[magny]

Hi guys, i'm new to this forum as i am going to be a new owner of this really attractive car! I live in Italy, and today i have gone to lexus dealer in my city to "investigate" a terrible question that's making me restless: does this ct navigation system work while driving? Or there is need of such an "override" as in previous lexus (accordingly to many threads i discovered googling around...)?
The dealer said he tried to set destination by the remote controller while driving and it worked...on facebook a lexus man said me i should not worry as it works...but, as i couldn't try it myself, i still have any doubts...
Maybe did somebody try operating navigation system by Remote Touch while driving?
Thank's in advance!

 

[LexusGuy]

The Navigation system is designed to let you do certain things while in motion, however it will not let you use the remote touch to enter a complete new destination while the vehicle is in motion. You can use the Voice Guidance however at anytime and enter a destination.

 

[magny]

So the Lexus Italia man on this page is telling me somthing false? Lexus CT 200h | Facebook
He says: " on the CT 200h you can always operate the nav system. For example, it is possible to input an address even with the car moving and at a speed above 10 km/h"...
He clearly states i can input destinations by the remote touch with the car moving even above 10km/h...i don't know what to think...

 

[LexusGuy]

It might be different in the European models vs the US.

 

[magny]

Ok! These should really be good news!

 

[Chandra]

What a silly restriction.. it would mean I can't ask my passenger to put in a destination en route?? I mean, the main benefit of a gps is so that your partner doesn't have to read the map and give you directions while driving... but please Lexus, allow them at least to put the address in!

 

[magny]

Today Lexus dealer in Rome phoned me to tell what he discovered about the nav system:
yesterday, driving home, he tried to use the nav system inputting address from scratch, inputting city name, and then the address of the street, with the car moving up to 120 km/h...so it should be confirmed, at least in italy, this UNUSEFUL limitation is not present!
He has told me the behaviour of system is different from previous versions as they can't be operated and were grayed when the car was moving while no one of these things happened with CT nav system.
Good..good..good news!!! ^_^

 

[Team Lexus]

Law's in north america are very different then in Europe. This is great news that in Europe the "lockout" function doesn't exist!

 

[magny]

I can't believe it could be a law that limit "a priori" the freedom of the driver or of passengers!!! Even if the driver doesn't operate the nav system he could drive, as an odd example, with eyes closed, but i don't believe lexus put on car a system to keep his eyes open as in "A Clockwork Orange"! ^_^...If Lexus want to add safety to his cars this is great, but driver MUST HAVE the FREEDOM to do everything he wants to do: it's called "personal responsability". I'm supposed to buy a car, not a nurse! There should be such a reason if these limitations are "not so common" on other brands

 

[Team Lexus]

I think its a geographical issue. not a manufacturer's issue. If you come to North America, you'll probably find all the manufacturer's have NAV lockouts.

In north america, your easily-understood-concept of "personal responsibility" is somewhat humorous considering how litigious the US is. Everything is "someone else's responsibility" as an attitude in the US...less so in Canada.

This is why the car makers have these seemingly absurd features in North America. You build for the ppl who buy the product.

Its great to know that Europe is more pragmatic. At least our entire planet isn't silly.

 

[MikeLIX]

I had a 2008 Mercedes S550 would let you do pretty much anything on the NAV while driving. I also had an Audi Q7 that would let you enter addresses after clearing out warning screens. A 2005 Lexus LS430 that I had and a couple other friends' newer Lexuses will not let you enter addresses while the car is moving. I really dislike that feature of the Lexus brand. I guess the Japanese companies are more concerned than German ones about getting sued when someone gets in a wreck or runs someone over while entering text into the GPS while driving. The voice option for destination entry has been a possibility with other past cars, but I have not had any luck using voice command. I would say something like "Destination" and the system would respond with something like "now showing all Italian restaurants." However -- with the CT200h, I have found using the voice entry mode for putting in a destination from scratch (it works while driving) is very easy to use and the system can almost always recognize my commands; this is now my preferred way to use the system. I am pleasantly surprised at how well it works for me.

 

[cenix]

most of you seem to forget the litigiousness of the united states as a whole. although i am 100% in favor of not being locked out of they nav system while operating the vehicle, it will in the end be in the favor of "safety" to save the manufacturers' tails when a lawsuit comes up.

the nav system was like this on my 2008 infiniti fx45, too.

 

[bondguy]

So I need to order a European spec CT and then bring it back to the USA. I have a GM SUV (Buick Enclave) with built in NAV...it does nothing while you are driving as far as inputting info. They make a device called a "GM Lockpick" (not a GM product but made for all GM cars and SUV's) which you install inline with the radio harness...they cost about $300-$500 depending on which model you choose...one of them even lets you activate the rear backup camera while driving so you can see behind your car as you are moving...one, also has a feature that when the DVD movie is on the rear screen in the SUV, you can watch the movie on the front screen as well....that sound "real safe"....but that has always been my gripe...the passenger could enter the info on a NAV screen but like someone stated, in a country like ours with too many lawyers (and I am married to one) they will always find a way to sue for distractive driving in the case of an accident...easy fix...get a Garmin GPS and no worries.

 

[LexusGuy]

You can also use Destination Assist and they will download the information into your car while your driving and then there is Lexus Enform that allows you to zap up to 200 destinations to your car from any computer or the iPhone Application..

 

[tchris]

So, has anyone come up with a "work-around" to enable touch screen use of the GPS while driving? Certainly there is some techno type out there that has figured this out.

 

[bilmat]

So, has anyone come up with a "work-around" to enable touch screen use of the GPS while driving? Certainly there is some techno type out there that has figured this out.

If the CT Nav is designed the same as the Nav in my '09 ES350, there is in fact a work-around, but it's not approved by Lexus/Toyota. Without divulging his name or his dealership (not the one I bought my CT from), I'm aware of a Lexus technician who is willing to work off the clock and set up the GPS so that all touch commands can be input while the car is underway. But there's a caveat: He has to install a small switch that will cancel the current command. Once the new touch command is entered and the switch is switched back, the GPS will show the new command and work normally. I don't have Nav in my CT, and I haven't yet had it done in my ES, but it's supposed to be a relatively easy job, so it's likely that a C-note would cover the tech's time. I would wager that this is widespread knowledge among many Lexus technicians, so if this issue is really bugging you, it wouldn't hurt to ask around next time you are at your dealer. You may be told that it simply cannot be done, but I know it can, at least in an '09 ES350.

 

[tchris]

Thanks Bilmat - glad to hear there's a way around it. I was hoping there was a way to disable the feature and not have to add a switch or other hardware. I'll bet someone comes up with something. I don't disagree so much that the driver shouldn't be monkeying around with the nav while driving, but my wife will frequently be checking on points of interest as we travel. Seems a shame that you would have to disable those functions while moving. I'm not into the voice command stuff, but maybe I'll have to get more comfortable with it.

 

[bilmat]

Thanks Bilmat - glad to hear there's a way around it. I was hoping there was a way to disable the feature and not have to add a switch or other hardware. I'll bet someone comes up with something. I don't disagree so much that the driver shouldn't be monkeying around with the nav while driving, but my wife will frequently be checking on points of interest as we travel. Seems a shame that you would have to disable those functions while moving. I'm not into the voice command stuff, but maybe I'll have to get more comfortable with it.

The way it was explained to me, you would only have to flip the switch to erase the current command momentarily while you use the touch screen to enter a new command. Then flip the switch a second time and your new destination (or whatever) is on the screen. I am so used to using the touch screen on my '06 MDX with factory Nav and my Garmin Nuvi on other cars I've had without Nav (including the Garmin Zumo on my motorcycle) that learning a new GPS vocabulary to input audio commands is something I would prefer not to have to learn.

 

[wackid]

So, USA CT's cant put in adresses while you are driving??

With the nav in my CT is no problem, so it should be a software issue.

 

[tchris]

It would be nice if it was a software fix that could be easily reprogrammed. I'm wondering if it isn't something a dealership could reset if they wanted to. I would be curious if a Lexus dealer in Canada could do it.