2023 Lexus ES300h Review from a IS500 Owner's Perspective!!!

I got a brand new ES300h as a loaner. So naturally, I reviewed it.

[@darrene.mathews5566]

This was a clear and well-structured comparison video. Thank you.

[@V8Brah]

Thank you so much! I appreciate that!

[@lexusls4305]

I think the ES looks great. I would give them a tie as well in styling

[@POVIEWS]

Would love to see more content!! Especially a follow up on the engine light.

[@V8Brah]

Same to you! Thanks, I'll let you all know.

[@j.b.5747]

@@V8Brah was the check engine light associated with your new exhaust? Just put a deposit on an atomic silver is500. I ordered an apexi mid pipe as my first mod.

[@2ZZGE100]

Hope your IS500 gets fixed. I have seen your posts regarding the issue with the gaskets on the RCF forum on clublexus. Cheers!

[@V8Brah]

Haha yep, I needed the experts to push me in the right direction. Thanks so much!

[@floggyWM1]

@@V8Brah Check engine was coming on and off for few months, until car went into limp mode. Had the same message as you, turns out it was Throttle Body.

[@chillingverse5274]

I like the es 300h more, it’s a lot more roomy comfortable and classy I have an IS but to me it just feels like a teenage car I love it, its just ES is growing more and more on me and it’s just so quite and smooth especially with the noise reduction wheels just makes everything feel a lot more comfortable drive and also adding the wireless CarPlay and charger is a big bonus for me just makes it a much more smoother driving experience than the IS overall

[@mikelowry5012]

I love Lexus I have a 22 es 350 premium it’s dope

[@shujayethossain6554]

Hi Since this is the base ES300h, is it quiet on the inside while driving in the city or on the highway?

[@nodrogkam]

Validating point about the ML. Hope Lexus comes through for your CEL.

[@V8Brah]

Thank you! Always appreciate you...

[@floggyWM1]

@@V8Brah i had the same messages on my 2022 IS500, before it went into a limp mode. Had it towed to the dealer, the motor on the throttle body was bad. They replaced the Throttle Body and no more problem. Was not expecting this from Lexus, reliable they said.

[@V8Brah]

How many miles did you go with the CEL on before your car went limp? And what was the code from the scan?

[@floggyWM1]

@@V8Brah The first time CEL went on was at around 13k miles. The went on and then off the next day. It happened to me 3 times over like 6 month period, and limp mode happened at 19.5k miles. Right now i have 20k miles. Bought it brand new in 22.

[@floggyWM1]

@@V8Brah i had 4 instances when CEL would go on, and next day or the the day after it would turn off. The limp mode happened out of no where, car was running fine(no CEL), stopped at a red light, as i went to start driving at a green light it happened. I never connected my car to the scanner, so i dont know the code, But the car kept throwing out the same message everytime CEL went on, similar to what you had in the video "a malfunction in the electronic... engine, throttle, or transmission.." (i dont know if thats a generic CEL code or not)

[@alanbaxter5897]

Funny I crossed shopped the RCF, ISF, LCF, Cayman and ended up buying the Lexus 300h.All used. I live in a big city so I was like I never get to really drive sporty very often so the incredible ride and comfort combined with the gas savings it just made sense to get the 300h.

[@timothybracken1728]

I love the ES so much, it's one of the best value luxury sedans out there, esp used wow the prices ... ES is sexy and you have more space, way better ride !

[@shoaibimdad]

Nice review and comparison 👏👏. Look like you did very honest and fair review! What color this Es300h you are sitting in? Is it Titanium?

[@V8Brah]

This color is iridium. Thank you so much for watching and your kind comment!

[@SFATFACL]

is the check engine light cause by the new exhaust?

[@ARentz07]

I own an IS 500 and have had multiple ES loaners - never a 300h, but 350, yes. I pretty much agree with you on everything... except the sound system. Maybe Lexus updated the sound system on the ES for the refresh, but from the ones I drove, I 100% prefer the Mark Levinson in the IS. The ML has more bass, crisper mid-tones, and tends to sound better at higher volumes than the one in the ES - granted, I didn't specifically "test" the ES's system... Though, the ES's base sound system is great - it's probably on the same level as my wife's 330i with its base sound system. Both of them have better sound systems than the base system in the IS, which is just not great. I really dig the ES. If I had space for 3 cars, I might end up getting a dedicated sports car for fun driving, and something along the lines of an ES for daily driving. I've always generally really enjoyed driving ESes because they're so comfy and quiet. The quietness is really impressive, even compared to an IS.

[@V8Brah]

Thanks for your comment! I’m no audiophile and I didn’t have the ES for too long, so you’re likely right about the ML on the IS500. I think at low volumes the base ES sounded pretty good though. The ML probably has the advantage when the volume is cranked.

[@v8soarer1991]

Why would you listen to the audio in a IS 500? Audio is not as important as the under bonnet symphony.

[@SFATFACL]

IS500 have a lot of rattle noise @@v8soarer1991

[@tkamel18]

I just bought a 2024 Lexus es base with the premium package. Love everything except the front seat comfort. Back seats feel nice. Front seats are too soft on the bottom and too hard on the upper back. Not sure if I got a lemon of a seat or what 😭

[@mohamedelnowihy8615]

ES 300h needs minor adjustments in exterior to looks sharper. Also the head space needs to be higher specially in rear seats.

[@mirkoelek]

Funny that I came across this video, as Im debating which one to get. Im in my early 40s , always been a car guy, but as I get older I start preferring comfort little more, mpg and space for kids. I know it has to be lexus. Hard decision to make. Price is also 10k more for is500. Will I miss on that v8 that much if I go with es300h?

[@V8Brah]

Wow, that is definitely a hard choice if that's your situation. I would definitely go to the dealership, bring your fam, and test drive them both. It's the only way you'll know for sure. I will say that after a couple days, I was pretty much already over the ES300h haha. I guess I missed feeling a bit "special" on the road. Long term though, you'd save a good chunk of change with the ES.

[@MrMustangrick]

Yes you will. I love my 5 liter GS F.

[@chrisirons723]

The short answer, is buy the IS500. It is super comfortable and is a true driving experience. You have the rest of your life to buy the living room on wheels.

[@MrMustangrick]

@@chrisirons723 Well said.

[@pawel82uk]

For everyday traffic and feeling of rest in front of steering wheel Es for spiritual driving and feeling of old school nimble car Is500 or rcf 🚀

[@pasuchu7948]

I currently drive a 2022 ES300H. It’s comfortable and luxurious and get great gas mileage. I am considering to trade up to a IS500. I honestly don’t know if that’s a good idea.

[@randy74989]

Got mine last month, 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 and Michelin "green" tires; 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; and 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

[@jml9550]

Nice car. Funny, just took my wife’s 1 month old 2024 NX350H to a oil change today at 987 miles. I always get an oil change at 1K miles and every 6 months after that, no matter what the miles driven, usually let than 5K miles. My 2017 ES350 just hit 37K miles and it drives like the day I brought her home. Enjoy the ES Hybrid.

[@wyw201]

Is the ES300h assembled in Japan or the US? I've heard Japanese built Lexus are more consistent quality wise.

[@randy74989]

@@wyw201 Unfortunately or fortunately it's assembled in Kentucky. I have read they shall be taking ES production back to Japan but no definitive date or year yet. I have to rely on the following: "What is the quality rule followed by Toyota? Our approach to quality is based on the Jikotei Kanketsu philosophy: “to ensure that defects are never passed on to the next process.” It means that every member of the workforce takes ownership for the quality of their job."

[@wyw201]

@@randy74989 If you don’t find any faults with your ES, that means Kentucky is up to par on quality standards. I’m super jealous you have cloudburst grey and acorn combination available!

[@randy74989]

@@wyw201 Thx, at first we thought it was odd, but when we saw it live, it works. Beautiful interior in a purplish brown. And the Cloudburst Gray has a metallic look and I had her ceramic coated when I brought her home. She only gets washed by the ceramic detailer (once a month) with ceramic foam. LOL

[@MrMustangrick]

I have a Lexus GS V8 that I love. Can’t see myself giving it up for a hybrid. The Es hybrid is very nice for what it is but has very little excitement in the drive.

[@ne2785]

Yeah😂 the es is the complete opposite. It's supposed to be calm and tranquil while the gs is supposed to be sporty, fun, exhilarant

[@jml9550]

Very good points. The GS V8 is the car to DRIVE. The ES hybrid is a nice commute car that gets 44MPG. Gotta love that.

[@MrMustangrick]

@@jml9550 Well said!

[@jml9550]

@@MrMustangrick yep. Just bought my wife a new NX350h, loves 39-40MPG combined. Now I have an itch to replace my ‘17 ES350, I may wait a couple years and pick up a 2-3 year old low mileage LC500h :)

[@briankim8600]

I am curious why your IS 500 has check engine light. Is it because of your new after market exhaust?

[@V8Brah]

Yeah, it was a leak between the downpipe and front pipe.

[@soso1030]

ES = trade driving for everything else IS = trade everything else for some soul

[@V8Brah]

You summed it up even better!

[@darrylweller6143]

Thinking of getting a is500, you have me concerned about the problems, what color is your 500?

[@V8Brah]

Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0. Don't be too concerned. I forgot to mention it's mainly 2022 models with these small annoyances. It's still an amazing car.

[@85CEKR]

I've got a 23 and have had zero issues, I would not worry about it this is easily to most reliable sports sedan on the market, issues are very rare and minor when they do happen.

[@kawhiiee]

What was the cause of the check engine light? Did all your lights go off and every feature says malfunction?

[@V8Brah]

I still don't know yet. Nope, just a single CEL and 1 code: P0420. I'm hoping it's just an exhaust leak from my gasket. The front pipes were taken on and off a lot when Ark was designing the exhaust so hopefully it's just the gasket that's busted.

[@stillinsocal42]

@@V8Brah thats a bummer man, i have an Iridium 22 IS 500, almost waiting for that code to come up, still real close to getting the ark catback system, keep watching that vid....🤗

[@kawhiiee]

@@V8Brah let me know. I’m testing driving an is500 tomorrow (cloudburst grey black interior with bbs wheels). Planning on Trading in my Camry xse v6 (which is the problem I’m having that I described in my initial comment.)

[@V8Brah]

@@kawhiiee Sweet, let me know how the test drive goes!

[@V8Brah]

​@@stillinsocal42 I think you'll be fine, as most people have been. Ark is continuing to perfect the fitment in the meantime. Thanks so much for all the views haha.

[@chiefwilliamsunfiltered3874]

From the outside the ES looks so similar to the LS it’s hard to justify paying for the LS. However the interior of the LS is clearly a step up from the ES300. If I spend $90K for an LS I don’t want it to be confused with a $50K ES. I’m just saying.

[@randy74989]

It would be well worth the $$ money, if you buy the LS500h (HYBRID). Starting at $114,635. LOL That starting price is about twice what I paid for my 2023 ES300h, Ultra Luxury with additional options added. 🤔

[@jmethane4810]

Pretty sure that nobody buying an ES cares about "exclusivity." Your two different definitions of "practicality" are interesting. I understand how the ES is practical... Not so much about the is500. Turning radius? 🤔

[@LetsgoPavi]

U comparing base model ESH to is500 which is top Is line in my opinion not fair to compare, compare it to esF sport I have ES f sport, on nice 20 inch wheels, with front body lip, lowered, with nice brakes calipers, roof spoiler, and it looks way better than IS, wayyy better. Inside and outside U also have mentioned that Lexus ES is a little bit bigger, it’s actually a LOT a lot bigger than IS in the back to be exact 39.2 inches legroom in the back which consider closer to Mercedes S class 41 inches legroom in s class.

[@kjss4345]

Es300h if japanese made is the superior vehicle, but its a family sedan