Carmelstev

The were new when I go the car a couple of months ago-they're still clean. This is apparently a well-known shortcoming, judging by the responses.

Steve

AlexusAnja

The Infiniti (and BMW actually) have a more "realistic" wood that reminds me of an antique table top. The LS's wood is over urethaned and glossy, to the point where it doesn't even feel like it could be wood. Just smooth and shiny like faux wood. Ah, just a matter of personal taste, I like both, but if I had to choose, I might take the Infiniti wood but I'm just afraid that duller gloss means less urethane and over time will fade and go down to wood surface faster.

Carmelstev

I agree about the wood. It is overdone, but still nice. I've had several people ask if it was real or fake, though.

Steve

David M

I think it's bootiful. (copyright)

AlexusAnja

Is it better to be real, but look fake... or be fake and look real?

Rice

I totally agree with your review.
First, the handling.
I switched from a 97 LS to 2005 recently and both cars are hard to keep centered on the highway. My 95 was much softer and didn't handle corners as well. This one has the sport package and corners very well for a large lux. sedan. However, lack of on-center feel becomes tiring and annoying during long trips.

The navigation.
I have the original version from 2005. I know how to override it, so it can be used in motion - No real issue there. (other than the fact that it's stupid, but I'll leave that dead horse in peace)
In general, I find the use of the system terribly counterintuitive. I still to this day have not figured out how to imput the current location as one of the preferred destinations to be used later! I am typically very good with electronics. I can't imagine an average person trying to use this crappy system. I have even resorted to actually reading the manual, but still no dice.
I guess I am spoiled by my Nuvi. I just don't understand why anyone would want to design their navigation workflow any different. Nuvi is perfect. I was able to use it the moment I held it w/o ever reading the manual.

Carmelstev

Rice-
Regarding the navigation, it's just hard to understand why Lexus had not updated their navigation by the 04-06 models. This is basically the same system used for several years by Toyota. I remember test-driving a Toyota 6 or 7 years ago and the salesman trying to show off the navigation. He got so confused he gave up and admitted the system was hard to use. The system in my wife's 06 Acura was intuitive enough for her to use without ever using the manual, and she is not very technology-oriented. And don't even get me started on the inability to use while underway. I'm getting ready to build the box to defeat this system and fake the navigation into thinking you are stopped while driving. It's just sad that people have been complaining about this system for years apparently and Toyota refuses to respond.

Steve

AlexusAnja

Okay, maybe it's because I'm a rocket scientist and a genius by birth... NOT !!!! but I find the navigation unit just as easy to use really as my Garmin 660. Okay, the Nuvi is a little better, but when I went on one of my test drives in the LS430, I actually got to the point where I got lost. I drove a little bit too much, but I activated the guidance, punched in the address back to the dealer and boom... it guided. I really don't understand most people's complaints about the difficulty to use.

Yes, yes, yes... the inability to use while moving is a BIG NEGATIVE, but with the voice command, just program your six most common destinations and then you can just ask for it while driving. You just have to remember what you save as Quick Destination 2 through 6. Other than that, if you're programming a totally brand new address, you really shouldn't be inputting it while you're driving, no matter how good of a driver you think you are. Yes, you may have a passenger in the vehicle while you drive that can program it, but besides someone who knows the unit already, "joe schmo" is not going to program it faster than if you pulled over and did it yourself.

Not perfect for sure... but not as bad as it's made out to be.

David M

It IS as bad as it is made out to be. If the customers who use it don't like it and can't use it, it is BAD. I have owned and used GPS's since they were first made available to the public. This is the very worst user interface (UI) that I have ever seen (I'm also a programmer.) Well, dBase was a little worse but it was a lot more complicated, too. Anyway, Toyota should hang their head in shame that they have not accepted customer feedback on this issue. The iWay 500c/600c from Lowrance has the best UI of any that I have used, but even they need improvement. I use one instead of the factory piece of <censored> in the LS430. Travel by segmentation? You have to input the region of the country in order to travel somewhere? How archaic and abysmal. Just exactly how does one travel across Toyota's arbitrary divides? I live in Alabama. One brother lives in Texas. Heck, even going to Atlanta crosses their artificial boundary and the system just did not work when going from the broker in Atlanta back to my home in Alabama; only a couple hundred miles.

Carmelstev

I do think it's pretty bad. Let's put it this way: I bought my first GPS about 10 years ago and I think I paid $600 for it. I've had 4 or 5 receivers since then besides the ones I currently own and have seen the receivers get better and better. Here is a list of the GPS Navigation equipment I currently own-

• Garmin Quest-$129
• Navigon 2100-$99
• Kenwood 4100 added to Chevy Avalanche Kenwood Receiver-About $500
• Factory Navigation in 2006 Acura MDX-$2000 option

The LS 430 Navigation is by far the most difficult to use and has the least accurate routing. The maps have very poor detail and of course cannot be accessed enroute. The Lexus Gen4 Nav is better than nothing, but is simply at the bottom of the barrel of anything I currently own, including the cheap $99 receivers. The sad thing is that Lexus could fix some of these issues with an upgrade.

Steve

David M

Does Lexus read this group? Is there anyone or any way to get this feedback to them?

Carmelstev

David-I'm sure they read these at times. I might assume that they pay more attention to the groups for the newer cars, however. I would bet that they already know how people about the Navigation, judging by the comments I've seen on this board. Plus, I know that they look at their competitors, which I know that at least most are better and newer systems. I've heard that the Mercedes system is also pretty poor.

Steve

Rice

Rant on.
I just came back from my first "big" trip with this car. I traveled from NY to a Pocono ski resort in PA - About 70 mile trip. I did not want to take my trusted Nuvi with me on principle. After all, I have one of the best cars in the world, which comes with a GPS. (Thankfully, my wife has convinced me to take it along just in case).
So, I set off and override the LS POS GPS so the wife can enter the address. a few minutes later, she tells me that the POS does not recognize the address. I couldn't believe it! The place has been there like since forever and there's no way a GPS shouldn't know about it.
Now, I have written down the directions from Google on a postit, which in anger I have pasted onto the NAV screen as an ultimate insult to the totally worthless POS CRAP that came in my otherwise very nice car.
Finally and reluctantly, I asked my wife to enter the address into the Nuvi, which took her all of 5 seconds, after which Nuvi was ready to do its job.

Rant off.

Now, I have a question:
How do you change the region on that POS? I think that my region is set to something other than what I need, hence its inability to locate a perfectly good address.

Thanks!

LSGarry

To change the region of the country you want the navi to operate in go to "Destination", then look for the "Change" button on the lower right side of the screen and then input whatever region you want.
I agree that the unit misses a lot of addresses and don't know why Lexus has installed such a poor unit in an otherwise spectacular car.

denroll

I absolutely despise the Lawyer screen at the beginning. And I mean despise, as in loathe, or hate with extreme feeling to the point I wouldn't consider buying another car that ever had this feature. It is a complete insult to my sensibilities and good judgment.

Enough with that rant, though because the LS is the damn highway cruising king, as far as I'm concerned. On T-giving, I had my buddy in the car on a 2 hour trip. We're enjoying a quiet conversation and I casually tell him, "hey, I'm getting 24mpg at 95mph." He looks outside, looks over at the speedo in disbelief, and about freaks out. "We're doing 95!?" My car won't even go this fast!" So I kicked it up an extra 5mph just for him.*




*This story is a lie. I did the posted speed limit at all times during my journey.