sidgriggs

Anyone know if the Siri eyes-free will be standard on the first production run of the 14 RX350?

Mors

I don't know for sure, but I just looked at the 2014 RX manual and it specifically shows stuff about Siri (press and hold the off hook button), so I'd assume the answer is yes.

sidgriggs

Do you also know the arrival date of the 14 RX's?

Mors

I do not know the arrival date; however, I google almost everyday waiting for them to arrive because I'm going to buy one (as long as it has the options I want). I thought about special ordering one, but didn't want to wait months for it.
At any rate, I've seen some arrive in the US - I believe JM Lexus in Florida has several (seen CarFaxes on them via the internet). I also think Lexus of Austin Texas has at least one. Please note that I say they "have" them by only doing research on the internet. I do not know if they have them physically on the lot.
That's all I've seen so far. Waiting for the Dallas area to get them (still have to travel 6 hours to get it, but I love the Sewell dealership - best salesmen I've ever dealt with - by a huge margin).

lester123

I have the new Samsung Galaxy S4 which has a feature very similar to Apple's SIRI. Will my new phone work the same way?

RX330inFL

No. This is Apple's technology to support their devices or other devices which support Siri. The only phones which will be supported are the iPhone 4s or newer. You will still be able to pair your phone over Bluetooth, however, you would not get any of the voice recognition controls to pass to your phone. Here is the press release:

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lex...ews_2013_07_16

These are the relevant sections of the Owner's Manual when you search for "Siri":

http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/do...U/pdf/07-2.pdf

http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/do.../sec_03_01.pdf

zmanRX350

Can an earlier model (not 2014) be upgraded to add this Siri Eyes-free feature?

lili43

Will Lexus update a 2013 to allow eyes free?

BertL

No. I asked and was very disappointed, as 2013 RXs came with the updated head unit to support Apps, compared to the 2010-2012s.

(FWIW, on Monday, I'm having the capability added to my 2014 MBZ. While pricey, MBZ allows retrofitting of their "Drive Kit Plus" which includes Siri and other capabilities (like Google Maps Nav on the car display) for most of their models back to around a mid-2012 build-date -- supporting iPhone 4 and up. Unfortunately that isn't the approach Toyota/Lexus has elected to take, and as my Lexus SA told me tongue-in-cheek: "You need to buy a new RX". I didn't. ).

NateJG

Shouldn't there have been a "Whoop Whoop Whoop" or at least a "Ding Ding Ding Ding" along with your last post - after all, it was your 1,500th?

(Ha!, your reply will bump you off that mark.)

Best,

NateJG

<grin>

lili43

I just contacted Lexus 800 # and they confirmed that I CAN update firmware on '13 to allow Siri Eyes Free. Transferred to my local DL and will have it done next week. Was told it takes 15 min... I don't yet know if they will charge me for this.

Any other features that I can expect, other than Siri?

BertL

Please confirm back once complete. Guess who will be happily making an appointment to have it done to mine? TU!

lili43

Sooooo.... doesn't look like I'll be getting firmware update. My dealer wanted $250 to do it! (Labor $170 + $80 for the software.)

That's ridiculous for someone plugging in a laptop, hitting update, and being done in 15 mins.

Am I right or is there more to it than that?

BertL

Thanks for the update.

I have no additional facts, as I was told by Lexus Service in 2014 when those models first came out that it wasn't possible to upgrade my "old" 2013 with the same head unit. It's why I was pleasantly surprised with your new information, but was going to be shocked if it was a no-charge update, especially since I've had the firmware in my headunit updated twice since it came out trying to resolve other Infotainment issues, and I know what I have is current as of last Wednesday when they re-flashed it for good measure while I had it in for service. There must be some new firmware they would have to enable...

What none of us know is, even if there is no additional hardware required on a 2013 RX, if Lexus perhaps has licensing fees involved to enable Siri Eyes Free firmware into a vehicle -- which your SA may have over-simplified from their POV as "software costs". I bet that is the case, especially with something like Apple or other telecom/technology-like companies being involved, and how we know map updates are so expensive due in part to fees Lexus has to pay to Navteq, etc. to produce the data in the first place. I would personally expect there is some amount of labor involved, and one-hour is generally the minimum with most luxury mfgrs I've dealt with, since this didn't come on the original vehicle where the costs of both the "software" and it's installation can be baked-in to the base model of a 2014 & 2015, whereas it wasn't in a 2013. We can be sad about costs being involved to upgrade our "older" vehicles, but I sorta bet what I surmise is close to the underlying truth.

I do know for a fact, that to add what we here in Lexus-land call "Siri Eyes Free" with some additional capabilities like interactive Google Maps driven via Siri on the Nav display of my 2014 MBZ -- what they call "Drive Kit Plus", requires physically pulling out the console, putting in a new custom module of some sort, and on a good day, "2 hours" of firmware updates -- a total of 4 hours of my labor cost plus the part and that probably includes licensing fees somewhere along the line. (FWIW, the MBZ part alone happens to be the same price if you buy the feature on a new MBZ today, so the labor is what's really clobbering me to retrofit it back onto an older vehicle). I'm picking up my MBZ from having all that done hopefully today if MBZ can finally get the firmware to take (they've been trying for a week, while I have a new GLK350 to play around in).

...so personally, I'm still OK with some cost to get it done on my 2013 Lexus even if others may not be -- it's a whopping great deal at 25% of the cost to do it to my German toy.

lili43

Update:

After 2.5 hours at dealer and latest firmware to 2015 version, no Siri eyes free. Official word is a 2013 can NOT get the Siri function like the '14.

Bummer.