I recently had a chance to go hands-on with the Lexus NX, one of the first vehicles to get the new system, and it has a lot of new features.
My test vehicle was a plug-in hybrid called the NX 450h+ that came with a spacious 14-inch main infotainment display. The lower trims of the NX have a standard display that can be upgraded to a 14-inch one.
The Lexus interface.
The Lexus Interface is a similar system to the Toyota and Lexus systems. Light gray background during the day and dark gray at night are what the system delivers.
The dashboard of the Lexus NX has a very streamlined look, with most of the climate controls in the main screen. Climate controls on some vehicles such as the Toyota Tundra with the same system, are mostly hard buttons below the screen, so Toyota is being somewhat flexible depending on what it believes the target market for each vehicle will prefer.
The new climate controls from Lexus and Toyota have done a good job, but I prefer the hardware climate controls. The driver and passenger have hardware rings in the lower corners of the screen that allow them to set their temperatures. The front and rear defrosters are easy to use, and the most popular features are still easy to use, because the buttons underneath the display are small.
Toyota and Lexus have opted not to offer a home screen or dashboard view, meaning you can only view information from one main app at a time. A strip on the left side of the screen lets you hop among the various features of the app.
The Lexus and Toyota built-in navigation system has a partnership with the POI database, which means it does an excellent job of finding destinations, compared to other systems that struggle with that task.
This system supports voice control that can be triggered with a button press or a simple "Hey Lexus" voice command. It worked well in my testing, and supports a wide range of functions from navigation to phone to audio.
The Lexus navigation system is cloud-based, which means it can be updated, but it requires a Drive Connect subscription package that also includes the cloud-based Intelligent Assistant for expanded voice control with natural language processing. It also includes Destination Assist, a service that allows you to get live agents who can help with finding addresses, businesses, or POIs and sending them directly to your navigation system.
Vehicles with a 14-inch display get three years of access included in the Drive Connect subscription. The smaller screen vehicles don't get a trial period.
Lexus offers several other subscription services, including an $8/month Safety Connect package with features like automatic crash notifications, collision assistance, and stolen vehicle location, and an $8/month Remote Connect package with features like a digital key, remote start and lock/unlock, and more. You will need to pay for both packages after three years on all trims.
Lexus will be rolling out shared digital keys in early 2022, which will allow you to share your Lexus with up to seven other people, making it easy to allow friends or family to use your vehicle as necessary without having to give them physical keys.
Toyota will be able to push new features and bug fixes over time as the Lexus interface supports over-the-air updates, and the screen, processing power, and other hardware features are all designed with sufficient capabilities for the future. It's nice to be able to change your car's systems over time rather than being fixed based on what was available at the time of purchase.
It's called CarPlay.
It was easy to set up Wireless CarPlay with just a few steps after connecting the phone to the car. From that point on, things were pretty easy to use, with the app showing up quickly each time the vehicle is started.
The climate controls are visible below the screen, but when active, CarPlay takes over the majority of the large screen.
You can get a great experience with Apple Maps and Music, but it also means you can't see information from the native system, like if you were listening to a song while navigating with Apple Maps.
Climate controls remain visible at all times, and other frequently accessed functions can be found with a tap on a menu pop up, and information like the current song and channel for SiriusXM can be displayed in the digital cockpit.
If you have a wired or wireless connection, it's easy to get into CarPlay from the Lexus system. The native system has a CarPlay icon at the top left. Getting out of the native system requires a few more steps, as you'll need to exit any app back to the main screen and tap on the Lexus icon. You can use Hey Lexus voice control to switch from CarPlay to another platform, but there is no hardware button or persistent software icon.
Both Apple and Amazon have music services.
Toyota is one of the few car manufacturers that support direct streaming of Apple Music and Amazon Music. The feature is available with an AT&T subscription.
Toyota worked closely with the Apple Music team to make it possible for its customers to use Apple Music in the native system even if they are in the native system.
With the Lexus app on your phone, you can authorize your Apple Music account, which will allow you to listen to your favorite radio stations and listen to your favorite songs. The app design is a nice hybrid that makes it clear that it's part of the core Toyota/ Lexus system and yet it's still unmistakably Apple Music, with the traditional content options, album art, and more.
Steering wheel buttons, Digital Cockpit, and Head-Up display.
The all-digital cockpit of the Lexus NX includes a variety of styles and display options, as well as the large main screen, which can be used for a variety of functions.
The 10-inch head-up display in my test vehicle gave me a lot of information from a speedometer to the current speed limit. The head-up display has yellow arrows pointing left or right to warn you if you are about to pull out in front of vehicles.
The head-up display supports Apple Maps in CarPlay, which will allow you to keep tabs on upcoming turns without looking away from the car. The experience looks like it comes from the built-in navigation system.
The Lexus NX has D-pads on the left and right sides of the steering wheel. The buttons are unlabeled because they can serve multiple functions. A "page" button below each D-pad lets you cycle through the sets and the head-up display will show the function of each button in the currently selected set as you touch them and pause for a moment.
There are ports and connections.
The 2022 NX has four wired and four wireless ports, with the exception of aUSB-C port up front. The only port that supports data is the USB-A port.
There are two charge-only ports on the back of the center console for rear passengers.
If you're sticking with wireless, the NX has a clever design for the optional wireless phone charger, which is a flat tray that doubles as a cover for a storage bin near the base of the center stack. If you leave your phone in the car, the cover slides back into the dash to hide the storage compartment, so you can't pick it up while driving.
I had issues with the charger, as it was not able to charge my phones with Apple's basic leather cases on them. After a few seconds, the status light by the charging dock begins blinking.
The phones are able to charge without cases, and an older iPhone 11 Pro Max charges with or without a case, so my suspicion is that the newer Pro Max models are elevating the phone too much off of the flat charging surface. The company is optimistic that the issue can be addressed with a software update because it has passed my experiences along to its proper teams.
This will be a great design for a wireless charger if they can fix the charging issue. The prominent placement and the option to slide your phone away from view make it easy to put your phone on it. The design of the charger means it doesn't have to take up a lot of room.
The $450 package that adds digital key and SmartAccess card key support is not included as standard equipment on any trims. It's unfortunate that the feature requires the extra package, but it still represents a small fraction of the overall price of the car.
Wrap-up.
The previous Lexus Enform system used a cumbersome touchpad on the center console, but the new Lexus Interface is a huge leap forward. It's a welcome improvement for Apple fans, with a new design, a huge screen, and Apple Music integration.
The native system is very responsive and it looks great on the 14-inch screen. The climate controls are a combination of hardware and software that makes them easy to use.
I think the wireless charging issue can be fixed, but I wish the charger was included as standard equipment.
The subscription requirements for features like built-in navigation are unfortunate, as heavy CarPlay users will largely rely on their phones for navigation, so this may not be an issue for them. It does feel like a bit of a premium for customers who have already paid a lot of money for their vehicles to have Toyota manage cloud-based navigation.
The Lexus NX starts at $38,000 and can go up to $60,000 fully equipped.
