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I personally would add another one, though I know there are some who disagree with me.....zig-zag shifter-gates. Though they aren't necessarily a deal-breaker (I've owned both a Lexus IS300 and a Subaru Outback with them) I find them annoying compared to a simple fore/aft motion.
This one's easy--the "Automatic Sound Levelizer," or ALS.
On my 2010 RX450h it seemed to revert to "all bass, all the time" and I finally stopped trying to figure out why and just turned it off.
That, and the lack of warning or monitoring of the 12v battery, since it seems to be a "binary" issue: one minute there is enough juice to start the car, but drop down just a tiny bit and the car will refuse to start. It would have been so easy to put in a trickle charger coming from the giant battery pack, or at least a warning gauge or other indicator. This would be an issue only with the hybrid cars--a conventional engine start will usually give ample warning that the battery is getting weak. It's a bit like when we did the transition from analog to digital broadcast television. With analog, the image got noisier as you moved further away from the transmitter. With digital, it was either all there--or nothing at all.
My only real complaint with my GS is how the engine will turn off when I open the door after I started it remotely. Definitely my least favorite "feature".
Here are two things I do not particularly like in my 2015 ES:
The climate control buttons are too small and too similar. I have to take my eyes off the road for a moment too long to determine which button to press to turn on either the front or rear defrosters.
There are no places to store my sunglasses case nor my mobile phone while charging. This lack of small item storage space could be a deal killer when the lease on my ES ends.
In no particular order:
1. (IS/RCF): Cup Holder or visor clip to hold my sunglasses? Where's the sunglasses holder overhead?
2. (IS): weak heated seats MY '17 and '14 both weak
3. (IS/NX/RCF): partially heated steering wheel. Top and bottom not heated.
4. (NX): A few menu clicks needed to enable the windshield de-icer
5. All Lexus: Nav and other vehicle settings and configuration disabled when car in Drive.
The notification messages that come up when first starting the car, which end up completely obscuring the most important part of the backup camera field of view. Complete oversight.
1. Curated Content Editor posts written by people who clearly know nothing about Lexus.
1. Awkward cup holders
Somewhere between the early 1990s and 2000s, car manufacturers came to the conclusion that the more cup holders there are, the better it is for everyone. While there is definitely truth in regards to cup holder usability, sometimes they're unnecessary, awkwardly placed or just plain useless. The 2011 IS350 is a notable example, with one cup holder placed in between the driver and passenger seat. If your car is a manual, good luck shifting with anything larger than a can in there!
Luckily the 2011 Lexus IS was not available with a manual transmission, so discussing how the cupholder would work with a manual is rather pointless. Of course, they don't know that.
2. EnForm Infotainment System
Now don’t get me wrong, while the Enform system is wonderfully intuitive, it does still have quite a few annoying quirks. The system has had its fair share of usability failures, where an update can cause the entire system to brick and leave you without a radio. The navigational mousepad is also riddled with complaints, as it's hard to concentrate on the road while trying to swipe into the correct the icon and section. You can instead use the touchscreen interface and ignore the touchpad. Update failures can be reset by disconnecting the negative terminal on the battery.
The real problem here has more to do with Lexus’ choice in making this a subscription based feature as opposed to a one-off purchase–or even standard option. Especially considering BMW’s iDrive is currently offered as a standard option on all of its models. Long-term purchases seem to be a trend in the Lexus market.
This is just ridiculous. First of, Lexus never refers to it as the "EnForm Infotainment System". Enform (which is how its written) is Lexus's suite of apps, but the system is not referred to as Enform, and comparing it to iDrive and saying Enform is subscription based while "iDrive is standard" shows a total lack of knowledge about the product. Its like they're saying you need a subscription to use the remote touch controller. Ridiculous.
Then of course "its wonderfully intuitive" yet, here are all the things that make it unusable.
3. Unlit Temperature Control Buttons
No one likes jumbling their fingers across the center console in hopes of finding the right button. It's terribly distracting and just downright dangerous to do. Unfortunately, this is a common problem seen on the 2010 Lexus RX350s. The least that Lexus could have done is to make a tactile button that we could distinguish without having to look down all the time.
Again, no clue what they are talking about. The image they use is of the IS and RC temp controls, the 2010 Lexus RX has buttons totally unlike this, and they are in fact tactile buttons as the posts says it should have, and yes, they are backlit despite the fact that the author says they aren't.
Leave the Lexus vehicle content to those who actually know something about Lexus vehicles. This is content for the sake of having content, it has no value. Plenty of value here to not waste space with fluff like this.
01-06-17, 10:19 AM
Lexus Owners' 5 Least Favorite Features on Their Cars
