I am new and hope I am stupid and missing something.

Just picked up RX 400h on Saturday.

Was just reviewing Bluetooth setup and features. Looks like features such as dialing phone and receiving calls "cannot be operated while driving".

What do I not understand, or what what use is the Bluetooth feature on a Lexus.

According to my owners manaual I cannot dial, use the phone book, receive calls, call, or talk on a Bluetooth phone while driving.

If I have to stop vehicle to use my cell phone this is worthless.

Please confirm or set me straight.

 

you just cannot dial numbers while driving, the same thing goes for entering addresses in nav while in motion. it's a safety thing that's common to all lexus models.

the bluetooth feature provides a seamless integration between your car and your existing BT cellphone. you can pick up phone calls and the radio will mute and you can hear through the speaker system and speak completely hands free.

if you want to dial while in motion, you only have two options (1) enter 1-touch dialing for those numbers (1-touch is accessible while in motion) or (2) dial directly on your phone and then the system will pick up on the car audio when it's connected.

btw, congrats on the 400h! you must be one of the first on CL!

 

Thanks for response.

What do you mean by 1-Touch dialing?

We traded in a 2002 ML320. I know this is hard to believe but we got our original RX 400h order back. It was dated July 18,2003.

Obviously better mileage than ML320. Better road feel, With more luxury feel than MB.

RX, Less room in back, less front seat leg room. Leather seems very soft and seems thinner than ML320. How does the RX leather hold up?

Were having fun watching the mileage meter. So far by meter 26 – 34 in city. Hwy around 26.

New 2006 ML350 is terrific, plenty of front seat room for driver. Feels much more luxurious than my ML320 . Same price and power of RX 400h. Only 15 mpg in city and 19 on hwy. Bet it won’t do that well.

I have order in the 2007- 2008 ML350 equivalent with hybrid technology. MB has developed a hybrid gas transaxle with two electric motors to drive rear wheels, all in one assembly. The ML and a Dodge truck will be first to get transaxle.

The Lexus has a huge opportunity with my RX-400h to win me over from MB and BMW. Both of which have had fully integrated phone system built in, but not Bluetooth till this year for BMW. MB however still doe

 

oh, the 1-touch dialing can be set up in the phonebook settings menu (check it out when you have some free time - basically that menu is your gateway to everything bluetooth related). basically you can memorize selected phonebook entries that you have transferred as 1-touch so that when you are driving and want to call someone on your 1-touch list, you can just use the nav touchscreen to select and it will dial. it's similar to cellphone 1-touch; they use it to help bypass the inconvenience of not being able to dial actual numbers and of course it's safer than dialing a 10-digit number.

i have the 330, not 400h, but i do find that the rear leg room is quite spacious. i am not sure if this holds true on the 400h, but the 300 has a slide bar underneath that moves the rear seat benches back or forward depending on your need for leg room vs. cargo room. quite a handy feature - most people who ride in the 330 are amazed at the room in back. i think the 400h is slightly raised in the rear bench for ventilation? if you have the slide feature, make sure to utilize it - my cousin has a ml320 and she/i find the leg room in the 330 much more generous. the 330 is always the winner when it comes to road trips.

i know what you mean about the lexus leather. very thin looking compared to the grainy material they use on mb. the mb grainy material holds up nicely, but looks much less luxurious in my opinion. the lexus leather holds up pretty well; i've had all the colors over the years but find black to be the easiest to maintain. the side bolster of the front seats could use a sturdier cushion, over time the thing may look like it's getting "crushed" a bit, but that's just b/c when it's new it's buttery smooth. perhaps that's why mb chose the grain leather, hides imperfections much better. in any case, the leather holds up well, no cracks, tears, or anything like that. and i even let my 2 dogs on the seats. i do, however, have my leather conditioned and cleaned 2x per year.

glad to see you gave lexus a shot - the 400h is a surefire winner, really a benchmark for all other car companies to get their acts together on hybrid suvs. i didn't know mb had one in the works; should be interesting to see how it stacks up to lexus when it's done. mb's are great; but i think you will get spoiled by lexus technology and attention to detail. my sister is an avid german fan but is slowly realizing that function is far more important than form on a day to day basis i personally love mb styling, always have. but i still think lexus has more to offer for the price and for some reason, mb's are a dime a dozen in california - way too many S, E, C and MLs on the roads!

 

Our street has 8 houses.

There are 3 RX 330, 1 RX 400h, 1 RX 470, 2 LS 430, and 1 RX 300. Ours was the last MB.