I have owned three RX's, one ES and one Avalon since 2004 - all had inferior NAVs when compared to the Garmin GPS at any given time. It is as though the Toyota product (don't know what firm writes the code) could not "see" far enough in advance to determine / calculate the quickest (not necessarily shortest) route. The Garmin products were always consistently more efficient - especially if trying to navigate out of a major metropolitan area, such as Chicago. I also experienced issues like this when trying to navigate from Eau Claire WI to Naperville IL - the Toyota / Lexus Nav's just did not cut it - in this latter case, the time / travel added was nearly 45 minutes longer. My experience: The built-in NAV of Lexus / Toyota leaves a bit to be desired.

When traveling any distance from home, I take the Garmin along, just in case. FWIW

 

Hi everybody, I bought RX350 2007 a months ago. I was very disappointed with the nav right away. Spent enormous amount of time to figure out how to use it. By chance, it was 2007 when I bought my first GPS TomTom for my former RX300. I got it to work within a few minutes and it never let me down with directions, never. Ok, I thought may be I have the old DVD version. I ordered online $175 shipped. Replaced it myself, it took me 5 minutes, the dealer tried to charge me $100 for the 5 minutes job. Anyway, it was a waste. The only thing they improved I don't have to press Enter for the Caution screen to disappear, it does it itself in 5 seconds. The funny thing is which is not really funny the Caution screen warns that watching the screen is dangerous and can lead to an accident. They damn right! With their nav I almost got into an accident a few times. I stopped using it. I pulled out my old TomTom which I don't even have to watch. I never mounted it. I was keeping it in the center console and listened to the directions which were so precise and smart that sometimes I could not believe it how precise they were.

The Lexus nav is the most retarded technical gadget I ever saw in my life. The user interface is wa-a-ay complicated. Even with my technical skills it took me awhile to figure it out. But the directions is a joke. My house is located in a very simple location, but the nav gives the ridiculous directions. Many times no matter where I go it says you reached your destination when I have to go at least one more block and turn left or right. And the new version still does not say street name where to turn, just number of feet to the intersection. So I do have to look at the screen to find out what the street name where to turn or watch the decreasing feet. Lexus IS right, it is dangerous. Even if they missed in in the original version, why they could not catch up in the latest version and announce streets where to turn while TT voice is literally leading me by voice. I just can't believe Lexus charge extra more than $1000 for a piece of sh... gadget when there are excellent portable GPS on the market for just 100 bucks.

The funny thing they say it's 'state-of-the-art' technologoy. It could've been in the past century, but not even in 2007 when I bought my first TT and it blows away the 2007 Lexus nav even updated to 2012. It's like day and night. Not to mention it's 2012 and they still did not fix it. Wow! What a disappointment!

 

So I bought my 2013 in December 2012, it was on their lot a few months, and it says:

Map Version 21-12-27 (2012-06-1)
Map Update ID 1202-1024-2001-2368

Do I have the latest update/version ?? Thanks Dorothy

 

Possible as that's same as what I got...look at page 2 picture

 

$169 for a five-inch Garmin with traffic and free lifetime map updates. (Toss in another
$60-something for a ProClips GPS mount customized for the Lexus.)

Versus...

$2000 plus for a Lexus system with pricey updates?

I can't think of a worse way to spend the money.

 

I agree, didn't want the nav but the vehicle we wanted had it and it was a good deal, always carry the garmin just in case.

 

Our 2013 RX350, purchased a few weeks ago has these numbers:

Map Version: 21-12-27 [2012-06-1]
Map Update ID: 1202-1522-2602-1028
US

Is there a decoder for the Map Update ID?

 

You've got a point...I could have bought a Hugo and a 5" Garmin, and really saved some money !

 

"You've got a point...I could have bought a Hugo and a 5" Garmin, and really saved some money !"

Hugo was a great Martin Scorsese movie but for a cheap car, I would consider a Yugo instead.

 

Point made.

 

Sorry, 4482. (May I call you "44?") Just funnin' ya.

 

I no longer have an RX. But I would add. The updates you get from Lexus are almost worthless.

In the 5 years I had my 2007 RX350 I updated mine once. And that was only to get rid of the acknowledge message on start up.

Now on the quality of the maps you get now adays. Lexus is hit or miss. But I could also say that about the Garmin’s I’ve used. And my Google maps on my iPhone.

About the cost of the Navigation system on the RX. It is expensive. But with the cost you get more than just maps. Depending on the options you have.

It all comes down to what you want. And what you’re willing to pay. That buying the Navigation system would not be a total loss. You would receive some of that money back on selling your car.

How many future buyers buying there first Lexus. Would buy a used one without the Nav system?

 

Hi all. First post, as we just bought my wife a used 2013 rx350 on Friday, and spent the weekend with it in the Rockies. Nice car, and she loves it. The nav is... It was wildly pessimistic in it's ETA for our trip home - a two hour drive that it claimed as 3h 9m. I found the "fix" on this forum, and really appreciate that. However, how come the $900 Kenwood (Garmin) that I put in my Excursion knows every speed limit between where I am and kingdom come, and displays an accurate ETA as soon as it calculates the route? The Lexus one uses some half-baked residential/main-road/freeway algorithm, with numbers I have to put in? Is a "main road" the 40mph divided road around where I live, or the 65mph two-lane in the mountains?

Anyway, the car is nice, and I'm glad to find a forum where folks know their stuff.

Mark

 

Mark, welcome to the forum and congrats on the new-to-you 2013.

Unfortunately, the answer to your question is just "that's the way Lexus implemented it". It's been discussed here many times in other threads. This outdated fixed estimated speed approach is what Lexus has used since my first Lexus with Nav way back in the dark ages. Even my 2009 BMW was superior in this regard. Like others I suspect, I watch every new Lexus model and MY that is introduced hoping they introduce improvements catching up with the standalone Nav units. Until then, I still wouldn't be without my built-in Nav, but agree it could be a whole lot better.
Enjoy that RX!

 

Mark, I second the welcome . In addition to Bert's fine explanation, the Nav system in our car as I'm sure you've figured out by now, is much more than a 'dedicated' Nav device such as Garmin or Magellan. It's not only Nav but controls pretty much everything you do or use in the cabin 'radio/air/nav/vehicle setting, etc'. I guess if you have to have things like altitude or speed timing between coordinates a 2nd device to carry along is necessary but IMHO, it does a pretty fair job. Maybe there would be less controversy if it wasn't called a Nav system but something like the 'Flight Engineer's Console' as an alternate. After four years of use I'm still discovering features. Recently a Newb described how to re-calibrate the speedo after changing bald tires to new tread. I didn't know that .

Hey, post some photos of your new ride .