How do I cancel route guidance and other frustrations?

Sloth · May 17, 2019

Hi, although I've not yet received my ES300h I am currently in a courtesy car from Lexus (UX F Sport with Takumi pack)

I am finding the infotainment/Nav interface anything but intuitive and very frustrating to use. I'm sure i will eventually get used to it but there are some basic functions that do not seem apparent to me.

Firstly, can anyone please tell me how I cancel current route guidance without deleting the destination from the 'recent' list? I may want to use that destination again so don't want to completely delete it from the list, just stop current guidance?

Secondly, there are times when I select 'media' on my music options and despite playing an online podcast all I get is the songs on my iPhone's iTunes library.

I have a real faff trying to get it to play the podcast and not a song from my iTunes.

I seem to have to go into settings, Bluetooth and select Iphone (which is already set anyway) and if I'm really lucky it will then play the podcast.

Other times not so lucky and I give up and listen to the radio.

This is very frustrating and distracting, especially when driving.

My last car (Mercedes C300h AMG Line with Premium Plus pack) was very simple and intuitive and played the most recently selected source from the device in question i.e. podcast or iTunes, whichever was the last one selected to play on the device.

Also route guidance had the expected and (to me) obvious shortcuts such as 'cancel route guidance' and 'resume guidance' without having to mess about in menu settings, it was all on the 'route' tab as options and didn't involve mucking about in the menu system....whilst driving!

Finally, there doesn't seem to be the obvious shortcut buttons such as 'phone' or 'sync' (for climate) on the dash? There are shortcut buttons to 'radio' and 'Nav/Map' but not for 'phone'. So I have to yet again dive into the main screen to select 'phone' when a simple shortcut button alongside the 'Radio' and 'Map' buttons would make more sense?

When I do have phone selected on the right hand (split screen) section, I cannot get it to display 'recent' or 'directory' or even the keypad' just a silly 'favourites' screen which does nothing and I don't want or need? I can find no way to change that default view when using the small right hand section of the split screen.

I appreciate that practice will make this a little easier but I'm usually pretty good at sussing these things out so unless I'm really missing something here this system is counter intuitive and fiddly and so far I don't like it at all and have spent a lot of time shouting and swearing at the screen in frustration!

Can you help?

P.S. The good news is that due to a delay they have upgraded my incoming ES F Sport with Tech pack to the F Sport with Takumi pack at no extra cost! 👍

DanD · May 17, 2019

To cancel current route guidance, go to the satnav menu (bottom of the satnav screen), select ROUTE, then DELETE. It will delete the current guidance, but the destination will be kept in your list of previous destinations.

can't help with the other query as I have an Android, rather than IOS phone.

I agree, the Lexus system is not the most intuitive, but you do get used to it.

Sloth · May 17, 2019

Thanks Dan for clearing that part up.

I had actually found that route (pardon the pun) but was wary as the word 'delete' LED me to think it would not be saved under 'recent destinations' what with it being 'deleted' and all!

As I said it's not intuitive is it.

Is there an option (that doesn't involve 36 sub-menu selections) to 'pause/resume' route as well or is that asking too much from them?

Cheers

Sloth · May 17, 2019

Anyone got any advice on the media and phone issues?

Sloth · May 17, 2019

Oh, and can I enter a postcode destination via voice control or do I have to do it via the menu and do it manually?

In fact, can i create customised shortcuts such as 'Enter Post Code' if one doesn't exist?

Sloth · May 17, 2019

.....soooo it seems I can't call a number from my contacts list whilst driving?.......that's essentail for my job....hmmmmm I'm beginning to wonder if an order cancellation is in order here....

I can't pull over every time I want to call someone.

Thackeray · May 17, 2019

57 minutes ago, Sloth said:

it seems I can't call a number from my contacts list whilst driving

On the IS300h the voice recognition for calling contacts works well for me. I expect the ES300h would use a similar system but it seems from an online manual you should be able to do more with the ES300h system than on the IS300h - selecting music tracks for example. I have no idea how effective this is but making a phone call by pressing the steering wheel voice recognition button and then saying the name (which has previously been recorded) works well. Here's the manual I was looking at for the ES300h.

DanD · May 17, 2019

Pause/Resume:
Go to the same menu and select "suspend guidance"

Yes, you can call numbers from your contact list. Press phone button on steering wheel. Select "contacts" button on right hand of the screen, then follow prompts.

Hope the above is correct as I'm going by my 2016 NX from memory. I don't think the set up has changed much since.

Might be worth checking the manual.

dutchie01 · May 17, 2019

Check the manual?? Been some time since i last saw it but i can remember there was a separate book for the satnav only. Was this some 300 pages? Could be 400 not sure..

If you have to study a manual the size of a phonebook to operate a satnav there must be something seriously wrong here.

I always found the infotainment system of Lexus THE weakest link of the entire car and that was in 2015 when i got mine ( the IS250 2nd gen was ok as the touchscreen was more or less on par with the competition of 10 years ago). However the IS300H system drove me crazy. Counterintuitive, labyrinthal submenus, impossible to operate while driving, graphics from first gen pacman and utterly unreliable in what it needs to do bring you from A to B. It frequently told me to leave the highway only to enter it immediately again.

To me it is a total mystery that such a system is found in a Lexus, any Lexus. Any cheap runabout nowadays is better has apple carplay let alone the luxury competition with digital dashboards.

Maybe it is better for the nerve to just accept and ignore the state of things and use your phone or buy the cheapest tomtom. Works fine and one can operate it without a 5 year study of Japanese IT.

fetchez la vache · May 18, 2019

22 hours ago, Sloth said:

.....soooo it seems I can't call a number from my contacts list whilst driving?.......that's essentail for my job....hmmmmm I'm beginning to wonder if an order cancellation is in order here....

I can't pull over every time I want to call someone.

Chap, you can definitely dial a contact while on the move, interestingly you can also receive texts which the car will read out for you. Maybe Pop into a dealer and ask them to go through the system, it’s certainly not perfect but it’s more than usuable.

Sloth · May 20, 2019

Hi, yes I have since managed to use voice control to call contacts but I still can't find how to do it via the menu (whilst driving)?

Sloth · May 20, 2019

My main gripe is that I cant just enter a quick destination by postcode?

Am I missing something?

My colleagues have various cars and their system lets them enter a postcode via voice control or from the first Nav menu screen (i.e. without several 'clicks' to get them to that point).

Is there a voice control command to enter postcode?

DanD · May 20, 2019

1 hour ago, Sloth said:

My main gripe is that I cant just enter a quick destination by postcode?

Am I missing something?

My colleagues have various cars and their system lets them enter a postcode via voice control or from the first Nav menu screen (i.e. without several 'clicks' to get them to that point).

Is there a voice control command to enter postcode?

Yes you are. Sounds to me like you need a trip to the dealers - as suggested above - and get them to guide you through the system, or spend some time playing around.

When on the DESTINATION screen, go to the second page, you should find an option to enter a full postcode.

The Lexus system is not the most intuitive, or the graphics the most attractive, but at the end of the day it does pretty much all you expect it to do. However, as with any other new appliance or gadget, you need to invest a bit of time to explore it.

Sloth · May 20, 2019

19 minutes ago, DanD said:

Yes you are. Sounds to me like you need a trip to the dealers - as suggested above - and get them to guide you through the system, or spend some time playing around.

When on the DESTINATION screen, go to the second page, you should find an option to enter a full postcode.

The Lexus system is not the most intuitive, or the graphics the most attractive, but at the end of the day it does pretty much all you expect it to do. However, as with any other new appliance or gadget, you need to invest a bit of time to explore it.

Thanks, I'm sure you're right and I will be getting a run through from the dealer and I'm sure it will become easier with practice.

I now appreciate I can enter a post code through the main menu but is there not a voice command option for a post code entry?

There are many voice commands listed but some of the ones most of us would think obvious inclusions are not included...such as "Enter Post Code"?

Most other systems seem to have this option, including my colleagues Skoda Octavia.

Habu · May 20, 2019

“Enter Postcode” works in my 2018 NX. It offers you a few lines of postcode in case it misheard you but yours is usually line 1. You then say “line 1” and off you go.

Gary T · May 22, 2019

On 5/20/2019 at 7:25 PM, Habu said:

“Enter Postcode” works in my 2018 NX. It offers you a few lines of postcode in case it misheard you but yours is usually line 1. You then say “line 1” and off you go.

UX is the same so I would guess it also applies to the ES.

Sloth · May 25, 2019

Another note, can you customise your screens?

For e.g. Can I have average mpg AND miles in tank on the same screen on the dash speedo display?

Also, I have now tried (in a courtesy car, UX F Sport/Takumi Pack) saying the magic words "Enter Post Code" and it worked!!!

It seems the word "Enter" was key as I was previously just saying "Post Code".

I still maintain the system is a little counter intuitive but as I'm getting used to it it's becoming a little less frustrating.

The other day I tried to use voice command to enter a town and street "Derby, Sir Frank Whittle Way" and it just wouldn't accept it and kept cancelling itself.

I tried several times, carefully modulating my voice but to no avail. I even tried using "Road" instead of "Way" but no joy.

I then entered it via the main screen manually and yes it was there, so why didn't it recognise the same address via voice command?...weird.

Overall though I am fairly happy and don't feel these issues warrant a re-think of my order.

They've now upgraded me to a F Sport with Takumi pack without extra charge for the delay in my delivery (late June) and are keeping me in a courtesy car until then.