As ffpower said, having a controller is not an issue, but the TYPE of controller that Benz and BMW use *IS* the issue. No current Nav controller has been, or is as intuitive and easy to use as a touchscreen. This Remote Touch controller is as intuitive and simple as it gets without actually touching the screen.

Yes, the LS has a big manual, and your point is? Having a big manual has nothing to do with ease of use in terms of the interior, and the vehicle's features and functions. You don't need to read the manual in order to access and operate most of the options and features on the LS. The reason is because everything is simple and intuitive. That is one thing that is so amazing about the LS if you think about it; despite ALL the technology it has, everything is intuitive, simple and easy to use.

You don't need to dig through layers of menus to change the A/C settings or radio/audio system settings.

Even with this Remote Touch controller, the new RX still has a bunch of redundant buttons for often-used functions and features. So even IF people aren't sure how to use or aren't comfortable with the Remote Touch, most of the features they need to use often have redundant buttons. Plus to add to that, the Nav has casual language voice recognition which I'm sure means that many common features and options can then be accessed simply by voice command.

I respect the amount of customization the I-Drive and COMMAND systems provide, but they are by no means intuitive or easy to use systems. ONCE you get used to them they are easy, but it takes a while to get used to them.

 

I had a chance to try out the system at the LA Auto Show press day this past Wednesday. If you're familiar with using the current Gen 5 Lexus nav, the Remote Touch and Gen 6 will be very familiar in navigation, and a breeze to operate. Yes, the controller is like a mouse and you can control the sensitivity of the controller. Unlike I-Drive and such, you're not limited to just turning, toggling and pushing the control ****. An improved voice recognition will be the key for this nav system. You'll basically be talking to your Nav versus pointing and clicking your options. So far I like it!

 

 

very good info and pics there ryan. did they have the voice recognition setup then? i wonder how much of an improvement it is. as we know, the current one is blah at best

 

nice! so do you have to align the pointer directly on the letters of the keyboard to select it? i feel it might be hard to get it exactly on the letter you want while driving...

 

No it wasn't setup. But talking to some of the technical guys there from their initial impressions, the system is supposed to recognize your speech better, and work intuitively similar to the auto text feature in many systems. I see this system to be very promising.

 

You do, anywhere in that button. The control of the pointer takes getting used to but is very easy to navigate like a regular computer mouse. As far as entering destinations while driving...i was told it will be similar to what we currently have now.

 

hahhaaa ok, so i guess lockout will still be there

 

Just an FYI. I don't think people realize how easy the newer BMW iDrive system is to operate. If the 745i never existed, we wouldn't be so ill-informed in regards to the new system. It's easy. Very easy - to do anything. We can't seem to shake the past with certain things. iDrive is one of them. It's not complicated.

 

Soon we're going to need a co-pilot in our cars

 

hit and miss i can tell you. i spent quite some time in bmw playing with idrive. it's "doable", but i wouldn't say it's easy. at least i think touch screen is a lot easier. often times when using idrive my problem is i don't know where things are "going" when i turn the ****

 

There's an on screen pointer? There's no need! You should just move to cycle through the available selections.

 

But the lockout's a killer...

 

ummm, it depends. without the cursor (similar to how bmw and mb are done now), sometimes i find it out to see where i am at actually. of course it depends on screen color contrast and such, but for now bmw and mb have me confused sometimes. and a little cursor doesn't really hurt, as long as it only appears when you are using the system. they can easily make it disappear after a few seconds of idle

yes, no doubt

 

But to this point, it's completely unrelated to whether the system is touch screen controlled, or mouse controlled. Lexus easily could have included in the "Info" screen icons to adjust LPS settings, and other things, so you don't have to go to the dealer--they just chose not to. For all the things GM is getting blasted for, they include a **** on the dash to adjust the auto headlight sensitivity--it's not even part of the nav.