wjlim22

I'm considering buying a used 2009 LS460. Tech seems to be pretty good to me, but I wanted to see if anyone has any opinions on how outdated the technology in a 2009 is compared to more current models. I currently drive a 2013 GS350. I'm wondering what I will miss if I go backwards by 4 years. I am considering this so that I can get a bigger sized car for my growing family.

DarKnight

iTrader: (3)

I would go with a 2013 if it’s in your price range. If not, go with at least a 2010-2012.

SW17LS

I would also suggest a 13+, or at least a 10+. The 09 from your 13 GS you will loose:

-Bluetooth audio
-All the enform apps
-Nav traffic

Those would be the most notable for me. A 10-12 would get you all of those things, and the 13+ gets you the same interface you have in the GS.

For your family, if you're going to be transporting kids in carseats, I would get the LWB car. The SWB car is much bigger than your GS, so immediately it will be a huge upgrade space wise (I came from a 13 GS), but kids can still kick he backs of the front seats with the SWB. If I had it to do over again I would get the LWB just for that reason.

FatherTo1

What are the advantages of the Enform apps? For Nav traffic, Google Maps or Waze should suffice on a smartphone. The only time I resorted to the LS nav was when we went camping and didn't have reception and even then, if I thought enough ahead, I could have cached maps of the area on my phone.

As for kids kicking seatback, you can get inexpensive seatback boards/covers/organizers that will serve double duty of storage as well as protection. Our daughter was never one to kick the back of the seat, but classmates or other people's kids...

Not trying to dissuade you from LWB as I still sort of wish I went that route. Just seems to me the only true loss of going to an 09 is the ease of Bluetooth, which can also be added through Beatsonic for less than the premium of going to 2010+. I would agree and recommend 2010+ for the lower control arm issue though.

SW17LS

Not everybody wants a workaround or a third party solution. I don't rely on the nav traffic at all in the car, but its a difference and I noted that it is a difference. I do however use the GPS in the car, I don't want to use my phone, and I certainly don't want to have to print or cache maps.

Kicking the seatbacks is still annoying whether it causes damage or not, and again, I'd have to have ugly setback protectors on my seats. As it is now when the kids ride in the LS I take their shoes off.

If you take the position of "all of this stuff can be added aftermarket" then you can apply that to any car. I use the enform apps for Pandora, Slacker radio, etc. I use the Destination Assist all the time. In any event, all of these things are something he's used to in his GS he would have to do without in an 09 LS.

FatherTo1

I'll have to take your word, Steve, on the usefulness of these in-car apps. I haven't bothered trying to use them so perhaps I'm being a little ignorant here. My understanding is that some of these apps have a subscription cost too, don't they? I wonder if the OP actually uses the Enform apps him/herself. I certainly had no interest in Enform while it is available in our LS. I don't think the OP would need to add that much aftermarket gear to maintain the level of functionality and service that the OP may be accustomed to in their newer GS. Many of the Enform apps are redundant and already available on a smartphone and probably work faster on the phone anyways. I just looked up what Destination Assist is and there are already a handful of digital assistants on iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone that can provide similar information. The only real loss is the Bluetooth integration. There are quality alternatives to the other Enform offerings.

SW17LS

Well then why did you spend so much more for a 13+ model when you could have had an older model if the benefits of the newer model are not of value to you?

Again, he asked for the differences...and I told him the differences. Whether or not those differences matter to him is up to him. Whether you think they are of value or not, they are differences.

I don't want to mess with the phone, I want to be able to control the audio through the car. So no, I don't want to use apps on my phone because I will have to control them on my phone. Using the Enform apps I can select the source, channel, and use the wheel track forward and back controls all through the car and my phone stays in my pocket. Why do I care if there are third party apps that are digital assistants?!? The Destination Assist allows me to tell an operator where I want to go and that destination is downloaded to my car without me having to use the frustrating voice controls, and without me having to be at a stop to input a destination manually. There is no third party app that will do that for me. I use it every day. Remember I want to use the car's GPS...I don't want to use my phone. Even if I wanted to I'm on the phone so much in the car I couldn't use it as a navigation tool.

Yes I pay for the destination assist and the other data functions, but the enform media apps are free. Before you tell people they're worthless you might want to try them out once or twice

I would never go back to an older car that doesn't have this technology I've become accustomed to, even to go to an LS from a GS.

FatherTo1

I bought the 2013 because I really liked the interior updates and felt it would stay fresher longer since I was already buying used. I've already declared my displeasure with the remote touch control and laggy interface, but I still prefer the 2013+ over 2010-2012. I did not say the in-car apps are worthless. You helped point out the differences, as requested, but there are easy substitutes for those missing features too. Not all is lost by going from a 13 GS to an 09 LS. Going to a 2013+ is a sizable premium over a 2009. If the OP doesn't want to make that jump then at least they can still be assured that some of those missing features are still easily accessible on a mobile device they most likely already possess.

I am already familiar with the lag inherent in the LS interface. Even accessing customizations and navigation is slow and laborious. I can only imagine what Enform feels like. I will try to find time and play around with some of the Enform apps before passing final judgment. From what I'm reading, I am still not convinced that it is any easier or faster than me saying "OK, Google, open Pandora" or "directions to so-and-so". Do you still have to use the remote control when using Pandora through Enform? If so, I will definitely be slower using Enform than my phone, based on my experience with the RTC. I am open to testing those Enform apps though.

To the OP, how do the differences influence your consideration of the 09 LS?

SW17LS

Of course you still use the RTC, but at least you aren’t fumbling with the phone which is dangerous and illegal. I’m trying to interact with the phone less when driving, not more.

HondaChuck

An '09 model would have Nav traffic (started in '07)

wjlim22

Great suggestion. I've never sat in the L version, but I will check it out.

wjlim22

The bluetooth issue is a big one. I didn't know the 2009 was lacking bluetooth. I know I can install Beatsonic to help with that, but I don't know how it works at all. I would have to look into it. My current GS will play whatever I was listening to on my phone before I got into the car whether it was a podcast or a music app. It's nice to have that.

As for the Enform apps, I sometimes use Pandora and iHeartRadio apps because they have customized channels that have my listening history from a decade of use. Pandora has channels that know what I like very well. I do also use Spotify from my phone when I want some music in an "on-demand" fashion. I use Waze on my phone most of the time when I need GPS. I rarely use the car's GPS because it doesn't let you program an address while you are on the move.

The 2009 LS that I looked at had parking assist, heated steering wheel, and automatic parking. Parking assist is nice to have in my current GS. I use it a lot. I don't really care about the heated steering wheel and I doubt I would use automatic parking. I don't have the patience when I can just park it myself. The 2009 LS also doesn't have blind spot monitors. I can't really trust the blind spot monitors in the GS 100% of the time, but it helps in some situations.

The big trade off for me is the space. I need way more space because I didn't have kids when I bought the GS and now I have one and another on the way. The other things I like about the 2009 LS that I was considering is that it only has 34k miles on it. I was just curious if others thought the step back in tech would be annoying to deal with. So far, the bluetooth issue and my curiosity about the long wheelbase version is steering me away from getting into the 2009.

Thanks again for all the input from everyone. It really put the different perspectives out there for me to think about. Very helpful!

mckellyb

I don't use Bluetooth for music, but I know my '08 has it for hands-free telephone use.

roadfrog

It's seamless and just about as factory as you can get. I don't have the Beatsonic but I do have the Vais SL3B. Again, it's seamless and works just like your car came equipped with it. Simply select "CD" and your tunes show up on your screen and play through Bluetooth. You can even stream Youtube, Radio apps, etc. It's awesome.

wjlim22

I ended up trading in the 2013 GS 430 for a 2014 LS 460. The LS has 40k miles and it is in great shape. I have only driven it about 15 miles so far, but I think this is a much better fit for what I was looking for. Thanks again to everyone for all your suggestions. It was a much better decision for me to pay a little more for a newer version than to get an older LS.