Navigation

[Roger K]

Hi from a new member. I'm considering the purchase of a new ES 350. Was looking at used AWD's also and have not made a decision yet. The awd's we drove both had navigation in them and it was nice. I was wondering if in a new purchase if the navigation is worth the cost ???? And, what other functions of the car are linked through the navigation. I do know about the back-up camera feature. I've never had a car with the on-board navigaion unit but do like what I see. How often do they need to be updated ???? What does it cost to have it updated ????

Thanks all in advance.

Roger from sunny NJ

[K.C. Dia]

The blue tooth phone system, the sound system and the climate control all work through the navigation screen. For a discussion of Garmin vs Lexus, go to my April 4, 2010 post now found on page 6 of this board. After ten months of living with the Lexus Navigation system, my opinion of it has softened somewhat. It's nice to have everything built in and no wires showing that go to the cigarette lighter. If you can afford it, it is probably worth it. I especially like the bluetooth feature and the back up camera.

[Roger K]

The blue tooth phone system, the sound system and the climate control all work through the navigation screen. For a discussion of Garmin vs Lexus, go to my April 4, 2010 post now found on page 6 of this board. After ten months of living with the Lexus Navigation system, my opinion of it has softened somewhat. It's nice to have everything built in and no wires showing that go to the cigarette lighter. If you can afford it, it is probably worth it. I especially like the bluetooth feature and the back up camera.

It's too bad that a company that can build a car as nice at they can will fall short with the navigation unit. I have a Tom-Tom and find it very good. Not perfect but amazingly reliable. I also like the idea of not having wires hanging all over. Still undecided and will have to think on it. I've driven big trucks and had backup cameras on them but the car I test drove was the first time. I liked that also. So we'll have to see. They're offering 1.9% financing until 5 Oct. So if I want to take advantage of that I have to make a decision very soon.

Thanks for the input.

Roger in NJ

[Navsafe]

The blue tooth phone system, the sound system and the climate control all work through the navigation screen. For a discussion of Garmin vs Lexus, go to my April 4, 2010 post now found on page 6 of this board. After ten months of living with the Lexus Navigation system, my opinion of it has softened somewhat. It's nice to have everything built in and no wires showing that go to the cigarette lighter. If you can afford it, it is probably worth it. I especially like the bluetooth feature and the back up camera.

It's too bad that a company that can build a car as nice at they can will fall short with the navigation unit. I have a Tom-Tom and find it very good. Not perfect but amazingly reliable. I also like the idea of not having wires hanging all over. Still undecided and will have to think on it. I've driven big trucks and had backup cameras on them but the car I test drove was the first time. I liked that also. So we'll have to see. They're offering 1.9% financing until 5 Oct. So if I want to take advantage of that I have to make a decision very soon.

Thanks for the input.

Roger in NJ

[Navsafe]

Any decision made to preserve the navigation system is a waste. The Lexus ES-350 navigation system in my opinion is poorly designed and highly ineffective. A 250.00 Garmin system can beat it hands down. i asked about the NAV system when I bought the car and was told, "it's a Lexus". If I follow that logic after what I know about the NAV system I would have a poor opinion of this car. However, I like the car. My two biggest gripes are the poor interior lighting especially on the upper console and the worthless NAV system.

Navsafe

[pj8708]

Here we go again. This now what seems to be a needless back and forth over the Lexus nav and the "$150" Garmin, which I now see is a "$250" Garmin. I have a Garmin. I have a voice activated Garmin. The point is not whether the Garmin is better than the Lexus nav, or that the Lexus nav is better than the Garmin. The point is does the Lexus nav meet your needs, including all the other features mentioned in your other thread Roger K. If not, don't buy it. If you choose the Garmin only, you'll get a good nav system. Period.

If you want to continue with your Garmin vs. Lexus nav I suggest you do a search on this forum.

Paul

[bearone]

Hi,

I have the NAV. back-up camera, and bluetooth on my ES350 true the NAV. system does leave somethig to be desired but in my opinion it is still worth it. Good luck!!!

[SW03ES]

The two are different. The Garmin is more "user friendly", but the OEM Nav has the benefit of being built in, having a nice big screen, the backup camera, the phone integration, the menus for all the vehicle options being right there. I have a Garmin too that I use in rental cars and such when traveling, I personally would never even consider buying a Lexus and sticking that ugly Garmin up on the windshield.

Very happy with the Lexus nav, have been for going on 8 years.

[Roger K]

Thanks to all. I do appreciate your experience and input. I too appreciate the built-in features the factory units offer. I have been using a plug in Tom-Tom for a few years and like it and find it reasonably accurate. I hate to stick it in the window and have cables hanging all around. But I have lived with so far. The large screen of the factory unit is very nice. The backup camera is a nice and useful feature too. It seems that the built-in units have also faired well over the years because I see some of you have had them for years. That speaks a lot to me of their reliability. I think if I go for the new Lexus I will go in for the navigation also. Although I have been reading some not so positive remarks I have not seen any real negatives.

Bye-the-way, can any of you tell me if the new Lexus radios are I-Pod friendly ???? I don't remember seeing any input jack when I was looking around.

Thank you all. Your experience and comments are priceless.

Roger

[LEXIRX330]

Here we go again. This now what seems to be a needless back and forth over the Lexus nav and the "$150" Garmin, which I now see is a "$250" Garmin. I have a Garmin. I have a voice activated Garmin. The point is not whether the Garmin is better than the Lexus nav, or that the Lexus nav is better than the Garmin. The point is does the Lexus nav meet your needs, including all the other features mentioned in your other thread Roger K. If not, don't buy it. If you choose the Garmin only, you'll get a good nav system. Period.

If you want to continue with your Garmin vs. Lexus nav I suggest you do a search on this forum.

Paul

:) ;)

Kind of feel this way too...."my $150.00 garmin is so much better than the nav system in the Lexus that cost so much more"...well then keep your Garmin and buy a Lexus without the Nav.

The nav system in my old 04 rx was fine, the one in my 10 gx is a great deal better. I would not buy a new car without the nav in it. It is your personal preference though.

[LEXIRX330]

Yes they have a USB hookup. I use my iPhone all of the time to play music! I think you will be happy with the new nav systems.

[K.C. Dia]

You may want to check out this Lexus site which shows the coverage of the Lexus navigation system. http://www.lexusnavigation.com/map.php. Once you click on a coverage area, the shaded area show where turn by turn navigation is available. In the lighter area, turn by turn navigation may not be available, despite the fact that the roads and street show up on the navigation screen. If you live in map US8, which includes New Jersey, turn by turn coverage is very good. If you live in the boonies in Mississippi as I do which is Map US7, turn by turn coverage in Mississippi and Tennessee is somewhat limited. Since I travel extensively in those States on back roads and small towns, I use a Garmin Vista HCX for backup which will get me to my destinations when the Lexus Navigation system does not provide turn by turn navigation. The HCX is a small handheld unit designed for hiking, but it will navigate although the screen is pretty small. Where you live probably influences your opinion on the Lexus system as coverage varies dramatically from State to State.

[K.C. Dia]

You may want to check out this Lexus site which shows the coverage of the Lexus navigation system. http://www.lexusnavigation.com/map.php. Once you click on a coverage area, the shaded area show where turn by turn navigation is available. In the lighter area, turn by turn navigation may not be available, despite the fact that the roads and street show up on the navigation screen. If you live in map US8, which includes New Jersey, turn by turn coverage is very good. If you live in the boonies in Mississippi as I do which is Map US7, turn by turn coverage in Mississippi and Tennessee is somewhat limited. Since I travel extensively in those States on back roads and small towns, I use a Garmin Vista HCX for backup which will get me to my destinations when the Lexus Navigation system does not provide turn by turn navigation. The HCX is a small handheld unit designed for hiking, but it will navigate although the screen is pretty small. Where you live probably influences your opinion on the e Lexus system as coverage varies dramatically from State to State.

For some reason, I can't get post on the website show up properly. It is www.lexusnavigation.com/map.php. It is leaving out the "gat" on the web address. What am I doing wrong?

[K.C. Dia]

You may want to check out this Lexus site which shows the coverage of the Lexus navigation system. http://www.lexusnavigation.com/map.php. Once you click on a coverage area, the shaded area show where turn by turn navigation is available. In the lighter area, turn by turn navigation may not be available, despite the fact that the roads and street show up on the navigation screen. If you live in map US8, which includes New Jersey, turn by turn coverage is very good. If you live in the boonies in Mississippi as I do which is Map US7, turn by turn coverage in Mississippi and Tennessee is somewhat limited. Since I travel extensively in those States on back roads and small towns, I use a Garmin Vista HCX for backup which will get me to my destinations when the Lexus Navigation system does not provide turn by turn navigation. The HCX is a small handheld unit designed for hiking, but it will navigate although the screen is pretty small. Where you live probably influences your opinion on the e Lexus system as coverage varies dramatically from State to State.

For some reason, I can't get post on the website show up properly. It is www.lexusnavigation.com/map.php. It is leaving out the "gat" on the web address. What am I doing wrong?

Ok, I may have figured it out. Go to http://www.lexusnavigation.com/index.php and then click on "Map Coverage". Sorry.

[pj8708]

You may want to check out this Lexus site which shows the coverage of the Lexus navigation system. http://www.lexusnavigation.com/map.php. Once you click on a coverage area, the shaded area show where turn by turn navigation is available. In the lighter area, turn by turn navigation may not be available, despite the fact that the roads and street show up on the navigation screen. If you live in map US8, which includes New Jersey, turn by turn coverage is very good. If you live in the boonies in Mississippi as I do which is Map US7, turn by turn coverage in Mississippi and Tennessee is somewhat limited. Since I travel extensively in those States on back roads and small towns, I use a Garmin Vista HCX for backup which will get me to my destinations when the Lexus Navigation system does not provide turn by turn navigation. The HCX is a small handheld unit designed for hiking, but it will navigate although the screen is pretty small. Where you live probably influences your opinion on the e Lexus system as coverage varies dramatically from State to State.

For some reason, I can't get post on the website show up properly. It is www.lexusnavigation.com/map.php. It is leaving out the "gat" on the web address. What am I doing wrong?

Ok, I may have figured it out. Go to http://www.lexusnavigation.com/index.php and then click on "Map Coverage". Sorry.

Pretty neat. It sure varies by population of area. Since all GPS services use the same geo-sync satellite system, I assume the coverage is the same for all non military providers. Thanks for the information.

Paul

[K.C. Dia]

Pretty neat. It sure varies by population of area. Since all GPS services use the same geo-sync satellite system, I assume the coverage is the same for all non military providers. Thanks for the information.

Paul

Yeah, I noticed the variation by population also. If you lived in Wyoming, you would really be out of luck, and I don't think that there is a dealer there either. Nevertheless, people still travel there and could benefit from full coverage. I was surprised that Texas and Oklahoma didn't fare much better than Mississippi in terms of turn by turn navigation coverage. At least there is no bias against us on the part of Lexus.

[wmkim]

Thanks to all. I do appreciate your experience and input. I too appreciate the built-in features the factory units offer. I have been using a plug in Tom-Tom for a few years and like it and find it reasonably accurate. I hate to stick it in the window and have cables hanging all around. But I have lived with so far. The large screen of the factory unit is very nice. The backup camera is a nice and useful feature too. It seems that the built-in units have also faired well over the years because I see some of you have had them for years. That speaks a lot to me of their reliability. I think if I go for the new Lexus I will go in for the navigation also. Although I have been reading some not so positive remarks I have not seen any real negatives.

Bye-the-way, can any of you tell me if the new Lexus radios are I-Pod friendly ???? I don't remember seeing any input jack when I was looking around.

Thank you all. Your experience and comments are priceless.

Roger

The Nav does everything I need for it to do; the integration w/ the XM Radio for Traffic/Weather is a nice feature also (though I didn't get it since my commute is so short, I don't really need it). I haven't used the Lexus telematics service yet (not much need for it) either; though I can see how it could be helpful when traveling to unfamiliar cities, etc... as for the iPod...I love that I can use either Bluetooth or the USB connector w/ my iPhone 4. Like other iPod interfaces, the iPhone pops up a message saying the device isn't compatible...but just touch "ok" on the iPhone screen...and the feature still works.

[bainzey]

I have a Garmin too that I use in rental cars and such when traveling, I personally would never even consider buying a Lexus and sticking that ugly Garmin up on the windshield.

Couldn't have said it better than that my self. That is really what it boils down to. And of course $$$... but if the $$$ are not to big an issue, then its a no brainer...

OEM and a Hand held... LOL

[Navsafe]

Don't want to beat a dead horse but my point is that Lexus should incorporate a premier NAV package that compliments their premier brand badge. Future Lexus buyers deserve a better navigating system then the one now available. My next Lexus will be minus the Nav and I will have one installed by a top rated installer.

Just my 2cents.

[SW03ES]

I don't see whats so bad about the current system. Its very similar to the systems in other vehicles in the same class...

[K.C. Dia]

I don't see whats so bad about the current system. Its very similar to the systems in other vehicles in the same class...

it's not that the Lexus Navi System is bad, it's just that it could be a lot better, especially for a vehicle that strives for perfection. The list of things that a Garmin can do that the Lexus can't do is well documented. For example, I can't understand why the Lexus Navi System can't offer turn by turn navigation when both the street or highway and the POI are both visible on the screen, but yet the Lexus can't take you there.

[pj8708]

I think this is a dead horse. It is just one of those things that can be debated forever, and there is no right or wrong answer, just opinion. How about moving on to something more easily solved like..... world peace!LOL

Paul

[SW03ES]

it's not that the Lexus Navi System is bad, it's just that it could be a lot better, especially for a vehicle that strives for perfection. The list of things that a Garmin can do that the Lexus can't do is well documented. For example, I can't understand why the Lexus Navi System can't offer turn by turn navigation when both the street or highway and the POI are both visible on the screen, but yet the Lexus can't take you there.

In my location I just never come across that problem.

You can't compare it to the Garmin really, Garmin is in the business of just designing navigation systems...Lexus' system is designed alongside the other electronics in the vehicle, its all done on a overall budget. Garmin's GPS R&D is much more vast than Toyotas, because Garmin is selling much more GPS units and thats the sole focus of their R&D efforts. You need to compare the Lexus system to the systems offered by other carmakers as built-in. Its pretty comparable. The data all comes from the same source too...so if you have a navigation routing issue in the Lexus...you likely will in an Acura, a BMW, etc as well.

For 95% of the motoring public, the system is excellent. For GPS aficionados and those who are used to systems developed by stand alone GPS manufacturers like Garmin or TomTom, not so much.

Think about it this way, compare an old Motorola Q to a Blackberry. Blackberry had perfected the smart phone circa the mid 2000s. The Q by comparison was clunky and poorly designed. Why? Because all of Blackberry's R&D went into designing the Blackberry, when only a small portion of Motorola's did.

Now Motorola is using the Android platform so they don't really have that issue.

Eventually car companies will start contracting with Garmin and TomTom to produce their systems I have a feeling...

[RBT75]

If you are in NJ you can get a real nice price on the 2010. 3k manufac to dealer credit! Pays for NAVI. Use website zag.com (very intuitive)

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