SatNav

[bluenose1940]

I put this in another section and whilst it's had a number of views there are no replies so I thought I would try it here.

Someone must have an answer I would have thought.

Is there much of a difference between Lexus Navigation and the Premium Navigation.  

Bearing in mind the many adverse comments on here about the SatNav in Lexus cars (along with the considerable cost of updating the maps) , if you were buying a car now and you wanted to stick with Lexus, would you buy with or without satNav  and make use of a standalone jobby? I know that some people use their phones very effectively.

Thank you.

[NemesisUK]

Any use?

http://blog.lexus.co.uk/lexus-navigation-system/

And an old thread from here

 

Personally I would always prefer OE integrated sat nav solutions. Cost difference is minimal and on a second hand car insignificant. The cost of map updates seems high as a one off purchase but spread over the service life of the mapping data it's again small.

[rayaans]

Oem every time. Hate the look of screen mounts and hate people who keep looking down to at their lap every 5 seconds for phone nav afree putting it in the centre console or lap. Should be done for using the phone whilst driving IMO.

As for the Lexus business nav, it seems like it's just an add on to the screen and isn't integrated well at all. 

[Ben1001]

I have the professional Nav and I find it dreadful, it's ETA is always off and it has let me down several times by routing me through roads I know are incorrect, to the point where it once reversed my route back to my starting point after a stop on my way back from a work trip.

i now use an Android tablet running Waze, it fits snugly where the screen is. I have found every function via the screen is available in the display/controls on the steering/speedo display so it is no inconvenience apart from blocking the display when the rear view camera is displayed.

Each to their own but this solution works for me.

[NemesisUK]

What's this 'Professional' nav option? I thought the OP was talking about the standard and Premium nav options?

5 minutes ago, Ben1001 said:

it's ETA is always off

You need to check the "Average Speed" settings in the Nav set-up menu

[peachy]

I'm not sure about my Lexus Sat nav 😕

I was at the safari park this weekend and it said bear left. It was clearly an elephant 🤣

 

[bluenose1940]

8 hours ago, peachy said:

I'm not sure about my Lexus Sat nav 😕

I was at the safari park this weekend and it said bear left. It was clearly an elephant 🤣

 

I just love this. Read it in bed at about 5.30 this morning and had a good chuckle.  Great way to start the day with a smile, thanks peachy. 

[route66]

I have a 2014 Lexus IS300H Executive. It has Sat Nav, but not the Premium version. I went on to the Lexus site - https://www.lexus-mapupdates.eu/ - and learned the following:

> I have "Lexus Navigation 13CY"

> My Map version is "02-34-02 (2013-10-2)"

> My software version is "VC18100A"

> Latest versions of the above are "02-37-51" and "VC18101B" respectively

 

It says that an update for my car is a dealer-only update.

 

Does anyone know if my "standard" Satnav (i.e. the one on the Executive) can be updated by the end user with a USB key? I have made contact with a guy on eBay who claims he can provide me with the necessary to update both my "Map version" and "Software version" to"02-37-51" and "VC18101B" respectively.

 

[sorcerer]

Stand-alone unit every time. I have a TomTom Live 1005 placed in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen - very unobtrusive but yet easy to see. I only use the inbuilt nav system as a sort of 'rolling screensaver' because it's very clunky and counter-intuitive to use. Ok, I know it's old and maybe newer ones are better, but I've yet to hear or see a car system that's as easy to use, as responsive and as cheap when purchasing up-to-date maps, as a stand-alone.

Someone has taken the time and trouble to collate all the LPG filling stations in the country and one simple download will get it in the correct format for use in TomToms, Garmins or almost any other flavour of stand-alone sat nav, to use as POIs. Is there such a thing for the Lexus in-built system (serious question, not trying to be flippant, I honestly don't know)? Or every Asda/Tesco or other supermarket?

There are POI files for almost anything you could want ( every Toby Carvery if you're that way inclined, or every B&Q for instance) that can be downloaded and used (free of charge) in any sat nav but will they work on factory-fitted systems?

And we haven't even mentioned cost. A full year of map updates (four per year IIRC) for my TomTom, covering the whole of Europe including the UK, is about £35-£40, as opposed to over £100 for an inbuilt update.

[Guest]

I agree with above. If I did lots of driving I'd use a standalone but I gave my Garmin to my daughter. Free lifetime updates. Use my phone in the runabout - built in one gets me where I'm going and when connected to phone gets live updates.

So I use the built in one for neatness. In terms of cost - lexus want 200 quid for updates but can buy sd cards off other sellers for 65 so if I do that once every couple of years not too bad.

I have a Garmin zumo on my bike and it deliberately chooses good riding/driving for fun roads, should stick that in the car really. You think 'why it is saying turn left here?' But then if you follow it you end up on some great scenic roads with no traffic.





Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

[wharfhouse]

I have just finished with 8 weeks in a Mercedes C200 Sport hire car whilst my Lexus IS 300h Executive was being repaired (bodywork after hitting a tyre shed off a lorry on the motorway) and so had an interesting comparison. Having read all the doom and gloom about Lexus nav, I was pleasantly surprised with the nav in the IS 300h Executive when I got it (the standard with the dial, not premium with the mouse) and now after having had the Merc for 8 weeks while mine was off the road I can say that the Lexus nav (at least the standard one) is a huge improvement on the one in the Merc. I also used Google maps for some time before I had my Lexus which always worked very well and so again had a benchmark for comparison there. In summary the Lexus nav is much, much faster at coming up with a route, rerouting etc. than the Merc and the routes the Lexus nav suggests correspond pretty much with Google maps (including taking into account traffic). The Merc directions were very different to Google and Lexus for the same route and for the worse. In the end while I had the Merc I used Google maps to check directions before setting off as they were so much better. I had done the same checks against Google maps in my Lexus when I first got it but found that the Lexus and Google directions were pretty much always the same so stopped using Google maps and was happy with the Lexus directions. In general operation I also found the Merc unit very laggy and incredibly slow and frustrating to use in comparison to the Lexus. I felt that after 8 weeks I was still struggling with the Merc system but was basically happy using the Lexus nav and had worked out most of what it did after my one day test drive before I bought the car!

I appreciate that these things can be quite subjective, but just wanted to add my thoughts as I was very surprised, given all the negative Lexus nav comments, just how good it is in a straight comparison with the Merc at least. Oh yes, and the Merc sounded like a tractor to drive with hard uncomfortable seats! So, so glad to sink into the comfort of the Lexus seats again and then enjoy the sereneness of my IS 300h.

 

 

[route66]

Anyone got any thoughts on my query, 4 posts above (extract):

Does anyone know if my "standard" Satnav (i.e. the one on the Executive) can be updated by the end user with a USB key?

I don't want to go out and buy the upgrade on eBay if it's not possible.

[rayaans]

On 11/28/2017 at 10:40 PM, Ben1001 said:

I have the professional Nav and I find it dreadful, it's ETA is always off and it has let me down several times by routing me through roads I know are incorrect, to the point where it once reversed my route back to my starting point after a stop on my way back from a work trip.

i now use an Android tablet running Waze, it fits snugly where the screen is. I have found every function via the screen is available in the display/controls on the steering/speedo display so it is no inconvenience apart from blocking the display when the rear view camera is displayed.

Each to their own but this solution works for me.

How did you manage to take a photo whilst driving and having the phone on the centre console.....

[Ben1001]

It's a dedicated tablet, not my Iphone - I wouldn't want all my alerts coming though plus no apple product fits in that gap as neatly as the Galaxy Tab.

[Martin F]

Nice evidence of using your phone whilst driving at 9mph. 

 

 

[Ben1001]

I'll await my 3 points and fine in the post with baited breath.

[Bluesman]

On 28/11/2017 at 10:40 PM, Ben1001 said:

I have the professional Nav and I find it dreadful, it's ETA is always off and it has let me down several times by routing me through roads I know are incorrect, to the point where it once reversed my route back to my starting point after a stop on my way back from a work trip.

i now use an Android tablet running Waze, it fits snugly where the screen is. I have found every function via the screen is available in the display/controls on the steering/speedo display so it is no inconvenience apart from blocking the display when the rear view camera is displayed.

Each to their own but this solution works for me.

Is this taken in Northern Hampshire. One of the gates to the Wellington Estate opposite the junction.

[rayaans]

17 hours ago, Ben1001 said:

I'll await my 3 points and fine in the post with baited breath.

Probably not the smartest idea to post it on the internet for all to see that's all

Im not an advocate to using the phone whilst driving either - seen plenty of what that can do - should be in your pocket ideally

[BigChange]

Needing satnav while in Africa I downloaded to my Android phone the app Here Wego.  An excellent choice –clear maps, no wifi or data usage necessary and clear spoken directions.  Back home in UK I thought I would use this app instead of Lexus satnav, which I find difficult to use.  Now the app’s map directions work fine but not the audio, spoken directions.  Map audio and (Bluetoothed) phone work fine together until I switch to radio for a few miles. If I then try to switch back to map audio, no sound emerges.  Radio and phone work fine at this stage but need to go visual with satnav.   The app works perfectly with Bluetooth disabled;  the change to radio while using the maps app seems to cut off the app’s Bluetooth connection.

Hope my explanation makes sense.  Has anyone any suggestions how to remedy this ?.

[Hadrian]

On 11/28/2017 at 10:40 PM, Ben1001 said:

I have the professional Nav and I find it dreadful, it's ETA is always off and it has let me down several times by routing me through roads I know are incorrect, to the point where it once reversed my route back to my starting point after a stop on my way back from a work trip.

i now use an Android tablet running Waze, it fits snugly where the screen is. I have found every function via the screen is available in the display/controls on the steering/speedo display so it is no inconvenience apart from blocking the display when the rear view camera is displayed.

Each to their own but this solution works for me.

 

 

I'm of a similar opinion. I believe a lot has been written about the lexus Sat-Nav. Personally I find it pretty awful  I would rather use my Garmin .

[200h]

On 09/12/2017 at 6:53 PM, Ben1001 said:

I'll await my 3 points and fine in the post with baited breath.

i'm sure your passenger in the back seat took the photo whilst you where travelling at 9mph

[Hadrian]

I have just bought myself a new Garmin Sat Nav with a 6,9" screen. So much easier to use than the built in one.

You don't need to go into a multi layered menu to be able to do anything.   Free updates too.

[bluenose1940]

11 hours ago, Hadrian said:

I have just bought myself a new Garmin Sat Nav with a 6,9" screen. So much easier to use than the built in one.

You don't need to go into a multi layered menu to be able to do anything.   Free updates too.

I have an old Garmin Nuvi 660 and it has been a very good buy, I might even consider buying another.  Which model did you buy Alan? 

[Hadrian]

12 hours ago, bluenose1940 said:

I have an old Garmin Nuvi 660 and it has been a very good buy, I might even consider buying another.  Which model did you buy Alan? 

It's the  GARMIN DriveSmart 61 LMT-D 6.95". Geoff..... It has speech recognition, but that is a bit hit and miss.

It's not cheap, but is the same size as the built in screen.  Updates are included, and it's easy to use.

[Hadrian]

Just to add. With the larger sized  screen, it's a question of where to put it.

I use my garmin on a "bean bag", and the only place to put it was in front of the display screen. This has obvious disadvantages.

It won't go on the dashboard, as it hits the windscreen (on is300). The only alternative being to fix it to the screen itself, which means having to

remove it whenever you park.  I shall be looking into this further.   I used it for the first time yesterday on a trip to Suffolk (from near Southend).

I know the different routes available, and it worked as expected.  Coming home though, it  tried to take me on some strange diversions. I think

I may need to check my preferences, as well as using less detail to reduce on screen clutter.