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A week ago we went and looked at a new ES350, we currently have an '04 RX330 (first year of the 330). When we bought it we were very impressed with fit, finish and the good selection of VIBRANT colors.
Looking at the new ones the first thing that struck us was the colors all look a bit dull compared to the earlier ones. I noticed that the rear seats don't have a fold down feature but have a shoebox size hole behind the fold down armrest/console. I noticed that the price doesn't seem any higher than a few years ago, in fact a 2010 ES is LESS than an '04 RX!
I'm pretty sure that some standard features were deleted and are now offered as add ons.
In the end after looking at the ES, the Infinity G37, Avalon and Maxima we crossed all of them off our list. Just bought a Subaru Legacy, Limited for about $10K less than I would have spent on the others. Not as muc GO but I could have dropped a few K more and gone for the 6 cylinder or the turbo one.
Mom has a Lexus LS460, definetly didn't seem "down market" to me. Excellent fit and finish, very comfortable seats with a multitude of adjustments, quite a bit of standard equipment. She doesn't have the "L" model with the rear seat features, I often joke that she should've bought the 460L and made some extra money as a taxi cab driver! I think Lexus is raising the bar to compete with the likes of Mercedes and BMW.
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in fact a 2010 ES is LESS than an '04 RX!
I assume you mean the sticker price on your '04 RX is higher than that of a current ES? Did you factor in options or are you just comparing the base price of each? SUV's have almost always been priced higher than cars made by the same manufacturer (exceptions sometimes include the "signature" models of manufacturers).
The ES is a bottom of the barrel Lexus, I'm not sure what you were expecting. The Legacy is so far out of the G37's and new Maxima's league that it seems you just settled on something average all together.
The ES is a bottom of the barrel Lexus, I'm not sure what you were expecting. The Legacy is so far out of the G37's and new Maxima's league that it seems you just settled on something average all together.
The new Legacy is quite good and better than the Maxima. G37 is not really the same market.
I've run them on race tracks as comparison and the Legacy with the WRX engine is a fast and capable car.
The new Legacy is quite good and better than the Maxima. G37 is not really the same market.
I've run them on race tracks as comparison and the Legacy with the WRX engine is a fast and capable car.
I'm sure its fast but the 2010 Maxima is a great car with an Infiniti quality interior. As far as comfortable yet sporty sedans ago I'd pick the Maxima over the Legacy any day of the week. The only thing I've got against the Maxima is its FWD layout. With the OP owning a Lexus RX and looking at a Lexus ES for a new purchase I don't think track performance was a big concern.
I'm sure its fast but the 2010 Maxima is a great car with an Infiniti quality interior. As far as comfortable yet sporty sedans ago I'd pick the Maxima over the Legacy any day of the week. The only thing I've got against the Maxima is its FWD layout. With the OP owning a Lexus RX and looking at a Lexus ES for a new purchase I don't think track performance was a big concern.
I agree, the new Maxima is very nice for being the price point it is at. It blows away the competitors in its' segment by a long shot. If you're in the market for a reasonably priced sedan, the new Maxima definetly deserves some attention.
I don't think Lexus has fallen as much as everyone else has begun catching up.
As far as bang for the buck sedans, the new Taurus and the Hyundai Genesis are both quite impressive for the dollar. You can throw the new Regal in that pot too.
If you de-badged the Buick, and didn't know, you'd never ever guess that it is GM. (which is a good thing)
Lexus is still the cream of the crop and I imagine they will be for the foreseeable future. No one can beat them.
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