Sandman

I mentioned in my post about the GS ECT that I just took delivery of my 06 GS300. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning!

The Smart Access system is really cool! If you already have it on an LS the cool-factor may have worn off already, but for those (like me) who have not experienced it before, Lexus has done a bang-up job on this aspect of the car. Also, as Rockville and some others have mentioned, the lighting effects are really impressive with all of the white LEDs.

I think that both of these features come together at night. Having heard something about this I went out into my garage - the Smart Access Key Fob was in my pocket - It was night and I kept the lights off. As I got within 4-5 feet of the car the interior LEDs (Bluish White) came on along with the LEDs that illuminate down from the side mirrors. The car takes on a bluish-white aura that just looks too cool. If you reach out and touch the door handle - any handle - after about a half of a second that door unlocks. It actually detects the presence of your hand - and you need to at least have a few fingers on it to get it to work. (There is probably a capacitive sensor on each door handle and when you touch it you become part of a capacitor plate and the sensor can tell that you are there. Kind of like those lamps that dim when you touch them).

Is it just me or is this a neat touch?

Ps - one other comment about the interior lighting: as cool as it looks it isn't very bright inside as there is no real "dome light". The LED spots light up certain areas but otherwise it is pretty dark inside. Even with both front vanity mirror lights on it isn't the normal kind of lighting you get with a dome lamp. With that said, who cares! The white LEDs look awesome!

frebay

i totally agree, add in w/ the push button start...totally cool...

one thing i don't like is that let's say 2 people walk up to the car, you have to either 1) reach into your pocket and press unlock or 2) push the unlock button in the car or 3) program the locks to always unlock all the doors. wish there was a way to detect someone at the other door and unlock.

AlphaJZS

iTrader: (2)

with that being said....what if an attacker was creeping up on the passenger side and the passenger door detected and unlocked the door for him?

psteng19

What if you come near the car with the key fob but have no intention of getting in?
I assume it will still light up.

Sandman

PandaGS430, Frebay: I was thinking about the issue that both of you have brought up. I wish that there was an easy way to control whether just the driver's door or whether both front doors unlocked - each time depending upon the situation. I too was concerned about the safety situation, but (hopefully) 99.9999% of the time you will just want to open the doors for you and your passenger.

I wonder if there is some way of making this more workable??? Like maybe setting the default to opening all of the locks but in a "safety concern" situation you can use the fob to only unlock the driver's door????

spwolf

actually thats an big plus for me... I was concerned about that, great thinking Lexus!!!

NeverSatisfied

My dealer had one (whoa) on the lot; a red 300 RWD; got to see the features and I must say that the SmartAccess and push start/stop is WAY cool! Touch the door handle, it opens. Step on the brake, press the button & release, and the steering wheel comes down and the engine starts quickly. Impressive!!

As far as the funds go, I think I need to wait for the new IS...

Sandman

I hear that the new IS will be a killer car. I think that all of the new Lexus sedans and going to have similar styling cues and look to be cut from the same cloth. If you don't need the extra room of the GS for family or business the IS will probably be an even better enthusiast's car.

I have not kept up with any of the other forums on this site. If there are any good links that show real spy photos of the IS I'd appreciate being directed to those. I have seen what Edmunds is showing and don't know if that is the actual car or not.

Sandman

Yes Lexus always thinks about security. I don't know of any other make that provides knee airbags for example.

As for the Smart Access System, I guess it is time I got out the Owner's Manual and start reading. I wonder how many interesting things I will find??? I hope there is a way to deal with the need to open both front doors without doing what Frebay described.

Rockville

Try locking your key fob in the car Sandman. You can't. Try tossing it in the trunk and close it with the doors locked. It will open. Have you gotten used to the timing of the unlocking? If you don't rush it will open at a natural pace. Now as Frebay described, you can reprogram it to open both of the doors on one side when you touch either handle. Lastly, you can program all four to open when you touch any door. Let me describe a few scenarios when you might want to change it. If you are going on a date or with you spouse it might be chivalrous to open her door first and walk around the car and get in. If you plan on going out with the crew or another couple then you might want to reprogram it for the evening to unlock all doors on one touch. If you like to carry a briefcase or valise and like to put that in the backseat then put the Fob in the case. You can program it to open both the doors on one side and as you open the back door to put in your jacket and valise, you shut the door and get in the driver's door and put your foot on the brake and push the magic button. Voila! The other doors on the opposite door are still secured.
On the subject of the lights inside, have you tried the maplights? They're pretty bright to me and there are two of them which you can add to the triad of pencil beam spotlights. The hidden spotlight on the steering wheel is my personal favorite. It is kind of cocktail lounge lighting. Have you looked into the Bluetooth phone feature yet? I'm not a phonafile like many of my customers but some phones are more compatible then others. BTW, if you ever walk away from the car and it starts beeping you have left something undone. The car might be running or unlocked....

Sandman

Hey there Dr. Rockville. I tried what you said about leaving the key fob in the car/trunk. Absolutely amazing. Just about idiot proof! (Very good for me!). Yes, I learned early on about the "natural pace" you mention. If you run up and grap the handle and pull real fast you will be ahead of the system and the door wont unlock until after you pull. As you mention if you put your hand on the handle and allow about a half of a second the door will faithfully unlock. You do need to put several fingers on it or it takes a bit longer (or won't recognize your have it at all). I mentioned on another thread (can't remember which one at this hour) the way this RFID technology works. Well I will need to go back to that and make some corrections and additions. This system does use a battery-assist for the scatter-back transmission and therefore the battery in the fob does matter. (In my other post I assumed that the system was purely passive - and I'm pretty sure now that I was wrong about that.) But even with the battery dead you can get the engine to start by holding the fob about a half inch away from the start button. In this situation you are not using the battery-assist but pure passive RFID (a very weak one I might add). And you do need the mechanical key to get in the door if the battery craps-out.

I took my own advice and RTFM tonight. The Owner's Manual is a toe-breaker - don't drop it! And it is pretty aparent that someone whose first language was Japanese wrote the sucker. Especially the section about how to operate the Smart Access System. Hope no one has a brain hemorage trying to understand what they are saying! (I nearly did and I have read some pulpy stuff in my years). It is really cool how you can change the behavior of which doors open with the electronic key. Too complex to repeat here, but basically just hold a few buttons on the fob for 5 seconds and you toggle to the next combo (driver only, 1 side only, 1 door only, all doors). The Multi Display Thingy (can't remember the proper name) even tells you what mode you have just selected - so you don't have to remember the beep codes. I like the scenarios you mention. I find that on different days different scenarios apply and it would be very easy to change between the options if you cared to.

And here is some good news! Should make Frebay and PandaGS430 happy: there is a way to handle both security and opening multiple doors. Now maybe this isn't perfect but here is what I tried. Set the system to always open all doors no matter which handle you touch. Assuming that you frequent mostly safe areas this method will take care of 99.99999% of the times you get in the car. So when you touch the driver's door handle all doors unlock and all passengers can get in. Now if you are alone at night and there are suspicious characters lurking about, as you near your car just push the unlock button on the fob just once - this opens only the drivers door and disables the Smart Access settings for that opening. So you can open the driver's door safely and the other doors stay locked!! (What do you think?).

Sandman

The lighting is amazing on this car. I keep finding more LEDs hidden about. Yes the Maplights - I think they are labeled "spot" will light up a piece of paper in your hands pretty well. But kind of like the lights on an airplane they are very directional and once you get outside the cone of light it isn't as effective. But then again, who cares? They look so cool. Tonight I just found the LED that lights up the steering wheel. And of the 3 center LEDs I thought that one must have been defective because when you open the doors only 2 illuminate. That is because the 3rd is directed at the trans shift **** and it is only on when the car is on. So all is working fine.

I'm probably destined for a cellular-phone- induced brain tumor as I use my cell phone about 3000 minutes each month! But for some reason I have not purchased a BT enabled phone yet. Maybe soon. I understand that you have to carefully select a phone for compatibility.

Ya, this car beeps alot (LOL)!

pelucidor

I test drove a $53k BMW 530i (no NAV or CD changer or anything else) and mentioned to the sales guy how it seemed a bit pricey for the minimal content. He said 'but look at the safety - which other car has a knee airbag?'. My response was 'a $16k Scion tC and most Lexii...'.

Had a brief drive in the GS300 last week - much better than the old model. Enough performance for me at my advanced years (and I didn't even use PWR mode) and the interior was simple, uncluttered and gorgeous. A big to Lexus for this vehicle - perhaps it is time to move back to the fold after a brief affair with Infiniti (G35) and Acura (MDX) - I used to have an IS300 and an RX300 which I loved. Still need to test MB E350, A6 3.2 and of course M35/M45.

Sandman

Hey thanks for the info, I wasn't aware that knee airbags were on the 530. I guess that would be reasonable to expect on a $53k car. Now, to have one on the $16k Scion - that is pretty impressive.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the GS300! Yes, enough performance for me too. Age has a way of mellowing one and making you appreciate the big picture.

LexFather

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