RX - 4th Gen (2016-2022) Discussion topics related to the 2016 and up RX350 and RX450h models

I am beginning to hate the Navigation in my 4RX (merged threads)

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Old 03-23-21, 11:54 PM
  #151  
gadgetman1
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I find all of this audio technology talk fascinating in that the RX didn’t even have Apple or Google compatibility until the last year or two. The navigation is WAY out of date when the car is delivered at the dealer with costly updates & Lexus can’t seem to master the ridiculous controllers, going from a mouse to a really horrid touch pad. This is like putting lipstick & makeup on a pig!
Old 03-24-21, 03:32 AM
  #152  
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Originally Posted by gadgetman1
I find all of this audio technology talk fascinating in that the RX didn’t even have Apple or Google compatibility until the last year or two. The navigation is WAY out of date when the car is delivered at the dealer with costly updates & Lexus can’t seem to master the ridiculous controllers, going from a mouse to a really horrid touch pad. This is like putting lipstick & makeup on a pig!
Navigation software is limited by the software supplier, it takes a long time to go from capturing the new road information to being actually in the car.
Old 03-24-21, 06:33 PM
  #153  
jollick
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I must say that I am very happy with the navigation in my 2020 RX450h.
Also the voice recognition has been greatly improved over my 2013 and 2015 ES cars. I seems to get what I want 100% of the time.
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Old 03-26-21, 08:56 AM
  #154  
larrytrk
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Originally Posted by dibl
Ha ha ha -- too funny! FYI, once upon a time there was something called a "road map", printed on folded paper, that you could buy in any gas station for about $1.50. People used to use those to drive to an unfamiliar location. There was no such thing as a map on a screen, nor any directions that you could look up.
loved that, l remember spending $1000 on one of the first GPS devices out there after renting a car in CA that had one.
I couldn’t do without it when I got home, subsequent versions dropped in price like the Garmin’s today.
I am going to install aftermarket CarPlay, in my 2017, using the phone isn’t cutting it any more.
Old 03-26-21, 08:59 AM
  #155  
toyotaman7
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Originally Posted by larrytrk
loved that, l remember spending $1000 on one of the first GPS devices out there after renting a car in CA that had one.
I couldn’t do without it when I got home, subsequent versions dropped in price like the Garmin’s today.
I am going to install aftermarket CarPlay, in my 2017, using the phone isn’t cutting it any more.

Which aftermarket are you going for? I've been watching the 2 optioned mentioned on these forums, but I'm still undecided.

Not inexpensive by any means though.



Old 03-28-21, 04:16 AM
  #156  
larrytrk
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Originally Posted by toyotaman7
Which aftermarket are you going for? I've been watching the 2 optioned mentioned on these forums, but I'm still undecided.

Not inexpensive by any means though.
lsailt, buy directly from them, cheaper. Wireless.
Old 03-28-21, 05:47 AM
  #157  
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Originally Posted by larrytrk
lsailt, buy directly from them, cheaper. Wireless.
Good luck with that. Their website is beyond horrible! From what I was able view, they are Android only. If they do Apple, I wouldn’t trust it, based on how terrible their website is. I can only imagine their telephone customer support if there’s a problem...
Old 04-07-21, 04:57 PM
  #158  
MrRuffles
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Default Improving 2020 RX Nav Directions

Mrs Ruffles’s 2020 RX navigation gives terrible directions. For example, rather than making a left at the light at our development’s entrance, it wants her to go straight into the development across the street, make a u-turn at its median, and then make a right turn. It’s crazy.

We always thought its directions were out of whack but have done some comparisons with Google Maps and Apple Maps to confirm. The Lexus nav always gives more convoluted and longer directions. On a recent trip, Lexus planned a 40 minute trip vs 30 minutes (and 8 miles shorter) compared to Google.

Is there anything that can be done to improve this semi-useless system?
Old 04-07-21, 05:10 PM
  #159  
pentaprism
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In-car navigation system is better only when there is no cell service, such as when I was in Three Rivers, CA (entrance to Sequoia National Park).

Note that navigation on Google Maps and Apple Maps is done not locally on your phone, but on big servers with large dataset and then sent to your phone. Lexus navigation is also done on a server, but it's nowhere as powerful as the ones used by Google or Apple.

I just came back from a (kind of) local trip for COVID vaccine. The vaccination site (Albany, CA, not a rural area) was not even in Lexus's navigation database.
Old 04-08-21, 07:45 AM
  #160  
MrRuffles
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Originally Posted by pentaprism
In-car navigation system is better only when there is no cell service, such as when I was in Three Rivers, CA (entrance to Sequoia National Park).

Note that navigation on Google Maps and Apple Maps is done not locally on your phone, but on big servers with large dataset and then sent to your phone. Lexus navigation is also done on a server, but it's nowhere as powerful as the ones used by Google or Apple.

.
But that doesn’t explain why Lexus Nav in 2021 is not only worse than Google and Apple but also not as good as standalone GPS units which store their maps and do all their route processing locally. Even compared to a 10-year old Garmin unit, Lexus doesn’t measure up.

It’s likely faulty or incomplete map data combined with badly constructed algorithms. Toyota may just be too cheap to license good map data and software - they know that people are going to buy their overpriced Nav systems without giving much thought to the underlying technology. (Either that or they have a highly inflated opinion of their own technology - hence their late adoption of CarPlay/Android Auto and thinking that a touchpad provides a safe and practical UI for a driver.)
Old 04-08-21, 08:15 AM
  #161  
artem123
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Originally Posted by MrRuffles
Mrs Ruffles’s 2020 RX navigation gives terrible directions. For example, rather than making a left at the light at our development’s entrance, it wants her to go straight into the development across the street, make a u-turn at its median, and then make a right turn. It’s crazy.

We always thought its directions were out of whack but have done some comparisons with Google Maps and Apple Maps to confirm. The Lexus nav always gives more convoluted and longer directions. On a recent trip, Lexus planned a 40 minute trip vs 30 minutes (and 8 miles shorter) compared to Google.

Is there anything that can be done to improve this semi-useless system?
Within the same development, literally 4 houses down to the left Lexy wants me to make the right turn, exit the complex and after 3.1 miles get to the house. I find it funny.

Last edited by artem123; 04-08-21 at 12:48 PM.
Old 04-08-21, 11:22 AM
  #162  
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I had the Lexus Nav in a 2016 RX, and wasn't a big fan. It was fairly useful only by convenience. When I did put in a destination it gave me route options to choose from. I then check how it's getting me there, and selected the route that made the most sense. Many times the first route wasn't the most direct route. I did pay to update the map after 2yrs, and it helped a little. I decided not to get the Nav in my 2020 RX and use my phone.
Old 04-08-21, 12:04 PM
  #163  
gadgetman1
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Originally Posted by MrRuffles
But that doesn’t explain why Lexus Nav in 2021 is not only worse than Google and Apple but also not as good as standalone GPS units which store their maps and do all their route processing locally. Even compared to a 10-year old Garmin unit, Lexus doesn’t measure up.

It’s likely faulty or incomplete map data combined with badly constructed algorithms. Toyota may just be too cheap to license good map data and software - they know that people are going to buy their overpriced Nav systems without giving much thought to the underlying technology. (Either that or they have a highly inflated opinion of their own technology - hence their late adoption of CarPlay/Android Auto and thinking that a touchpad provides a safe and practical UI for a driver.)
I certainly agree with all of that. I still have a Garman that I can use on my motorcycle. It’s way better than the Lexus software. One would think that if required to pay for updates, they would get the very finest information available, but it’s the opposite. That’s almost as bad as BMW charging customers for the interface to use Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. Toyota/Lexus refusal to beef up their tech is disappointing. Two things that have kept me from upgrading to the GX 460:
1) Terrible handling
2) Super outdated tech/controls
Old 04-08-21, 02:54 PM
  #164  
MrRuffles
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Originally Posted by artem123
Within the same development, literally 4 houses down to the left Lexy wants me to make the right turn, exit the complex and after 3.1 miles get to the house. I find it funny.
Funny at first but quickly turns frustrating.

I wonder how funny Lexus would find a claim under an implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose since this system isn’t fit for its particular purpose by any measure.
Old 04-08-21, 04:24 PM
  #165  
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Originally Posted by MrRuffles
Funny at first but quickly turns frustrating.

I wonder how funny Lexus would find a claim under an implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose since this system isn’t fit for its particular purpose by any measure.
It does the job! It may not do it via the quickest route but there it gets you. What would your claim be? Did not trace the route I wanted?


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