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Glad you enjoy the ML. I have the standard system as I'm not an "audiophile" and enjoy digital tracks of 1950's songs traded with others, sent off their cd's or 45's and played from my large collection contained in my cell phone. For this quality of recordings, my base unit is fine.
The cd recordings sound great to me on my base system. I don't expect symphonic sound and a head unit capable of providing same would be wasted on me.
I also listen to much talk radio and NPR. So my base system is fine for me.
Glad you enjoy the ML. I have the standard system as I'm not an "audiophile" and enjoy digital tracks of 1950's songs traded with others, sent off their cd's or 45's and played from my large collection contained in my cell phone. For this quality of recordings, my base unit is fine.
The cd recordings sound great to me on my base system. I don't expect symphonic sound and a head unit capable of providing same would be wasted on me.
I also listen to much talk radio and NPR. So my base system is fine for me.
I'm glad you enjoy your sound system. I fully appreciate that high fidelity sound quality is not that a big deal to a lot of people. It's very high on my priority list. When I shopped for my ES more than 3 years ago, my hope was that the ML system sounded at least as good as the ML system in my 2004 ES. To my surprise, it surpasses it by a lot.
I had 2 very pleasant discoveries after buying my ES.
1) The amazing ML sound system. I hesitated for about 2 or 3 months before buying the ES because of all the bad comments I read on the Internet about the sound system. Turns out these comments were all about the base sound system. In fact, many of the comments didn't specifically say which sound system they were bad talking and a lot of people mistakenly thought they were talking about the ML system. So, I went for a test drive with a few of my best sounding CDs to allay my concerns.
2) The Bird's Eye View. I had no idea this feature even existed. It's now my second favorite feature.
I agree. Those are my two favorite features as well. The 360 view is a feature I never knew I needed. I will not have a vehicle without it or the upgraded audio.
I also read all of the negative reviews but when I test drove the lux. with ML sound, I was shocked as I couldn’t understand why people were trashing the audio. After testing the system with a high quality source, I knew there was some type of disconnect between the negative reviews and what I was hearing with my own ears. I immediately changed my perception and decided the ES was perfect for me.
- That you can change the speedometer from digital to analog...I prefer analog
- That when wipers are in auto, they know to turn off if the driver/passenger door opens...so as to not spray an occupant with water (smart)
- That the shifting is not as smooth as I would have anticipated from other Lex's I have been in...maybe it feels different to the passengers and I am someone who is hyper-aware of anything sensory related
- I feel there is somewhat of a lag from my punching it on the highway before power goes to the wheels...but I do need to test this more
- That I cannot use Android Auto + my USB Flash Drive to listen to music...jezzuz this sucks...my 2018 Cadillac did this no problem
- That the car turns off after remote start upon opening the door.....why the F would any auto manufacturer do this? Why add wear and tear to the engine+components???
- Surprised by the level of wind noise from the pano roof above 65 MPH (not terrible...but too much noise for the price.....my 2018 Cadillac ATS was likely quieter, actually)
* * * Most importantly, I have to devote some time to playing with the function that slows the vehicle down while cornering. Specifically, I have to turn this feature off entirely and then take it to some parking lot and test some limits of when tires start chirping and what the steering feels like as well as the G's feel like on my body...how much I am getting shifted in my seat before I might lose control. * * *
- That you can change the speedometer from digital to analog...I prefer analog
- That when wipers are in auto, they know to turn off if the driver/passenger door opens...so as to not spray an occupant with water (smart)
- That the shifting is not as smooth as I would have anticipated from other Lex's I have been in...maybe it feels different to the passengers and I am someone who is hyper-aware of anything sensory related
- I feel there is somewhat of a lag from my punching it on the highway before power goes to the wheels...but I do need to test this more
- That I cannot use Android Auto + my USB Flash Drive to listen to music...jezzuz this sucks...my 2018 Cadillac did this no problem
- That the car turns off after remote start upon opening the door.....why the F would any auto manufacturer do this? Why add wear and tear to the engine+components???
- Surprised by the level of wind noise from the pano roof above 65 MPH (not terrible...but too much noise for the price.....my 2018 Cadillac ATS was likely quieter, actually)
* * * Most importantly, I have to devote some time to playing with the function that slows the vehicle down while cornering. Specifically, I have to turn this feature off entirely and then take it to some parking lot and test some limits of when tires start chirping and what the steering feels like as well as the G's feel like on my body...how much I am getting shifted in my seat before I might lose control. * * *
...I'll be able to think of a whole lot more...
Use SPORT mode if lag bothers you. The remote start thing had been discussed ad nauseum. It's all Toyotas. Negligible wear and tear. Many cars have stop/start which has to be worse on the starter and engine.
- That the car turns off after remote start upon opening the door.....why the F would any auto manufacturer do this? Why add wear and tear to the engine+components???
As much as I hate it, it's for safety reasons. Go ahead and turn your car on, throw your key outside the window, and see how far you can drive without the key. The answer may surprise you! But as for wear and tear, the biggest concern would be from starting your engine cold. After it's been warmed up, it's less of a concern.
Originally Posted by dr3wski
- Surprised by the level of wind noise from the pano roof above 65 MPH (not terrible...but too much noise for the price.....my 2018 Cadillac ATS was likely quieter, actually)
That's one thing that irks me too, so glad I'm not the only one!
Use SPORT mode if lag bothers you. The remote start thing had been discussed ad nauseum. It's all Toyotas. Negligible wear and tear. Many cars have stop/start which has to be worse on the starter and engine.
My Toyota Corolla turned off after remote start, too. So consider yourself to be in good automotive company!
- That when wipers are in auto, they know to turn off if the driver/passenger door opens...so as to not spray an occupant with water (smart)
Very smart. What's not smart is forgetting that feature is not available on another car and then you get out in the rain. Makes you appreciate it in your Lexus.
Originally Posted by dr3wski
- That the car turns off after remote start upon opening the door.....why the F would any auto manufacturer do this? Why add wear and tear to the engine+components???
It is annoying and I realize it is a safety feature however considering the car must be locked for remote start to be activated, you would think it would be a realistic assumption that if one has to have the key to unlock the car, that if the car is locked and someone has the key, they are going to be able to start the car? Sounds like an overabundance of caution.
Originally Posted by dr3wski
-Surprised by the level of wind noise from the pano roof above 65 MPH (not terrible...but too much noise for the price.....my 2018 Cadillac ATS was likely quieter, actually)
Wind noise was one of the reasons I opted for the standard power moonroof on my '22 UL. Keeping the headliner closed did eliminate some of the noise. I had the pano. roof on my '19 and had significant issues. It was in the service dept. for nearly 8 days. It had to be replaced but only after a specialist was brought in to diagnose the issue.
Originally Posted by dr3wski
* * * Most importantly, I have to devote some time to playing with the function that slows the vehicle down while cornering. Specifically, I have to turn this feature off entirely and then take it to some parking lot and test some limits of when tires start chirping and what the steering feels like as well as the G's feel like on my body...how much I am getting shifted in my seat before I might lose control. * * *
It truly does work however you won't have success in a parking lot as you need road lines for the lane tracing ability of the system to work for curves. I tested mine on the road. Just need to be vigilant and prepared in case.
@UltraLux22 upon watching the deep dive video, it implies that this feature is only for cruise control. Is that true? The manual makes it sound like it's a feature that doesn't have anything to do with cruise control(??)
And yeah, closing the headliner/shade on the pano roof does make a bit of a difference, thankfully. Mine isn't excessive...but it is noticeable. I never wanted the pano roof to begin with, honestly, but didn't have much of a choice.
@UltraLux22 upon watching the deep dive video, it implies that this feature is only for cruise control. Is that true? The manual makes it sound like it's a feature that doesn't have anything to do with cruise control(??)
Yes, the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with curve speed reduction. The curve speed reduction function is active during vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode. There is steering assist and when it's detected that the steering wheel begins to turn, the vehicle speed will begin to reduce. When the steering wheel returns to center the vehicle speed reduction will end. Curve speed reduction will not activate while the cruise is in constant speed control mode.
The curve speed reduction can be enabled/disabled and adjusted in the multi-information display.
@UltraLux22 upon watching the deep dive video, it implies that this feature is only for cruise control. Is that true? The manual makes it sound like it's a feature that doesn't have anything to do with cruise control(??)
And yeah, closing the headliner/shade on the pano roof does make a bit of a difference, thankfully. Mine isn't excessive...but it is noticeable. I never wanted the pano roof to begin with, honestly, but didn't have much of a choice.
As the curve speed reduction is new for the 22 MY, I found a press release for a few more new for '22 features. Many of these are improvements/updates upon existing features.