ES 350 First impressions and question
08-22-16, 06:18 AM
#1
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
ES 350 First impressions and question
Hello Lexonians,
This car is great ! However, a few questions and comments.
- Does it seem like these cars are all to 'low to the ground'? Every time I pull out of a parking lot, if there's even the tiniest incline, it'll scrape, unless I remember to slow it all the way down to 0. Why do they have to make all new cars so low? My previous car was an Accord Coupe, and I swear this car is even lower than that one.
- What package do you need to get the adaptive cruise control? Mine has cruise control, but I don't think it's adaptive. You have to hit 'cancel' then
'resume' to get it back if a car slows down in front of you.
- That voice recognition with the Nav is only of limited use. It simply doesn't understand me, or does something totally off the wall. Only thing I've
found that works well is using it with Directory Assist. You can then save 'Mark' the location for future reference. I do however, like the feature that
lets you automatically avoid busy traffic areas. That's truly been of great help on the highways around Philadelphia, PA area.
- So far the two most useful/practical things for me: The little lights on the mirror that light up when someone's in your blind spot (excellent, now I find I couldn't go without it), and the Pedestrian alert feature when backing up (some dude walked up on me from the right as I was backing out of a parking lot. There were cars parked to the right of me, and he came up suddenly. I was so glad for the warning, allowed me plenty of time to hit the brakes)
John Loftus
-
This car is great ! However, a few questions and comments.
- Does it seem like these cars are all to 'low to the ground'? Every time I pull out of a parking lot, if there's even the tiniest incline, it'll scrape, unless I remember to slow it all the way down to 0. Why do they have to make all new cars so low? My previous car was an Accord Coupe, and I swear this car is even lower than that one.
- What package do you need to get the adaptive cruise control? Mine has cruise control, but I don't think it's adaptive. You have to hit 'cancel' then
'resume' to get it back if a car slows down in front of you.
- That voice recognition with the Nav is only of limited use. It simply doesn't understand me, or does something totally off the wall. Only thing I've
found that works well is using it with Directory Assist. You can then save 'Mark' the location for future reference. I do however, like the feature that
lets you automatically avoid busy traffic areas. That's truly been of great help on the highways around Philadelphia, PA area.
- So far the two most useful/practical things for me: The little lights on the mirror that light up when someone's in your blind spot (excellent, now I find I couldn't go without it), and the Pedestrian alert feature when backing up (some dude walked up on me from the right as I was backing out of a parking lot. There were cars parked to the right of me, and he came up suddenly. I was so glad for the warning, allowed me plenty of time to hit the brakes)
John Loftus
-
08-22-16, 07:46 AM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
Originally Posted by jloftus
Hello Lexonians,
This car is great ! However, a few questions and comments.
- Does it seem like these cars are all to 'low to the ground'? Every time I pull out of a parking lot, if there's even the tiniest incline, it'll scrape, unless I remember to slow it all the way down to 0. Why do they have to make all new cars so low? My previous car was an Accord Coupe, and I swear this car is even lower than that one.
- What package do you need to get the adaptive cruise control? Mine has cruise control, but I don't think it's adaptive. You have to hit 'cancel' then
'resume' to get it back if a car slows down in front of you.
- That voice recognition with the Nav is only of limited use. It simply doesn't understand me, or does something totally off the wall. Only thing I've
found that works well is using it with Directory Assist. You can then save 'Mark' the location for future reference. I do however, like the feature that
lets you automatically avoid busy traffic areas. That's truly been of great help on the highways around Philadelphia, PA area.
- So far the two most useful/practical things for me: The little lights on the mirror that light up when someone's in your blind spot (excellent, now I find I couldn't go without it), and the Pedestrian alert feature when backing up (some dude walked up on me from the right as I was backing out of a parking lot. There were cars parked to the right of me, and he came up suddenly. I was so glad for the warning, allowed me plenty of time to hit the brakes)
John Loftus
-
This car is great ! However, a few questions and comments.
- Does it seem like these cars are all to 'low to the ground'? Every time I pull out of a parking lot, if there's even the tiniest incline, it'll scrape, unless I remember to slow it all the way down to 0. Why do they have to make all new cars so low? My previous car was an Accord Coupe, and I swear this car is even lower than that one.
- What package do you need to get the adaptive cruise control? Mine has cruise control, but I don't think it's adaptive. You have to hit 'cancel' then
'resume' to get it back if a car slows down in front of you.
- That voice recognition with the Nav is only of limited use. It simply doesn't understand me, or does something totally off the wall. Only thing I've
found that works well is using it with Directory Assist. You can then save 'Mark' the location for future reference. I do however, like the feature that
lets you automatically avoid busy traffic areas. That's truly been of great help on the highways around Philadelphia, PA area.
- So far the two most useful/practical things for me: The little lights on the mirror that light up when someone's in your blind spot (excellent, now I find I couldn't go without it), and the Pedestrian alert feature when backing up (some dude walked up on me from the right as I was backing out of a parking lot. There were cars parked to the right of me, and he came up suddenly. I was so glad for the warning, allowed me plenty of time to hit the brakes)
John Loftus
-
08-22-16, 08:17 AM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
Originally Posted by jloftus
Sounds like a good idea. If you happen to be going fast, who knows what you're hitting under there? ;-/
09-21-16, 10:07 AM
#5
Intermediate
The Adaptive Cruise Control is part of the Lexus Safety System Plus Package.
The reason you are hitting isn't so much that it is lower,(it my be a small amount) but that the front sticks out further ahead of the wheels. The whole air dam system in the front help improve gas mileage but makes dips more challenging. Take them at an angle when ever possible.
The reason you are hitting isn't so much that it is lower,(it my be a small amount) but that the front sticks out further ahead of the wheels. The whole air dam system in the front help improve gas mileage but makes dips more challenging. Take them at an angle when ever possible.
09-21-16, 10:14 AM
#6
Hi, and welcome! I'll put my comments after your questions:
- Does it seem like these cars are all to 'low to the ground'? Every time I pull out of a parking lot, if there's even the tiniest incline, it'll scrape, unless I remember to slow it all the way down to 0. Why do they have to make all new cars so low? My previous car was an Accord Coupe, and I swear this car is even lower than that one. - I agree, I think they are lower, at least compared to my 2005 ES. Not sure how much of this may be due to larger wheel sizes. Also as someone mentioned, may relate to how much car is forward of the wheels.
- What package do you need to get the adaptive cruise control? Mine has cruise control, but I don't think it's adaptive. You have to hit 'cancel' then
'resume' to get it back if a car slows down in front of you. - It does not come with any particular package like "premium, luxury" - you would have had to get the "lexus safety system plus". If you have adaptive, you have an extra button on the right lower part of steering wheel to adjust the adaptive. You would also have the large black radar unit between your rearview mirror and the glass of windshield which is used for the DRCC and pre collision system. I love the adaptive cruise control! My only wish - that it still ran below 20MPH, like the Tesla one can. Sounds like you are stuck for now - will have to do it the manual way by adjusting your speed up and down using the manual speed adjust.
- That voice recognition with the Nav is only of limited use. It simply doesn't understand me, or does something totally off the wall. Only thing I've
found that works well is using it with Directory Assist. You can then save 'Mark' the location for future reference. I do however, like the feature that
lets you automatically avoid busy traffic areas. That's truly been of great help on the highways around Philadelphia, PA area. - yes voice recognition is not great. Look in the setup menu - there is an option to "train" the voice recognition. Not sure how much the training helps, but worth a try. I did.
- So far the two most useful/practical things for me: The little lights on the mirror that light up when someone's in your blind spot (excellent, now I find I couldn't go without it), and the Pedestrian alert feature when backing up (some dude walked up on me from the right as I was backing out of a parking lot. There were cars parked to the right of me, and he came up suddenly. I was so glad for the warning, allowed me plenty of time to hit the brakes) - AGREE!
- Does it seem like these cars are all to 'low to the ground'? Every time I pull out of a parking lot, if there's even the tiniest incline, it'll scrape, unless I remember to slow it all the way down to 0. Why do they have to make all new cars so low? My previous car was an Accord Coupe, and I swear this car is even lower than that one. - I agree, I think they are lower, at least compared to my 2005 ES. Not sure how much of this may be due to larger wheel sizes. Also as someone mentioned, may relate to how much car is forward of the wheels.
- What package do you need to get the adaptive cruise control? Mine has cruise control, but I don't think it's adaptive. You have to hit 'cancel' then
'resume' to get it back if a car slows down in front of you. - It does not come with any particular package like "premium, luxury" - you would have had to get the "lexus safety system plus". If you have adaptive, you have an extra button on the right lower part of steering wheel to adjust the adaptive. You would also have the large black radar unit between your rearview mirror and the glass of windshield which is used for the DRCC and pre collision system. I love the adaptive cruise control! My only wish - that it still ran below 20MPH, like the Tesla one can. Sounds like you are stuck for now - will have to do it the manual way by adjusting your speed up and down using the manual speed adjust.
- That voice recognition with the Nav is only of limited use. It simply doesn't understand me, or does something totally off the wall. Only thing I've
found that works well is using it with Directory Assist. You can then save 'Mark' the location for future reference. I do however, like the feature that
lets you automatically avoid busy traffic areas. That's truly been of great help on the highways around Philadelphia, PA area. - yes voice recognition is not great. Look in the setup menu - there is an option to "train" the voice recognition. Not sure how much the training helps, but worth a try. I did.
- So far the two most useful/practical things for me: The little lights on the mirror that light up when someone's in your blind spot (excellent, now I find I couldn't go without it), and the Pedestrian alert feature when backing up (some dude walked up on me from the right as I was backing out of a parking lot. There were cars parked to the right of me, and he came up suddenly. I was so glad for the warning, allowed me plenty of time to hit the brakes) - AGREE!
Hello Lexonians,
This car is great ! However, a few questions and comments.
- Does it seem like these cars are all to 'low to the ground'? Every time I pull out of a parking lot, if there's even the tiniest incline, it'll scrape, unless I remember to slow it all the way down to 0. Why do they have to make all new cars so low? My previous car was an Accord Coupe, and I swear this car is even lower than that one.
- What package do you need to get the adaptive cruise control? Mine has cruise control, but I don't think it's adaptive. You have to hit 'cancel' then
'resume' to get it back if a car slows down in front of you.
- That voice recognition with the Nav is only of limited use. It simply doesn't understand me, or does something totally off the wall. Only thing I've
found that works well is using it with Directory Assist. You can then save 'Mark' the location for future reference. I do however, like the feature that
lets you automatically avoid busy traffic areas. That's truly been of great help on the highways around Philadelphia, PA area.
- So far the two most useful/practical things for me: The little lights on the mirror that light up when someone's in your blind spot (excellent, now I find I couldn't go without it), and the Pedestrian alert feature when backing up (some dude walked up on me from the right as I was backing out of a parking lot. There were cars parked to the right of me, and he came up suddenly. I was so glad for the warning, allowed me plenty of time to hit the brakes)
John Loftus
-
This car is great ! However, a few questions and comments.
- Does it seem like these cars are all to 'low to the ground'? Every time I pull out of a parking lot, if there's even the tiniest incline, it'll scrape, unless I remember to slow it all the way down to 0. Why do they have to make all new cars so low? My previous car was an Accord Coupe, and I swear this car is even lower than that one.
- What package do you need to get the adaptive cruise control? Mine has cruise control, but I don't think it's adaptive. You have to hit 'cancel' then
'resume' to get it back if a car slows down in front of you.
- That voice recognition with the Nav is only of limited use. It simply doesn't understand me, or does something totally off the wall. Only thing I've
found that works well is using it with Directory Assist. You can then save 'Mark' the location for future reference. I do however, like the feature that
lets you automatically avoid busy traffic areas. That's truly been of great help on the highways around Philadelphia, PA area.
- So far the two most useful/practical things for me: The little lights on the mirror that light up when someone's in your blind spot (excellent, now I find I couldn't go without it), and the Pedestrian alert feature when backing up (some dude walked up on me from the right as I was backing out of a parking lot. There were cars parked to the right of me, and he came up suddenly. I was so glad for the warning, allowed me plenty of time to hit the brakes)
John Loftus
-
09-21-16, 10:48 AM
#7
Lead Lap
Over a year ago, the destination assist became available as part of the (free) Enform App Suite. Before that, I found that the voice recognition of the built-in navigation system was mostly worthless and that directions to destinations were not always the best. Since the destination assist became part of the Enform App Suite, I've found that the navigation system and voice recognition have become much more useful and much more user-friendly.
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09-21-16, 12:42 PM
#8
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Bostonsnow and Latchy, yeh I should have gotten the 'Lexus Safety Systems plus' feature. Hindsight is 20-20. I'll have to live with the old fashioned
cruise control for now. BTW, I always have to remind myself to turn Cruise Control 'on' before clicking down for 'Set'. I keep thinking you can
just 'set' it immediately, maybe cause that's how some older cars seemed to work. Plus, it seems like if you 'Cancel' it when coming up on a
car, and then start accelerating, it feels like there's some drag there, until you actually turn CC 'off'. Maybe I'm imagining it.
Lesz, I use Destination Assist, but I don't know if I even have used the 'Enform App Suite'. I just call DA using Voice Recognition via the Navigation
menu, and some (real) lady comes on and asks me where I want to go.
cruise control for now. BTW, I always have to remind myself to turn Cruise Control 'on' before clicking down for 'Set'. I keep thinking you can
just 'set' it immediately, maybe cause that's how some older cars seemed to work. Plus, it seems like if you 'Cancel' it when coming up on a
car, and then start accelerating, it feels like there's some drag there, until you actually turn CC 'off'. Maybe I'm imagining it.
Lesz, I use Destination Assist, but I don't know if I even have used the 'Enform App Suite'. I just call DA using Voice Recognition via the Navigation
menu, and some (real) lady comes on and asks me where I want to go.
09-21-16, 01:04 PM
#9
Lead Lap
That is not what I'm talking about. If you go to the menu on your car and click on Apps, you can go to the Enform App Suite, and one of the available apps is the Destination Assist. If you open that app, you can use it with voice commands to find destinations and set those destinations into the car's navigation system. As I said in my earlier post, the app works much better with voice commands than does the navigation system itself, and it uses a more updated data base than the data base in the car itself. To use the app, you need to have it installed on your cell phone and you need to have the phone turned on and connected to the car.
09-21-16, 01:27 PM
#11
Lexus App Suite is available in both iPhones and Android models, download and "Sign In" including VIN of the car.
Cruise control trick, pull the stalk toward the steering wheel while cruising and it will coast without flashing the brake
lights. Raise the stalk to resume.
Cruise control trick, pull the stalk toward the steering wheel while cruising and it will coast without flashing the brake
lights. Raise the stalk to resume.
09-21-16, 01:35 PM
#12
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
The salesman told me he thought the iphones work better with the ES 350. So I've been waiting til I get an iphone.
OK, I guess you mean to Cancel CC. It's still a pain to use on busy highways. I find often I set it to a speed, and that's just when some
dude will slow down to 50 ahead of me. I have to brake, pass, hit Resume, etc. Then I'm in the left lane and it's set on 70, and a pile
of people in the left lane who want to do like 90 come bearing down on me. So I Cancel it to accelerate, go to the right lane, let the
speed demons pass me, then try to reset CC again.....
OK, I guess you mean to Cancel CC. It's still a pain to use on busy highways. I find often I set it to a speed, and that's just when some
dude will slow down to 50 ahead of me. I have to brake, pass, hit Resume, etc. Then I'm in the left lane and it's set on 70, and a pile
of people in the left lane who want to do like 90 come bearing down on me. So I Cancel it to accelerate, go to the right lane, let the
speed demons pass me, then try to reset CC again.....
09-21-16, 01:46 PM
#14
Lead Lap
I think that may just be salesperson bull. I've been using my Android phone with the ES for 3 years. They work together seamlessly, and there have been some posts on this board in which people have talked about issues when using iPhones with the ES.
09-21-16, 06:42 PM
#15
Lead Lap
Android phone OS works perfectly for the last 4 years...