I think so. Without it's not as advanced/exciting IMO. I passed on alot of LS430's without it. I love seeing people look over and glance at me punching in commands on a brigtht screen at night.
I can do without UL package.

 

actually this past weekend i just saw the first ls430 without nav.... very weird.....

and imho of course nav is a must... i won't get another car without it

 

The better move is to get a GARMIN (or similar) unit that you can take on airplanes for rental cars, etc. My Garmin is better than my Lexus unit (I have both). If you plan to "turn over" your Lexus, however, in 3 or 4 years (or less), you are probably best off getting the NAV, as resale buyers expect it.

 

I agree entirely with both points above. I also have a Garmin and move it from car to truck to quad to person for hiking.

 

I'm unhappy with the LS430 2004 navigation system, even after the upgrade. The map is very innacurate and the route guidance comes up with some insane routes. It's only useful if you visit a lot of places one time only and are willing to travel there by some crazy indirect path. If they offered refunds on the navigation system alone, I would turn it in for cash back. But the backup camera that comes with the navigation system is a vital safety feature that I gladly pay for. So I'd say the backup camera is mandatory, but the navigation system is optional at best.

 

I am not as negative about the NAV as you are, as I find that it does do what it's supposed to do. Unlike my Garmin, however, you have to stop the vehicle to program it, which is a ROYAL (no offense, Camilla) PITA.

Also, I don't totally agree with you regarding the back camera. There is a problem with it. The problem is that unless you consciously train yourself to do otherwise (which I have done), there is a tendency to rely on it without looking at the bigger picture in the rear window and side & rearview mirrors. Backing up ONLY using the camera is MORE dangerous than having no camera at all, in my humble opinion. But ADDED TO the normal backup procedure it is a great "extra look" tool.

 

interesting, i guess it's some glitch on the 04 system. my nav on the 05 sc430 (same unit) works no problem

 

Glitch? I doubt it. It's made that way on purpose. Are you telling me you can program addresses into the '05 NAV while driving, different from the '04 ? Methinks not.

 

no i was referring to the previous post about weird routing guidance and so

 

its to protect you from doing something stupid like a driver would with a map. that means keeping your eyes on the road and not doing other things with your eyes. to argue against that is asinine. keep your eyes on the road. and if you want to change the settings, PULL OVER.

 

the ls 430 without the nav screen looks plain. I would not even consider buying one without it. and the nav in mine even though its a 2001 has the newest update and works like a charm. it even gives the option to have the auto daylight savings adjustment finally. high end cars like this should have the better gadgets in my opinion.

 

Digital_B,

Baloney! You can drive and change the radio or make a cell phone call. While keeping your attention totally on the road is certainly the preferable way to drive, it's not unreasonable to think that a person cannot punch a few buttons on the NAV while driving also. Again, my GARMIN allows it.

 

your point is silly and it just proves you tend to drive unsafely. even if they made a keyboard for the steering wheel you still would take your eyes off the road which is unsafe at any speed. any argument to the contrary is stupid. try that with law enforcement if you dont believe it.

 

BULLSCHTIG! In the real world, people program navigation devices while on the fly every day all the time. It's NOT unreasonable to expect Lexus to have an override command at least.

What about the rest of you? What do you think about this?

 

a must!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even though I don;t use it often, but the touch screen and all that fuctions are really a cool factor!! plus I have a peace of mind that I won't get lost in a strange place!!!