The G Man

If Lexus being a tier one luxury car company means that they have to shed the value image from the Lexus logo, then bring on the Tier two Lexus. I have no problem with car comapnies raisng prices, but quality have to be improved as well. I think when Lexus was 1st introduce, it had better quality than it does now and the price was definitely better. I am not into all that Lexus, BMW or whatever logo and I am not going to pay thousands extra for my car so it can wear the right logo.
Back to the Topic. Toyota is now the new GM, the #1 selling car company. It is so big that they are out of touch like GM once was. Remember how people use to complain about GM's crappy interiors for years and GM just kept making them.

G Star

iTrader: (2)

No nav override? seriously? that is most definitely not how Lexus is losing touch with client base.

I don't like the nav lockout either, especially when there is obviously someone sitting next to me that is able to use it with no distraction, but...just get used to it-I did!

LexFather

What? The price of a Lexus has risen substantially since its debut and people are glad to pay for the price. They feel the product is worth it.

"Value" is "relative". Buyers seem to think even with the price rising, they still offer a good value.

Then new Lexus have features and options today they did not have years ago, another reason the price has gone up.

When we look at incentives, Lexus is near the bottom of the luxury pile especially in comparison to BMW who has some of the highest incentives to sell their cars.

Infiniti is seen as a "value" brand and their incentives are higher than Lexus. So it shows that "value" pricing may not mean automatic sales.

I think its hilarious. I don't deny it would be useful but it is far from a big deal. Why? WE HAVE OTHER OPTIONS!!!
1. Phone. My iPhone's google maps is great. I don't need the NAV.
2. Aftermarket NAV unit. Worse case, just put that in the car.

I don't understand people leveraging NAV as some must have tech or the most important feature in a car when one's phone or aftermarket unit is just as good if not better.

The G Man

I supposed if someone have been beating you long enough, it doesnt hurt anymore.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

The tables have turned. Look at what GM is doing as of late. Listening to the cries of the faithful.. American muscle is back with the Camaro, Challenger, ZR1 Vette, etc. Fuel efficient cars along with technology filled luxury machines. The quality on their vehicles have increased as well. It looks like Buick is on the move to push Lexus off the podium in a few years. The Regal GS is going to be a show stopper @ the NYIAS. They have me mulling over the car already.. I need to add an upcoming ride to the sig

mmarshall

Except for what I described in my last post, I don't see where price or money is the issue here......it is a matter of driver concentration. Drivers can be distracted by overly-complex controls, whether in a $70,000 LS, a $12,000 econobox, or a $300,000 mega-luxury vehicle.

cjf_moraga

My option was to buy an S-Class instead of an LS. I am happy with our RX330 but the whole nav lock out is infuriating and patronizing when no other premium manufacturers treat you like this. In my case this was one of the major reasons why I did not buy an LS600h. You might think this is trivial but it is a big deal to me as it reflects on the companies attitude to its customers. A phone or after-market alternative is not acceptable if you want a tidy and integrated in-car solution. Anyway I am not unhappy with the quality of the Lexus nav - if it would just let me use it on the go when I want to! So I will contribute myself as an example exhibit of Lexus losing a $100,000 plus sale partly because of this idiotic policy.

Chris

ivanz

I love the fact that more and more cars have this to prevent people from not paying attenion and causing accidents. How hard is it to pull over for a minute and enter what you want? I wish all cars have this in the future and make it quite hard to disable.
It's illegal to play with NAV here (even built in) while driving...and this is the logical next step. Risk your own life on your own terms and leave everybody else out of it.

spwolf

nav override is $50 solution ;-).

I think they removed the i agree screen in 2009/2010 European models at least... my memory is blurry.

Indio

iTrader: (1)

You can't protect people from themselves, at some point they have to use common sense or else, today's distractions are the same as yesterday only more high tech, using a nav system is a lot less dangerous than squinting at a map while driving and that went on for decades, Ford is about to take it's already superior Sync to the next level with in car internet access, this is where things are headed, everyone else better get with it.

Och

iTrader: (3)

I couldn't have said it better myself. I don't really care if those who play with NAV while driving put themselves at risk, but the problem is that they put everybody else on the same road at risk as well. I'm usually very against of all kinds of government regulations, but on this issue, I wish government would mandate NAV lockout on all vehicles.

tex2670

They are not going to change the nav, no matter what complaints they get.

As to the acceleration, they recalled 3.8 million cars, without even knowing for sure what caused the problem. I'm not sure how that is ignoring customers.

IS350jet

I've not seen the report in which Lexus denied any reports of sudden acceleration. What I *have* seen is how Lexus takes this accusation very seriously. No one can say they don't care. After 10 years of painstaking, lengthy investigations, 7 full investigations by the NHTSA with complete cooperation from Lexus, the only thing they came up with was a stuck floor mat, which Lexus has never denied. The bottom line is, after 10 years and 7 full investigations, Lexus's response, as well as the NHTSA's was "no problem found". That's not denial, that's fact.

Lexus losing ground? I agree. Not because Lexus has lost focus with its customers, but because other manufacturers have learned from Lexus and have stepped up their game, big time. They are raising their own bar and closing in on Lexus. It's time for Lexus to raise the bar, once again.

AlexusAnja

Honest, in the lawsuit crazy world we live in, I'm surprised that more manufacturers do not have override. Now that NAV is more a "standard" thing in vehicles, guaranteed, we will see a lawsuit for someone suing a manufacturer because they crashed their car while programming. Lawsuit will be for $50M, and they will settle out of court. It's going to happen, just will.

If someone driving spills a cup of coffee on their crotch and gets burned can sue McDonalds for not warning them "coffee is hot" then you can sue anything.

As for those that say "oh, but what about if I have a passenger..." well, what if you don't? A car really is designed for the driver, not for the passengers (unless it's a limo) per say, so driver has to take priority when designing.

The G Man

Money is an issue here, If I spend $100000 on a car, I want to be treated with respect, and not like some 5 year old who cannot be trusted. Also, if my new Lexus cost $100000, I would not want to take the brand new dash apart to install a navi bypass which should have never been needed. If it was a Corolla, I would not mind as much when taking the interior apart.

This lock out is such a pain that I will never buy another Lexus with the Navi in it again. It is Lexus **** poor attitute that they dont need to listen to their customers. Basically, Lexus is saying this is the way it is, take it or leave it. Well guess what, I am going to leave it.

Maybe Lexus can wire tie the center concole like they did with the floor mats so people cannot install the Navi bypass.