Quick question. 

(NX450 on order)

Is it possible to enable the 360 cameras whenever I wish? Or do they only activate while in reverse. 

It would be nice to use it while manoeuvring though tight spots. 

After 6 months with this car, I am reasonably happy with the Infotainment system. It is very simple & dated but it does work well.

Most importantly, my wife likes the SatNav. So no moaning there.

Still, It would have been nice if Lexus allowed Android/Apple Auto

I don't get many DAB stations either. SOmetimes they fade out in certain areas. 

9 hours ago, rayaans said:

I think the website is wrong TBH

Google maps certainly doesn't show NE and 100m on my phone!  If it was mirror link, it'd only mirror the screen so wouldn't have that?

I think those are an overlay from the Lexus software. Just like the icons on the right.

12 hours ago, rayaans said:

Anyone noticed the Map? Its Google Maps! Either through mirrorlink or added as a feature - no idea

It's mirrorlink according to the site that posted the shot. I'm so bitter mirrorlink doesn't work on the current models.

https://lexusenthusiast.com/2017/04/20/video-introducing-the-2018-lexus-nx-f-sport/

The inside is grey. Pretty nice.

Sonic Titanium looks as good as it sounds . Much better in real light than the brochure shots.

I picked up the car a few days ago & I absolutely love it. The way it looks & drives. It's been a joy.

However, the infotainment system is as I expect. A piece of junk with no place in a 2017 luxury car.

The Navigation routing is probably the worst out there. It takes you off the efficient motorway route for a nice tour of busy town centre traffic lights. Its on a par with a 15 year old TomTom. Its as laggy too, despite only being a low resolution 2d display.

Waze or Google Maps annihilated it. Even my old Hyundai SatNav never made me question it.

We had to mount a phone cradle as an alternative now that the Lexus system has messed up two routes. At least I discovered some new places :)

One positive is that Bluetooth audio browsing does work well despite the lexus compatibility sheet claiming it only works on the Premium system.

One remaining hope is MirrorLink. In the Info screen there is an entry for Mirrorlink but it is always greyed out. I've tried to get it to work on my Samsung S7 for hours now. No luck.

Anyone got Mirrorlink to work? Does it even work or is it disabled?

On 26/02/2017 at 11:35 PM, rayaans said:

The brochures are available from every Lexus centre. You can even get a copy from Lexus.co.uk by clicking on the "Request a Brochure" and sticking your name and email address in. It comes within minutes. I presume being a tech guy you knew this already though?! 

The X1 doesn't cost less. Maybe if you're going for the poverty pack car but spec for spec its more expensive. Even the X1 xDrive18d Sport Auto is £32450. Then you have to add metallic paint (same as the NX) but also a rear view camera, heated front seats and "driving assistant plus" which has the active cruise control included as standard on the NX. The standard nav on the X1 is hardly any good - you need to go for the nav pack to get the real deal.

Also, I don't know where you found the X1 with a bigger boot - (NX - 550L, X1 - 505L). Thats taking into account the space saver spare wheel that the NX has. Without it, it'd be even bigger at 580L (other markets)

The X1 is designed to take on the Audi Q3 - these are all much smaller than the NX yet still cost about the same. The NX is a rival for the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 based on its dimensions and space.

From what I can tell, you want your map to do this (where you can see the horizon?):

 

I think you can literally just zoom out for that (if its in the wrong plane, hit the compass in the corner)

The Brochures take days to come through. I only have a PDF from the US version.

You are right about the smaller X1 boot. My apologies. We were after a 2 wheel drive manual X1. So it was around a grand cheaper after a few upgrades.

Sure it can see the horizon but its not true 3d. Its 2.5d.

From Lexus website   : fluid animations fast response with 2 and 2.5 D effects

I think they just distort the 2D image by tapering it to fake a 3d look. Like something from a 1990s videogame.

The lexus system has no scaling, perspective or smooth motion. Zooming in or out its hard to tell which way you are going without looking at the scale. The fonts & roads don't scale at all. Just compare it to Waze or Google Maps. Both are free.

Maybe it at least functions well? Good routing etc? 

Do Lexus ever update the software? Maybe it could be given a facelift. But I suspect the hardware is too slow since these units are from 2012.

I would be nice to re-skin the bad artwork however.

Fixed by Lexus. Loose wire/pin on one of the connectors.

I picked up a beautiful new sonic titanium NX300 sport yesterday. Very happy with it.

However, after dark I can't see anything. The center console switches have no backlighting. The area down by the gears & handbrake is pitchblack, I have to turn on the cabin light to find the buttons. Even the Lexus clock, the steering wheel buttons & storks are all dark.

The only illumination is the dash dails & satnav screen. 

Is this normal?

One more issue. The parking sensors, front & back, only beep. They beep so loud you have to turn them off. But that's not the problem. There's no way to tell which one is beeping. Front, rear, left or right. No visuals pop up on the satnav screen or MFD. I do recall seeing visual guides for the sensors in our test-drive car. Not sure if this is all we get for a 800quid upgrade? Cheap squawking.

Finally. We get MFD error when the car shuts down..

Smart entry & start system malfunction

any ideas? Either way, I suspect I'll be heading to the dealership tomorrow.

5 hours ago, rayaans said:

The brochures are available from every Lexus centre. You can even get a copy from Lexus.co.uk by clicking on the "Request a Brochure" and sticking your name and email address in. It comes within minutes. I presume being a tech guy you knew this already though?! 

The X1 doesn't cost less. Maybe if you're going for the poverty pack car but spec for spec its more expensive. Even the X1 xDrive18d Sport Auto is £32450. Then you have to add metallic paint (same as the NX) but also a rear view camera, heated front seats and "driving assistant plus" which has the active cruise control included as standard on the NX. The standard nav on the X1 is hardly any good - you need to go for the nav pack to get the real deal.

Also, I don't know where you found the X1 with a bigger boot - (NX - 550L, X1 - 505L). Thats taking into account the space saver spare wheel that the NX has. Without it, it'd be even bigger at 580L (other markets)

The X1 is designed to take on the Audi Q3 - these are all much smaller than the NX yet still cost about the same. The NX is a rival for the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 based on its dimensions and space.

From what I can tell, you want your map to do this (where you can see the horizon?):

 

I think you can literally just zoom out for that (if its in the wrong plane, hit the compass in the corner)

The Brochures take days to come through. I only have a PDF from the US version.

You are right about the smaller X1 boot. My apologies. We were after a 2 wheel drive manual X1. So it was around a grand cheaper after a few upgrades. Plus a 3k off Carwow deal.

Sure it can see the horizon but its not true 3d. Its 2.5d.

From Lexus website   : fluid animations fast response with 2 and 2.5 D effects

I think they just distort the 2D image by tapering it to fake a 3d look. Like something from a 1990s videogame.

The lexus system has no scaling, perspective or smooth motion. Zooming in or out its hard to tell which way you are going without looking at the scale. The fonts & roads don't scale at all. Just compare it to Waze or Google Maps. Both are free.

Maybe it at least functions well? Good routing etc? 

Do Lexus ever update the software? Maybe it could be given a facelift. But I suspect the hardware is too slow since these units are from 2012.

I would be nice to re-skin the bad artwork however.

Quote

So why didn't you buy the BMW? Seems to be a better car all round in your opinion..

The wife. She love the lexus's looks. :)

I was never given a brochure & there isn't one available for download without requesting it. Lexus.co.uk should be more up to date anyway. Its a shame if the website is indeed incorrect which I doubt. All this could have been avoided if I knew there was such a large difference between the two systems. I presumed because it was a 2017 car, I would be getting the latest infotainment software. Not something designed in 2012. Browsing Youtube, 98% of Lexus Nav videos feature the Premium system. How is someone suppose to know.

I don't agree about the competitors cars costing more. We nearly got the BMW X1 which is cheaper than the Lexus, has a far Superior infotainment system, better engine performance, bigger boot & better fuel economy, 

By 3d View I mean a camera angle lowered behind the car so you can see the horizon. The mapping data would be mapped on a 3d Plane & the camera is free to rotate around it. The Lexus system fakes it in 2d but it lacks scale, perspective & any real feeling of motion. They call it 2.5d. I call it *******.

4 hours ago, rayaans said:

I would say you have a strong sense of buyers remorse.

Firstly did you visit the showroom and test drive the car? Standard and Premium nav are available across the different trim levels and models and you could easily have hopped into any CT200h/IS300h/NX300h to test the different nav setups - therefore if this is the case, you only have yourself to blame

"2017 Lexus Navigation System:

• Worst UI design in the entire car industry - Its like a 1998 video game with a Cadbury's Dairy Milk backdrop. Was it designed in MS Paint? Matter of opinion, its functional and was designed back in 2012. Something you should have checked beforehand
• Loud ugly mapping colours & horrid Fonts. Another opinion 
• Slow frame rate & low DPI. Possibly true - but does it really matter? its still smooth
• Small Screen, no touch. Another thing which could have been checked before buying the car - no touchscreen is the norm these days and you wouldn't find this in an Audi or BMW. Remember this car has been around since 2014. Therefore its due a refresh later on this year/early next year which will include a bigger 10 inch screen. Again, also remember that BMW standard Idrive and Audi standard MMI use a small screen as well.
• Can't Browse Bluetooth Music Libraries. You'd have to switch albums using your phone interface. Unsafe while driving. USB works fine. Surely you've just solved your own problem here - use a USB?!
• No 3D Map view. It has a fake 2.5d view which I believe is because of the low performance CPU/GPU. Google Street view is available on premium nav - i suspect this would sort out the 3D map.
• No split screen views Split screen available on premium nav
• No SMS/EMAIL read outs Again, I believe its available on premium nav
• No voice commands other than Phone calling Again, on premium nav
• No Android or Apple Car Play (Seriously, its 2017) Lexus won't use android auto or apple carplay due to conflicting terms (easily brought up by a quick google search)
• No NAV guidance on MFD. Premium nav has this
• No Compass on MFD On premium nav
• Only one USB Port. Easily sorted by a USB hub
• No on/off button to turn the display off quickly without fumbling through menus. (good for night time)" Easily turned off by holding the on/off button for a few seconds. Regardless, the display will dim in night-time anyway so no glare.

 

I think there are a few fundamental points you have to grasp here - 

1) This is no run of the mill ordinary car - its a Luxury SUV and therefore the money has been spent on legendary reliability, noise, vibration and harshness suppression and the quality of the materials in the cabin. The hyundai I30 may have managed better infotainment, but I assure you its not a luxury car which is evident through its use of cheap materials and poor driving experience.

2) In the grand scheme of Luxury SUV's, the NX is quite cheap spec for spec compared to the Audi Q5/Jag F-Pace etc

 

I'm aware of the premium nav system now. However its irrelevant because the Premium Nav isn't an option on my car. The NX300H Sport. Try building one yourself, its impossible to avoid the obsolete Lexus Standard Nav system. Its included as standard & there's no Premium Nav packs or options. Theres no Premium Nav option on the S, SE or Luxury version either. Why? Listed below is what the F-Sport options page says about the Premium Nav upgrade. It doesn't list all the essential stuff customers are slowly going to realise are missing from their cheaper cars.

Looks like somthing I can safely skip & save 2k? Obviously not.

LEXUS PREMIUM NAVIGATION

£1,995.00

Using USB isn't an option because my wife already uses it for her collection. This car only has ONE USB port & I don't fancy hot swapping thumb drives in that awkward storage compartment. USB hubs don't work either. Lexus used a cheap 1.2a USB socket so it can't power two data devices. SUre I can use the smokers lighter to power more USB ports, but I need them for data not just charging. The position of the USB is awful too.

I forgot to rant about the biggest abomination of all. That CD Player. First off, no one uses CDs anymore. How big is it. What a waste of space. That thing should be covered in cobwebs in my Grandfather basement at best. It has no place in a 2017 so called luxury car. Luckly, its useless so we can ignore it.

I test drove a premium 300h I believe. It had the same sat nav as my own car will be cursed with. I spent the entire test drive (while my wife had a go driving), trying to figure out how to get it in 3D Mapping mode. I never figured it out because we now know it's not possible. Sigh. The salesman had no idea regarding the satnav.

 I doubt its possible to find a free sat nav app on the apple or Android store that doesn't have a 3D view. There's no excuse for what Lexus have done. 

Look at the AUDI Virtual cockpit or BMWs Idrive. Lexus are at least 5 years behind. Its just depressing.

I know I've made a terrible mistake & I'm stuck with it.

Thanks for the help guys.

Hey guys,  I'm new to Lexus. We have ordered a new Sonic Titanium Lexus 300H Sport (the rare one with the black wheels, Not F-Sport). Looks Great!

We pick it up in a few days once they fit the parking sensors.

Unfortunately I'm regretting my choice to the point I don't want the car. I'm obsessed with good tech & lexus didn't really make it clear how poor the infotainment system is. I was aware there is a Premium Navigation system out there but the Lexus website gives the impression this only adds online services or a BMW style concierge which I don't care for. I had no idea the Standard Nav system cuts the feature list & hardware down to something more worthy on the side of a fridge freezer.

Researching the Standard NAV isn't easy. It took days to find out what it can & can't do. Sadly, Its far worse than I could have ever imagined. I had too much faith in Lexus's reputation for quality to not rip me off.

In case you are wondering. Standard Nav is the one shown in the link below. Its very rare to see one in the wild as most videos focus on the Fsport & US Models.

https://youtu.be/FA4QMYfmSCo?t=1m41s

2017 Lexus Navigation System:

• Worst UI design in the entire car industry - Its like a 1998 video game with a Cadbury's Dairy Milk backdrop. Was it designed in MS Paint?
• Loud ugly mapping colours & horrid Fonts.
• Slow frame rate & low DPI
• Small Screen, no touch
• Can't Browse Bluetooth Music Libraries. You'd have to switch albums using your phone interface. Unsafe while driving. USB works fine.
• No 3D Map view. It has a fake 2.5d view which I believe is because of the low performance CPU/GPU.
• No split screen views
• No SMS/EMAIL read outs
• No voice commands other than Phone calling
• No Android or apple Car Play (Seriously, its 2017)
• No NAV guidance on MFD.
• No Compass on MFD
• Only one USB Port. 
• No on/off button to turn the display off quickly without fumbling through menus. (good for night time)

My car model, The NX300H Sport, doesn't even have the premium nav as an option anyway. Anyone know why? 

Powerful hardware good enough to power a basic 3D display is cheap these days. No excuse for 2d map views & poor graphics on a 34k car.

My 3.5 year old Hyundai I30 I traded in for this luxury car could manage most of the above with a bigger screen & faster visuals. Its heartbreaking to find out Lexus have found the cheapest old system, rotting in some warehouse in Japan, to install in my new car. I always knew I was compromising over an AUDI virtual cockpit or BMWs Idrive but I feel Lexus's marketing was crafty hiding all these missing features on the Standard Nav.

Is it possible to get out of the contract this early? I've paid a hefty deposit, signed the dotted line, PCP. I've not picked up the car yet.

Sorry to rant. I should note Lexus were great to deal with. Friendly guys. Great service. Its a shame they ruined such a increasingly important component in the car.

If they want to attract younger customers with the NX300H they need to address this Standard Nav. As it stands now, it's a great way to convince them to buy a AUDI or BMW.

Cheers George.