New GS300h owner - couple of questions

[diarmaid]

I have a couple of question re my new GS300h - would be very grateful for any help!

1. How do you mute the navigation voice guidance?

2. If you're listening to music and the nav voice guidance is on, is there a setting that mutes the music so that you can hear the guidance?

3. If you're on a phonecall and the nav voice guidance is on, is there a setting that stops her giving guidance while you're on the phone?

 

Many thanks.

[rayaans]

19 minutes ago, diarmaid said:

I have a couple of question re my new GS300h - would be very grateful for any help!

1. How do you mute the navigation voice guidance?

2. If you're listening to music and the nav voice guidance is on, is there a setting that mutes the music so that you can hear the guidance?

3. If you're on a phonecall and the nav voice guidance is on, is there a setting that stops her giving guidance while you're on the phone?

 

Many thanks.

1) Yes it can be muted. Go on setup > Navigation and it should be there

2) No, the music won't mute or quieten when the voice guidance is being played.

3) No setting for that either

[keiron99]

I've had a 2014 GS300h for a couple of months and been trying to figure out how to lower the stereo volume while the nav voice is speaking. I didn't ask the question here because I felt so stupid. Now, I find out that it's the sat nav that's stupid!

Why on earth does it not have this feature, and why do they not do something about it?  There are so many little things about the "infotainment" that irritate the hell out of me and could easily be fixed with a software update.

[Zotto]

At last service with my GS 300h I asked about the long awaited firmware update and they told me it's coming for end 2016...  Not so sure but let's hope.

[keiron99]

12 hours ago, Zotto said:

At last service with my GS 300h I asked about the long awaited firmware update and they told me it's coming for end 2016...  Not so sure but let's hope.

Do you know what the update might include?

[Zotto]

My question was about premium navi with hdd and connected services.

[diarmaid]

On 18/11/2016 at 5:11 PM, rayaans said:

 

 

On 18/11/2016 at 5:11 PM, rayaans said:

1) Yes it can be muted. Go on setup > Navigation and it should be there

2) No, the music won't mute or quieten when the voice guidance is being played.

3) No setting for that either

Thank you. Coming from a Merc, I have to say there is a certain lack of logic to the Lexus set-up. Maybe the Germans just pay more heed to the small details.

[ColinBarber]

15 hours ago, diarmaid said:

 

Thank you. Coming from a Merc, I have to say there is a certain lack of logic to the Lexus set-up. Maybe the Germans just pay more heed to the small details.

No they really don't, which is why dashboards on UK German vehicles are just a compromised left hand drive design, but in this particular instance I don't know why it doesn't drop the volume. Lexus vehicles were doing that as far back as 1997, but this latest system doesn't :(

[TonyPoll]

After 6 weeks the one feature I would like is to be able to switch between Eco and Sport mode with the paddles.

I drive around in Eco mode most of the time, as it suits my driving style. However, when entering roundabouts or leaving junctions I switch to Sport mode, as sometime you need to move off rapidly, and Eco mode doesn't lend itself to that. Having to move my hands off the wheel and turn the Eco/Normal/Sport dial is not great ergonomics. It would be so much better if, when in Drive mode, I could simply change from Eco to Sport, and back, using the paddles behind the wheel.

[Zotto]

I "never" use paddles in normal driving, may be you could try keeping normal mode, to have a good responsiveness you need.

[rayaans]

On 23/11/2016 at 10:11 PM, TonyPoll said:

After 6 weeks the one feature I would like is to be able to switch between Eco and Sport mode with the paddles.

I drive around in Eco mode most of the time, as it suits my driving style. However, when entering roundabouts or leaving junctions I switch to Sport mode, as sometime you need to move off rapidly, and Eco mode doesn't lend itself to that. Having to move my hands off the wheel and turn the Eco/Normal/Sport dial is not great ergonomics. It would be so much better if, when in Drive mode, I could simply change from Eco to Sport, and back, using the paddles behind the wheel.

The Eco mode is generally rubbish and completely ruins the vehicle with no significant gain - may as well keep it in normal mode.

[Ten Ninety]

On 11/25/2016 at 0:27 PM, rayaans said:

The Eco mode is generally rubbish and completely ruins the vehicle with no significant gain - may as well keep it in normal mode.

It probably is rubbish for most people but there are actually significant gains to be found in eco mode - they just relate to a particular set of driver priorities that may be uncommon for GS owners or, perhaps, Lexus owners in general. Eco mode's most useful function, other than making the car slightly easier to drive smoothly, is that it allows much greater precision over when the hybrid drivetrain switches modes, when used in conjunction with the HUD throttle position display or power meter. In particular, finding the 'sweet spot' for freewheeling is much easier in eco mode than it is in the other modes, as is maintaining EV propulsion without inadvertently engaging the ICE. 

Chasing that kind of maximum efficiency is almost certainly something in which many drivers will have little interest but for those who are, Eco mode is genuinely useful. Whether it should be the default mode on the GS, however, is perhaps a different matter.

On 11/23/2016 at 10:11 PM, TonyPoll said:

After 6 weeks the one feature I would like is to be able to switch between Eco and Sport mode with the paddles.

I drive around in Eco mode most of the time, as it suits my driving style. However, when entering roundabouts or leaving junctions I switch to Sport mode, as sometime you need to move off rapidly, and Eco mode doesn't lend itself to that. Having to move my hands off the wheel and turn the Eco/Normal/Sport dial is not great ergonomics. It would be so much better if, when in Drive mode, I could simply change from Eco to Sport, and back, using the paddles behind the wheel.

After six months I can now - ahem - get my fingers around the knob without looking... but your suggestion is still a good one, given how unsatisfying the paddles are as a means of artificially changing 'gear'.

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, Ten Ninety said:

It probably is rubbish for most people but there are actually significant gains to be found in eco mode - they just relate to a particular set of driver priorities that may be uncommon for GS owners or, perhaps, Lexus owners in general. Eco mode's most useful function, other than making the car slightly easier to drive smoothly, is that it allows much greater precision over when the hybrid drivetrain switches modes, when used in conjunction with the HUD throttle position display or power meter. In particular, finding the 'sweet spot' for freewheeling is much easier in eco mode than it is in the other modes, as is maintaining EV propulsion without inadvertently engaging the ICE. 

Chasing that kind of maximum efficiency is almost certainly something in which many drivers will have little interest but for those who are, Eco mode is genuinely useful. Whether it should be the default mode on the GS, however, is perhaps a different matter.

After six months I can now - ahem - get my fingers around the knob without looking... but your suggestion is still a good one, given how unsatisfying the paddles are as a means of artificially changing 'gear'.

But here is the issue, chasing maximum efficiency in ECO mode will be offset by flooring it using Sport mode to get out at junctions anyway.

Another possibility is to hit the - paddle to force the car to rev higher and then put your foot down, although this wont help at all when fully stopped.

[speedfreek]

Personally I don't know why they bothered with the paddles anyway.  When you move it into sequential mode, the difference between each 'gear' is noticeable, significantly so if you knock it down a couple.  The paddles on the other hand, utterly useless.  

I'm in ECO mode all the time as I particularly like how smooth it is and how it restrains my monumentally heavy right foot - the savings I've made going from an IS250 manual to a GS300h auto have been drastic, and that is in part due to ECO mode moderating my driving.

Unlike my friends BMW which also has different driving modes, it's refreshing to see the Lexus modes actually translate to real world performance - ECO to normal is a bit more pep in it's step and ECO/Normal to Sport is drastic.