Lexus ES300h: life with her over 100,000 miles

Review of my 2015 Lexus after driving her for over 100,000 miles

[@s50201]

No, this is NOT a belt-based CVT. Toyota Synergy Drive is a power split transaxle that connects 2 motors, the engine, and the wheels to simulate gear ratios. Much more robust than even traditional automatics since there are no friction wear parts or solenoids.

[@seandavis2520]

I wish toyota / Lexus would have dropped the C V T out of naming the eCVT.. they should have named it The Planetary Drive System .. a couple mechanics thought my hybrid needed CVT fluid which is totally incorrect..

[@yungant867]

@@seandavis2520what transmission fluid do you use for your 2013 es300h?

[@zachc6461]

I just hit 160k on mine. I drive the piss out of her 80 mph on cruise control, drive on construction sites and crap roads 5 days a week (about 25-30k per year). After all this i get 36.5mpg and zero issues after 4 years of this, what a car… try doing that with an audi or bmw

[@sultanalhadad]

thank you very much for the video , the explanation and your time

[@Basit25]

Thank you for sharing this video with us

[@josemendez2894]

I have it before 2015 toyota camry le hybrid , good car, I give it away to my son 250.000 miles, and I purchased 2016 lexus es300h with 124.000 miles and I love it more comfortable and I love the sport mode run very fast like V6, I drive uber in NYC so now I have 295.000 miles I'm very satisfied with this car...cheerrssss.

[@caraddict829]

Does it still have the original hybrid battery?

[@MontyGumby]

You drive the 300h as Uber in nyc ? Poor car I avoid driving into the city if I can help it

[@josemendez2894]

@@caraddict829 yes, so far no problem

[@josemendez2894]

@@MontyGumby so far no problem

[@josemendez2894]

@@caraddict829 yes now is 210.000 thousand miles.

[@MrMustangrick]

These things last forever. I am on my third Lexus, a 2017 GS F V8 hot rod sedan. Love it!

[@shane6115]

Love those cars, lucky 🍀 bastard

[@MrMustangrick]

@@shane6115 Yes still loving it, 4 years old and no problems. Maintenance is not expensive and dealer experience is excellent.

[@shane6115]

@@MrMustangrick. There is a great video on KZbin that puts your car up against the M5 in the U.K. by Chris Harris, excellent watch dude.

[@MrMustangrick]

@@shane6115 I have seen it, he liked the Lexus better. Mine is 4+ years old, still love it, zero issues and nothing breaks. May never sell it! Thanks!

[@aross924]

That car is beautiful. Super clean

[@caraddict829]

Thank you very much. We love her, so we take good care of her.

[@aross924]

@@caraddict829 how much was it new?

[@caraddict829]

@@aross924 I bought it used, but the window sticker was $49,200 when new. This one has every option you can get, I believe. It has the Ultra Luxury Package and the Mark Levinson sound, which were hard options to find because most were not specced out that way when ordered.

[@fmueller1]

Awesome car! Has many features mine doesn't have, but you are missing 3-zone climate control. It will say 3 ZONE where yours says DUAL, and the controls for the rear are in middle armrest of the back seat when folded down where yours has cup holders.

[@shane6115]

FSport models are a great looking car.

[@BigBossIvan]

I’m seriously considering one right now as my daily, but my biggest gripe is the same as what you pointed out, that horrible infotainment system. I really enjoy CarPlay and that mess is a nightmare to upgrade. Lexus really dropped the ball on that part alone.

[@InternetDude]

2019-newer get CarPlay

[@dezymond]

GROM Vline.

[@jays.3702]

External car play screen on amazon is around $300 and well worth it!

[@blaaper]

bruh it was 2013

[@E_Rice]

What does the park assist do? Also does that Mark Levinson sound system have a USB port for phones/USB thumb drive.

[@carolgarza9422]

There. Is one thing I don’t like about the bamboo steering wheel is that it gets super cold on cold days and very hot in the summer when parked. Of course the steering wheel will warm up and cool off in the winter once you’re driving. I keep a wash cloth with me for the very cold days and the very hot days when I start the car from the parked position

[@caraddict829]

That’s true. The wood definitely gets hot or cold, depending on the season, and seems to be that way maybe longer than a traditional leather-wrapped wheel, but it’s hard to resist how nice it looks. Unfortunately, even if you have the heated steering wheel option, like on mine, it only heats the parts of the wheel that are not wood. I do wish it heated the entire wheel, but a minor inconvenience, I suppose.

[@411sponge72]

@@caraddict829 Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the new models have a heated and cooled steering wheel?

[@caraddict829]

@@411sponge72 They don't have that feature, but the Luxury and above models have heated and cooled seats.

[@411sponge72]

@@caraddict829 Thank you for the clarification. I'm seriously considering one in the near future!

[@EverySingleGuitars]

181k miles on mine

[@familyfun9474]

How has it been? Looking at buying one with similar miles but a little concerned.

[@familyfun9474]

Ended up with the Toyota version an Avalon. 160k miles. It was dealer maintained whole life. Getting 40+ mpg. Left BMW to go this direction. Very happy with the change. I checked the voltage and resistance on all the battery cells. All were 16+ volts and all were .03 ohms of resistance. There was no variation between any of the cells. It is going to be interesting how long the battery lasts. I am betting on 300k.

[@EverySingleGuitars]

*Update Feb 2022: 184k miles

[@yungant867]

@@EverySingleGuitarswhat’s it at now, if you still own one

[@EverySingleGuitars]

@@yungant867 almost 210,000 miles now………. Still running strong

[@JohnnyUtah9173]

Looks brand new

[@ravipeiris4388]

Thank you for the video. The car inside and out looks modern. The navigation panel looks fairly modern as well, Ravi Peiris M.D.

[@anubis6374]

You don’t have to put your name at the end bro 💀

[@nealp885]

@@anubis6374 lol

[@MrMustangrick]

@@anubis6374 Doctor brag.

[@n71itrer]

I believe there might be a ML badge on the subwoofer in the rear deck

[@caraddict829]

Yes, this has the optional Mark Levinson sound system.

[@n71itrer]

@@caraddict829 okay. Enjoy. Wish I’d gotten ML in mine.

[@AustinRides7264]

Pretty car. Wish the gas mileage was more. My fusion hybrid gets around 42 with stupid aggressive driving and a lot of highway 😂 176k miles on the dash for a '13. I love hybrids. Something like this would be nice for my line of work as an Uber driver. Thanks for showing it!

[@caraddict829]

Thanks for your comments. Honestly, it would get better mileage if it was smaller and lighter, but I'm happy with what it gets given it's size and weight. This is a true luxury car, and it is heavy and it is large, but it's so comfortable because of those things, and I'm willing to sacrifice some gas mileage for the comfort it provides.

[@8corymix8]

You can hardly compare your ford to any Lexus & if calculated manually, I doubt that fusion gets 42mpg

[@AustinRides7264]

@@8corymix8 hi Paul. I didn't compare my car to a Lexus or any luxury car which the ford is not. I have owned mostly luxury cars all my life. Including a $120k BMW. I was merely stating what I owned. And yes, my car has actually averaged 44 mpgs its whole life of almost 210k miles. If you drive it normally and not like some asswipe doing hard acceleration every stoplight you actually get close to the epa estimate.

[@johnc9541]

lol who in their right mind would mention Lexus along with Ford!! You got lucky that’s all.

[@AustinRides7264]

@@johnc9541 Lexus is a fancy Toyota and same goes for Lincoln. Just a fancy ford. Btw, my fusion's hybrid powertrain was developed by Toyota. So. Luck has nothing to do with it. I could buy the car shown in this KZbin video cash. Could buy a brand new one. Lexus definitely markets better to the older folks but even as a 30 year old I can appreciate the style and reliability. I've owned over 20 different cars in my short lifetime, almost all the brands. I'd buy a Lincoln mkz hybrid over the model shown in this video. I owned a 2016 Lincoln mkz 3.7. nicer than a Lexus. I actually had a Lexus owner park behind my Lincoln when I had it a few years ago. They walked around my car and ogled it. And they had a brand new Lexus 😂😂

[@jordanr203]

Hey, just wondering how your es300h is doing now. I'm considering getting the same 1 but I am concerned about having to replace the battery, because I know that can get pretty costly

[@caraddict829]

Honestly, the battery is still the same as it was tens of thousands of miles ago. It's not a big concern of mine. The car now has 130,000 miles on it, and still seeing around 36-37 mpg out of it. It will eventually need replaced, but not acting like it yet.

[@fishxballz]

i got a 2014 es300h with 235,000km....you aint gotta worry bout shiiiiet hahaha. These things are indestructible aslong as you do regular maintenance

[@carspiv]

I have worked at a Lexus dealership for 10 years in the service department, and I have NEVER seen a hybrid battery failure. We have a few customers with over 300k miles on their 2006 RX400h s and they’re still going. Since the ES hybrid has only been around since 2013, I use the RX400h as a better example of the hybrid battery life. By all means: GRAB ONE if you can, especially if you can get your hands on a 2019 or newer with Apple Car play. 45 mpg on the highway is VERY realistic; I’ve done it any time i’ve picked a customer car up for service that required any amount of highway driving. Oh, and put it in sport mode and you get an extra kick of torque off the line. 215 hp vs 200 hp for the 2018 and earlier models.

[@8corymix8]

@@caraddict829 you'll get 300k miles & not replace that battery. Beautiful car. I just bought a 2013 same beautiful pearl white

[@Ozman-vn5lm]

@@8corymix8 I’m looking at one of these rn, just looking for a second opinion on two I am deciding between- one is a 2013 at 65,000 miles and one is a 2016 at 100,000, but the one with 100,000 is in a bit better condition and I personally like the colors a lot more. They are the same price. If you were me, which would you go for?

[@kgisabeast]

Debating trading my GS for one of these, not as fun by any means but would save a lot of money in fuel cost alone.

[@caraddict829]

You’re right that it wouldn’t be as much fun as far as the ability to drive it more “spiritedly “, but as a commuter or long distance driver this car is quite comfortable and has lots of features to keep you comfortable. Mine now has 142k on it and still averages 37-38 mpg. In certain conditions it’s even higher. It runs on regular gas and the maintenance costs are very low. Still haven’t had it in the shop for anything other than normal service in all the years we’ve owned it.

[@AndyGrouch]

These are just built like tanks. Quality over everything. I own IS 300h (also 2015) and I love it. It has same powertrain as your ES. Interesting though that while ES is a much larger car, I think IS has a bigger booth and the rear seats fold strangely enough.

[@fmueller1]

I think the battery is placed differently - probably under the rear seat in the IS, like in many Toyota models. In the ES it's behind the rear seat, which means a smaller trunk than non-hybrid models, and no space for a pass through, let along fold down rear backrest.

[@homewarrantyinc.3411]

Any concerns about battery life?

[@caraddict829]

Not yet. As far as I can tell the battery seems to operate at almost the same level as it did 80,000 miles ago. There is maybe a little less impact from it, but it's barely perceptible. The biggest tell-tale sign of that would be gas mileage. We can still hit 40mpg regularly with it if we don't drive aggressively, which is the top of what the window sticker states it can get. I'd estimate maybe at 200K miles it would be near the end of its useful life, but that's just a guess.

[@nealp885]

@@caraddict829 I just picked up a 2015 300h with 77,000 miles and on the high driving 75 MPH I am getting 35 MPG. Is this alright?

[@caraddict829]

@@nealp885 It's about right. Mileage can be affected by the state of your battery's charge, and of course, by speed. It takes more horsepower to move it along a 75 mph than it does at 70 mph. I'm usually going 70-72 on the highway, so my mileage would be slightly better. If your battery is low you won't get quite as good gas mileage as you would if it's fully charged. Keep an eye on it and see how the mileage varies if you vary your speed a little. This is a large heavy car, so it does take a bit of horsepower to move it along at 75 mph vs. 70 or 72 mph.

[@kgisabeast]

I wonder if living in an extremely hot or cold climate would shorten the life of the battery. I’ve only seen a handful of lexus that needed it replaced and those were mostly early ones from 07-09

[@MontyGumby]

This is based on the Avalon, not Camry ?

[@caraddict829]

Yes, it's based on the Avalon. The Camry is smaller.

[@MontyGumby]

@@caraddict829I just got one same year few weeks ago - same interior, but no mark levinson, nebula grey Are you still on original hv battery ？

[@gzhang207]

Any idea how long the larger battery may last?

[@caraddict829]

What do you mean by "larger battery"? Can you be more specific?

[@gzhang207]

@@caraddict829 the main battery for the electric motor.

[@caraddict829]

@@gzhang207 My Lexus dealer told me Lexus doesn’t have a set life expectancy for the hybrid battery pack. There are numerous sensors in the battery pack that would start going off and lighting up the dashboard if the battery started to fail in some way. Mine is still working at 145,000 miles.

[@martinperez2346]

Panoramic sunroof that's the only thing don't have

[@8corymix8]

Wasn't offered

[@davidkirkham6497]

Glass is heaver then steel roof! These 300H r about gas mileage!

[@MontyGumby]

If you love leakage then sure

[@chrisvr6]

Let me know if you want to sell it. Looking for one near Chicago.

[@caraddict829]

I will most likely replace the car within the year. I'll keep you in mind if you want.

[@googoo-gjoob]

am i the only one who cant hear a bloomin thing in this vid?

[@caraddict829]

I think so. The audio is working fine. Not sure why you can't hear it.

[@googoo-gjoob]

@@caraddict829 , i watch about 20 youtube videos per day. the volume on this is the lowest ive ever heard.

[@codmott286]

@@caraddict829 your audio is way too low, i had to crank my speakers up to 100% just to sound normal

[@CrazyForCooCooPuffs]

about to go test drive a 2021 es300h luxury in an hour

[@caraddict829]

Such a beautiful car now! The only disappointment for me was Lexus making the gas tank smaller in that generation for some reason.

[@411sponge72]

What did you think? Did you buy it?

[@josefernandezsmith4840]

@@411sponge72 I wonder how much they cost new? 😂

[@411sponge72]

@@josefernandezsmith4840 Brand new depending on the trim level, you could spend $55k plus

[@josefernandezsmith4840]

@@411sponge72 DAIM

[@djizzah]

asians hands dowm build the best motor cars, japan in particular

[@mikejohnson9118]

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