vB Easy Archive - 2007 Lexus ES350 (Pics as well)

Pages: 1

2007 Lexus ES350 (Pics as well)
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: TheRupp

Finally got to see it in full... It looks hot in black trust me

It's going to have a variation of the 3.5L found in the Avalon (and a detuned version of the IS350's), push button start, bluetooth, nav, all the good stuff... Looks good so far, but it's kinda generic and blends in. Lexus's need to stand out a bit more imo

Posted by: op487062

looks better than before but still looks like it's geared for the camry audience. i guess my parents should have waited before buying theirs

Posted by: ice512

ok im drooling....

Posted by: bembol

Thank You...!!!

Lexus' current/past ES design was just nasty...nice to see they finally got it...!!!

Posted by: nsx280ps

only two things IMO

The back reminds me of the Kia optima
the oval inside

Posted by: alpha tag

wow.. BT option... going against the TSX BT? my bro was saying they might give the TSX BT.. i'm not sure if it went through or not

Posted by: sTUNNA

Not really feeling the egg shaped dash, but it does look better than the old one.

Posted by: TheRupp

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha tag

wow.. BT option... going against the TSX BT? my bro was saying they might give the TSX BT.. i'm not sure if it went through or not

The TSX already has BT for 2006.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bembol

Thank You...!!!

Lexus' current/past ES design was just nasty...nice to see they finally got it...!!!

Yeah, I didn't care much for the 2002-2006. I have a 2001... I like it, but the back is kinda bland and it looks like it got kicked in *** since it sits so high. And I'm not modifying it. Other than that it's a good car.

Posted by: kubi

oh man, that looks nice. looks like Acura RL from the front view...

Posted by: TheRupp

Quote:

Originally Posted by kubi

oh man, that looks nice. looks like Acura RL from the front view...

Yeah it does. This car looks like a lot of things inside and out, but the one thing that it doesn't look TOO much like is the sister vehicle Camry

Compare:

Posted by: Rock3nrenigade

Damn that Oval thing looks fugly...

Posted by: cellman

The rear of the vehicle looks kinda similar to the IS250/350. Also the C pilar are kinda low, and lows like you gonna head your head when exiting the rear doors.. Also is it still front wheel drive or has Toyota made it rear wheel drive?

Posted by: TheRupp

Quote:

Originally Posted by cellman

The rear of the vehicle looks kinda similar to the IS250/350. Also the C pilar are kinda low, and lows like you gonna head your head when exiting the rear doors.. Also is it still front wheel drive or has Toyota made it rear wheel drive?

This car honestly looks like an 06 GS300 and an 06 IS350 had sex and that came out.

Can't comment on the C-pillar, but I can tell you that the Mercedes CLS is absoluetly awful with that

I've heard a ton of rumors about it being RWD, but I'm not sure yet as specs stats etc haven't been released on it.

Posted by: s l i m

The rear still looks like ***. Not feeling the interior oval design either..

Posted by: Zaku_4

hmm

the way they are going wiht styling is so boring. look at the gs, is, and now es. the older versions of these cars had more charecter. the new versions are way to smooth, its like their hiding, not even trying to stand out.

Posted by: Ultratuning

that's a big car

Posted by: phil17

haha, the front of an RL, the back of a KIa. the interior that reminds me of some old Ericsson phone? (anyone know what i'm talking about) Lexus cars are seriousely one of the niceest out there in terms of "driver isolation" they're just so quiet and stuff. I'm not a Toyota fan though (they build good cars. i'm more against their corporate culture in motorsports) but this es should sell better than the old one. it's not as weird. I remmeber when my dad was shopping for a car a couple years ago he literally just walked out of the dealership the minute he saw the es. haha. ended up getting an infiniti at that time.

Posted by: Smeech

yeah the rear looks like a Sonata. How bout that.. a Lexus that looks like a Hyundai... not the other way around. Of course, we all know which one is a better car.

Posted by: phil17

hehe yeah, save for a couple models like the IS and GS the majority of Toyota's handle like boats when u hit the corners. but they are reliable. just Toyota never really brings anything "new" to the table. Honda at least is more innovative (impressive considering it's a much smaller company). But Toyota usually gets all the credits thanks to their amazing PR skills. But the only real losers in the auto industry are the detroit big 3's, um they're not so big anymore though

Posted by: 91RS

Wow, that is such a BMW 7-series rip off.

Posted by: TheRupp

Quote:

Originally Posted by phil17

just Toyota never really brings anything "new" to the table. Honda at least is more innovative (impressive considering it's a much smaller company). But Toyota usually gets all the credits thanks to their amazing PR skills. But the only real losers in the auto industry are the detroit big 3's, um they're not so big anymore though

Toyota pretty much invented the successful Hybrid. The Honda Insight was a 3 cyl ripoff of GM's EV1 Electric car

Honda (or Acura) needs to build a V8 RWD sedan. That's why they can't keep up with the auto manufacturers anymore. They don't stand toe to toe with anyone. In the 90's, it was amazing how well the Honda engines could keep up with cars 2 cylinders larger and still be more fuel efficient. Today that's no longer the case. Honda keeps saying that they will never build a V8 (hence again why the V6 Ridgeline won't sell as well as a Tacoma, or an F-Series, or a Silverado, Ram, etc).

Quote:

Originally Posted by 91RS

Wow, that is such a BMW 7-series rip off.

This car looks like a lot of different cars. I don't like it for that reason. It blends too much. I think these cars need to stand out more, not blend. Especially when you're one of the premiere Luxury brands.

Posted by: JimmyC

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRupp

That's because you don't understand Honda's philosophy in doing things. It's not "they will never build" a V8, it's just "not yet and not now". Based on Honda's technical expertise in building engines, won't you agree that they are certainly capable of bringing one hell of a V8 if they wanted to? When the time comes, you'll see a Honda V8.

Nobody is pointing a gun at you to get a Honda. If you wanted the V8 for your truck, sure, just go buy your Tacoma, F, Silverado or Ram and be happy about it. Ridgeline buyers have their own reason for the purchase, it's not just about V8's...

And being such a tiny puny car manufacturer, they cannot afford to make one wrong move in today's competitive market. They don't have the resources like Toyota. Honda doesn't build a V8 because next door is building one. They have their unique way of doing things, one of the reasons why fans remain loyal to Honda.

So what if you are the world's biggest car manufacturer with decades of building V8 experience. Looks who's going down from now on? *cough* GM *cough*.

Posted by: chrix

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRupp

Honda doesn't stand toe to toe with anyone? are you kidding me?

Also, Honda DO have V8 engines. Which honda car do you want a V8 in it thou? the Civic?

Also, the Ridgeline is NOT in the same class as all those cars you mentioned.

Posted by: TheRupp

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyC

But Honda ISN'T puny. They're big. They make some of the best cars out there. I just don't get why they won't make a V8. It doesn't make sense. (I thought there was an RL with a V8 in testing a while back, but they scrapped it. However, they plan on releasing a V10 NSX within a few years, but that's going to be a 6 figure exotic that won't sell quite as well as a V8 luxury sedan would. The have the ability and want to make bigger engines, but they just seem too stubborn.

Now's the time to make that V8. GM and Ford are losing ground and marketshare very quickly, and Toyota is moving in for the kill with higher quality vehicles, and a great balance of fuel efficiency and performance (out of the engines, not the suspensions

). Why are they just standing around watching things flow past them instead of trying to stick at least a finger in the water? Get your "high end" brand out of the entry level market and start offering some higher end cars that are further away from your base cars.

Also, screw GM, they aren't so big anymore in the "Big 3" after having to close a bunch of plants.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrix

Er I meant Acura, not Honda. I was speaking in Luxury marks, sorry for not being clear enough. Acura just had a press release saying that they want a stronger image since the TL was cross shopped with the Accord more than any other car out there last year.

As far as the Ridgeline goes, yeah I was wrong with the Ram, and Tacoma (I meant Tundra), but the Silverado 1500, Titan, F150 crew cab models all do compete with it. The V8 isn't there for power in these mentioned trucks, they're there for torque. With higher displacement you have the ability to create more torque, a thing that Honda has dragged behind on in the past (S2000 comes to mind).

And, what car does Honda or Acura have a V8 in?

Posted by: JimmyC

TheRupp, let's be clear on one thing: Honda is puny, period. To describe how puny, consider it as the flee (Honda) riding on the behemoth's (Toyota) back.

While Toyota is out there for "the kill" (read: becoming #1), Honda would not be bothered dreaming to become #1, nor #2... even #3 for that matter, at least as of now. Honda does not have biliions and billions in cash like its rival and they are happy getting their mini-share of the pie while Toyota aims at swallowing the whole thing. It is also because of recent events that Toyota thrives even further to dethrone GM because they now have a chance to do so, and it will be a huge celebration for the Japanese when Toyota finally announce that they are #1.

By the way, who knows what Honda is doing inside their labs. They might be building a V8 engine right now. Honda likes to keep things tight-lipped, especially when they are being bashed all the time for not having a mass produced V8, they'll just come out and surprise everyone out of the blue. It's logical to think that the market's demand for V8's is enough to push them to build one. But like I said, Honda has a weird way of doing things (you can call this "stubborn" if you wish) and they will not do it because average Joe wants a V8 in his RL.

Building a V8 is also expected to close the gap between their mainstream V6 and the next NSX's V10. But consider the next NSX as a special case... It will be there mainly for the brand's image and remain as the true "Japanese sports/supercar" icon. So they are working on the V10... while improving their I4, V6... I doubt they have the time and resources to work on a V8. (Btw, Honda already said that V8 is not a priority anyway).

As for the Ridgeline vs other V8 trucks... I don't want to go in that debate but here's what I want to say regarding power/torque: How often do you see those V8 trucks towing something on the streets? And I mean "something" as in a heavy load requiring the V8's full power/torque. Considering the ratio between the V8 trucks sold and those that are put to use... It's shameful. As shameful as those Range Rovers never been offroad ever.

Posted by: phil17

i'm glad there are members on the board who understands Honda as a company. Their philosophy, and their passion for racing and building cars "their way" This isn't a typical company. Toyota is HUGE compare to Honda so it's naturaly that they have the higher profit, higher model selection and more engine options. For Honda to be where it is, it is more of a success than Toyota because of its past. What i'm trying to say is both company builds some of the best cars in the world in their respected price range. However, in the majority of cases Honda vehicles have a higher standard for safety, environment and heritage. Honestly Toyota's hybrid is nothing more than greenwashing. They build enough v8's to contribute to smog around the world. but yeah, i do'nt want to get into a debate either. everybody has their preference. From a car buyer view, you can't go wrong with either. However if you look past the PR sometimes, you'll see 2 very different companies (in the culture sense).

anyways, the lexus looks good, but like so many cars now, they just look like different pieces of other cars.

Posted by: chrix

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRupp

As far as the Ridgeline goes, yeah I was wrong with the Ram, and Tacoma (I meant Tundra), but the Silverado 1500, Titan, F150 crew cab models all do compete with it. The V8 isn't there for power in these mentioned trucks, they're there for torque.

What are you talking about? Torque is the Power that people look for in trucks. And why do people look for Torque in trucks? so they can tow their stuff.

The ridgeline can't tow worth ****. Both the Silverado and F150 can tow almost 2x the weight. I don't know about the Titan but I am guessing that it can tow alot more than the Ridgeline. This is not just because of the engine. Even if you put a V8 into the Ridgeline it still CAN'T tow worth ****. The Ridgeline was put together with parts from other cars. To make the Ridgeline tow-worthy they will need to re-engineer almost all of it's suspension/drivetrain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRupp

With higher displacement you have the ability to create more torque, a thing that Honda has dragged behind on in the past (S2000 comes to mind).

so are you suggesting that Honda need a V6 or V8 in the S2000?

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRupp

And, what car does Honda or Acura have a V8 in?

Answer my question first. Which Honda do you want a V8 in? a V8 minivan? a V8 S2000? a V8 Civic??

Posted by: TheRupp

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrix

What are you talking about? Torque is the Power that people look for in trucks. And why do people look for Torque in trucks? so they can tow their stuff.

I uh... wasn't disagreeing

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRupp

The V8 isn't there for power in these mentioned trucks, they're there for torque.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrix

The ridgeline can't tow worth ****. Both the Silverado and F150 can tow almost 2x the weight. I don't know about the Titan but I am guessing that it can tow alot more than the Ridgeline. This is not just because of the engine. Even if you put a V8 into the Ridgeline it still CAN'T tow worth ****. The Ridgeline was put together with parts from other cars. To make the Ridgeline tow-worthy they will need to re-engineer almost all of it's suspension/drivetrain.

I totally agree with you on this. If they want to get into the workhorse pickup market, then the Ridgeline wasn't the way to go. I don't quite know what exactly the Ridgeline competes with or what Honda was trying to do with it, come to think

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrix

so are you suggesting that Honda need a V6 or V8 in the S2000?

Nah the S2000's engine is the most impressive 4 I've ever seen. If anything, move the S2000 over to Acura and drop the RSX. The RSX, although a great car, is about to lose out to the lower-end Civic because the Civic offers a lot more features, like Navigation, satellite radio, etc etc etc. Also, they'll get out of the entry level market. The TSX needs a V6 as well. The TSX is a GREAT car, inside and out (much better than the TL IMO, just feels better), but it still feels like a 4 cylinder car when driving. It doesn't have that luxurious refined feeling to the engine, nor does it have that punch. I love the car otherwise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrix

Answer my question first. Which Honda do you want a V8 in? a V8 minivan? a V8 S2000? a V8 Civic??

Ridgeline, RL, and maybe the Pilot. Take the 3.5 out of the RL and give it to the TL, and make sure that the TL has a NOTICEABLE distance from the Accord. It's losing sales to the Accord. It shouldn't even be compared with the Accord. A loaded Accord (nav, etc) is just over $29,000 USD, and the TL loaded up is around $35,000. $6000 should NOT separate your high end base brand from your mid-range luxury sedan.

Posted by: JimmyC

Honda building a V8 = lots of $$$ for development.
Having a V8 in RL, Ridgeline and Pilot = Price goes up significantly $$$.
You as the consumer = More $$$ out of your pocket.

Therefore, you = NOT happy... and perhaps end up buying something else.

What Honda is "trying" to achieve with the Acura brand is to create two separate entities in the market, one looking for the mainstream Honda and one looking for the luxurious Acura. Their ideal wish is to never have the consumer cross-shop between brands.

Quote:

First of all, we all know that the Accord (along with the Civic) is the best seller under the "Honda" brand. So no problems in sales here. The TL is also among the favorites in the "Acura" brand, if you want numbers, I can go try dig something up for you. What I'm trying to say is that the TL is far from struggling in terms of sales, at least comparing to the current RL, previous CL and soon-to-be-axed RSX. And finally, whether you buy the TL or the full-option Accord V6, it's money going to Honda's pockets! What's the difference?!!

Ask yourself if the next generation Camry going to eat up all the sales of the next ES. Or will the Avalon compete with the LS/GS. (I don't know if they have anything in common though). I believe Toyota knows exactly what they are doing with the Lexus brand and even if they charge a few G's for a super Camry, people will buy it. Just because it's a Lexus.

The Acura brand is rather "unsuccesful" (imo) compared to the Lexus brand but they are attempting to do the same thing. And you know what? You are absolutely right that a V6 fully loaded Accord is a much better deal than the TSX or even TL. But this shouldn't happen inside your head because they want the brand to command a premium price. And Acura still has a long way to go sadly. Listen, the BWM 1-series is a joke. So what? People will buy it, because it's a BMW. (Now that's brand power!)

Consider the 45 years old CEO looking for a nice family car. He will say hell no to the Camry but the next thing he does is to go for the ES... Because Toyota sounds cheap, it's too mainstream. He won't even listen if you try to explain that it's basically the same car.

But it's still $$$ -> Lexus' pocket
Toyota = still happy.
You = also happy because you now drive a Lexus.

Posted by: TheRupp

I'm not saying in the least bit that Acura or Honda make bad vehicles, nor am I saying that their marketing procedures are bad, corrupt, etc. Not at all, especially since they just posted record sales numbers for 2005.

However, when they talk to the press and say things like this, then they should be ready to take a step backward with their sales. Acura sales numbers shouldn't be that high if they're trying to strengthen their image. You have to be willing to give a little to get anything.

Honda's are selling like crazy. Don't touch Honda. Leave them be. Change up Acura. Experiment with things. The reason they sell so well is because they're Honda products (good reputation) that offer luxurious features at a reasonable price. High-end luxury cars like Jaguars, Mercedes, BMW's, etc don't sell because they're cheap. Mercedes has terrible reliability, but still for some reason every 3rd car out there is a Benz. And, above all, the Benz's don't show very many signs of any connection to Chrysler. Jaguar shows no connection whatsoever to Ford. Yeah, Lexus's show a little connection to Toyota I s'pose

but still, this day in age that's not a bad thing, and you aren't "better off buying the Toyota X, because it offers the same features as Lexus X but at a much lower price". Toyota and Lexus offer enough vehicles (combined) to keep them far apart from one another and still cover all of the segments. Acura and Honda do not.

I agree with what the marketing spokesperson from that article says, Acura really just needs to pull away from Honda. I think bigger engines and RWD, or AWD (who knows, they might be able to pull off being the Japanese Audi) are their ticket to freedom. And make the TL compete more with the GS, E Class, 5 Series, and the M35/45. Aim the RL at the 7 series, or the S-Class, LS. Hell, throw that V10 in there that they want to put in the NSX. The MDX is a great SUV, but it's needing a facelift. That design's been around since model year 2001, and we're about to start getting 2007's in stock.

Posted by: chrix

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRupp

The whole selling point of the Pilot is that it is a comfortable SUV that handles good on road, and gets good enough gas-mileage. Dropping a V8 would totally distroy both.

I've driven the Pilot to road trips and I don't think it need any extra power.

The Ridgeline, like I said, will NOT be able to tow more even if you drop a V8 into it. So what's the point of having a V8 in it?

The 3.5RL is the only car that I think Honda can justify fitting a V8 into it...BUT, what's the point of developing a (say, 4.0L) Engine when you already got a 3.5? What's the benefit?

If Honda made a TL with a V8 that puts out 400HP in the front wheel, would you buy it?

..exactly..

be realistic ok?

Posted by: chrix

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyC

Building a V8 is also expected to close the gap between their mainstream V6 and the next NSX's V10. But consider the next NSX as a special case... It will be there mainly for the brand's image and remain as the true "Japanese sports/supercar" icon.

Exactly. Just like the Honda F1 engines.

They don't build something just to prove that they can.

Posted by: JimmyC

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRupp

I agree with what the marketing spokesperson from that article says, Acura really just needs to pull away from Honda. I think bigger engines and RWD, or AWD (who knows, they might be able to pull off being the Japanese Audi) are their ticket to freedom. And make the TL compete more with the GS, E Class, 5 Series, and the M35/45. Aim the RL at the 7 series, or the S-Class, LS. Hell, throw that V10 in there that they want to put in the NSX. The MDX is a great SUV, but it's needing a facelift. That design's been around since model year 2001, and we're about to start getting 2007's in stock.

Have it your way then, let's take a look:

Lexus GS300 starts at $43 845 USD
BMW 525i starts at $42 500 USD
Benz E350 starts at $50 825 USD

And the Acura TL? Starting at $33 325 USD...

Lexus LS430 starts at $57 220 USD
BMW 750i starts at $71 800 USD
Benz S550 starts at $86 175 USD

And the Acura RL? Starting at $49 300 USD...

Sorry my friend, your comparison is way of picture. It seems you have insanely high expectations from Acura. You expect both the TL and the RL to go against with the cars you mentioned head to head, having just as much standard features, similar performance and same brand power? WHILE keeping the price so low? Dude, you get what you pay for, it's that simple.

And you know that you WILL NOT buy the Acura even if they are up to par against the BMW/Benz at the same price range. Why get a Honda when you can get a BMW?? This is the mentality stuck in the average consumer and Honda knows this too well. So already, your suggestions won't seem to work.

Oh, the next generation MDX should be unveiled later this year, don't worry about it.