Remote touch is fine. Personally, I prefer the joystick/mouse-style to the trackpad-style RTI because I find that road imperfections cause me to unintentionally move or click more easily in the track pad version. That being said, I've only used it in loaner vehicles - my IS has the joystick. So maybe I need more time to get used to it. I had a rental Camry recently and had to use its touch screen. I didn't like it because any random movement, such as one caused by a bump in the road, could make me fail to press the button I was trying to press. Not only that, I had to lean slightly forward to reach the topmost part of the screen. Kind of annoying at worst, but I still prefer using something like RTI.

What baffles me is that many car companies continue to produce interface systems that are widely panned, and criticized as being distracted. The engineers and developers clearly don't have lay people test them out; and then when the products hit the real world, there is just little movement in improvement.

The heated seats--I just don't get it. Lots of other car companies have buried the heated seats in the infotainment system for years, and get roasted every time. But other companies keep following this model.

BMW was the first to get flamed with iDrive--but, to their credit, they've worked it out, and it's really intuitive now.

It's disappointing that Lexus doesn't really care enough to get their systems back to being user-friendly.

I also don't understand why anybody would want to turn off the air conditioning. Its an automatic system, just set the temp and forget it. Turning off the system makes it humid and muggy in the car.

Interesting comments. Well said.

depends where you live. I have my fan on always when im in the car but have the air conditioning compressor off unless its a hot day. And even then, do I turn off the compressor 10 minutes before arrival to dry the vents. Doesn't make sense to use more gas when you don't need it.

As for RTI, it won't matter as much when we start having semi autonomous vehicles, though the Lexus system isn't that great.

Touchscreens are nothing but cost saving measures cause it's hell a lot easier to drop in the panel than make knobs and switches. That's why they are coming back big time.

To me touchpad/mmi gives you the ability to stack screen up high right within the road height and muscle memory in your resting hand comes in play then. Touchscreen requires you to lift your hand and hunt pixels.

General problem with Lexus touchpad is static sensitivity, in other words touchpad doesn't correct your finger movement when car is moving nor it takes into considerations road imperfections.

The Enform trackpad in the 18' RC is the first system I've owned. First car with a monitor in it. So, small sample size.
I like the track pad and Enform. Made sense to me from day 1. Would do it again.
I don't understand the bitter hatred it seems to generate for some people. I respect other people's experience, I just don't relate with it.

I don't like the floating turtle things as much that some of the cars have. I don't know why that would be better than a common trackpad that works on devices everywhere.

I strongly dislike the touch screens on some of the rental cars I've been in. They tend to be too far away, always greasy, and lots of glare.

I haven't used any of the other systems people say they like. They may be better, don't know.

I like reviews from experts, but I take it all with a grain of salt. Different people value different things. I like my RC because I can comfortably take 1k mile trips in comfort with good performance. Reviewers that pan it for not being yet another BMW/AMG clone want different things than I do. They aren't wrong, just value different.
Hollywood continues to make massive $$ on movies the critics review poorly.
Sometimes reviewers are right, sometimes they aren't in touch with the everyday person.

I haven't looked a the market/research data to get an idea if people like the trackpad or not. I've definitely heard the noisy critics and posters that don't like it. They may be totally right, and Lexus may be messing this up. I'd like to see some research data though before saying Lexus is totally buggering this up. Are they really loosing sales over this? Not mine.

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Modern AC units use almost no fuel, and its just not the way these systems are intended to be used. They're designed to be set and forgotten.

Yet, you can remote touch your way to turn off the AC in the a Lexus. Its a cost cutting method by Lexus.

Why aren't you discussing the fact that there is no hard A/C compressor button in Audis, Mercedes, uConnect equipped Mopar vehicles, Land Rovers, Jaguars, etc? The reason there's no hard button is its meant to be a very seldom used if ever used button. My LS460 has a hard button. Never use it.

Clearly you haven't experienced the latest Remote Touch which regained it's side enter buttons, and the second generation RTI track pad on Gen10 equipped vehicles which is worlds better than the clunky first generation. It's by no means perfect, but it does it's job. Plus for the most part there are voice commands or physical buttons for most things.

If it makes you feel better. Lexus will overhaul their infotainment system and include touchscreen again supposedly around the time the next generation 5RX comes to fruition.

Where is the hard button for the LS460? Yes, all the others should be shamed as well for not having a button to turn it off. A touch screen button or hard button is the same IMO.

My 2014 IS350 had a physical button for AC as well but I never used it. I just set it on auto and let the HVAC system decide if/when it needs the compressor.

Many of you guys have had multiple late-model cars with a variety of interfaces. All I'm familiar with is the mouse on my 2010 RX. Some thoughts:

(1) I don't think I'd like a touchscreen, especially one where I had to reach over and divert my attention from the road. I'd also think that road bumps would make touching just the right area would be an issue. Certainly a pilot in an aircraft is constantly reaching up to a distant panel to push or turn things. But in an aircraft you have seconds to reach for the button, I think surprisingly in a car you really can't divert attention from the road for very long at all.

(2) It seems intuitive to me that controlling functions while my arm is resting on the armrest would give much greater accuracy and comfort.

(3) I've gotten used to the mouse in my RX, though I still hate the haptic feedback and have it set at the lowest level. But perhaps Lexus found it necessary to use it in order to try to "corral" the pointer during a bumpy ride.

(4) I tried using the touchpad in a 2019 RX loaner last month, thought it was clumsy. But then I spent a whole 30 minutes with it, so perhaps it would become far easier with practice.

(5) Saw my sister use her BMW controller while riding with her a couple of years ago. Dial/push/dial/push seemed clumsy and requiring a lot of attention to me at the time.

(6) To me the coolest implementation would be one that projects directly in front and then watches to see which button your eyes are looking at, at the time of some sort of "enter" physical button on the steering wheel is pressed.


Surely there must be some wonderfully-detailed automotive articles that look at all the various methods of control. Anybody have any particular favorites in mind?