The 2014 IS sedans from Lexus will sport an all-new multimedia system with a remote touch interface and deliver real-time traffic and weather information over the air for free, the carmaker announced this week.
Lexus has made $1,400 worth of equipment that was optional in previous IS models standard in the new luxury sedans, including “HID headlamps, L-shaped LED daytime running lights, Drive Mode Select, paddle shifters, a dual-zone climate control system, a next-generation Remote Touch Interface, Display Audio, a color 4.2-inch TFT multi-information display, and 10 airbags,” while pricing the new Lexus IS 350 2.1 percent lower than its predecessor, the company said in a statement.
The revamped in-vehicle multimedia system features a 7-inch VGA multi-display as the centerpiece, providing drivers with climate, audio, and navigation information. The display can be operated via a Display Audio controller, which can access Info, Setup, Display, Media, Climate, and Phone screens, or by way of the carmaker’s new Remote Touch system featuring a next-generation haptic joystick, Lexus said.
The in-vehicle information system also features what Lexus describes as “advanced voice recognition” enabled by a new dual-microphone system and voice box built on the latest Nuance voice recognition software platform. The system searches a navigation point-of-interest (POI) database to conduct local search and Microsoft’s Bing for Internet search through a connected smartphone app.
Lexus is billing the free, HD radio-supplied weather and traffic info accessible in the 2014 IS sedan as an “industry-first application.” The same information service was previously provided via Sirius XM but required a subscription. Customers will have the option to add the Lexus Enform App Suite to their system, which uses cellular connectivity to provide weather and traffic info when out of HD Radio coverage range, and also includes fuel price, stock market, and sports updates, the carmaker said.
Meanwhile, the Climate Control system in the new sedans also features some cutting-edge tech, namely a neural network-based system for cabin temperature management, which weighs a number of environmental and driver-set inputs to “calculate a desired outlet temperature based on variables that affect the feel of cabin air,” Lexus said.
The new Lexus IS sedans are priced as follows:
- IS 250 RWD-2.5L-V6-6AT: $35,950
- IS 250 AWD-2.5L-V6-6AT: $38,485
- IS 350 RWD-3.5L-V6-8AT: $39,465
- IS 350 AWD-3.5L-V6-6AT: $41,700
