I was just talking about this very issue in the Q50 thread.. The new Q50 will have 2 touch screens and I MMI **** so you have both , touch and a ****.. I just got a 2013 GS350 and it is horrendous to use..

 

Lexus just needs to replace the idiotic mouse with a ****, and this way its going to be possible to actually use the system in motion.

Infiniti's current system horrible as well, b/c the screen, **** and buttons are too far up on the dash, and difficult to use during motion. The new system in the Q50 looks to be more practical, but a touch screen in the middle of center console is just so 2001 and thus its interior looks 2001.

Whats even more alarming to me, is that there seems to be a new trend between the Germans to "surface mount" screens in their new models onto the dash. Just a year ago all of them made screens that were nicely integrated into dashboard, often within a "hood" that reduced glare, but now they are just slapping screens right on top of the dash. Upcoming mercedes CLA is the worst offender. Looks like horrible aftermarket whack jobs, and I can't even imagine how bad the glare is going to affect them.

 

do the 2013 and newer Lexus Navigation units allow unrestricted input while the car is moving or is the unit purposely locked frozen like the earlier generations? i think BMW and maybe others at least allow you to input destinations while moving. yeah yeah i know about safety concerns and legal liability.

 

I'm not sure whats locked and whats unlocked in current Lexus models, but the last time I used remote touch in RX350, it was difficult to use it during motion, b/c you actually have to align the cursor with items on the screen, which isn't easy during motion. I guess Lexus didn't want to just copy the **** from BMW and instead came up with this idiotic mouse.

 

Lets not deal with speculation just to rile things up, but fact here. I do not know the facts about a 2013/14 BMW or Audi for example, but my to-be-delivered in the next two weeks 2014 MBZ SLK also has limitations on what can be controlled while you are driving. My former 2009 BMW would also limit what I could control and input while moving as well. I am OK with that, and while it can be annoying, I have to admit I somewhat applaud the mfgrs for trying to draw some line in the sand on the safety point and legal accountability. I am one driver that is annoyed, worried, and stays clear of any driver I see distracted using their phone while driving... regardless if its legal or not in the state we're in.

In terms of current 2013 RX450h (and RX350), yes, Lexus limits what you can do and a brand new address cannot be entered with manual input while you are driving at normal speeds, but voice control is possible to input a new address for those who's voice it works with, and IIRC a previous destination can be selected, and for sure Lexus provides the ability to use Destination Assist where you can talk to a real person that will send that destination to your Nav while you are driving (without requiring you to own a personal cellphone) and off you go... Unlike some mfgrs, Lexus provides that last capability for a full year free for new owners and charges per year after the first 1-year free trial for that function and some other capabilities.

...and FWIW, I've owned a BMW with its circular control mechanism, as well as Lexus since 1995, so have practically used nearly all the common interfaces. Each has a learning curve, no different than the numerous Mice I've owned with my PC and Macs since 1981. The key thing to the latest generation Lexus controller, is one needs to increase the way the cursor attaches itself to a a given icon on the screen... It's an easy change in setup, no different than one can make with their mouse control on PC Windows or Mac OSX ... But unfortunately the default is just too loose on how Lexus delivers their vehicles, and people taking only a quick test drive just complain, vs try to make the simple change to make it much more usable and fit the way it's most useful to them.

 

i had easy time using it in GS... it was just over-sensitive from the factory which I turned down in menus.


as to the locked, voice can be used during driving.

 

All of these systems, mouse, touch screen, control **** etc. just take getting used to. None of them are all bad or all good.

 

Simply put no. All models regardless of what year. You cannot use touchscreen/Remote Touch for Navigation or Bluetooth/Phone Contact list. You can do audio and climate though.

Quite frankly, there should be something to sign that releases the dealer from all liability. After all, they're not the ones driving the car. It's the owners responsibility

 

Some of them are all bad. For instance, I used first gen i-drive for about a year, and I could never get used to it, it was just plain out bad design that made no sense. I was very skeptical about 2nd gen i-drive, but it was like day and night difference, the 2nd gen i-drive is pretty much perfect.

With Lexus, the system itself isn't bad, its simple to understand, but the mouse is just an inconvenient tool to access the system. They need to just replace it with some kind of a ****, there's simply no need to drag a cursor around the screen in a car.

 

It's a great world where we can all have our opinions. Mine happen to be exactly the opposite of yours. I found iDrive "2" to be a challenge with it's clicking dial 8-angle approach, where as I can make my way through the second gen Lexus remote touch interface faster even though its far from my view of perfection... perhaps because I've owned Lexus so long and lived through their evolution or that I spent more than 30 years of 12+ hour days using a PC mouse, vs just a coupke years with my German BMW and it's dial-based controller similar to what I'll have to get used to again in my new MBZ. Anyways, user interface will always be a point of debate in automobiles as it is with everything else, and one of those things potential customers can use to help them decide what works best for them and where they want to put their hard earned cash. For me, it's sort of like talking about color choice on a car ... to each their own -- whatever tickles one's fancy is fine by me, as I'd hate it if they were all the same.

 

Huh? The "8 angle" approach was first gen i-drive, and it was horrible. On the 2nd gen everything is controlled by rotating and pressing the ****, the only time you move it is to access split screen.

I've no problem using a mouse on PC, but I just don't gasp the point of having to move cursor around the display in a car infotainment system.

 

The funny thing is LExus does have a **** now but its to adjust the suspension/throttle



Thats what companies like beat-sonic are for

Its a trend, now in new Acura's you cannot change while driving but AGAIN in a Lexus and most these new cars you can just call the operator to change.

 

Yup, change for the sake of change, actual "progress" be damned. Nobody does that better than the German.s

 

since we Euros rock, it is not locked in our cars, i can enter at any time in my 2IS.

 

always gotta remind me why it's better