Camry and Lexus ES - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

RICO8458 · 10-18-2005, 07:16 PM

sometimes when i roll up i will hear comments comparing camry to lexus, etc. on the same aspects, some things i cannot believe. can a good soul here inform me on the similarities and differences comparing the base Lexus ES models to the Camry LE or SE? thanks.

Xkontour98 · 10-18-2005, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RICO8458

sometimes when i roll up i will hear comments comparing camry to lexus, etc. on the same aspects, some things i cannot believe. can a good soul here inform me on the similarities and differences comparing the base Lexus ES models to the Camry LE or SE? thanks.

Im no expert but I do know they share the same platform and similar drive trains. We make fun of my friends ES 300 cause he always is bragging about rolling a Lexus and gets all upset when we reference it as a camry

Tideland Prius · 10-18-2005, 07:34 PM

I do that to my friend with the TSX (nice Accord!) or the ELs, nice Civic! hehe. But seriously though,

a base ES has a lot more equipment than a base Camry LE. It has softer, higher quality materials, real wood finish, better sound insulation and other subtle touches.

stir_fry_boy · 10-18-2005, 07:43 PM

My 2 cents on Lexus vs Toyota is that the Lexus is just nicer. Has suspension upgrades, interior upgrades and possibly an engine upgrade. That is pretty much the only difference. I owned an Acura Legend for 2 yrs and it drove just like a Honda. Shifting was simular, how it rode was completely different. For example: The Maxima is the same thing as the I30, Camry is the Same thing as the ES300. Just a little different body (lights) with interior upgrades but engine parts are the same. Just think: If you were designing cars would you try to make as many things the same as you could or would you pay an engineer more money if you didn't have to?

angeleyesM5 · 10-18-2005, 07:46 PM

I believe the chassis is the same, but when you're talking drivetrain, only the Camry SE V6 is identical to the Lexus ES330 with the 3.3L V6 engine. In Japan, the Camry is positioned significantly lower than the Windom (aka ES330) both in price and content, so although I'm sure they share many internal components, at the same time, there are noticeable differences both interior and exterior, with the Lexus having more upscale and higher quality parts than the Camry.

For example, the Lexus has projector HIDs, Camry doesn't. Interior, the Lexus has higher quality leather, better sound dampening, better electronics (sound system, nav, etc.). If you care, most content in the Camry, even if it's built in Japan, is from the US. The Lexus ES330's content is almost exclusively made in Japan.

* AngeleyesM5

amerikim · 10-18-2005, 07:49 PM

Lexus ES300s are dressed up Toyota Camrys with price tags to match. Finer quality with more expensive options. You are not wrong because a lot of the parts will bolt right up.

Lexus was Toyota making a move to disassociate from basic automobiles to luxury coaches.
There was a feeling that the market for a $30K+ car from a company with a history for building budget minded cars like the original Corolla may not hold up against the luxurymobiles from MB, BMW or the Cadillac. Lexus is Toyota's answer to Honda's Acura.

sqcamry2003 · 10-18-2005, 07:56 PM

Besides sharing the same platform, Lexus ES has better factory sound abatement and hence is significantly quieter.

***ModifierMR*** · 10-18-2005, 08:24 PM

The earlier ES and Camrys Gen 4 and 3 had interchangeble body panels. So you could literally make a Camry a Lexus.

The Gen 5 Camry and the ES equivilent cannot trade body parts cause they are shapped differently. Although the rear windsheild appears to be the same size.

RICO8458 · 10-18-2005, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stir_fry_boy

My 2 cents on Lexus vs Toyota is that the Lexus is just nicer. Has suspension upgrades, interior upgrades and possibly an engine upgrade. That is pretty much the only difference. I owned an Acura Legend for 2 yrs and it drove just like a Honda. Shifting was simular, how it rode was completely different. For example: The Maxima is the same thing as the I30, Camry is the Same thing as the ES300. Just a little different body (lights) with interior upgrades but engine parts are the same. Just think: If you were designing cars would you try to make as many things the same as you could or would you pay an engineer more money if you didn't have to?

yeah, my neighbor told me his cousin took a camry, changed the lights, the grill, and then put on lexus badges, and voila, he was pimping an ES330. lol.

white3ch0c0late · 10-18-2005, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianOwens

The earlier ES and Camrys Gen 4 and 3 had interchangeble body panels. So you could literally make a Camry a Lexus.

The Gen 5 Camry and the ES equivilent cannot trade body parts cause they are shapped differently. Although the rear windsheild appears to be the same size.

Yeah, its a shame those ES projector headlights are differently shaped then our Gen 5's... I'd be sportin' them by now...

Cyorke · 10-18-2005, 11:58 PM

Like most people ahve said the Es is basically a dressed up Camry. When the ES250 came out it really was just a dressed up Camry. Body panels and all. Now they are differentiating them a lot more. But the basic platform is the same. Until they went to the ES330 the engine and all was the same. If you go out and buy a Camry XLE with every option that can be had you will be close to an ES.

05CamryGuy · 10-19-2005, 12:02 AM

I can tell you first hand that the ES330 is really a slightly dressed up Camry XLE - nothing more. We have an '05 Camry XLE V6 and an '04 ES330 in the family and I drive both regularly. The quality of the material inside the ES is a bit nicer - the leather is softer and you get real wood. But then there's the trade off - in the ES the rear bench seats can't fold down at all, ES has less storage bins (I use mine for coins and cards) in the front, and guess what? The ride is just about the same - the little difference that there are between my '05 Camry and the '04 ES330 is so subtle that I can't tell. Oh and in terms of sound insulation... not much difference there either.

But the things the ES has that the Camry can't match is real leather all around (Camry has "pleather" on the sides of the seat and door trim), foldable auto-dim outside mirrors, the HID, dual zone climate control, power rear sunshade, 3.3L V6 instead of the 3.0 in XLE, and the smallest detail -- ES got lights on the doors!!

articledon · 10-19-2005, 10:03 AM

lexus = more cows(leather), more trees(wood grain dash), more sound dampening and a bigger engine and oh yeah a chrome L on the grill

on another note why are we comparing the ES to an LE.

We should be comparing the ES to an XLE. a fully loaded one at that.

thats my O2

dirtdiggler · 10-19-2005, 10:22 AM

another difference is service prices. my sc400 can be serviced at a toyoota service department which is cheaper than lexus, but no rental courtesy car. one cool thing is having an oil change done at work, a lexus service van shows up and sets up a tent, quite a nice show for co-worker, but it does have a $$ cost.

dirt diggler

Xkontour98 · 10-19-2005, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianOwens

The earlier ES and Camrys Gen 4 and 3 had interchangeble body panels. So you could literally make a Camry a Lexus.

The Gen 5 Camry and the ES equivilent cannot trade body parts cause they are shapped differently. Although the rear windsheild appears to be the same size.

So what your saying is that I could swap headlights and grills between my 95 Camry Le and a 95 ES300 without a problem? Would I need to swap fenders and hood aswell?