I'm starting to look at moving from my LS430 to a 2014 LS460 and I'm curious about the Mark Levenson system. First off, I'm assuming it's going to sound as good if not hopefully better than the ML in the 430? It also seems as though the screen is not a touch screen and that you have to use the joystick to navigate and select things. Is that correct?

What about playing Pandora, Spotify, or Waze? I've seen some videos that say you can download software on your cell phone and play them through that app. I currently have a Samsung S10, would that be compatible and hopefully allow me to hook up and play Pandora and/or apps such as Waze?

Is the joystick something that is annoying to use or does it become intuitive pretty quick? What do your passengers do? I'm assuming that if it's joystick only, then the passenger would have a hard time working to the joystick and selecting radio stations....I could see my wife not being thrilled about that but it might be to my advantage.

What's your thoughts overall about the ML System in a 2013+ LS460?

 

The ML in the 13+ 460 is excellent. Its by far the best audio system I've ever had in a car. Yes you have to use the remote touch controller, but you get used to it pretty quick.

 

On my 2017 LS 460 ML audio sounds pretty good, I like it. The only thing that I don't like about the sound is that the back of the car feels somewhat isolated from the front. What I mean is when you sitting on the front seat you getting all the sound coming at you from the front and when you sitting on the back seat you don't hear front speakers. On the other hand many modern systems setup this way. Another thing to remember is that if you want to play DVD it will only play video when you in PARK and PARKING BRAKE is set, otherwise it will only play audio. Joystick thing is not as bad as some people would say, but then it is rather subjective. I was first introduced to this joystick when I got my ES350 with ML. It was a move from Toyota Avalon. I was familiar with Toyota basic infotainment layout and Lexus is very similar, so for me it was an easy transition. I was picking up my ES about 400 miles away and by the time I got home I was pretty comfortable with it. My 2017 LS460 is very similar, if not exactly the same. I used to it now and it doesn't bother me at all. Joystick has adjustable haptic feedback and once you adjust it in the car settings to your liking it works OK. Not perfect but OK. There are several quick access buttons on it as well such as Map, Menu, Zoom In and Out. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) there are no controls for the passengers, unless you picking up LS460 with the executive package. In that case you would have full set of controls for your infotainment and climate control in the rear armrest. As for the smartphone apps, can't say much about it since not using any, got enough with CD, MP3, XM and FM radio. The only thing that I know for sure is that there are aftermarket solutions that allow you to enable Apple Carplay and Android Auto on the stock OEM head unit and with that mod you should be able to do all these smartphone things.

 

Lexus has bluetooth, so your phone can be linked to the car. Phone calls as well as any music apps on your phone will play through the car. But you operate the apps through the phone. You can buy and have installed a device that will put the app on your nav screen. You would need to do this for Waze or just use the phone screen to navigate. The maps on Lexus are dated one year before the car was built and don't automatically upgrade. They are also hundreds of dollars to upgrade at the dealer. Waze and any other phone based nav system is always up to date. This may not matter depending on where you drive.
On my 2013, I love the ML stereo sound. I listen to pandora mostly. On my phone, I turn on Pandora and choose my music. The phone is paired to car by Bluetooth, so the sound comes through the car's ML. On my Nav screen, the album, song and artist show. If I want to skip a song, I just ask Hey Siri on my phone, "next song". I haven't updated the maps, in San Diego, being an established city, it works fine. On occasion, if I go to a community constructed after 2012, there may be an issue. But, I find the iPhone much easier and faster to search for a new destination, so I often navigate with my phone clipped into a suction cup holder. In case of a fast stop, the phone doesn't become a missile. If I were to take more time to learn the Lexus system, I'd probably find it easier. But no getting around the features of real time traffic and up to date maps on my phone apps

 

I love the joy stick, Very easy to use