Considering its consumer gadget focus, it’s not all that surprising that Gearlog’s review of the Lexus RX centers on the technology in the newly redesigned SUV, with barely a mention of its driving performance. It’s an even-handed review, and includes some of the first criticisms of the new Remote Touch controller system:
Remote Touch has a noticeable drawback: no fixed-function buttons other than Menu and Map, located at the very front of the controller…With iDrive or MMI, you press a button to jump straight to the functions you do all the time…
With Remote Touch, you have to navigate to the function you want by pressing Menu, scrolling to the selection, then pressing Select. It’s only a couple seconds each time and Lexus may say fewer buttons equals less confusion for users. But anyone who’s used an Audi or BMW will quickly conclude that Remote Touch 1.0 is needlessly slow.
Once you’re past the first step, iDrive takes more skill to manipulate, but it’s no longer the horror show you heard about five years ago. And once you’ve really learned iDrive, it’s faster than Remote Touch, but a lot of people never learn iDrive. The clear advantage for the vast majority of American drivers lies with Remote Touch.
Also in the review are a couple interesting facts that I was previously unaware of:
- The RX is equipped with a 7-inch monochrome display on non-navigation cars.
- 60% of RX buyers are women, and the average buyer age is 58.
[Source: Gearlog]