I admire any car I buy after just 9 months!!! But then again, I tend to hold onto my cars a lot longer. I believe the LC has that potential of bonding for a long term relationship!!
How good is the built-in navigation / media interface (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter greynolds
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I admire any car I buy after just 9 months!!! But then again, I tend to hold onto my cars a lot longer. I believe the LC has that potential of bonding for a long term relationship!!
Blame short attention span....
Yeah, carplay isn't entirely a deal breaker as long as the stock infotainment system is decent, which what I was initially trying to focus on. As soon as I mentioned CarPlay, it was probably inevitable for the focus to shift to discussing that and people jumping to the conclusion that I was complaining about the 200 series not having it.
Land Rover has been a frustrating company for me over the years. I had a 1995 Discovery and got a ton of enjoyment out of it, but something was always breaking on it. I also had a recent model Range Rover - I liked it in a lot of ways, but it was less reliable than the Discovery and the infotainment system was pretty frustrating for using a lot of things that are normally readily accessible with a button on the dashboard on most cars. The LR4's are pretty nice all around - capable, comfortable, lots of cargo space, and a good looking vehicle - since you got a good one, hold onto it. The new Discovery is terrible looking. Time will tell how well the new Defender works out - to me it looks a lot more like an LR5 than a Defender though. Given their track record, there's no way I would consider the first model year of anything from them.
I found the stock infotainment on the LC decent - full disclosure - I do not own a LC200. 3 of my neighbors do and we "car compare". It is last generation but it works as designed. nothing fancy, nothing "cool" but it works and is functional. I'm not an audiophile so I find the stock sound system decent although I prefer the harmann kardon in my wife's LR4.
Agree with you on the frustration with the LR brand - so much potential, brilliant design but extremely inconsistent and piss-poor execution at times. But if you luck out with a good one, then its great!! very enjoyable. the LR5..(oops defender) is promising but a monocoque if that matters to you. JLR right now is in a tricky situation with the departure of Ian Callum (who was responsible for some of the beautiful designs of late) and brexit. COVID just complicated their situation even more.
From what it sounds like - you should be happy with a LC. There are only a few true SUVs left. LC is last of a certain breed of SUVs and my nostalgic self sees a degree of appeal in that.
Ira is a crappy, old-school dealership.
I've had dealers trade for a car for me on three different occasions, including a Toyota dealership. One was Acton Toyota.
I rented a Infiniti QX80 and the infotainment is much superior to the Land Cruiser and more comfortable. What I didn’t like, was the exterior, lots of chrome and it drives like a large boat. I hate that floating feel in the steering wheel. It drove and looks bloated. I also love the G63 and came really close to buying the 2019 when released but made the smarter financial choice for my family and ended up with a 2019 LC. The infotainment is lame compared to the Merc hands down but I am willing to give that up for true reliability and being able to customize my SUV the way I want.
greynolds
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #46
I believe the Armada has a lot less bling than the QX80. Not sure how the handling compares - no idea if they have the same suspension setup or if the Infiniti is tuned for a softer ride. The 2019 Armada I rented rode quite nicely.
The new generation (2019+) G-class is really nice in a lot of ways and has some nice interior updates, but they really jacked the base price up. The infotainment isn't radically different from my 2017; the controller is a bit different, but the overall functionality is the same. There's no doubt that the LC is definitely a smarter financial choice, both in terms of initial cost and long term costs.
I can't even tell what this thread is about anymore, but I second the above opinion.
We own a QX60, and our experience is that Inifini dealers are all shutting down in our area. I would strictly avoid buying anything Nissan or Infiniti until they get their business sorted out. It's sad to say since I was a big fan of the redesigned Armada and QX80.
FrazzledHunter
SILVER Star
I must be easy to please or a beauty is only skin deep kind of guy.
I would have bought my 200 LC if all it had for an entertainment system was an AM/FM radio.
But then again, I thought my 1985 full size Chevy K5 Blazer was great with an AM radio, crank windows, 2 solid axles and manual hubs.
That truck went anywhere I wanted it to.
My SUV after that was my beloved 100 series 2000 LC.
I remember thinking that the "radio" on it was awesome.
The experience I had with the 100 series is what made me want to buy the 200 series even with all the extra "stuff".
End of rambling post.
I would have bought my 200 LC if all it had for an entertainment system was an AM/FM radio.
But then again, I thought my 1985 full size Chevy K5 Blazer was great with an AM radio, crank windows, 2 solid axles and manual hubs.
That truck went anywhere I wanted it to.
My SUV after that was my beloved 100 series 2000 LC.
I remember thinking that the "radio" on it was awesome.
The experience I had with the 100 series is what made me want to buy the 200 series even with all the extra "stuff".
End of rambling post.
greynolds
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #49
I'm a software developer (aka: geek), so the infotainment stuff is somewhat important to me. That doesn't mean it has to have all the latest and greatest stuff, but what it does have needs to be reasonably intuitive and work well. Too much technology, on the other hand, can be really bad. If everything goes to a touchscreen (like on the Range Rover I mentioned earlier), you end up having to navigate through too many pages and menus to do something simple like adjust the cabin temperature up or down - I'd much rather turn a knob or push up/down buttons on the dashboard.I must be easy to please or a beauty is only skin deep kind of guy.
I would have bought my 200 LC if all it had for an entertainment system was an AM/FM radio.
But then again, I thought my 1985 full size Chevy K5 Blazer was great with an AM radio, crank windows, 2 solid axles and manual hubs.
That truck went anywhere I wanted it to.
My SUV after that was my beloved 100 series 2000 LC.
I remember thinking that the "radio" on it was awesome.
The experience I had with the 100 series is what made me want to buy the 200 series even with all the extra "stuff".
End of rambling post.
FrazzledHunter
SILVER Star
Well I think I know you, figuratively. I developed ground software, user interface dashboards in C++, for commercial and military satellites for 30 years until I retired in 2016. One of the problems we faced as user interface developers was how to balance the new user (lots of screens) with the same users who later became experts that complained about too much hand-holding in the user interface.
I totally understand the technology and would trade the electric windows that go haywire after you disconnect the battery for manual window cranks any day.
I wrote C++ back in the day. Now I’m primarily Python with some JavaScript thrown in.
Op-ed
The Toyota LC why I think you should buy one. You expect to own it for 20 years put 10K plus miles a year on it and know that if you wanted to drive from your house to North of Alaska or Southern tip of South America you could. You would get there, and you would get back.
Why you should not buy one. The info package system is not up to date, I can guarantee in 20 years it going to be even less up to date. It is not the most luxurious auto in 85K price range, I can guarantee in 20 years it not likely to be even close to what is considered luxurious. It gets bad gas mileage, yep gas mileage is bad but in 20 year assuming they are still selling gas you will still be able to drive it to Alaska. I can’t find the color I want; hey they only sell 3 to 4k a year got to learn to live with grey and black.
The automobile likely the worst purchase any one can make besides flowers. They have a shelf life. It is worth X% less the moment you sign papers and drive it off lot. You pay insurance that if your lucky you will never have to use and will hopefully pay out should you need it. You pay to register it a fixed amount per year unless you state does it based on % of value. You pay to fix the things that break and hope if you are not mechanically inclined have a good mechanic that treats it like it was their car. You have to clean or pay to get it cleaned. Every new rattle, squeak, tick, etc… depending on you is cause for concern or its just another day older I will fix it when it stops working. Some one will give you thumbs up and say cool LC, another might ask you if that is new Highlander.
In summary forums are fun assuming you can ignore any comment you don’t agree with and possibly more fun if you like seeing who you can aggravate.
Life is short take the wife/kids/yourself for a drive, burn up some gas and have a nice day.
To answer the NAV question it works if maps are up-to-date you can find what you are looking for. I never use the Media interface outside of Radio and Climate so sorry no help from me on that front.
The Toyota LC why I think you should buy one. You expect to own it for 20 years put 10K plus miles a year on it and know that if you wanted to drive from your house to North of Alaska or Southern tip of South America you could. You would get there, and you would get back.
Why you should not buy one. The info package system is not up to date, I can guarantee in 20 years it going to be even less up to date. It is not the most luxurious auto in 85K price range, I can guarantee in 20 years it not likely to be even close to what is considered luxurious. It gets bad gas mileage, yep gas mileage is bad but in 20 year assuming they are still selling gas you will still be able to drive it to Alaska. I can’t find the color I want; hey they only sell 3 to 4k a year got to learn to live with grey and black.
The automobile likely the worst purchase any one can make besides flowers. They have a shelf life. It is worth X% less the moment you sign papers and drive it off lot. You pay insurance that if your lucky you will never have to use and will hopefully pay out should you need it. You pay to register it a fixed amount per year unless you state does it based on % of value. You pay to fix the things that break and hope if you are not mechanically inclined have a good mechanic that treats it like it was their car. You have to clean or pay to get it cleaned. Every new rattle, squeak, tick, etc… depending on you is cause for concern or its just another day older I will fix it when it stops working. Some one will give you thumbs up and say cool LC, another might ask you if that is new Highlander.
In summary forums are fun assuming you can ignore any comment you don’t agree with and possibly more fun if you like seeing who you can aggravate.
Life is short take the wife/kids/yourself for a drive, burn up some gas and have a nice day.
To answer the NAV question it works if maps are up-to-date you can find what you are looking for. I never use the Media interface outside of Radio and Climate so sorry no help from me on that front.
greynolds
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #56
I finally had a chance to go test drive a new Land Cruiser today and will be taking delivery on a white 2020 Heritage Edition tomorrow. The infotainment system definitely feels dated, but seems to be easy enough to use. Sound quality of the sound system seems better than the Mercedes. Engine power is very noticeably less than the G63, but there’s plenty of power. I like the split tailgate design a lot and it’s something I’ve missed since trading in my LX-470. Overall, the current Land Cruiser easily lived up to expectations.
The dealer had 2 2019’s on the lot and I could have saved a chunk by opting for one, but I decided the Heritage Edition differences were worth paying a little more for.
Thanks for the recommendation for Acton Toyota; they were pretty pleasant to work with. Their first trade in number was pretty much exactly what I was expecting and their 2nd number on the Land Cruiser price was also what I was expecting (the initial offer price was about $5000 higher). No hard sell on the car or any of the extras.
Now I need to look into a few things such as waterproof floor mats (Weathertech is always a good option) and possibly rock sliders or running boards (I assume Slee is still a great option) so my elderly mother can get in and out.
The dealer had 2 2019’s on the lot and I could have saved a chunk by opting for one, but I decided the Heritage Edition differences were worth paying a little more for.
Thanks for the recommendation for Acton Toyota; they were pretty pleasant to work with. Their first trade in number was pretty much exactly what I was expecting and their 2nd number on the Land Cruiser price was also what I was expecting (the initial offer price was about $5000 higher). No hard sell on the car or any of the extras.
Now I need to look into a few things such as waterproof floor mats (Weathertech is always a good option) and possibly rock sliders or running boards (I assume Slee is still a great option) so my elderly mother can get in and out.
greynolds
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- Thread starter
- #58
Yeah, their stuff is usually quite good. I'll need to look around at the various options (I believe there are lots of threads on this topic) and also see if my mom can get in and out without any step or not before making a decision.
The first mod will be to remove the Yakima roof rack basket
. That's the only change on the Heritage Edition that feels kind of cheesy to me. IMHO, they should have gone with something along the lines of the tube rack they put on the TRD Pro Sequioa. But it's not a big deal.
bloc
SILVER Star
Congrats on the truck! HE’s are beautiful..
The arb stuff is nice but somewhat light duty depending on how you’ll use the truck. Lots of discussion on all your options on this board, as you’d expect. Actually there are a fair number of perfect condition new base model steps available from people that put sliders on their new cruisers.. if you were closer you could have mine though they aren’t brand new.
The arb stuff is nice but somewhat light duty depending on how you’ll use the truck. Lots of discussion on all your options on this board, as you’d expect. Actually there are a fair number of perfect condition new base model steps available from people that put sliders on their new cruisers.. if you were closer you could have mine though they aren’t brand new.
