Comments by "Tony Sterbenc" (@tonysterbenc) on "Kenny Vacek" channel.

  1. WHY WOULD THEY OVERHAUL THE CAR LESS THAN A YEAR BEFORE THEY'RE BRINGING OUT A WHOLE NEW ONE? AND WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING IN ALL-CAPS WITH FOUR QUESTION MARKS????
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  2. The base model is a better value for sure, the sweet spot probably being the base with Premium Package (figure low to mid $40s) that adds leather, wood and some niceties. You're right about the mechanicals.
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  3. You should be. It's nearly twice as expensive.
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  4. Got the infotainment update for '23.
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  5. UL also has the vibration-absorbing Yamaha Performance Dampers bolted to the frame, which the base model does not. Some people complain that the "Ultra Luxury" name means nothing because there's still a lot of amenities left optional, but some of what's included is invisible yet significant.
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  6. Lexus cherry-picks the best workers for the Lexus line, which is separate from the Toyota line and runs slower. It trains its US assembly workers with many of the same techniques it uses for its Japanese ones, and it builds the cars to far tighter tolerances than Toyota-branded US models. I think my US-built ES is very well-built and solid.
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  7. None. This question gets asked a lot, especially since the now-dead Avalon Limited had them for less money. Some other countries have fancy ES rear-seat options, not just heat but rear-passenger controls. I think they skipped them in the States to hit a price point and to avoid encroaching on the LS.
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  8.  @capitalexotics  Glad I could help. Good luck in your shopping!
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  9. Yes. The UL and Luxury have laminated glass, noise-reducing wheels, and chassis-mounted Yamaha "performance dampers" that soak up low-frequency chassis vibrations.
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  10. I think they skipped them in the States to hit a price point and to avoid encroaching on the LS. It does have cornering lights, although not in the conventional location. What it lacks is fog lights.
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  11.  @E_Rice  Very inconspicuous, an extra LED in the headlight complex.
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  12. No. Low $40s to start, $57k loaded.
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  13.  @CraigC-h6b  V6 will be gone, sadly. It'll have four-cylinder choices only: probably one with a turbo like the base RX 350, one with a hybrid battery like the current ES 300h, and probably one or two with both a turbo and a hybrid battery that'll be the fastest option, possibly with AWD.
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  14. You'll get your wish for '26. Rumor has it that they were aiming for '25 but got delayed by a late decision to reconsider the changes.
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  15.  @bluwng  Oh, it gets worse. Even if you upgrade to the Luxury or Ultra Luxury that has wood and leather standard, you still have to pay a la carte for the navigation and upgraded stereo, the upgraded headlights, the upgraded sunroof, and some other stuff.
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  16. The UL and Luxury trims include acoustic glass on the front side windows and noise-reducing wheels that other ES's don't. i can't speak to how much noise reduction they provide, but I did drive a loaner base car that was pretty quiet but less so than the UL. Some people say they notice wind noise around the pillars and mirrors at highway speed without the window upgrade.
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  17.  @ricknowak4582  I agree with Faint that the ML upgrade is worth the upcharge for those who care a lot about sound, but I recently heard the 10-speaker system and was pleasantly surprised at how decent it was. That said, neither the base nor the ML provide a real sensation of surround, whether they were striving for a "soundstage" in front of you or simply cheaped out on the speakers behind you, or both.
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  18. Four models: Base, Luxury, Ultra Luxury, and F Sport. Premium is an option package on Base.
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  19. Lost it in the infotainment update for '23. I'm with you -- I'm glad to have it.
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  20. You'll never find a Luxury or Ultra that isn't loaded with options. So the practical answer is, low $50s.
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  21. You botched the insulting comment with your inability to spell.
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  22. The NuLuxe seats actually feel very good, although obviously semi-aniline leather is going to win. It's the leather smell that NuLuxe can't duplicate. It's part of the luxury experience that you miss once you're used to having it.
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  23. Not Kenny, but am a UL owner. It does ride quieter, but I don't know that the doors slam any differently. On all ES's, however, the fronts make a more solid sound than the rears do.
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  24.  @capitalexotics  Mostly still very reliable. The transmission shifting roughness started with the new gen in 2019 and seems to have been mostly sorted by '21, but it's not life-threatening to either you or the transmission regardless. Some 2020's had a batch of bad fuel pumps that, at worst, would strand you once and then get replaced free under a TSB or a recall. Very solid otherwise.
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  25.  @capitalexotics  Both are good, reliable cars. They're different. The V6 is obviously quicker, and it's very smooth and quiet under throttle. The hybrid gets amazing gas mileage and is smooth and silent around town although harsher when you stomp it. If you can't find an ES hybrid to test drive, try out a Camry Hybrid and know the noise level will be lower in the ES but the powertrain's behavior will be the same.
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  26. Have it in some foreign markets. Left it out in the States. Probably price and the fear it'd give people even one less reason to upgrade to the slow-selling LS.
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  27. The front half opens upward and slides back on top of the rear half.
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  28. I think it had more to do with wanting to keep the base price down near the level of the 2018, near the $40k mark. There's stlll a lot of new mechanical sophistication here the '18 lacked that costs money to provide.
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  29.  @CraigC-h6b  Dukesim is right. It'll be redesigned in 2024 as a 2025 model. All trim levels of the ES will be changed. The basic chassis and styling will remain similar, but new hybrid powertrains will be added (similar to the new RX or Crown) and the V6 will die.
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  30.  @CraigC-h6b  Happy hunting!
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  31. Checked your meds?
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  32.  @cadriver2570  A great choice. Enjoy!
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  33. You do pay a boatload more for the Ultra Luxury, and you do still have to pay extra for many of the cool features.
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  34.  @aonforme3349  That 5 year cycle definitely hasn't been the case for the Tesla Model S, for one example.
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  35.  @alessiosospiri7762  I already am disappointed by the Chinese version. It's just a matter of whether that warmed-over uglification is what we're getting too.
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  36. Correct, and that omission has drawn oodles of complaints. As Kenny suggests, there's a whole suite of back-seat features offered on the ES in many other countries where the owner usually sits while a hired drive ferries them around, but in the States apparently Lexus was striving to keep the price down.
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  37. True. I think they were committed to keeping the base price close to the previous generation, and with a lot of safety equipment and structural upgrades added, it was feature content that had to go.
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  38. Your post sounds presumptuous. Put some respect in your comments.
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  39. The buttons and dials are actually costlier to provide than burying everything in screen menus. Older buyers, a big ES audience, prefer them. And makers like VW and Mercedes are getting a lot of criticism for their all-screen systems' lack of usability.
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  40. Very little. They added a black trim package option, and that's about all.
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  41.  @ricknowak4582  If you have an ES that's 2019 or newer, and you're in the States, I don't think it's possible for you to have a Luxury or Ultra Luxury without leather seats. In fact, on any Ultra Luxury I'm aware of in this generation, the leather is standard but the Mark Levinson sound sytem is not. One tell is that if you have curving stitching on the seat and backrest cushions your body touches, you have leather upholstery; if it's straight lines only, it's NuLuxe. Both have perforations.
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  42.  @ricknowak4582  The ML was a free-standing option available on any trim level. The NuLuxe was the only available upholstery on any model except Luxury and Ultra Luxury. I think the surround camera was standard on Ultra Luxury and maybe on Luxury, and unavailable on any other. It does get confusing.
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  43.  @ricknowak4582  If i had to choose between ML and leather, I agrree, ML would win. And NuLuxe isn't bad by any means; owners say it's super durable and carefree. I aiso agree about the caramel. That peanut butter color doesn't say "luxury car" to me.
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  44. Real classy comment there. What do you suggest he do about it?
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  45. ES, 2026. LS, probably never.
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  46. Favorably.
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  47.  @naturelover2292  No, not in America at least. They are an extra-cost dealer or port-installed accessory.
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  48.  @naturelover2292  If it's like most accessories of this kind, it's got a power connection just sitting idle near it and would be a simple plug-in. You can probably find this accessory's PDF of installation instructions to confirm that.
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  49. What's he supposed to do about it? Buy your voice box?
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  50.  @MrAlexDelarge  I think (or at least hope) you'd be a bit more merciful if you knew how poorly Google pays YouTubers. They make a lot of money on other people's content here.
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