Lexus ES 300h review - DrivingElectric

Lexus ES 300h review: www.drivingelectric.com/lexus/es
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The Lexus ES 300h looks like great value on paper, but is that enough to tempt drivers away from more accomplished rivals? Vicky Parrott puts the executive hybrid through its paces…
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[@beinnnabhfadhla6457]

The big difference between the German rivals is bomb proof reliability and that means something to the regular driver.

[@kristians2704]

But everything else is better about German cars (aside from reliability)

[@front2427]

@@kristians2704 id prefer to get home....

[@kristians2704]

@@front2427 almost all cars are reliable for the first 5 years anyway

[@ekimandersom4478]

Ah thats why nobody in Europe buys a Lexus 😂

[@golaoi]

Reliability. I love a CVT gearbox. The bias against it is unscientific. The car has plenty of oomph and is ultra-relaxing to drive.

[@bighands69]

It sounds horrible and there is no getting around that fact. You can try and make different claims but it sounds like a whiny singer droning on.

[@davidyule1973]

@@bighands69 do you own one? I do and quite like it. Have driven v6 petrol cars for years and whilst they obviously sound better, this sounds better than diesel rivals that had a few plugs for commission probably.

[@bighands69]

@@davidyule1973 I have a Lexus GS not an ES. I have driven the ES quite a bit and when you are accelerating it drones out probably because it is a 2 litre displacement mated with one of those weird automatic transmission. Just a mismatch. As long as you drive them like a luxury car they are fine but the moment you do put the foot down it drones out. The older V8 engines did not have that issue.

[@davidyule1973]

In my first 1400 miles of driving have averaged 49.5 mpg in mixed driving. Journeys have ranged from about 40 to 60 mpg which is pretty good, especially for a new car and engine so may well increase slightly. Understanding the hybrid technology helps. I don't mean trying to hypermile, just the simple things like easing off the accelerator whilst maintaining the same speed will fire up EV mode a thing you do without thinking about it after a time. You get used to the touch pad. The curser only moves over things that you can press so not like trying to hit a tiny target whilst on the move. Although believe the updated version that can be ordered now has a touch screen. I have hot that used to the track pad I would not use use touch screen as think is safer on the move personally with the trackpad. Quite a lot of plugging of other brands, and on a long journey would actually cover a greater % of the journey on electric power with this than a PHEV like the 530e which has a poor EV range. I compared both and went with this. Prior to this had the new A6 6 cylinder mild hybrid engine which drove better than the 5 series. This car handles well and drives exceptionally smoothly. The 8.9 sec to 60 time declared by Lexus is Conservative to say the least, not sure why they quite that figure when quote 8.1 to 60 in most other countries in the world. This is faster than suggested in the review, again have to understand a hybrid engine. With a standard ICE you press the accelerator and keep it pressed and the car will indeed keep pulling hard. With a hybrid you floor it, the engine will kick in and start pulling, the hybrid battery will also fire in for boost. Part way through the engine will be doing most if not all of the work, but if release accelerator slightly the EV battery will kick in again and give a second boost. I have managed to get Sub 8 seconds out of it. Overall this is a great motor if anybody is considering. The price is an absolute bargain. If go for the F Sport with tech and safety pack get lots of features and also sneaks just beneath the £40k BIK point which means avoid the extortionate surcharge for spending 40k. I paid the extra charge with my last car but resent it personally so this car is also perfectly priced. Unparalleled for the pric this motor :)

[@hichsham6848]

Hello David still happy with your es ? I'm hesitating between the Es hybrid and the audi a6 diesel 40 tdi

[@lincolnlawellington3285]

She loves being negative against lexus like let's face lexus es is a beautiful car very smooth n unlike German cars lexus was voted uk no1 most reliable car 2021.

[@tectorama]

She's just jumping on the Anti Lexus band wagon. She gets so many things wrong in her videos, She's a BMW lover.

[@thinussteyn2797]

Yeah, the Mercs and BMW’s would already be in the scrapyard and this Lexus will still only be driven in. Quality is key, and Lexus is king in that regard. PS, no normal person constantly fafs about with a infotainment system, you set it and leave it

[@peterkassner3552]

exactly..... the German cars are so overrated, appalling ergonomics, so unreliable.... high service costs, nothing included as standard, so price is always more than you think it;s going to be.

[@kristians2704]

@@peterkassner3552 Lexus fans are always just talking about reliability and don’t understand that everything else is better about German cars

[@front2427]

@@kristians2704 Do you change your cars more than you change your pants?

[@gallanonim516]

Best straightforward comment getting to the point!

[@Slufnyt1]

​@@kristians2704 don't you mean intelligent people? After all who wants a car that's unreliable???

[@bassicuk1986]

The best looking car out the segment. Best built too. Its'a Lexus afterall

[@mgmcd1]

I got my ES in February, and I have Apple Car Play. Are they not offering it with right hand drive? I also get 43-45-50mpg fairly consistently (Baltimore to NYC a few weeks ago I got 50.4mpg. CVTs are a little buzzy, though. Not as bad with this model due to the extra firewall sound deadening.

[@Namastefromnorth]

Nice review video keep up the good work 👍🏻

[@RA-tc8tr]

Does it come with apple car play as standard on all es or isit after a specific year they come as standard?

[@toneranger]

JAG XF 12 year old design, I’ll enjoy the dated design of the XF as I zoom past it steaming on the side of the side of the road in my Lexus, every day of the week 😂

[@beeryweery]

Er...it doesn't have any rivals. All it's "rivals" are diesels.

[@alexandredillemann5668]

Great video, once again ! Keep going !

[@shieldaigbencher]

Hi, I have now done much research and I am confident the e-cvt gearbox Lexus use is not a cvt gearbox as suggested by your review.

[@bighands69]

It still sounds horrible.

[@Shane-zx4ps]

It is ecvt, Toyota/Lexus are finished with cvt, totally different gearboxes

[@toninocars]

Germans are million miles behind any Lexus or Toyota products

[@iandiru6433]

Can you do a review of Toyota Crown?

[@tectorama]

She obviously doesn't know how to select sports mode to accelerate quickly. I do wish reviewers would learn something about the cars they drive, before comparing to a German make. A chap I know used to have a new BMW as a company car every two years. He eventually got fed up with being robbed every time he took it in to have a minor fault looked at. He now drives a Ford. CVT Transmissions are great, but I have yet to hear a car reviewer who like them.

[@chitpaul]

Totally crap review. Lexus reliability is no.1...so it’s not only about the money savings love.... . Not everyone want a want to be sports car as a everyday car....handling... what expecting to do with it. I come here to look at the car... ignore the voice over... clueless.

[@bighands69]

All that you stated simply does not get around the fact it sounds horrible.

[@ewadge]

‘Self-charging’? ‘Don’t have to plug it in?’ ?????? What about ‘You cannot plug it in’.

[@tasankoporkkana]

Toyota Hybrid

[@billysielu]

"self-charging hybrid" ... aka... a 40 mpg petrol car.

[@philipwalker103]

Another dumb review from a biased reviewer. The only countries reviewers that give consistently poor reviews for Lexus are in the Uk. Those complimentary dinners must be outstanding. Get a test drive in a Lexus to see if you like it.

[@front2427]

I quite like her she reviewed my Toledo in 2012,still have that car and its needy dpf light🤣😂🤣

[@alanbaxter5897]

The infotainment system is fine. You almost never need to use the track pad. You can use buttons to change the radio mode. Speaking the destination works great in the navigation. Apple car play looks great on the 12 inch screen. No idea why all the hate on the infotainment. No finger prints on the screen so it looks cleaner for much longer. Use siri to make phone calls. Crazy the hate. Moronic really. Car reviewers are only about 3 year leases not ownership over 5 years.

[@oknadboksieovdw7296]

how about 0 to 60

[@davesax11]

drivetrain?

[@harryo6126]

So the comparisons/rivals are £20k more expensive.

[@tareskisloki8579]

They are nice cars, but I could never live with a CVT, unfortunately it seems to be the default transmission for hybrids, so I'll stick with straight petrol for now.

[@ghs7714]

Stick with fem cars

[@mziwendukuntsele671]

I believe the ES is the more available Lexus offering & a flagship VW Passat should be a direct rival. However, Lexus has the GS as direct competitor to the A6 & BMW 5-Series.

[@sergiupuscasu2496]

mziwenduku ntsele the GS is discontinued for Europe. It’s replaced by this ES.

[@bighands69]

A VW Passat is cheaper.

[@foxylady1048]

No such thing as a self charging hybrid

[@blitzchaserjzx100]

So explain how the battery gets charged then?

[@wee-jacko19]

@@blitzchaserjzx100 exactly

[@josiahr1375]

@@blitzchaserjzx100 it gets charged by recapturing the kinetic energy from the momentum that the gasoline engine expended. That and it also gets charged directly by the gasoline engine in certain driving conditions.

[@blitzchaserjzx100]

@@josiahr1375 thanks I was just trying to get Richard to explain.. I know how it works as I have a Lexus is300h which i love Thanks 🖐😎🖐

[@metoo3773]

it is exactly what it sounds like. SELF CHARGING HYBRID.... The battery charges itself rather than from a plug.... How is that not straight forward?????? It charges via using the petrol engine, and regen braking when possible... If it wasn't using petrol at all they would call it a battery-electric vehicle don't you think? SMH ppl

[@dingbatt]

Self charging, as opposed to charging from your local coal-fired power station. It’s marketing BS people, nothing to see here, move along.... Edit: Or maybe “Driving Electric” should stick to reviewing electric cars (BEVs and maybe PHEVs) rather than vehicles whose energy is sourced from onboard liquid fuel. But I do wish this reviewer would research how an eCVT works. It optimises the efficiency of the petrol engine when its running by running at the most efficient rpm.

[@JohnKellett_kreativarchitects]

‘Self charging’? It’s a petrol powered car then, NOT a real EV of any form whatsoever.

[@latorregolf]

What is it with the British inability to understand this specific technology from Toyota? They've been doing electric/petrol hybrids for almost 30 years ffs

[@nikotinnikenen]

That's why it's called hybrid and not EV. How strange?

[@johnkellett7797]

Dave Murphy , it’s not technology it is a con trick as car manufacturers have a lot of ICE they want to use to keep their oil paymasters happy :-)

[@nikotinnikenen]

@@johnkellett7797 it's totally not true. Self charging hybrids are the right way to go at the moment. They are affordable, reliable, without the anxiety effect... just fuel it with petrol and drive. Next chapter is hydrogen powered fuel cell. If you think that BEV is the right solution try to own one and we'll speak later.

[@johnkellett7797]

Nikola Nikolovski ? What are you talking about? Oil is not the future nor should it be. The wars over it have killed many hundreds of thousands of humans and the planet overheating as a consequence. I would happily own a BEV despite living miles from any public charger because I can charge at home on a tariff based 100% on renewable energy. A ‘self-charging’ hybrid makes 100% of its electricity from the power created by oil. Even the oft spoke about bollox of reclaiming energy through braking was placed there from oil power. As I said it is a con trick by the oil industry to make you think you are being friendly to the environment when you are just doing it more harm. If you think driving around with a fuel tank full of highly pressurised hydrogen is safe, think again and research the fun they had with Zeppelins :-) It may be ‘efficient’, but ‘safe’? I don’t think so. Petrol and diesel tanks are not exactly safe either. And before you come back and refer to battery fires, I agree there are issues but they are diminishing as the technology changes and gets better.

[@gallanonim516]

I thing the reviewer is undercover German - just with British or American passport (*that explains her attitude towards Lexus...)

[@MILKYBAR1969]

Booo 😷 please explain self charging I bet Einstein Newton or Tesla could not explain self charging. Cannot believe the British advertising standard agency are accepting this.

[@UrbanMouse]

Einstein Newton or Tesla knew nothing about marketing, :-) Self charging comes from the petrol motor, rather than plug in, it actually makes sence as because it uses a more efficient Atkinson cycle vs the traditional Otto making it more economical for city driving particularity, she compares ze German rivals on motorway as she knows where her market budgets come from

[@MILKYBAR1969]

@@UrbanMouse ok I thought that Toyota had invented perpetual motion which was being used to charge the batteries. I used to own a self charging torch but what that actually meant was me myself and I had to spin this lever to turn a dynamo that in turn charge the batteries it was only self charging in that I had to charge it with my energy I wonder what energy Toyota are using. Perhaps it's powered by marketing.

[@UrbanMouse]

​@@MILKYBAR1969 BMW Audi & Toyota are powered by perpetual marketing. The regenerative braking does the self charging so its not 100% marketing. Toyota/Lexus petrol hybrid is about as efficient as Diesels, they are both about 30% more fuel efficient than standard petrol, (Hybrid is better in urban, and less in Motorway, hence the reviewer marketers picked the motorway comparison as apposed to combined ) The bigger marketing budgets the Germans have always win the propaganda in Europe, the Germans may be sportier cars, but way way more troublesome and costly to repair, but you'll never get marketers talk of reliability, residuals or total cost of ownership, the reality is German diesels will be in a scrap yard 5 years before the Lexus and cost way more in the long run.

[@MILKYBAR1969]

@@UrbanMouse until Toyota invent perpetual motion or have solar panels that will create the electric they charge with there is no such thing as self charging something needs to power a car in the first place to enable regenerative braking in Toyota's case this is the burning of petrol. Self charging. it's a bare face lie.

[@metoo3773]

@@MILKYBAR1969 Self charging is exactly what it sounds like. Like when toyota called their hybrids self charging what did you think charges the battery? Honeslty please tell? Air? Wind? Solar? Nuclear power? Yes petrol charges it when needed that's how it works :) Petrol engine charges the battery, or the regen braking charges the battery. I fail to see the confusion. This is even better to distinguish itself from the plug in hybrids cause these self charging hybrids charge themselves. You dont get the option to charge it from a plug.. The word "Hybrid" alone already indicates it uses more than one fuel source. :)

[@aadi8568]

Cut your BS, it is NOT just money saving.

[@bighands69]

You are offended but guess what it doe snot matter as the car sounds horrible.

[@100ksubscribersandipostvid5]

can she drive any more slower

[@simonsaphire]

irritating voice!

[@glideman]

No such thing as a self charging hybrid! 👎

[@tasankoporkkana]

The self charging is the car which can charge its own batteries during drive. Toyota has been manufacturing these cars for almost three decades. Everybody (if sane) knows Prius and other models. I success to you: Stand up from the couch, and see things!

[@iAMChrisCC]

It charges itself, therefore it’s self charging 👍🏻

[@metoo3773]

Yes there is.. Ir charges itself while driving through braking or uses the petrol engine. I see no confusion whatsoever. Plug in hybrid- you plug it in. Self charging- charges the battery itself and does its own thing when needed... Toyota never said it doesnt use fossil fuel. The word "hybrid" already indicates 2 sources powering the car.

[@sergiupuscasu2496]

It’s just a posher Camry. Oh yeah, the Camry is back in Europe, with the exact same engine and drivetrain as this Lexus.

[@jimbarino2]

Actually, it's built on the same platform as the Avalon, not the Camry.

[@tibidt]

It's much posher than then Camry, and twice the price in Europe :)

[@bengreen1090]

Yeah because no other car brands share drive trains .....