I'm a new member with a new LS460 Black Sapphire Pearl on Cashmere.

My only regret with this phenomenal vehicle is that a fully integrated iPod kit is not available for the LS460, which is a real shame since the Mark Levinson stereo is fabulous.

I have personal experience with the benefits of fully integrated (steering wheel or console) control and full display in-dash display of an iPod and its contents (most later model Mercedes, for example) and can affirm that this is a great feature that should be available on the LS460--can't understand why Lexus would not design this feature into a brand new model....

At any rate, can anyone answer the following questions:

1) Will Lexus be adding an iPod integration kit/package for the 2008 LS460?
2) Are there any reliable aftermarket integration kits that allow for full driver control and in-dash display of an iPod?

Thanks.

 

I installed the HD radio and ipod integration kit from Dice Electronics. It works pretty well. The only downside is that the car sees it as a CD changer. This makes the navigation somewhat difficult. You select different CD's depending on what function you want the seek button to have on your ipod. But overall it works well as an aftermarket solution.

 

Thanks--the DICE looks pretty good, but like most claims about aftermarket, you have to take them with a shaker of salt...

When you say that navigation is difficult, what exactly is problematic about it when the iPod is attached?

 

Well, first I'd recommend you download their docs from their site. It's just not intuitive. Again, not their fault. It's the fact that your stuck with CD changer controls. If you look at their docs and still have questions let me know. It does work well however.

 

that is a shame, you'd think that they would have thought to add a feature that comes standard in cars 1/4 it's cost, especially since car manufacturers have been fitting ipod docking into cars for a couple years now. Manufacturers put some much focus on engineering and ultra durability that they skip out some of the littlest details, which in turn, these little details may cramp someones whole routine, I don't know how they don't see this comming.

 

Are iPods not popular in Japan?!

 

Check this out
http://www.vaistech.com/

 

Thanks for that link! It looks like a more fundamental and integrated solution that some others that use the CD changer input and controls to control the iPod.

 

Bird, the vaistech unit also uses the CD changer controls just as the dice unit does.

 

It's probably best that they have stayed agnostic, although a line-in jack for any MP3 player, and an option for a full iPod interface doesn't seem like it should be too hard to implement.

Out of curiosity, how many people here actually rip their CDs into the car's MP3 player? I prefer to just keep my iPod in a cup holder rather than go through the work of maintaining a separate library of digital music that doesn't sync with anything.

Jeff

 

Thanks Travis--I looked and it does use the CD changer controls to switch between playlists. No full display of all iPod functions, but a nice solution nevertheless.

 

Travis, how have you liked the sound quality of the HD radio in the 460? Is there a noticeable improvement over the analog AM and FM radio broadcasts? I am interested in the Dice solution for the HD radion rather than ipod feature so any feedback you have on the HD radio would be much appreciated.

 

Actually there is definitely a difference in the sound quality when it tunes an HD station as compared to it's analog equivalent. The biggest thing for me is that I listen to an AM news station most mornings on my drive to work. One of the secondary FM HD stations broadcasts this AM station in HD. The difference between the AM station and its HD equivalent is night and day as one would expect.

 

Thanks for the feedback Travis. Once you get used to using the CD/DVD controls for moving around in the Dice tuner functions, how do like the interface with the Nav screen? Do you get enought text detail on the station, song, artist etc.?

I assume the DVD/CD functionality remains and you just toggle between the various audio input alternatives. There doesn't seem to be a better alternative to getting HD radio in the LS 460 today unless I am missing something else that may be out there. Too bad it isn't integrated OEM by Lexus (yet?) as with some of the BMWs currently.