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Comments
I wouldn't spec it again for myself, but I wouldn't walk away from a car on the lot that had everything else right either...
I'm just hoping that someone has a setup for it.
Is250 has everything i want in a car, except for a little more power.
A car is more fun to drive if it can do 0-60 under 6sec.
The touch panel in the Lexus also controls (some) climate features as well as audio (ie audio channel presets are on the screen, CD disc change, etc).
For those who do, it's very helpful.
That said, it's not necessary to spend $2K to get the utility. Buy a stand-alone GPS from Garmin (my brand), Magellan, or whomever, for a fraction of the cost.
Do you actually drive your vehicle outside of the county (not country, BTW) you live in?
If not, you certainly don't need any kind of GPS.
Many of us do. A GPS provides the ability to get where you're going with much less stress.
That said, it does not always provide the best route. Often for long trips, I look on Yahoo Maps first, to get some idea of my route. But I still like the nav for the detailed maps that change in real-time based on your position, and for the voice guidance. You just have to bear in mind that it doesn't necessarily pick the best route all of the time.
Saying that the nav system is unsafe is like saying spedometers are unsafe because you shouldn't be looking at your speed, you should be watching the road. In fact, spedometers make driving safer, even though you have to take your eyes off the road to look at them. Same thing with navs.
On another topic previously mentioned, the Bluetooth works well with Cingular. I am not sure if Verizon would be a good choice. They have a few phones, but some features are disabled with the BT connectivity. T-Mobile is horrible as they have the least coverage. If you live in a dense metro area, it may not be that bad.
read in the BMW forums that reported noise in their AWD
systems as well. If the noise escalates or if other noises
come up then this might be something to look into. Or if it's
loud enough that makes it difficult to hear your speakers.
idea to go over 55 during break-in period. There's a lot of
engineering powering all 4 wheels.
I would suspect proper break in has much more to do with maintaining and varying RPM than speed. Would you recommend doing 50 mph in second gear during break-in? This would seem like a bad idea to me due to RPM level but would be acceptable based on your statement.
Most manufacturers recommend you vary RPM speed and do not exceed a certain level (i.e. 3500 RPM) for long periods. This might allow up to 85-90 mph in top gear for short periods.
I do not see how you correlate the AWD system with break in mph anyway as there are a variety of factors that impact AWD beyond mph...
(1) printed maps are just as good
(2) they think the non-nav console looks better
(3) they're ignoring all the other features nav gets you:
- voice recognition
- backup camera
- bluetooth
- etc, etc
Likely bottom line is they just couldn't afford it. Don't even get me started on those that "only want xenons, not all the other stuff".
the lot for proper break-in. Yes, vary the rpms to work the
pistons, but do not stay in the same mph, travel between 2k
to 4k rpm, and do not go over 55 mph for the first 1000
miles. Oil change is recommended after the first 1000 miles.
This helps remove the metal residues during break-in.
I'm not saying that this applies/correlates to AWD systems,
just new cars in general. It's good practice to have proper
break-in.
GPS is a wonderful thing, but you don't have to spend $2K to get the benefit. It's possible to spend $350 (or significantly less on the internet) with Garmin and get all the utility of map-driven turn-by-turn navigation. You'll end up with a stand-alone device that can be taken along on a business trip to use in the rental. In the bargain, you can set up a trip & review the tracks from past trips, on your computer at home (or laptop on a trip) -- really big screen, plus the ability to save the file.
I've taken a portable GPS to the continent (Europe) four times & England six, plus several dozen trips outside Arizona (where I live) over the past four years. It's been a wonderful help, and eliminates much of the stress of driving in a new place.
Here's the message: You can get the actual utility of "NAV" at a fraction of the cost of the hard-mounted accessory in a car, but no one will exclaim over it. It's just useful -- a Timex keeps time just as well as a Rolex.
So, why have the Rolex?
Well, worry over the size of gene***** comes to mind, but that's probably not all of it. "Sending a message" to business associates is how it's often been presented in discussions of this sort in the past.
In any event, having a GPS display in any form is a very useful thing. The size of the display? Maybe size does matter.
YMMV.
Most new cars have manufacturer suggestions in their manuals now that are specific to the car (and probably the warranty), so I would be wary of breaking in a car based on anecdotal, non-manufacturer, dealer or past 'rules-of thumb' information.
For instance my 1999 Saab had a free 1,000 mile oil change, presumably for the metal bits issue, but my 2005 Acura recommends no such thing. Other cars I have owned recommend NOT changing the initial oil until 3,000 miles due to additives in the factory oil that assist with break in. Most of my cars have recommended varying the RPM and not exceeding a certain RPM, but do not have a max speed, and recommend gentle breaking in the first 200 miles. I would find the 55 mph rule (if it is a rule) very difficult to comply with unless I never drove on a freeway for the first 1,000 miles, and one generally cannot drive safely on a freeway anymore doing 55 mph...
I think your postulated "bottom line" is off base... just mho.
getting a built-in NAV. Mon-Fri to and from work, why would
you need a NAV? And if they need one later, just get the
magellan, a couple hundred dollars vs 2K. It's not like the
NAV is a standard feature anyway.
The built-in NAV is really cool at first (WOW built-in NAV).
Some folks I've heard who have it don't even look at it
anymore.
I don't use nav everyday either, but I sure don't want to look at that hideous stock console everyday.
That doesn't make an IS250 buyer cheap... People make value judgements on all options... Carl Lindner drives a Bentley convertible, but I bet he doesn't pay $10K extra for the matching luggage..
As a value proposition, NAV systems probably return less on re-sale than any other option.. $2000 is $2000.. Some people would rather spend their money in other places..
regards,
kyfdx
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How long have Nav systems been offered as options on luxury cars?
Have they always been $2k plus?
You figure by now, they've reduced the costs but can still charge $2k plus because people are paying the price.
Why bother paying for something unused, given the choice?
Same applies for me to HVAC seating, bluetooth, sat radio and rear-view cams, etc., etc. Not useful enough for me to pay for. Now, in the absence of a special order option I might take (as I did on this car) such things, but if I don't need them, why pay for them? Next car is SO for certain.
NAV systems have always been around $2K... BMW charges $1800, when it is an option.. You would think that the price would have dropped by now.. NAV is now an option on Honda Civics, and the price is $1500.. I don't know if that means that it is getting cheaper, or if the price resistance is higher at that price level.. It is still $2000 on an Accord..
I think they've been around since about 1999 or 2000? I know that they were standard on '01 BMW 7-series..
Anyway.. back to the Lexus.. sorry.
regards,
kyfdx
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all the bells and whistles. And all the bells and whistles
really add up. One will have to think about whether they
need all of that or not and if it's worth the extra cost.
And in the new IS, I thought the NAV was standard at first.
Since most of the cars that have arrived had the NAV. Without
the NAV the climate controls, radio buttons, and their
display screens look very redundant and cluttered. It seems
like they want to steer people into getting the NAV option.
It seems like a special request without the NAV.
I looked at getting the Tom Tom 300 as a gift but it didn't really look portable and it used SD cards rather than an optical disc.
Plus maps of Europe aren't cheap are they?
Perhaps the manufacturers make the interior more appealing with the NAV as an incentive to buy NAV as an option.
Wonder if my insurance folks know that...
:confuse:
:P
and check the fourth one down.
Nav is one of those features that most people would not give up once they have it (and have been helped by it). Kind of like going back to hand-crank windows.
I have NAV, I use it; no biggie. The discussion is whether to purchase or not, which is an individual decision based on needs and experiences. Based on my needs and experiences, I wouldn't special order it nor specify it as a preference. If I didn't have a choice because it came bundled with other options I really wanted, I wouldn't walk away from it either, as I said. The more I ponder it, the more I believe I would find a portable unit that can ride in my travel case on the plane useful on the other end. If Lexus really wants to wow this customer, they should make theirs a docking unit I can take with me!
Tools for driving, like great rubber and suspension bits I'll take every time. NAV, to me, is kind of like having a 1 3/4" rotary hammer in your tool arsenal. It's real neat, and I'm sure if I try hard enough, I can find something to use it on, and someday I'll need one for something I'm sure. But hey, that's me.
I'm sure there are folks who use them regularly and have received tremendous value from the expenditure. They should buy them and use them and love them. What they should probably avoid is being critical of those who don't, I think...