I know how to display POI's on the nav, but is there away either via voice or touch to go to the nearest poi? for example, find nearest gas station or something like that. right now, i select the POI, and search on the map to find the POI, click on it, then directs me to the POI.

I my local dealer takes great delight in explaining to people that you can use the voice system to demand "Chinese restaurant!" Apparently it then directs you to the nearest one, and can even display their details on-screen so, if you have Bluetooth, you can phone your order ahead.

I don't know if that's just a European thing, though.

Don't you have a little manual on the voice system with a list of the recognised commands?

Just as a note for anyone confused as to the voice commands as we were, here in the UK The Nav manual gives no indication as to the actual commands recognised and simply advises you to check the help on-screen, now it may have been me but I could not find this anyplace.... Then I realised that if you press the Voice command button to give a verbal command on the steering wheel the screen gives you a "help" button option which when pressed takes you through into a sectioned on-screen menu through which you can view the voice commands under headings for, Climate, Nav, Audio, etc..

You can do as Alex says and ask for specific POI types, however we found it good fun to simply shout some inane nonsense at the prompt and see what the Nav system actually thought we wanted........ Yes it is a little childish but is was quite fun.... The Nav seems to like finding us a "Ski Resort" not many of those here in the middle of Yorkshire/England

You can only do this using the touch screen: Press the DEST switch then "POI Category" Then select which categories you want to search for and press "List". It will display a list of the nearest POIs.

This will display the nearest poi, but it doesn't guide to you to the location. I'm looking for a way to guide you to the location instantly.

I believe once you've gotten the POI, simply touch it and say "Enter Destination" or "Replace Destination" and Route Guidance will follow.

If it doesn't, try "Start Guidance" or "Resume Guidance."

To get rid of the other POIs on the screen (which can happen if you asked, "I'm hungry" or "French restaurant," say "POI OFF.")

If you practice the voice commands diligently you will be rewarded with saving steps when you are trying to find points of interest. Thai food, Ice Cream Parlour, Coffee House, and Cinema could all come in handy at times. Let's say you were trying to find a Gas Station. Push the voice command button and after the beep say "Gas Station". The Nav system will confirm by saying "System is showing Gas Station Icons". Now hit the Map View button at the bottom of the touchscreen. Hit the POI button, then hit the list button at the bottom right. Now you will see the list of gas stations sorted by distance. Select one and when the screen shows it hit the INFO button at the top and the address, Latitude and Longitude, and phone number will display. Push the Green call button and see if the Gas Station is open and then hit the enter button to go there.

Another method to find POI's is to expand the Map button on the left of the screen while under route guidance and it will display POI's available at the next exit etc. which is a very helpful feature when travelling.

Is it safe to say that you can't set a new destination while the car is being driven even with the voice navigation, or is that allowed when the touchscreen is disabled (for entering new destinations)? That is something I've yet to try as I currently wait to get to a stop light and put it in park to set/reset the destination.. (pain in the $#$ -- something I could easily do in our Honda Odyssey w/ Navi which just warned you but didn't enforce the restriction like Lexi do)

No need to put it in park, you can change/set the destination in drive, as long as the car is not moving.

Since we have seat sensors I would like Lexus to allow the front passenger to navigate while driving. Lexus doesn't want you to have a lane excursion while typing into the Nav. Screen. You can ask for "Fast Food" or "American Food" when cruising for burgers. I am pretty adept at Nav system operation but I find I can get fixated on the screen and my driving attention suffers so it is probably better that Lexus doesn't allow too much typing and driving. For this reason the voice commands could use a little work....I want to be able to say the destination and voila! we're on the way there.....Since 1998 the Nav system has evolved quickly and overall I'm pretty jaded now.

I think the voice navi works when you're driving...POI on, off, etc...also 'Mark'...then 'Enter Destination'