2024 is 500
10-16-23, 04:07 PM
#511
Pit Crew
For me, the question was the amount of red, not necessarily the color itself. The Circuit Red looks brighter in photos and videos than in person, where it is more muted in tone. When I saw it in person, I preferred it over the White and Black options.
10-16-23, 07:41 PM
#512
I feel the same way. I drove the Cloudburst gray/circuit red media IS 500 and after that I was OUT on the red interior. That use/design/shade of red is like... neon flashing red everywhere.
I much prefer the pre-refresh interior with red on the seats and door inserts, but not the entire door panels and bottom of the dash. It was also a slightly darker shade of red - rioja red vs. circuit red.
Pre refresh Rioja red on the seats and door inserts:
Refreshed circuit red explosion:
If the current interior was more like the rioja, I'd have that, but I know a lot of folks really love the circuit red. Options for everyone!
I much prefer the pre-refresh interior with red on the seats and door inserts, but not the entire door panels and bottom of the dash. It was also a slightly darker shade of red - rioja red vs. circuit red.
Pre refresh Rioja red on the seats and door inserts:
Refreshed circuit red explosion:
If the current interior was more like the rioja, I'd have that, but I know a lot of folks really love the circuit red. Options for everyone!
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wthrman2 (10-17-23)
10-16-23, 09:11 PM
#513
I have actually test drove an IS 500 Ultra White with Circuit Red and an IS 350 Ultra White with White interior. I agree that red is not that too bright like in the pictures and the Dash black contrast is well done vs say a white interior, I however at the end got a Black because I thought Red might be too much attention and White will be super hard to maintain over the time. Maybe they should have offered a Rioja Red instead as it is a bit more on the mellow side. That said, the real gripe is lack of a Lexus Semi Aniline leather seating. I wish they have done that, along with folding mirrors, that would have made the IS 500 perfect car.
10-17-23, 04:18 AM
#514
What I really like about the circuit red is the added red stitching on the steering wheel.
A question for those with the white/black tone seats, did the use a white stitching on the steering wheel to make it pop like the red or is it just black? I’ve never seen the white/black tone in person.
A question for those with the white/black tone seats, did the use a white stitching on the steering wheel to make it pop like the red or is it just black? I’ve never seen the white/black tone in person.
10-17-23, 06:21 AM
#515
What I really like about the circuit red is the added red stitching on the steering wheel.
A question for those with the white/black tone seats, did the use a white stitching on the steering wheel to make it pop like the red or is it just black? I’ve never seen the white/black tone in person.
A question for those with the white/black tone seats, did the use a white stitching on the steering wheel to make it pop like the red or is it just black? I’ve never seen the white/black tone in person.
10-17-23, 06:23 AM
#516
I have actually test drove an IS 500 Ultra White with Circuit Red and an IS 350 Ultra White with White interior. I agree that red is not that too bright like in the pictures and the Dash black contrast is well done vs say a white interior, I however at the end got a Black because I thought Red might be too much attention and White will be super hard to maintain over the time. Maybe they should have offered a Rioja Red instead as it is a bit more on the mellow side. That said, the real gripe is lack of a Lexus Semi Aniline leather seating. I wish they have done that, along with folding mirrors, that would have made the IS 500 perfect car.
10-17-23, 07:15 AM
#517
I have actually test drove an IS 500 Ultra White with Circuit Red and an IS 350 Ultra White with White interior. I agree that red is not that too bright like in the pictures and the Dash black contrast is well done vs say a white interior, I however at the end got a Black because I thought Red might be too much attention and White will be super hard to maintain over the time. Maybe they should have offered a Rioja Red instead as it is a bit more on the mellow side. That said, the real gripe is lack of a Lexus Semi Aniline leather seating. I wish they have done that, along with folding mirrors, that would have made the IS 500 perfect car.
Yes, folding mirrors should have been there years ago, and a HUD should be there now but it isn't in the IS yet it is in all other models.
10-17-23, 01:40 PM
#518
I keep seeing people wanting HUD. is it really that necessary? Asking seriously. I've never had a car with it, so I don't know what I'm missing. But it doesn't really seem very necessary and that it's just another gadget.
10-17-23, 02:40 PM
#520
The IS500 can have so much information in the dash that I don't really miss it but it would be good to have.
10-17-23, 02:47 PM
#521
I had a HUD in my 2017 Camaro, it was great!. That said, once things moved to a digital dashboard, it became less necessary. It also depends on what it can actually show in the HUD.
The IS500 can have so much information in the dash that I don't really miss it but it would be good to have.
The IS500 can have so much information in the dash that I don't really miss it but it would be good to have.
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HighRevs (10-17-23)
10-17-23, 04:38 PM
#522
I don’t mind the retro look including the cd player which included with the ML would give the listener the highest fidelity sound possible in a car. The ML was meant to be paired with a CD player which I think I read somewhere on the net to give you the ultimate sound in the cabin.
10-17-23, 09:46 PM
#523
I'm a big CD guy, but I don't think it's the best sound available. I've done A/B comparisons in my IS (with the ML system), in the garage with the engine off, comparing CD with 24 bit / 192k streaming from Amazon music of the same passages, and I think the 24 bit 192k sounds better, although the difference is really, really subtle, and I'm not confident that I could distinguish between the two with the engine running, or while driving). The main difference I could detect is the "air" and imaging, and the cleanliness of the transients. I used a couple of classical passages from Mahler Sym. 2 and 4 that I've listened to hundreds of times. TLDR, don't obsess too much about CD, streaming at higher bit rates can sound better, if the source recording was originally made at the higher bit rate. Post-recording upsampling is useless and fake.
CD is one of the lossless formats and only capable of 16 bit / 44.1k. Yes a DVD or USB flash drive can support higher rates up to 24 bit / 192k playback as mentioned. However the system is limited to 24 bit / 48k resolution ultimately. According to the Navigation and Multimedia System Owner's Manual... Sound Source of 48kHz or more is down-converted to 48kHz/24bit.
Now I do think that 24 bit and 48k is certainly capable of more resolution but even if the system could go beyond it's limitation a noisy car is likely to mask any improvements and I doubt they put in such HD capable tweeters that could go beyond the typical 22kHz limitation put on 48k capable files. I actually believe the 24 bit part is the most important part in terms of resolution and then the sampling frequency. I do tend to detect a little extra air on 48-192k sampling frequencies but it could also be the mastering allowing that. Either way I'm glad the system plays all my files.
I wish the system did gapless playback on USB flash files so this is where CD's naturally have an advantage for my Progressive Rock collection among other things. However Android Auto and I assume Apple Carplay do gapless playback due to the software on the phone. Now whether or not it is lossless (I see it converted to AAC format going into the ML system) I do not know but at the minimum it is better than the bluetooth audio or mp3 files to my ears.
Last edited by Bechtold; 10-17-23 at 09:50 PM.
10-18-23, 05:14 AM
#524
Depending on the vehicle, it can show you your speed, whether someone is in your blind spot, navigation (e.g. Carplay turns), cruise control setting/speed, whether you cross a road line and other things all in one area. Go drive a car with it (e.g. the LS, ES, LC and other newer Lexus models)...it's a little strange at first if you're not used to it, but you quickly adapt and when you learn to drive with it, you miss it when you don't have it on your vehicle.
I believe every Lexus model now offers a HUD, except the IS, which is why I hoped the 2024 would have had it.
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Longwaldo (10-18-23)
10-18-23, 05:47 AM
#525
I'm really surprised HUD isn't in more cars these days. My 1990 240SX had it lol.
