Trying the Lexus Remote Touch System @ The Toronto Auto Show
After reporting stories and videos about the new Lexus Remote Touch system, I had the chance yesterday to try the technology for myself — and managed to record it despite my (noticeable) excitement:
Being an interface technology, there’s really no way to describe the haptic feedback feeling, save to say that it’s intuitive and incredibly responsive. Jumping from menu-item to menu-item brought to mind pushing a computer mouse up against a stretched rubber-band. Combined with the screen placed higher up in the dash, the Remote Touch system allows the driver to interact with the system through peripheral vision, almost through feel only.
As you can tell from the video, I was almost too impressed — and all the more once I started playing with equivalent BMW, Mercedes and Audi systems. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Remote Touch system will be duplicated in force over the next few years. It’s that good. If you were at all concerned about its usability compared to the touchscreen, you need not worry at all.
February 13th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
We have a 2010 RX350 on the showroom floor now. The Remote Touch controller is much easier to use than the touch-screen navigation of the past. The controller has two electric motors attached to it that allow it to create resistance and “feel” to the inputs. The controller does return to center after the car is shut off. There is an option that allows the driver to select the amount of resistance that the controller provides. We have had three of these delivered…none of which were equipped with the heads-up display. The non-navigation version has a small open storage area where the navigation controller would be. The rear camera is displayed on a small screen mounted within the rear-view mirror. It gets the job done. I have had not had an opportunity to drive the vehicle at night to test the intelligent high-beam system. Overall I have been very impressed with the redesign.
February 13th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I drove the RX yesterday and was insanely impressed. We have a 1999 RX300, that day we had a loaner 2008 RX350 while our ES was in the shop, and then we went to drive the 2010 RX350. The 2008 RX isn’t too different from the RX300 in terms of interior options. The 2008 RX was actually more bumpy and a little louder than the RX300, and the front cup holders SUCK! You could barely fit 2 large starbucks cups side by side. The seats were much harder but i’ll attribute that to the fact that our RX is 9 years old and the seats have been broken in.
Now the 2010 RX. It’s a completely different car. The only thing i could find remotely similar to the previous generation is the flip down section in the back seats. Other than that the car is AMAZING! When you sit in the drivers seat it feels almost like you’re sitting in a cockpit. You are comfortably wrapped on all sides and the seats hug you perfectly. The remote touch is really nice, when you rest your arm your hand perfectly hits the controller. The haptic feedback is strangely nice, it’s almost like there are notches, it’s hard to explain. The new RX also handles very well, when you go around a corner quickly you don’t lean so much. It’s almost like going around in a corner in a GS and ES, the 2010 RX is like the GS around a corner where the 2009 RX is like the ES. Something really cool is even if you don’t get the NAV system you get a large screen (like the first gen RX) but what’s really unique is you still get a backup camera, now the screen is in the rearview mirror! There really is a huge difference and I’m hoping they will take a lot of the 2010 RX for the new GX.
One thing I am wondering about is how they will implement the remote touch in other lexus vehicles. It seems like there would need to be a lot of redesign to allow it.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
hm, i got to try this out.
sounds even better than people thought.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
now the screen is in the rearview mirror!
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wow, that’s sexy.
February 13th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
only if you don’t get NAV. If you get NAV then it’s on the main display. But it is nice to still get bluetooth and backup camera even when you don’t get nav
February 13th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
That would explain why I can’t find any images of the backup camera in the rearview.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Hyperlink to This is an interesting article on the LX 570.
However, after reading about the airbags and something about utility when it comes to cargo space, something that is pretty important came to my mind. I understand that the manual of my LX already advised occupants not to lean their heads on the window in case the airbags deploy, likely causing severe injury, but if all three rows have side curtain airbags, and if they’re all connected, won’t the cargo in the rear interfere with the side curtain airbag - much less the raised seats themselves?
The thing is that accidents can happen anytime, and the vehicle is a little more vulnerable when the rear is full of cargo that are stacked up to the ceiling and pushed side-to-side from the left window to the right. (This is always the case when I go to Costco or Vegas Would the cargo prevent the airbags from coming all the way down?!