Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

I like the remote touch alot. Its easy with few days of use and changes in sensitivity. People have lost some fine dexterity with iphones etc.

caddyowner

I agree. I HATE touch screens, though I'm resigned to using one on my phone. I've liked the Lexus Remote Touch since I first had it in loaner HS and RX units. The force feedback is great.

Enigma869

Sorry about the broken link guys. I fixed it in my original post, and here it is again.

http://reviews.cnet.com/sedan/2013-l...contentBody;1r

Overall, a very favorable review for the GS, but "Disaster" is just not a word you ever want to hear associated with a higher end car. He mentions it right around the 2:05 mark.

John

spwolf

and the point is?

most people like remote touch just fine... reviewer has few hours total to use the car, they might not get used to it. If you look at IS or LS reviews, they now call touch screen archaic interface and downmark it.

jkeifer3

Why would you assume that the "experts" at CNET are in tune with the likes and dislikes of the general populace? Why not take a ride to your local dealer and try it out yourself?

natnut

Best advice ever. Take a test-drive and try out the new Remote Touch for yourself. Just common sense actually....

bobp

While Lexus (Toyota) and other car manufacturers seem to be (overly) concerned about the distractions created by the navigation system - they are only addressing a portion of the distractions that are in the car.

Same issue with using a cell phone while driving.

For example, on the Lexus site for "Safety" of the new GS - they are showing a driver with a drink that might be distracted.

My experience with the restrictions imposed in my 2007 LS is that the effort to workaround those restrictions while the car is moving is actually more distracting than having access to the full user interface. Scrolling around the screen, zooming in the display, looking for POI - that's probably requiring more difficult than just entering the name of a destination...

While entering a destination into the nav system introduces a distraction -there's a net gain - because the system helps to provide prompts when turns are coming up, which lanes to be in at highway intersections, and with the traffic turned on, warnings of upcoming traffic issues.

Rather than blindly locking out features - they could be more intelligent about this.

If there is an adult in the passenger seat (which they already detect for enabling/disabling the passenger side airbags), they should allow full access to the user interface, under the assumption that the adult passenger will either be using the interface OR be monitoring the driver.

If the car has the new driver-facing camera (which watches the driver's eyes), the system could temporarily impose restrictions if the driver is looking away from the road for extended periods (maybe the car could even tell you to get back to watching the road!).

I have had multiple generations of Toyota/Lexus touch screen systems - and (except for the lockouts) those systems have been pretty easy to use. Except for test drives, I haven't used the new mouse-based system for very long. I have been in other vehicles with alternative interfaces - and have found them less useful than the touch interface. Touch is still the most efficient when trying to enter in characters or numbers - unless the voice recognition system actually works well enough to be useful.

While not the only factor in deciding what I will be getting as the replacement for my 2007 LS - the capability of the onboard electronics/infotainment system is a major factor - and the new mouse interface is certainly a concern.

Has anyone looked at the infotainment systems in some of the other cars - like the Tesla Model S or the upcoming Cadillacs with QUE? Being able to put some of the interface from the primary screen onto the dashboard is another solution to the user interface problem - putting the display next to the speedometer. The new GS doesn't have this flexibility - hopefully the new LS will have more improvements than what they put into the new GS...

Enigma869

Not sure why everyone is getting an attitude! Relax people! It's a freakin' car! I don't own a GS and have no real opinion on the car. I simply posted the review for the benefit of other GS owners who I thought actually may want to listen to the review. If it doesn't interest you, move on! What a bunch of overly sensitive babies! Geez...you'd think I was the guy who did the review! I'll head back over to the LS forum and stay out of this place! Ciao.

John

yell01

I'm glad you posted it. I disagree with the reviewer though. I get my F-Sport tomorrow but have been in the car checking it out a few times and found it easy to use. It's like anything, if you're not used to it you probably won't like it. Especially after only using it once for only a few hours.

GregCon

Safety is all that matters. I propose we outlaw cell phones in the car, just as we have outlawed open containers of alcohol. Then, we should outlaw all food in the car, and force the closure of restaurant drive-thru windows. We should also outlaw any form of audio entertainment - radios, MP3, - anything that might distract the driver. Then, we should outlaw any vehicle from having more than 1 person inside it while it is moving since intercourse* can also distract the driver. It should also be a law that the driver passes a blood, urine, and stool test no more than 2 hours prior to operating said vehicle, and he/she must have had at least 8 hours' sleep no more than 4 hours prior.

*social or otherwise

jj14

I like the implementation of the remote touch on the GS. The only thing that I find missing is a hardware "back" button on the side of the controller - would make navigation faster

mehran888

I consider myself quite technologically savvy, and a relatively "quick" computer user (eg. I use keyboard shortcuts in MS Office, and try to avoid using the mouse).

I think the controls on my GS350 blow away anything I've used before. My benchmark is only my dad's 2012 CLS550, my friends 2011 S4, and my mom's 2009 LX570. So I can't speak for BMW or the newer A6 interface... but after taking a couple of days to get used to it - I can't think of many ways to improve the interface on the GS350.

The force feedback is great and accurate (the sensitivity that comes set as default is perfect, but you can reduce it), and aside from radio controls it's intuitive and quick. I still think they can make some tweaks when going through presets...

The voice control is also the best I've ever used. Same with the manual address/keyboard entry.

My two cents..

Another cent: Maybe the interface requires a bit of use (a few days of regular driving), and most reviewers don't put in that type of time...

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

like it or not, Remote touch is in and touch screen is out. People and reviewers need to get over it, end of story

steilkurve

Thanks for posting Enigma869.

This CNET guy, I'm afraid, doesn't have all his facts straight. For instance, he specifies that Sport+ is only available in the F Sport model, which isn't true. Also, he gives an average rating to Lexus maps while not too long ago he gave it a glowing review on the IS 350. I believe he called it 'the best implementation of a map in a car' at the time if memory serves me right. So, when he calls the remote touch a disaster, I would take it with a grain of salt because his preparation seems shallow. If he had taken the time to play with remote touch, he would have found the sensitivity setting which, when reduced, makes it way easier to use. Or at least, he would have mentioned the option.

danjb

I'd echo this. I came from a 2003 Infiniti G35 with a joystick operated nav, which was horrible and awkward. My wife has a 2009 Nissan Murano with both a touch screen and a joystick. The interesting thing is, other than keying in text, I rarely use its touch screen. For going through menus, the touch screen seems overkill since they improved the joystick responsiveness and menu layout, and the joystick is just faster.

On the 2013 GS I wasn't sure about the remote touch, and found it awkward in my short test drives. However, now that I've been using it for a couple weeks, it seems a very natural interface, especially for simple operations while driving. Better than any of the prior systems I've used. Once you are familiar with where the menu items are, the haptic feedback lets you navigate many of them with looking at the screen, something you could never do with a touch screen.

So, I think the moral is: I would expect any reviewer who spends just a few hours with the car to have questions/doubts about the remote touch. As an owner who uses it regularly, though, I far prefer it over a touch screen. Touch screen may be better for a device you're staring at constantly (an iPad), but for something you want to operate "by feel" while you watch the road, it's a very poor choice.