rad000

Anyone experienced with overriding the DVD / parking brake on the 2005 LX470? Any info / pics greatly appreciated.

nicoff

I just purchased a 2004 LC (LX470) and find myself frustated with the built-in shortcomings of the navegation system. The system has been designed in a way that once you set a route and start moving you cannot set a new route unless you stop the vehicle! What a joke!
I have a plug-in, use-anywhere navegation system (Garmin 2620) that has more versatility, more POI, and a much better user interface than the poorly implemented nav system in this truck.
I wonder if I am in line for more surprises with bluetooth as well!

Gohawks63

I also have an '04 Cruiser. Initially I hated the restrictive nature of the Toyota Nav, especially coming from the nav in my other car (Acura TL). After having lived with it for close to a year, I have grown to like it. It has many features than the one in my TL, and has features that I still haven't explored, although my wife is the primary driver of the LC.

I DO ABSOLUTELY HATE the fact that I can't program a destination unless I'm stopped, something that Acura (Alpine) have not deemed necessary to eliminate.

nicoff

Gohawks63,
What features does the Lexus Nav has that the Acura nav does not? I am very curious!

Gohawks63

Well I can only compare this to the Previous generation DVD -based Navigation that was installed in the '01-'03 cars. The current generation nav that is offered in the TL is probably closer to what is currently offered in the current gen LC/LX.

I wrote a review on another forum , and I pasted it here.

Recently purchased a new Toyota Land Cruiser w/Nav and I've had some time to compare it with the 2nd gen nav that is in my '01 TL. While the LC nav is new, the TL unit is equipped with the latest update released from Alpine.

At first glance:
Both are DVD based and provide continental U.S. coverage. Both have touch screens, but the TL also has a joystick that can be used to navigate through the screens. Aside from the joystick, the Honda has a MAP/GUIDE button to toggle between a map view and turn by turn view, a MENU button, CANCEL, and the A/C button to manuall adjust the climate control settings. The Toyota unit has six "hard" buttons along the left side of the screen. They consist of MAP, DEST, MENU, DISP, INFO, and AUDIO. INFO accesses the trip computer that provides information on fuel consumption and travel distance based on current driving habits. What is kinda cool, is that the computer automatically resets itself when you refuel, no user resetting needed. AUDIO is pretty self explanatory. The LC has a voice recognition feature, but I'll cover that seperately. This is new to the LC in '04 as it is for the 3rd gen TL.

Features
The LC/Toyota nav is completely customizable. You can select from a myriad of points of interest (POI) icons. Anything from Gas Stations to your corner Starbucks. There are four menu pages that allow you to configure just about anything that you can think of, including background colors and the speed to be used to calculate the estimated time of arrival. For example, the default might be (I don't remember the actual settings) at 25mph residential, 40mph for thoroughfares, and 55mph for highways. You can customize these defaults to speeds that are more comparable to your driving.

As for the address book, both the Honda & Toyota Nav allow you to store personal address books, the Honda allows two sets of password protected directories for two users. The Toyota only offers one, but it does allow you to assign attributes and special icons to these addresses (Toyota calls them memory points). The TOyota unit also allows you to set up 10 "one touch" memory points, and a "home" memory point. Both versions allow you to customize whether or not you want to use toll roads, highways, etc. The Honda version allows you to select DIRECT (shortest distance) and EASY (minimize turns) route calculations. The Toyota differs slightly. It can provide a QUICKEST (not necessarily the shortest) route, an alternate QUICKEST route, and the SHORTEST (similar to Honda's DIRECT) route. Both allow you to program a number of destination points for a trip, but the Toyota's unit is not as straightforward in doing so. Both have audio turn-by-turn instructions, and the Toyota can adjust the volume automatically based on speed that you're travelling. Both units can allow you to bypass or detour, but the Toyota unit allows you to store up to ten "AREAS TO AVOID". THis comes in handy if there is a particular stretch of road that is always congested. If your route would normally take you through an area that you have designated it to avoid, it will try to program an alternate route, if one isn't available, it will let you know that it has to take you through that area.

Once you have customized your settings in the Toyota system, it allows you to store them. It allows up to three different configurations to be stored (User1-3), a feature not available in the Honda/Alpine unit.

The Toyota unit also allows you to temprarily suspend guidance. THis comes in useful if you want to make a slight deviation in your destination and don't want the unit constantly recalculating your route and nagging you to make course corrections. Just select SUSPEND GUIDANCE, and when your ready, touch "RESUME GUIDANCE".

There are many more features, but I think you get the point.

Advantage: Toyota

Ease of Use
Let's face it, all those features are cool, but if you need a course in how to use them, it detracts from it a bit. This is where the Honda/Alpine unit shines IMO. I remember when I bought my TL. I easily was able to program my home address as a destination in the dealer parking lot, withough having to pull out the manual. Straightforward, MENU, ADDRESS, and I was on my way. Not so in the Toyota. At first it told me the street I was looking for didn't exist. After messing around quite a while, I found out that you need to select the region in which your driving. The unit was currently set to the southeast portion of the US. Only after selecting the midwest region was I able to program my address.

Both systems allow you to search based on NAME, ADDRESS, INTERSECTION, and PHONE NUMBER. The Toyota version also allows searching for freeway exits/entrances and by coordinates (longitude & lattitude). As I alluded to before, the Honda NAV is intuitive, I only read the manual to uncover any unusual features. With the Toyota unit on the other hand, I've read the entire NAV manual, I've played around with it quite a bit and I'm still not quite sure on how to program certain tasks. What's more frustrating is that any programming to the Toyota NAV must be done while stopped. Once you start moving, most of the touch screen buttons are "grayed" out. I understand that this is a safety feature, but on a recent road trip, my wife was trying to access some of these features while I was driving and she couldn't. Kind of frustrating when your travelling down the expressway and need to make a change to your destination and the only way to do so is to stop.

I concede that the reason why the Honda unit is easier to use is that it's more basic than the Toyota version. Kind of a "one size fits all" approach, or maybe a "Navigation for Dummies" is a better description, while the Toyota system seems more geared to the techies out there. While I'm a self proclaimed electronics geek, I did find the Toyota version a little more frustrating to use.

Advantage: Honda

Graphics
Both have bright legible displays. The Honda system has a turn by turn screen and a Map screen that will pop up an upcoming turn window. The Toyota version allows you to configure the screens in up to five different variations.
Full Screen
Full screen compass
Split Screens
Up close & zoomed out view (side by side)
Map & turn by turn (side by side)
Map & Distance to next turn (side by side)

As I mentioned earlier, press the DISP button to the left of the screen and you can customize the colors and features to your heart's content.

With all that said I tend to like the Honda's simplistic approach. While you may think that all of these options available with the Toyota are attractive, I think they're more of a distraction, and I'm betting after a while, once I've gotten comfortable with it, I wont be changing much.

Again, my opinion, but this is a great example of less is best.

Advantage: Honda

Database content:
While I've only lived with the Toyota unit for a few days, I am impressed with the database. I recently returned from a trip to Peoria Illinois where my son had a hockey tournament. I travelled there a year ago and my Honda unit, with an older databse only had a couple of main roads. The Toyota had extensive coverage of this area along with restaurants and hotels. In fairness, I haven't been able to compare the newest Honda update to this area, so it is possible that the coverage has improved with it as well.

I refrain from making a call here because I've only had the latest Honda update for a month or so, and I've only lived with the TOyota for a few days.
Advantage: Too soon to tell


I'll cover the voice recognition part now and as I said before, I won't use it as a comparison since the previous gen TL NAVs didn't have this feature. A more accurate comparison admittedly would have been with the '04 TL's NAV.

Similar to the new TL, the Land Cruiser has the ability to interface with a Bluetooth enabled phone. Since I have a Motorola V60 cell phone, I wasn't able to test this feature out.

Also similar to the TL, the LC has a button on the steering wheel hub that you press when you want to give it a command. Whether it be to zoom in/out the nav screen, raise the audio level, raise/lower the temperature or search for a destination. I will say that it is cool to be able to simply say "GO HOME", and hear the system respond, "Programming 'HOME' as your new destination". There are several keywords that need to be learned and I seem to be able to have it recognize them on the first try about 80% of the time. I have on occasion run into a situation where I will say "MAP ON", and the system will respond with "Turning POI off". I repeat the command "MAP ON", and now it responds, "Restraurant ICONS on". My wife who is severely hoarse from a cold is getting a success rate of about 20% on the initial try. We have to play with it more, and we also have to learn the commands it recognizes, so I'll refrain from passing judgement just yet.

All in all the Toyota system is robust with more features than most will ever use. With that said, you have to appreciate the Honda unit's simplistic and straightforward approach. After all, isn't the best system one that doesn't require extensive user training




I wrote that review earlier in the year. After having lived with both a little longer, I have grown to appreciate the NAV in the Toyota a little more, although, as I mentioned I HATE the fact that you have to stop to program it.

The voice recognition is still more of a gimmick, but I like the many features that the Toyota Nav has.

nicoff

Gohawks63,
Thank you for the repost, Very informative. You mentioned that your "01 TL Nav has the latest upgrades. Do those upgrades make it equal to the nav in the "04 Acura TL? I am curious because I have read elsewhere that the "04TL has the best navegation system out there. I am looking at a new TL for my wife, so the comparison of both nav systems are of interest to me.

FWIW, let me tell you though, the nav in the "04 LC/LX so far is a let down for me. I have a Garmin 2620 portable nav system that I can use anywhere. The garmin has: the entire US map built-in, voice commands, touch screen, completely customizable options, over 5 million POI, 250 memory points, the list can go on and on. In fact, it has just about everything you like about the LC/LX nav system plus more. On top of that, I can change routes without stopping! I was traveling out of town in a rental car yesterday and while driving in unfamiliar territory I tried to find restaurants along the route. The nav gave me a list of dozens of restaurants along the way (closest one first) and I could even filter it by name, like, find closest Shoneys's for example. Again, all this without stopping! Let me tell you 5 million POI is fantastic! I have no idea how many the LC/LX system has, but I bet that they are short by a few millions from that number.

Gohawks63

The latest updates I speak of have pertain to the database, and I'm guessing from a coverage and POI standpoint, the latest upgrade I have will most likely make in comparable to the new TL. What I don't have is the latest enhancements made to the nav in the new TL. Such upgrades as voice recognition, bluetooth, new user interface and the ability for the climate control to determine the angle of the sun, by integrating with the nav and adjusting air temp based on where the sun is positioned.

nicoff

Gohawks63,
Yesterday I test drove the new Acura RL. I will limit my comments to the nav in the RL: it is awsome. The voice activated commands worked every time. Full bluetooh integration, excellent interface, on and on! It felt as if you did not need to take your hands off the steering wheel at all.
The Toyota system feels ancient by comparison. I wish Toyota learns from them. maybe next year!

Gohawks63

I love the new RL. Although the TL and the RL should have comparable if not identical NAV systems, the 300hp AWD system in the RL arouses me.

MY TL has performed very well so far and I have no real reasons to get rid of it. When the time does come, finances permitting, I would seriously look at that car. Although the new GS looks to be impressive as well.

SC430 Guy

Great info and psot. But back to the question at hand, has anyones LX DVD been over-rided? I see an item on ebay that says it overrides the DVD players' need of having the handbreak up in order to view movies and such. Has anyone done it?

cobber1

Yes. The Ebay product works and is easy to install. I installed on my 02 LX470 in about 40 minutes.