I've had a Lexus and my 2009 Audi A4's Nav system is comparable to Lexus'; its iPod integration is leaps and bounds better than what Lexus offers.

I'm not bashing Lexus. Just expressing extreme disappointment that it's not even remotely cutting edge when it comes to this...and there's no reason it shouldn't be!

 

I am bashing lexus. For the amount of money we pay for the base vehicle and then the nav/entertainment options on top of it, I expect it to have at least the same functionality of a ford focus.

 

(Okay. I lied. I am bashing Lexus. I expect better).

 

especially in a luxury vehicle. I can't believe Lexus is falling behind the Germans.










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Falling behind the Germans is a problem. Falling behind a Ford Focus is worse than an embarrassment. The rules of the game have changed. People expect a lot more than they used to.

At least unless you are a senior citizen who buys buicks.

Oh wait, the 2010 Buick LaCrosse has a large touchscreen nav display, USB media support, bluetooth A2DP audio streaming, and an optional heads up display displaying speed, etc.. and audio track info.

Egads, what is the world coming to??? One thing is clear, everyone is working harder to outclass Lexus in electronics while lexus sits on it's cushy leather laurels and lets the world pass it by.

 

Well, at least Lexus is (slowly) getting rid of their cassette players.

 

The 2010 ES 350 will also have a large touchscreen nav display, USB media support, and if the RX 350 and HS 250h are any indication, bluetooth streaming, Lexus Enform with Safety Connect, etc. What the ES lacks would be the HUD with speed, audio track info, navi instructions etc. that the RX 350 and HS 250h have. Moreover what the ES 350 will not have is the 4 inches of extra rear legroom that the LaCrosse has, or the newly styled interior, etc. but then again the 3-yr. old ES 350 will be refreshed while the LaCrosse is all new.

However, it's not as if Lexus is sitting twiddling their thumbs on leather. Ford Sync is by most indications very neat. But Lexus and Toyota in Japan have reserved a lot of their highest-tech features (3d navigation, music downloads, internet connections, networked cars, etc.) for their G-Book and G-Link systems in Japan. It's only now that they finally decided to bring over G-Book, in part, as the Enform/Safety Connect system here. In recent years, for whatever reason, they've been restricting their tech in the North American market...the backup camera guidance lines were long available in Asia, Europe, but for some reason not in the US. Same thing with the Lane Keep Assist on the LS 460. Maybe it's the lawyers that are preventing some of these drive tech features.

 

The 2010 GS has none of this.

I agree that Toyota has been much more aggressive on electronics in Japan, but they seem to have a mental model that says that sort of pace is unneeded here and so their product line has atrophied relative to the other companies.

I made the comment before that I'd like a telematics system designed by engineers rather than lawyers. It appears that other companies are not bound by these legal constraints as toyota has chosen to bind themselves with.

 

And now the Germans are set to do a leap forward - http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/22/b...ent-systems-i/

Hello Toyota - Is anyone listening?

 

I've got an '08 RX350 and I love it. But frankly, had I known how frustrating the GPS is....I would have bought something else. I was attracted for the LEXUS name and perceived quality and love the way it drives but the nav is horrible.

I've had two portable Garmin units in previous cars and love how easy they are to use and I'm amazed at their accuracy. The Lexus system has taken wrong turns or missed some so many times I haven't counted. My initial thought was that it was a faulty unit and I expected they'd hook it up to thier computer, test it and say "wow, we'll replace that". But the service rep tested it, test drove it and found nothing wrong.

Has anyone else had similar issues? We've started taking our Garmin Nuvi with us on trips. And, that lock-out feature has my wife and me, in fits. When we're moving is when she wants to search for something. Having to stop and input info is a pain. And when we've tried to look up a business, many times--it can't find it. We were spoiled by Garmin and expect the same of better quality from Lexus.

 

If I keep my IS past the next 2 years, I may just invest in a "knock-off" nav system. It's in quotes just because it looks oem... functionally, it appears to be superior to the oem solution in every way (it seems to have lots of bugs - for now - though)