LexusLs400

Im going to buy a 2001 Rx with the navigation sys. I would like to know how you people like it? works well? etc. Thank you!

willard west

Absolute useless outside major urban URBAN areas. Not appropreate for an SUV!

vicpai

I have to COMPLETELY and TOTALLY disagree. I've thorougly researched Navigation systems in many automobiles and the only two that are worth their salt at this time are the DVD units from Lexus and Acura. The overall execution is better in the Alpine unit in Acura vehicles, but the Denso unit in the Lexus is the champion when it comes to map coverage RURAL AND URBAN. This is because at this time Navtech is the only company providing the DIGITAL maps required for Navi systems and Navtech has only mapped larger metro areas to STREET LEVEL DETAIL. A BIG KUDOS TO LEXUS/DENSO!! They went one step further and merged the Navtech database with another one (GDT) for the smaller towns/cities (rural areas not covered by Navtech) to get a COMPLETE BLUEPRINT of the ENTIRE U.S. to street level detail. The catch to this is accuracy will be slightly less in the areas not covered by Navtech. Looking at this Navtech has also recently released a "merged" version of THEIR database.....so the Acura and Alpine units will also have this complete coverage shortly (in future DVD releases). Do a search on my posts on Navigation systems on the www.acuramdx.org website - you'll find lots of info there

wwest

How can you COMPLETELY and TOTALLY disagree and then go on to say the Lexus Nav system is lacking in resolution in rural areas?

This is an SUV, not an LS "limo".

The Lexus Nav system should never be relied upon for guidance outside URBAN areas of the 50 most populated US cities.

There is only so much information that even a DVD can hold, and while I applaud Lexus for the coverage they have, and maybe it is better than the competitors, it is still not useful much of the time.

navigator

No offense west, but what % of RX 300's do you think are used in rural areas?

iF you look at the demographics of RX 300 owners, then your answer must be "low". Further, if you accept the previous statement, then it makes perfect since to sell a navigation system in this vehicle.

Im sorry the system doesn't work well for you outside of the greater Seattle area, however your statement of "Major Urban areas" is incorrect.

I did a count of incorperated cities in the current system for california only. The total is 1048 cities. If you like I can list them

navigator

Heck of alot of major urban areas in Washington stat I guess.

ADELAIDE AGATE POINT
AIRWAY HEIGHTS ALDERTON
ALGONA ALLENTOWN
ALLISON ANDERSON ISLAND
ARTONDALE AUBURN
AUSTIN AUSTIN
AVONDALE BAGLEY JUNCTION
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND BANNER
BARBERTON BATTLE POINT
BAY VIEW BAYNE
BAYVIEW BEACON HILL
BEAUX ARTS VILLAGE BELLEVUE
BETHEL BIRCH
BLACK DIAMOND BOISE
BONNEY LAKE BOTHELL
BREMERTON BREMERTON JUNCTION
BRIER BROMART
BROOKDALE BROWNS POINT
BROWNSVILLE BRUSH PRAIRIE
BUCKEYE BUCKLEY
BUENA VISTA BURIEN
BURLEY BURNETT
BURTON CAMANO
CAMANO ISLAND CAMAS
CANYON PARK CARNATION
CASCADE JUNCTION CATHCART
CAVALERO CORNER CEDAR FALLS
CEDAR GROVE CEDAR MOUNTAIN
CEDAR VALLEY CEDARHURST
CHARLESTON CHAUTAUQUA
CHENEY CHEROKEE BAY PARK
CHESTER CHRISTOPHER
CLEARVIEW CLINTON
CLINTON PARK CLOVER PARK
CLYDE HILL COALFIELD
COLBERT COLUMBIA BEACH
COLVOS COUPEVILLE
COVE COVINGTON
COWLEY CROMWELL
CRYSTAL SPRINGS CUMBERLAND
DARTFORD DASH POINT
DEER PARK DENISON
DES MOINES DIERINGER
DILWORTH DISHMAN
DOCKTON DUNCAN
DUNLAP DUPONT
DURHAM DUVALL
DYNAMITE EAGLEDALE
EAST CROMWELL EAST FARMS
EAST SPOKANE EASTWARD
EDGEWOOD EDMONDS
ELLISVILLE ELLSWORTH
ENUMCLAW ESPANOLA
EVANSVILLE EVERETT
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE FAIRMONT
FALL CITY FEDERAL WAY
FERITON FERN HEATH
FERNCLIFF FIFE
FIFE HEIGHTS FIRCREST
FIRLOCH FIVE CORNERS
FLETCHER BAY FOBES HILL
FORT LEWIS FORT NISQUALLY
FORT WRIGHT FOUR LAKES
FOX ISLAND FRAGARIA
FREDERICKSON FREELAND
FREEMAN FRYELANDS
GEIGER HEIGHTS GIG HARBOR
GILBERTON GLEN ACRES
GLENDALE GLENROSE
GLENWOOD GORST
GRACE GRAHAM
GREEN BLUFF GREEN LAKE
GREEN RIVER GREENACRES
GREENBANK HARBOR HEIGHTS
HARMAN HEIGHTS HAYFORD
HAZEL DELL HAZELWOOD
HIGH ROCK HIGHLAND
HILLTOP HILLYARD
HOBART HOCKINSON
HOLLY PARK HOLLYWOOD
HOME HOPE
HUNTS POINT ILLAHEE
INDIANOLA INGLESEA
INTERLAKEN ISSAQUAH
JAMIESON PARK KANASKAT
KANASKAT JUNCTION KANGLEY
KENMORE KENNARD CORNER
KENNYDALE KENT
KEYPORT KIESLING
KIRKLAND KLAHANIE
KRAIN KRUSE
KRUSE JUNCTION KUMMER
KYRO LACEY
LAKE FOREST PARK LAKE HEIGHTS
LAKEBAY LAKELAND VILLAGE
LAKEVIEW LAKEWOOD
LANDSBURG LANGLEY
LARCHMONT LEMOLO
LIBERTY LAKE LINCOLN
LISABEULA LONGBRANCH
LYNNWOOD LYNWOOD CENTER
LYONS MABANA
MACHIAS MADRONA
MAGNOLIA BLUFF MAGNOLIA HEIGHTS
MALTBY MANITOU BEACH
MANZANITA MAPLE VALLEY
MARSHALL MARYSVILLE
MAY CREEK MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE
MCMILLIN MEAD
MEADOWDALE MEDICAL LAKE
MEDINA MERCER ISLAND
METUM MICA
MIDLAKES MIDLAND
MIDVALE CORNER MILETA
MILL CREEK MILLWOOD
MILTON MINNEHAHA
MISSION BEACH MOAB
MONROE MONTA VISTA
MORAN MOUNTLAKE TERRACE
MT BAKER MT VIEW
MUKILTEO NACO
NELSONS CORNER NEWCASTLE
NEWMAN LAKE NEWPORT SHORES
NISQUALLY NORMANDY PARK
NORTH BEND NORTH CITY
NORTH PUYALLUP NORTHRUP
NOVELTY OAK HARBOR
OAKLAND OLALLA
OLD TACOMA OLYMPIA
OPPORTUNITY ORCHARD AVE
ORCHARD PARK ORCHARDS
ORTING OSCEOLA
OTIS ORCHARDS PACIFIC
PALMER PALMER JUNCTION
PARKWATER PASADENA PARK
PEACH ACRES PEARSON
PEARSON EDDY PHINNEY
PIEDMONT PINES
PLEASANT HILL PORT MADISON
PORT ORCHARD POSSESSION
POULSBO PRESTON
PROEBSTEL PURDY
PUYALLUP RAECO
RAGNAR RAINIER BEACH
RAINIER VALLEY RAVENNA
RAVENSDALE REDMOND
REDONDO RENTON
RIVERTON HEIGHTS ROLLINGBAY
ROOSEVELT ROSEHILLA
ROY RUSTON
SALMON CREEK SAMMAMISH
SAN DE FUCA SARATOGA
SCRIBNER SEABOLD
SEAHURST SEATAC
SEATTLE SELLECK
SEOLA BEACH SEVEN MILE
SHARON SHAWNEE
SHORE ACRES SHORELINE
SILVERDALE SNOHOMISH
SNOQUALMIE SOUTH BEACH
SOUTH CHENEY SOUTH PRAIRIE
SOUTH SEATTLE SOUTH SNOHOMISH
SOUTHERN HEIGHTS SPANAWAY
SPOKANE SPOKANE BRIDGE
SPRING BEACH SPRING GLEN
ST CLAIR STEILACOOM
STILLWATER STUART
STUCK SUMMERHURST
SUMNER SUNNY SHORES
SUNNYDALE SUQUAMISH
SWEDE HILL TACOMA
TANNER THE HIGHLANDS
THOMAS THRASHERS CORNER
TILLICUM TOKUL
TRENTWOOD TUKWILA
TULALIP TULARE BEACH
TUMWATER TURNER CORNER
UNIVERSITY PLACE UPPER PRESTON
UTSALADY VALLEYFORD
VANCOUVER VANCOUVER JUNCTION
VASHON VAUGHN
VENICE VERADALE
VIRGINIA WABASH
WALNUT GROVE WASHOUGAL
WATERMAN POINT WAUNA
WAYNE WAYSIDE
WEST BLAKELY WEST SPOKANE
WESTWOOD WILLOWS
WOLLOCHET WOODINVILLE
WOODMONT BEACH WOODWAY
YARDLEY YARROW POINT
YEOMALT YORK

willard west

Have you ever heard the term "bedroom community"? Wouldn't you agree that this is where most RXes sleep at night?

I have little doubt that each and every podunksville in this state has an honorable mention in the Lexus Nav map. But what happens if you leave Main street in some of these small towns.

Matters are made even worse because the Lexus Nav system will "seemingly" compute a route to a destination when its map clearly indicates a lack of roadbed surface to that destination. It isn't that there isn't a roadbed there, its just that the Lexus map doesn't have one. But it oftentimes doesn't tell you that until you get to the area where there is no map coverage.

I rarely use the Nav system anymore, but when I do before I commit to actually relying on its guidance I go over the route carefully, "zoomed in" to determine if the route it has chosen is actually on the (Lexus) map.

steelgtr

I have a 2001 w/ nav and after having a Garmin Street Pilot III stand-alone unit in my truck, the Lexus is disappointing. Main gripe is that the last warning is .1 mile, while the Garmin switches to feet: 500 ft, 254 feet, 57, feet, etc. Makes you really feel like you know exactly when the next turn is.

Routing on the Lexus is just OK, Not near as "smart" and intuitive, as to picking a route that I would pick. It sometimes thinks a street is center divided and wants to route around in a circle to get to the other side. Also picks strange routes no matter what the preferences are.

Bottom line is that if I had never had the $800.00 Garmin, I would be happy with the Denso (Lexus) unit. The Denso does calculate and re-calculate much faster, but I never feel as confident as I do in the Garmin.

Hopefully Denso will offer firmware or software upgrades in the future as Garmin always has. (Not Navtech or map upgrades)

My 2 cents

bob

vicpai

PLEASE READ MY POST PROPERLY!!!! Where do find that I say "the Lexus system lacks resolution and rural coverage"????. If you read my post properly you will find that, on the contrary I stated that the Lexus unit DOES GIVE COMPLETE COVERAGE RURAL AND URBAN - BOTH. I believe it was YOU who stated that the Lexus unit lacks rural coverage - Please let us stick to the facts not opinions!

vicpai

Are you sure you are talking of the Latest DVD release of the DVD NAVIGATION SYSTEM????? I have been able to successfully test computation of a route to a street address (222 Cottonwood street, Grand Forks, North Dakota) - and mind you this could practially be considered "the middle of nowhere" !!!.......and Cottonwood street is one of the small, insignificant streets in Grand Forks!!

willard west

Just as I said, the Lexus Nav system appears to have successfully computed a route.

Go back and look, zoom in on the destination. The Nav route stops at SR297 and 6th street, where it will tell you, belatedly, that you're own your own now!

At least you would be in a city where there are people around to ask directions of, not out somewhere in the toolies where the system brought you just to bail and leave you completely lost.

navigator

When I go from navigable to non-navigable roads, my system says "On the way to your destination, there will be roads with incomplete data. Turn by turn guidance will not be provided for in these areas."

Is your reccommendation that, this warning occurs at the start of my route rather than as I depart navigable links?

I think it is a good idea.

willard west

RIGHT ON!

BUT I HAVE RECIEVED THIS MESSAGE UNDER BOTH CIRCUMSTANCES, RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING (WHICH I CERTAINLY WOULD PREFER, AND IN THE MIDDLE OR NEAR THE END, WHICH SUCKS.

vicpai

.....Even though TURN BY TURN voice guidance stops in areas that are not mapped by NAVTECH, you can still follow the arrow along the "lines" represented as streets to your destination. The reason for this is the NON-NAVTECH areas are not "DIGITALLY" accurate (meaning there is no data on road-geometry, elevation etc. etc. - just LINES represented as streets - In fact NO navigation system/car manufacturer has coverage for these areas - BECAUSE THE ONE AND ONLY SOURCE FOR THIS DATA IS NAVTECH and it is going to be SEVERAL years before they "DIGITALLY" map every single street in the U.S. ......and the task is huge, because the only way to "digitally" map a street is to ACTUALLY DRIVE IT AND TAKE PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS - and as I said before NAVTECH is going to do the same thing that Lexus/Denso has ALREADY done - that is merge publicly available map data to their existing "digital" data to provide FULL COVERAGE. Unfortunately, it will have the VERY SAME LIMITATIONS - that is NO TURN BY TURN guidance for these areas!!

wwest

Maybe you have discovered the source of the flaw.

I would have no problems with the Nav system if, at the beginning of the trip, instead of telling me it has successfully computed a route, it would tell me then that there is a GAP (of whatever nature) in the coverage. I could then go in and fire up Mapquest or locate a paper map and be on my way with no worries of getting lost.

Now, as I have said, I have had both instances occur, I have gotten the warning just as I feel I should, but more often I have only gotten the warning when I actually arrived at the GAP in coverage.

Like just yesterday when I punched in 222 Cottonwood in ND. The system said that it had successfully computed a route, but when I went and looked the path ended several blocks from the destination. In that case you are correct, although the system wouldn't guide me there, there was actually enough map resolution for one to self guide to the final destination.

But in other instances that I have encountered the system opted out and there was a complete and total gap in the map coverage, no roads shown on the system completely zoomed in or out. Now that I think about it that's not technically correct, Maybe I could have back-tracked some distance and say, come in from the other side of the gap.

Now I wonder if this isn't the difference in when you get the warning at the beginning or not, if the system decides there is enough map resolution for you to self guide, it doesnt warn at the beginning of the trip, if there is an actual gap, it does warn.

The basis of my first complaint is lack of map coverage due to DVD space limitations. I would prefer to have just my region on a single DVD with full coverage. All too often I can go to Mapquest and route successfully when the system can't. I would accept, gladly, the need to insert a different DVD, this one, if I were going to travel outside my region.

Obviously the major complaint is lack of a warning at thebeginning of the trip.