2013 GS Usability and Human Factors
#16
#18
so just because audi or some other brands suck, then it's ok for lexus to have these problems? what kind of mentality is that?! i surely hope lexus doesn't work that way. while i am personally confident that lexus is taking notes and they are trying to fix all the loose ends as fast as possible, it doesn't take away fact that some of these are bugs. sometimes it doesn't hurt to simply face your problems.
Please do not treat my comments like those of a fanboy from Audizine. I wasn't saying we need to accept something inferior from Lexus because Audi offers it. If anything, I was making a comment about the stupid setup in the S5. Audi owners acknowledge it in the forums. I am trading my S5 for a GS350. Clearly, I think the Lexus is superior.
Last edited by dseag2; 03-13-12 at 01:51 PM.
#20
exclusive matchup
iTrader: (4)
You misunderstood my comments. I am buying a GS350, and I'm a many-time Lexus owner. ('01 GS300, '03 SC430, '03 GS300, '06 SC430) Look at my signature and look at when I joined CL.
Please do not treat my comments like those of a fanboy from Audizine. I wasn't saying we need to accept something inferior from Lexus because Audi offers it. If anything, I was making a comment about the stupid setup in the S5. Audi owners acknowledge it in the forums. I am trading my S5 for a GS350. Clearly, I think the Lexus is superior.
Please do not treat my comments like those of a fanboy from Audizine. I wasn't saying we need to accept something inferior from Lexus because Audi offers it. If anything, I was making a comment about the stupid setup in the S5. Audi owners acknowledge it in the forums. I am trading my S5 for a GS350. Clearly, I think the Lexus is superior.
all i am trying to say is whatever other manufacturers do (bad), it shouldn't be excuses for lexus to relax. that's the standard lexus held very tight from 1989 till around 2006. they dropped the ball for the following years and now they start to tighten it up again. german cars always have some weird little things here and there, my goodness i surely don't hope to see that on any lexus
#21
i am in no way thinking of you that way at all, not one bit. i also like lexus a lot, i have had 6 lexus in the past 10 years. in fact i think that's why i have high standard of lexus and i think you are like that too.
all i am trying to say is whatever other manufacturers do (bad), it shouldn't be excuses for lexus to relax. that's the standard lexus held very tight from 1989 till around 2006. they dropped the ball for the following years and now they start to tighten it up again. german cars always have some weird little things here and there, my goodness i surely don't hope to see that on any lexus
all i am trying to say is whatever other manufacturers do (bad), it shouldn't be excuses for lexus to relax. that's the standard lexus held very tight from 1989 till around 2006. they dropped the ball for the following years and now they start to tighten it up again. german cars always have some weird little things here and there, my goodness i surely don't hope to see that on any lexus
#22
i dunno why, but i dont have the problem ya'll are having with the auto climate control. I leave my a/c on auto at 80 degrees, and every time i start the car it stays on auto at 80 degrees, or whichever degrees i set it at.
#23
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
"Old" and complaining has nothing to do with anything. I am 64 years old and (not to boast) a very technical person with advanced degrees in electrical engineering. In my profession I have been responsible for engineering of medical equipment where a robust user interface, human factors and software are not optional. And, letting the customer debug your product is unacceptable. Having said that, I know a car is not a medical device, but it has to be as reliable and well thought out. I have always been an early adapter of new technology and a Lexus customer from the time it was introduced in the US. I don't mind waiting, up to a point, for a software update but I would like some assurance from Lexus that one will be forthcoming.
#24
Automatic trunk latch
Blue text added on 3-14-2012
I had previously owned a 2006 and 2008 GS350. I have had my new GS350 (with the Luxury and Cold Weather packages, and Blind Spot monitor) for nearly two weeks and as nice a looking and riding a car that it is; I am disappointed in a number of respects related to downgrades (relative to the previous-generation GS) and missed opportunities to "pursue perfection".
Here are the "warts" as I see them:
1. Too many menu-driven option on the screen are distracting and hard to navigate. I would have preferred a more balanced use of direct-access buttons. The Lexus "mouse" works but can be a source of frustration. Is this a case of technology running a muck?
2. The Bluetooth link to my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy SII; SGH-I777) is temperamental and unstable. It takes many pairing iterations to get it to work right and upload the phone's contacts to the GS. Once it works, it stays working, though, but it is painful to get there. For comparison, the same phone linked and worked perfectly with my former 2008 GS350. I have since learned that the phone's Bluetooth capability must be previously enabled when starting the car. If the car is on and the phone's Bluetooth is enabled second, the connection is established but the contacts are not transferred
3. The climate system does not "remember" my preferences and resets to "Auto" OFF and defaults to 75 degrees after the car is turned off and on again. I was told that the car was "designed" to work that way. Who thought that one up? So, every time I get in, I have to reconfigure the climate settings before getting down to the business of driving??!! We are having very warm weather on the East Coast and now the climate control defaults to OFF every time the care is restarted.
4. The voice recognition is as "lame" as the one in the older GS
5. Still, a third-party navigation device out performs the factory unit.
6. I cannot get the Pandora app on my Galaxy Sii phone to play through the car's Bluetooth connection. The GS's App tab does not populate with the link to Pandora. If I'm doing something wrong here, I can't figure it out. Or, it's one more thing that does not work.
Some of the downgrades from the 2008 GS that I will miss:
A. Retracting side mirrors. This was a unique and valuable feature that had saved me many times in tight public garages, as well as my own garage.
B. The hinged door pocket panel. A nice usability feature that made getting things in and out of the pocket very easy.
C. Automatic trunk latch. Also very nice touch that is now gone.
D. The new analog clock is nice but is not synchronized with the GPS system clock as was the case in "older" GS350. It would have been nice to have the option to display a digital clock on the steering wheel's display screen. That would also minimize head movement to see what time it is.
Don't get me wrong, the car looks great and performs beautifully, but "perfect" it is not. I hope that Lexus takes the unusual step to cleanup some of these warts, especially the software ones and update the car at the earliest opportunity.
I had previously owned a 2006 and 2008 GS350. I have had my new GS350 (with the Luxury and Cold Weather packages, and Blind Spot monitor) for nearly two weeks and as nice a looking and riding a car that it is; I am disappointed in a number of respects related to downgrades (relative to the previous-generation GS) and missed opportunities to "pursue perfection".
Here are the "warts" as I see them:
1. Too many menu-driven option on the screen are distracting and hard to navigate. I would have preferred a more balanced use of direct-access buttons. The Lexus "mouse" works but can be a source of frustration. Is this a case of technology running a muck?
2. The Bluetooth link to my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy SII; SGH-I777) is temperamental and unstable. It takes many pairing iterations to get it to work right and upload the phone's contacts to the GS. Once it works, it stays working, though, but it is painful to get there. For comparison, the same phone linked and worked perfectly with my former 2008 GS350. I have since learned that the phone's Bluetooth capability must be previously enabled when starting the car. If the car is on and the phone's Bluetooth is enabled second, the connection is established but the contacts are not transferred
3. The climate system does not "remember" my preferences and resets to "Auto" OFF and defaults to 75 degrees after the car is turned off and on again. I was told that the car was "designed" to work that way. Who thought that one up? So, every time I get in, I have to reconfigure the climate settings before getting down to the business of driving??!! We are having very warm weather on the East Coast and now the climate control defaults to OFF every time the care is restarted.
4. The voice recognition is as "lame" as the one in the older GS
5. Still, a third-party navigation device out performs the factory unit.
6. I cannot get the Pandora app on my Galaxy Sii phone to play through the car's Bluetooth connection. The GS's App tab does not populate with the link to Pandora. If I'm doing something wrong here, I can't figure it out. Or, it's one more thing that does not work.
Some of the downgrades from the 2008 GS that I will miss:
A. Retracting side mirrors. This was a unique and valuable feature that had saved me many times in tight public garages, as well as my own garage.
B. The hinged door pocket panel. A nice usability feature that made getting things in and out of the pocket very easy.
C. Automatic trunk latch. Also very nice touch that is now gone.
D. The new analog clock is nice but is not synchronized with the GPS system clock as was the case in "older" GS350. It would have been nice to have the option to display a digital clock on the steering wheel's display screen. That would also minimize head movement to see what time it is.
Don't get me wrong, the car looks great and performs beautifully, but "perfect" it is not. I hope that Lexus takes the unusual step to cleanup some of these warts, especially the software ones and update the car at the earliest opportunity.
For the Automatic trunk latch. Found this video that look like it has the automatic trunk latch. Don't know it's just for the 450h or overseas only model.
#28
Well not that I can get the money for the 450h. (Anybody rich want my '07 gs350 in trade? lol)
I agree with the original poster. I hope the fix the a/c issue. that's dumb. Kinda like when I got my car, there was NO nav option in Hawaii, so all voice commands was removed except for phone dialing. So I could NOT do climate control etc.
I too use the folding mirrors alot. I wish there was an option to auto fold when car is powered off after 15 seconds.
I like how I don't have to slam the trunk. Poor mans version of a true auto close trunk.
Seat warmer turns off? Mines on a manual dial. the new car, it is not?
Some questions to the owner:
1) how much brighter is the inside lights? I like how it's all LED, but its not very bright.
2) Hows the automanual shifting? i can't stand the lag. I can upshift and it'll be like a full second or so to upshift. Downshift is just as bad too.
I agree with the original poster. I hope the fix the a/c issue. that's dumb. Kinda like when I got my car, there was NO nav option in Hawaii, so all voice commands was removed except for phone dialing. So I could NOT do climate control etc.
I too use the folding mirrors alot. I wish there was an option to auto fold when car is powered off after 15 seconds.
I like how I don't have to slam the trunk. Poor mans version of a true auto close trunk.
Seat warmer turns off? Mines on a manual dial. the new car, it is not?
Some questions to the owner:
1) how much brighter is the inside lights? I like how it's all LED, but its not very bright.
2) Hows the automanual shifting? i can't stand the lag. I can upshift and it'll be like a full second or so to upshift. Downshift is just as bad too.
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