Hands On: Lexus' Remote Touch Beats iDrive

Take the joystick operation out of the equation entirely, and replace it with a touchpad like a laptop computer. Now that would be awesome, and makes much more sense as there are no moving parts to break.

— Bmw8ter (View Profile)

Posted on 2/24/2009 9:53:44 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Like I said in an earlier post, the mouse may be goofy looking but its really intuitive. Just like a laptop, the touchpad is too sensitive if you use more than your hand (hence why I hate them and prefer the nippples used on the old IBM laptops). Rolling your finger on a touchpad isn't as easy as shifting your palm.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/24/2009 10:14:07 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

There are the yesses and the no's....

Yes: Seems quite initiative to use and what do you know? Its a Lexus so maybe customers will feel a bit more safer with the reliability.

No: The only thing that new technologies will offer is only some more getting used to...

— shabaru (View Profile)

Posted on 2/24/2009 10:47:27 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6   

Sounds SWEET! I can't wait to try it

— CarCrazedinCali (View Profile)

Posted on 2/24/2009 11:28:25 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

I love Lexus' touch screen controls and at first was horrified that they were going to replace it with a joystick. After reading this, I'm going to at least have to try it before passing judgment. I still think that at the very least they should have still enabled touch in addition to the joystick.

— SanJoseDriver (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 12:07:22 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

I've tried it. It's so easy a caveman could do it. Lexus does it again.

— DinamoR (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 1:21:12 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Is this really necessary? The "Beats iDrive" part? There have been so many threads on these boards lately designed to start flame wars. This is another one of them.

— Willis (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 4:42:36 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

Can't wait to try it. Looks like this Remote Touch is going to be in every new Lexus. RX and also new HS250h has it.

JUGNU

— JUGNU (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 4:45:14 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

Tried it! Not that much different or better than MMI or Command! Just Different!

— kpaxx (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 8:40:18 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

what do you know lexus got an idea from bmw...

— Imola48isX5 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 10:23:55 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

Only better.Oh that's true with everything.

— truthpursuit (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 10:52:49 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -5   

I remember when Audi came out with the MMI system and people were telling me: "Oh it's not touchscreen? Lexus and Acura is touchscreen".
Not anymore they are not!!
Some Lexus clients will not like that.. they have been so spoiled and now it's gone..

— AlexTx (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 11:41:22 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

Hard to beat this type of system. Touchscrean is nice, but washout on sunny days due to close proximity of the screen is a drawback. The Lexus one is also much easier to use than other remote-type set-ups.

— david999 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 11:50:00 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

I wonder who will be the first to copy this Lexus technology. BMW?

— iLexus (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 12:18:12 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

I tried it last month at a local car show and it really is rather simple in comparison to Idrive however that been said I will miss their really simple touch screen. My wife has a ES350 and although I dont like the car the nav system is one of the best.

— NItePhire (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 12:24:39 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

I guess Lexus did the right thing again by waiting...copying...then improving. They've done this repeatedly in the past and were ridiculed for doing so. Maybe now, that will stop.

— Ricks2Dogs (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 12:30:56 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

I don't buy laptops without the little pointer stick. Touch pads are for slow people- novice or down right have too much time on their hand. The pointer stick is way more accurate and gets the task done 100 times faster than using touchpad (now add the auto snap on feature : Perfect). Don't need a mouse.

I'm speaking of laptops.

— Chaos29 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 1:12:07 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

LEXUS= COPY. Some things never change.

— vonbeeler (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 2:06:15 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Lexus is always in the shadow of BMW eventually catching up. Us BMW owners prefer to park our own cars.

— Imola48isX5 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 2:15:50 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

The tow truck drivers are also park BMW's,they use a hook and a wench.

— truthpursuit (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 4:26:10 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

The iDrive is a FAILURE...Enough said

— BJS470 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 8:20:50 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

Touchscreens are fine. BMW copied the computer and showed us how NOT to make an input device, Lexus shows us again how its done.

Wouldn't surprise me if they made this a no charge option (or charge built in) so people who like the touchscreen can still have it.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 9:52:22 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

No surprises here. Is it better than the new 7 Series's iDrive though? I'm eager to try that one out.

— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 2/25/2009 11:31:54 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

i still think the new audi mmi is wayyyy better

— Jordanski (View Profile)

Posted on 2/26/2009 12:57:11 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Looks cheap n nasty, touchscreen is still the nicest sytem to use!!!

— ubercool (View Profile)

Posted on 2/26/2009 10:23:22 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

I have just spent 5 days with the new RX and the controller. I have always hated the idea of something that makes life more complex and is not needed. However it seems that is not the case in the new RX. The nav screen is very far forward and so I see the necessity of the controls being close at hand. After using this new controller for the 5 days, I can say that it is easy to learn with a one minute learning curve, fast, easy and not at all a bad thing. I also love not getting fingerprints on the touch screen as before. I have read about the complexity and long learning curves of the German controllers but Lexus seems to have very neatly solved those issues.

— cbro980 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/26/2009 6:49:45 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

I saw a red ISF today and it was so ugly. The second one I've seen in 6 months.

— xj13 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/27/2009 8:40:13 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0