interest me, real easy.

dannieboiz

If you shop hard enough, you might be able to find a decent LS460 for just a tiny bit more than the E Class.

Here's how I looked at it cause I just recently test drove a few

ES ....... not even comparable to the E Class

GS < E Class

LS > E class

LS < S Class

IMO, the LS would be quite a few a step up from the E and not quite an S.

You gotta also sit in and drive it to actually know what you want. I would just skip the ES as a whole and jump into a GS or step up to an LS if warranty/piece of mind is what you're afterm as Lexus CPO warranty is excellent compared to MB.

grane

Get a Hyundai Equus and put Lexus or E class badges on it.

dannieboiz

That's a true hybrid, it's got the front of an S, the rear that's partial an LS and a 7 series, the steering wheel looks like an Escalade, I guess they took a few nice looking thing from different mfg.

CosmoManic

I will make a few points:

1) It's obvious that there is a strong emotional attachment to MB in this forum. Duh.

2) My comparison is economical not from a power/ride/class point of view. The only physical attribute I considered in common was quietness, of which only three qualified Lexus LS 460, Lexus ES 350, and MB E350. The car also needed to be a good bet in terms of reliability.

So that being said the market price for a Lexus ES350 and a MB E350 are in the same range. I know you can find cases that may prove otherwise, but overall the MB E350 depreciates more rapidly than the Lexus ES350.

If I make this analysis and consider a used BMW 540i (like the one I own), it would not make the cut, even though I can pick up a used 6 speed manual for about $16k. A used MB E320 would make the cut more so than the BMW.

So given all of this, and weighing everything - I do prefer the MB E350 as a "Vegas Bomber", and will start shopping in Oct for CPO deals. The things that lean me toward the MB 350 over the Lexus ES 350 are:

a) Styling - sharper edges, recognizable frame, more aggressive angle.
b) Forum - I like to work on my cars, so the existence of a forum where others share their maintenance experiences and are brave enough to try is of utmost importance to me.
c) MB now has flexible CPO warranties which can extend to 3 yrs/135k miles. Not as big a factor as Lexus already gives you 3yrs/100k.

The negatives: It gets the attention of Vegas Gold Diggers.

gnma

Wow! I stand corrected. What is the world coming to. I have to modify my prior statement:

"No high-end automobile manufacturer such as Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo, Maserati, RR, or Bentley make FWD cars".....

To the OP, good luck. U did mention you like to DIY. Research how user-friendly the LExus is. That could help your decision.