Autoblog

Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that's lost its crown

Chris Shunk — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Lexus, New Car Reviews, Luxury

2010 Lexus ES 350 - Click above for high-res image gallery

The entry-level luxury sedan segment doesn't command the enthusiast attention of, say, the ultra-premium luxury sports sedan. But if you ask automakers to choose between the two, we'd wager that most would rather have a best-in-class $35,000 sedan than a world-beating $70,000 sports tourer.

The reason? Very few fortunes are made selling a few thousand highfalutin' rocket launchers, but bottom lines can easily be bolstered or crippled based on the success or failure of a plush, high-volume cruiser. Luxury marques from Acura to Volvo have experienced varied levels of success at the low end of the luxury market, but few have enjoyed the consistent sales dominance of the Lexus ES. In the past decade, Toyota has cranked out over 600,000 copies in the U.S. alone, with another 650,000 units shipped around the world. And those sales have traditionally been overwhelmingly of the retail variety with little or no incentives. Not bad for what many consider a glorified Toyota Camry.

Enthusiasts take note: Lexus didn't reach such lofty sales levels with a rear-wheel-drive architecture or pavement-punishing quantities of horsepower. The road map to success for the ES has been simple: a soft, compliant ride; a pampering interior; and unmatched quality. The fifth-generation ES350 has built nicely on those attributes with smoother power, a quieter cabin and more technology. But the competition is still striving to overtake the ES in sales, so Lexus has gone and given its top-selling sedan a mid-cycle refresh for 2010. We spent a week in a Starfire Pearl ES350 to see if it still had the goods to remain a top option in the entry-level luxury segment.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350

Continue reading Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that's lost its crown

Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that's lost its crown originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: WSJ says crash data points to pedal misapplication in Toyota sudden acceleration cases

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:26:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Lexus, Toyota

After receiving more than 3,000 reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the U.S. Department of Transportation has concluded that driver error was actually at fault. According to The Wall Street Journal, investigators analyzing different data recorders from Toyota vehicles found that at the time of these sudden acceleration crashes, the throttles were wide open rather and the brakes were not depressed. Thus, they have reason to believe that drivers were mistakenly stomping on the accelerator rather than slamming the brakes in an attempt to avoid these crashes.

Of the 75 fatal crashes blamed on sudden acceleration, only one incident has actually been verified as being caused by vehicle fault - the Lexus ES350 accident that killed a California highway patrolman and three other passengers last August. Even so, this case was chalked up as an incident where the floor mat trapped the gas pedal, which Toyota quickly issued a recall for.

The WSJ also reports that U.S. Transportation Department officials have stated publicly that they have yet to find any electronic glitches in Toyota vehicles that could lead to these crashes. The only defects proven to be true are those that have been outlined by Toyota itself - floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals that are slow to return to idle.

So while Toyota may not have been at fault in these sudden acceleration cases, the automaker's image has indeed been seriously tarnished over the past few months. Over eight million Toyota vehicles have been recalled worldwide - a large blemish in automotive history, and it appears that much of the hand-wringing may have been for naught. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: The Wall Street Journal | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

BREAKING: WSJ says crash data points to pedal misapplication in Toyota sudden acceleration cases originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota offering to fix oil lines on nearly 1M six-cylinder models

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:47:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Safety, Crossover, Toyota

"This is not a safety recall."

Toyota is making it perfectly clear that this latest limited service campaign involving V6-powered vehicles sold over the past few years is not, in fact, a safety recall, as it does not have the potential to harm drivers. What's happening, however, is the rubber portion of the oil supply hose for the VVT-i actuator has the potential to degrade, which can cause oil to leak, in turn causing the engine to produce odd noises and the oil pressure light in the dash to illuminate.

The most recent phase of this service campaign involves 2007-2009 model year V6-equipped RAV4 and Avalon models. Last year, however, Toyota announced the first two phases of this campaign, which included 2005-2006 Avalons, 2007-early 2010 Camrys, 2006 RAV4s, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350s, and 2007-2009 Lexus RX350s. For all of these models, Toyota dealers will replace the oil hose at no extra charge, and the service campaign will be available to owners until March 31, 2013. Click through the jump to read the full details in Toyota's press release.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota offering to fix oil lines on nearly 1M six-cylinder models

Toyota offering to fix oil lines on nearly 1M six-cylinder models originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: Toyota said to install brake override systems in all cars by end of 2010

Dan Roth — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:28:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Lexus, Toyota

From the "things that should probably already be there" file comes the announcement that Toyota will be installing brake override systems in response to recent incidents of runaway cars. Toyota North America president Yoshi Inaba told Automotive News that the system will force the engine into idle if it senses the driver is trying to apply the brakes unsuccessfully.

The Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 will be the first models to get the new system, with installation beginning this month. Toyota's effort follows on the heels of a massive 3.8 million vehicle recall to reshape and replace accelerator pedals. The automaker is attributing reports of runaway cars on floor mat interference with the pedals, though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reportedly remains suspicious of other contributing factors.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

BREAKING: Toyota said to install brake override systems in all cars by end of 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cut It Out: Toyota's recalled pedal modification remedy detailed step-by-step

Chris Paukert — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:57:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Lexus, Toyota

Toyota/Lexus gas pedal recall modification - click above for gallery

Late last month, Toyota announced that it would begin its biggest recall action ever, summoning 3.8 million cars and trucks back to its dealers to combat "pedal entrapment" by cutting down the accelerator pedals of customer cars to avoid them getting hung-up on floormats, resulting in "unintended acceleration." Although Toyota plans to eventually substitute redesigned units for the shaved pedals (beginning in April), for the moment, it's shaved pedals or nothing.

Up until now, we didn't know what went into the modification process or how the finished pedal looks, as Toyota has worked hard to keep this process confidential. However, thanks to an anonymous Autoblog reader who happens to work in service at a Lexus franchise, we now have a much better idea of what goes into the process. Our source reveals that he's only witnessed the alteration carried out on a ES350, not the IS or any other Toyota model, but we imagine the process is quite similar for other vehicles.

In any case, the procedure is surprisingly involved, with the automaker providing the following tools to every dealership: A cutter, an electric sanding wheel, a gauge to measure how much of the pedal is to be removed and a smaller foam block to go under the carpet. Lexus is disbursing people from its area offices to train dealer technicians on the process, and Toyota is undoubtedly doing the same.

We'll let our source take it from here:

"We will have to remove the gas pedal from the vehicle and place it on a vise. Using the gauge, we are to mark the amount to be removed and cut it off. After this, we take the sanding wheel and angle the edges to make a smooth contoured surface that both looks nice and will not stick to the floor carpet or floor mat.

Also included in the repair is to replace a foam block under the floor carpet with a smaller one to lower the height of the floor slightly behind the gas pedal. What was explained to us is the foam block is glued to the bottom of the floor carpet from the factory. The block will need to be removed by heating the top side of the floor carpet with a hair dryer - not a heat gun. This is to prevent burning of the floor carpet.

(Click through to the jump for the rest of the process and more details)

Gallery: Toyota/Lexus gas pedal recall modification

Continue reading Cut It Out: Toyota's recalled pedal modification remedy detailed step-by-step

Cut It Out: Toyota's recalled pedal modification remedy detailed step-by-step originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Prior driver of loaner Lexus in fatal crash told dealer of floormat issue

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety

A few weeks ago, we learned that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ruled that the crash of a loaner Lexus ES350 that killed San Diego police officer Mark Saylor, his wife, 13-year-old daughter and brother in law was not just the result of an improper RX400h floor mat sticking the accelerator wide open it was due to a range of factors. In addition to the car having the wrong mats, the brake "rotors were discolored and heated, had very rough surfaces, had substantial deposits of brake pad material, and showed signs of bright orange oxidation on the cooling fins consistent with endured braking."

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, it turns out that three days before the crash, Frank Bernard had been given the loaner Lexus and experienced the floor mat sticking the throttle wide open. "[W]hile merging onto Interstate 15 from the Poway Road on-ramp, [Bernard] took his foot off the gas and the car kept accelerating, to 85 mph." Here's where it gets even more tragic:

"Bernard pressed long and hard on the brakes and was able to pull over and slow down. He put the car into neutral, but the engine continued to race at full speed. After several failed attempts at turning off the engine, he realized the floor mat had jammed the gas pedal. He slid his foot under the accelerator, dislodged it and had no further problems, the report says."

As stated above, without brake-assist (which would disappear after a few moments due to loss of engine vacuum at wide-open throttle) Bernard was able to stop the car, but the brakes would have been fairly stressed. Bernard returned the car to the dealership, but only told a receptionist about the floor mat incident. For her part, the receptionist at first stated she didn't remember Bernard or his story, but later changed her tune, stating that she told a vehicle specialist about the issue. The vehicle specialist denies ever hearing about it. And the vice president of Bob Baker Lexus El Cajon has no comment.

The question then becomes if the proper personnel had been alerted to Mr. Bernard's incident, would the ES350 have received new brakes and the correct mats before it was lent to the Saylors? It should also be noted that the ES350 was loaned to two other customers between Bernard and the Saylors without incident. Toyota has since recalled 3.8 million vehicles to reshape and replace accelerator pedals.

[Source: San Diego Union Tribune]

REPORT: Prior driver of loaner Lexus in fatal crash told dealer of floormat issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oldplay: Inside Line pits Buick LaCrosse against Lexus ES 350... who wins?

Chris Shunk — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Buick, Lexus

2010 Buick LaCrosse - Click above for high-res image gallery

When it comes to isolating the two most important stats automakers consider when determining a vehicle's success or failure, the Lexus ES350 is a smash it. The stats in question are sales volume and profit, and the ES typically tops the entry-level luxury sales chart while often exceeding its competition in terms of price. Conversely, Buick has been stuck at the opposite end of the spectrum, with little in the way of product or respect - at least until recently. The well-received Enclave proved that General Motors' one-time bastard child could make competitive product, but the 2010 LaCrosse is tasked with taking on the likes of Acura and Lexus.

Inside Line was impressed enough with a LaCrosse it reviewed earlier that the online publication pitted Buick's upstart against the long dominant ES350. IL notes that the Lacrosse outweighs the ES by nearly 500 pounds, generates 2.5 fewer miles per gallon and has a .6 second slower 0-60 mph time, yet it handily bests the aging ES in nearly every category. Hit the read link below to check out the comparison. Has Buick arrived as a legitimate contender to Lexus? It's definitely too early to tell, but it looks like the division could finally be ready to put up a good fight.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Buick LaCrosse

[Source: Inside Line]

Oldplay: Inside Line pits Buick LaCrosse against Lexus ES 350... who wins? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Facelifted 2010 Lexus ES350 caught in Japan

Chris Shunk — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Lexus, Luxury

After years of sales dominance in the near luxury segment, the Lexus ES350 is beginning to see increased competition from the likes of - who woulda thunk it? - Lincoln and Buick. It doesn't help much that the styling of the ES is getting long in the tooth as, but new spy shots show that the ES could be getting a makeover in 2010.

Even though the ES350 isn't sold in Japan, these spy photos were apparently taken at a dealership in the land of the Rising Sun. The changes appear to be minor based on the photos, with most of the differences happening up front. The grille appears to be more prominent, with more chrome than the outgoing model.

In addition, the undisguised spy photo shows an updated lower fascia with a single slot opening and new fog lights. The front bumper also appears to have sharper lines than the 2009 model. Out back, we only see slightly updated tail lamps, while the side mirrors retain the same shape but add LED lighting.

Based on these spy shots, the ES350 doesn't look too terribly different than the 2009 model. Given the conservative nature of Lexus redesigns, we're not at all surprised. To look at all three spy photos of the 2010 ES350, head over to World Car Fans.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Spy Shots: Facelifted 2010 Lexus ES350 caught in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESpionage: minor tweaks for 2010 Lexus ES

Noah Joseph — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:03:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Lexus

For fifteen years, the Lexus ES has been the top-selling luxury sedan from the top-selling luxury marque in America. But after twenty years of sharing its underpinnings with the Toyota Camry, the Japanese auto giant has decided to let the two mainstay models go their separate ways. With the sportier IS sharing the duty of anchoring the lineup and a new hybrid model on its way, the ES might get scrapped altogether... but not before one last hurrah, previewed by the crude spy shot you see to the right. The 2010 Lexus ES350 will be a subtle update on the current fifth-generation model, in true Lexus style, with modest tweaks to the styling to keep it fresh for another few years. Nothing revolutionary, which means nothing to upset the model's conservative customer base, either. (That's what things like the IS-F are for.)

[Source: BurlappCars.com]

ESpionage: minor tweaks for 2010 Lexus ES originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus poised to be the next Cadillac, but not in the good way

Dan Roth — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:56:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Lexus

Cadillac's image resurgence sees it vacating its spot as fuddy duddy transport, which it filled for most of the 1980s and '90s. Quality woes didn't help, but overall, the brand induced yawns. Big, body-on-frame barges are still available at the Lincoln store, but there's also a market for luxury cars filled with technology and quality that invokes a ho-hum response. Yes, folks, that means that Lexus is getting sucked in by the vacuum Cadillac left when they went all Led Zeppelin on us. Well, that's not entirely true - what is happening, though, is the age of the average Lexus buyer is sneaking up. Currently it's at 51 years old, while kids who spent the 1980s learning hair metal riffs on their B.C. Rich are choosing Infiniti, Audi, BMW, or even the somewhat fusty Mercedes.

If you were at Yasgur's farm with your Microbus, chances are that you've got a lust to wheel around in an ES350 for your retirement years. The average age of that car's buyers is 61, and only Cadillac, Lincoln, and Jaguar have more buyers north of 60 in this segment. This data has Toyota's fancy division rethinking their future plans, lest they be left in the dust. While Lexus may not release a direct competitor, they're keeping a close watch on how BMW launches its 1-series. The way BMW woos buyers is what Lexus has to do, according to Jim Farley, who recently left for Ford. Younger buyers are looking for edgier cars with a higher degree of technology integration, so Lexus must make a serious run at building a real performer with the IS-F, as well as push design and image. You know they're serious when they plan to broaden the scope of their myownpursuit website to include more than squash on the lawn.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Lexus poised to be the next Cadillac, but not in the good way originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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