Premium package: Lexus Display audio system
Leather/Navigation package: Lexus Premium audio system
Touring package: Mark Levinson audio

What's the difference between the Display and Premium audio...if there is one?

 

Not sure of 3 but definitely at least 2 different audio systems. Direct from the 2014 printed brochure. (Nav has 8" screen while non-nav has 7" screen.)

MARK LEVINSON AUDIO PACKAGE (Includes Navigation Package) + Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound Audio System9 // 15 GreenEdge™ high-efficiency speakers with inverted-motor subwoofer // 835-watt Class-D amplifier // Auto volume technology // Machined-aluminum control *****


LEXUS DISPLAY AUDIO / BACKUP CAMERA PACKAGE 7.0-in color LCD multi-information display // Backup camera23 // Center console controller // Lexus eight-speaker Premium Sound System // HD Radio™24,25 with iTunes®14 tagging

http://www.lexus.com/documents/broch...S-Brochure.pdf

 

I have not heard of three levels. To me it seemed either base or ML
If you have base audio, you could have base audio with Nav, or base audio without Nav
I have'nt seen many ML cars and mine is non-ML. So cant answer whether having ML means you absolutely have to have Nav as well, but even if it is an option, most configurations with ML probably have nav as well.

 

Two levels is what I thought also. ML and non ML. But the way it's written in the description of the *packages*, it sounds like there are two non ML audio systems.

 

Ok. I'm getting a headache with this one. I believe there are 2 audio systems.

The 8 speaker "premium" with the 7" display, and the 15 speaker Mark Levinson "premium" with the 8" display. It's a shame that Lexus plays word games with such descriptions as "premium".

In some cases, Lexus describes premium as the BASE, the basic/least expensive. In other cases, like Levinson, they continue to call it premium, even though it's the top of the line/most expensive option.

To confuse matters, I understand if you have Levinson audio, you ALWAYS will have navigation----although, just because you have navigation does not mean you always have Levinson audio!

They are really blowing it.

 

I agree.

And ML automatically gets you nav, at least in the 2014's.

 

The determining factor for whether the car has a 7 inch screen or an 8 inch screen is not whether it has the ML audio. Instead, it is whether it has the navigation system. All ES without navigation have a 7 inch screen. All ES with navigation, regardless of whether they have the ML audio or the premium audio, have the 8 inch screen.

In the US, virtually all UL package ES will have the ML audio, and most Luxury package ES will not have the ML audio, but they will still have the 8 inch screen.

 

I don't think I am helping here, but this seems to be how Lexus sees things:
1- Base audio (7" screen)
2- Premium audio (DVD + Base audio, 8" screen).
a- If Premium audio contains the exact Base audio system as most folks here believe, then Lexus is playing a word game calling the base system "premium" with the addition of a non audio component (in this case the DVD)
3- ML
I think others have provided very clear explanations. I just try to imagine what Lexus is thinking here.

 

Your description of 7" vs 8" screen is true. It can also be described that if you have ML, you will ALWAYS have NAV, which will always get you the 8" screen.

It's not accurate to associate the "Premium Package" nor the "Luxury Package" nor the "Ultra Luxury Package" in getting you NAV, because they will not. The ONLY way you get NAV (at least on the 2014's) is if you get the NAV package. The ONLY way you get ML audio is if you get the ML Audio package (which in turn mandates you get the Nav package).

I understand you said "virtually", but I don't like using "virtually all", because in my mind, I immediately ask, what are the exceptions? Understanding that the ML audio package and NAV package have absolutely nothing to do with if the vehicle has the Luxury Package and absolutely nothing to do with if the vehicle has the Ultra Luxury Package.

What came first, the chicken or the egg? lol. Anddddd, a goodmorning to everyone who have "tuned out" of this thread, pun intended, with the ghetto package and 6" screen!

 

You will not find a UL model without nav, but not sure about the lux. It's always been standard equipment on the UL.

 

What can make things somewhat misleading is that Lexus makes it appear that the ML/Navigation package is a separate stand-alone option, but you cannot configure an UL ES without also selecting the ML/Navigation package, and I doubt that you would even be able to special order an UL ES without that package.

As far as the Luxury package is concerned, you can buy a Luxury package ES with the ML/Navigation package, with just the Navigation package and standard audio, or without the Navigation package. Most Luxury package ES will have just the Navigation package, but there are a good number of them that don't have the Navigation package.

 

now this may well be the case with these three configurations! but I still think its misleading
for #2, I think its misleading to call it "premium audio" because the speakers and speaker set up are exactly the same, and I'm sure the amp and sound processors etc are the same too! what Lexus makes it into premium is just because of 8" screen vs 7 inch (and maybe some controller features are different?); and the DVD.....
does the base audio have only CD player but not DVD? or no CD player at all?

 

You could be correct, but I'm not absolutely certain of that. I recall a thread here a couple of years ago in which people were saying that they had compared base ES and ones with navigation systems, including the "premium audio" (not ML) system. They concluded that, besides differences in things like like the screen size, there was an actual difference in audio quality. Since I haven't made such a comparison myself, I can't know whether or not they were correct, but I'm just passing along what multiple people claimed in another thread.

 

Just heard back from Lexus Canada...

 

LOL! It's great to know their "Premium" description means it's commonplace on ALL ES's and not special and not exclusive and not better than anything else?

Wait-----the ML Premium is better, lol.

You should ask them next what the difference is between an upgrade package versus their self-described premium upgrade package is!

Glad (sad) they didn't clear up anything except confirm how overused their use of the "Premium" word is!