data2009

I got my RX 5 months ago. I still get XM channels and weather updates. No traffic updates, I think. All 'real-time' updates are a joke. The most use of weather updates I have is annoying orange icon in top left corner showing me flood or heavy rain warnings 100-200 miles away. Very useful.

After a couple of failed attempts to listen to any of XM stations, the only channel that I find I can listen for a whole 20-30 minutes is a Comedy channel, and even then, 90% of the jokes are as flat as the paper they were written on.

You would not pay me to listen to XM radio...

Hal56

The live traffic is incredible--it reroutes you before the traffic backs up.

DOUS

On the same note, how do you activate the weather/traffic info? Do I have to ask Lexus to activate it?

I have a few Satellite stations that I can listen to, but there's no weather info from the nav menu. Should I be calling to have this activated?

Hal56

I have the live traffic on my BMW--it came activated and I have not changed the settings. it is interesting when on the highway in city and it tells you to get off the highway and take another route.

it tells me when there is a traffic back up several miles ahead and how many miles the backup is and how long extra it will take to get past the slowdown

I really like how the nav calculates the arrival time to destination.

I turned off the sound so if I am in an unfamiliar location I do have to watch the screen a bit more to make the right turns.

data2009

Wow, maybe in AZ, traffic updates are actually live?

Here is from my trip today on one of the major highways in NYC area (495 Long Island Expressway):

Entered a LI dealer destination approx 33 miles away.

10 minutes into driving, orange icon popups up (turns out traffic updates still work, if you call that working), and informs me 16 miles up ahead on my route slow traffic 1 miles long. I am doing 60-70 mph on a highway, with light traffic. Getting close to merge to LI 495. No traffic. Orange icon repeats, 2 miles ahead slow traffic 2 miles long. In a few minutes, another update - 2 miles ahead slow traffic 1 mile long. I am already on LI 495, so I proceed. Speed is about 60 mph, still no sign of heavy traffic (its about 9:30 am, morning rush hour). Orange icon disappears after a few miles. No traffic anywhere. Averaged my best 25.9 mpg.

About 2 hours later, I head back home. This time, I know I might hit some traffic, as I am now going with the main traffic towards NYC. Again, orange icon appears - 4 miles ahead heavy traffic, 3 miles long. I continue driving. No traffic, average again 60 mpg. All the way home.

What use do I have for XM Traffic updates?

Now, every time the icon pops up and the voice starts talking about heavy traffic up ahead, I always remember a trip to Germany and a BMW with live traffic updates system (no maps, just arrows, and voice directions). That thing was so precise over 3 countries, it was like this: Going over 100 mph, I see about 600-700 feet up ahead everyone starts flashing blinkers (to signal road conjestion), and in exact same moment navi says an accident is up ahead, x miles long, would you like to re-route? I do, and at the nearest exit, we end up on an empty stretch of a highway that takes us to where we are headed without traffic. Now, this I understand and call a live traffic update.

Driving through NYC daily, I listen to local radio traffic updates, and they are almost always outdated as well. I think they all read from the same RSS feeds. Its like stock quotes from Yahoo! and other sites that are at least 20 minutes delayed. 20-minute delay is not what I call a live traffic update.

rxets

data2009, I found Google map traffic and Yahoo map traffic are more accurate than XM NaviTraffic...

data2009

I typically trust my own judgement. Going 5 times/week over the same routes, I can tell well in advance if there is a road conjestion up ahead by simply timing the traffic.

4482

I called the XM phone number listed in the owners manual to activate. They had me go to an XM channel and leave it on that channel for 15 minutes. They took my name and address etc. while on the phone. It appeared I was getting a few XM channels, but not all until I called them.

I love the elevator music on Ch-28...

rxets

This is all dealer's fault. They should activate all of these on the very same day you picked up your car.

Stormforge

canadian XM trial period is 6 months.

kitlz

Stormforge, glad you found something US buyers don't get

Bottom line, is XM really worth it? This will be my first car with it. The traffic reports sound iffy. Weather, well, I check the forecast online or on TV.

DOUS

Guess I should call XM or Lexus to get this activated so I can take advantage of the free 6 months!

Traffic reports are iffy depending on where you are I guess. Since I'll be using this feature when driving to Toronto, I guess the updates will be more robust than out in the suburbs where I live. Then again I have been wrong on many occasions.

As for weather, well, even weather channels are constantly wrong, my iPhone is occasionally wrong. Fact is, mother nature is iffy in itself.

Stormforge

your lexus dealership should have activated XM for you before you took delivery

yanje03

XM is totally over priced. if $5 per month for all three I might consider it.

for radio, the sound quality is real bad. dont real need push that button.
for traffic, sometime accurate sometime not and wont give u signal when you are out of town and real want to use it.
for weather, ok to have but not real useful.

rxets

For sound quality, I believe my 12-speaker audio system sucks and it makes XM worse. IMO.