2014 Lexus IS 350 F Sport temperature control

Back to the beef. Getting between functions takes too many steps. There's a hard button for the radio screen, but it's a little tiny button up on the center stack under the climate controls, nowhere near the controller (which is next to the shifter). There is no hard button for the navigation screen, or any other screen not already mentioned. Getting to the navigation (or any of the cloud-based functions such as weather, Internet search, Internet radio, etc.) requires going through the base menu or Home screen. The extra steps just mean more time with your eyes off the road.

Is Remote Touch the worst infotainment system on the market? Not hardly. Are its problems terminal? Not at all. Some thoughtful updates with more direct buttons (like many of Lexus' competitors have incorporated on their systems) and reduced controller lag would cure most of what ails it. The controller lag has already been addressed in the all-new Lexus NX crossover, in which it was removed and replaced by a touch pad that I hope reacts faster. As for hard buttons, many (such as navigation) are still missing and others, such as radio, are spread across the center stack. I hope Lexus decides to bring these related controls together in the future. No one likes hunting for a button while they're trying to drive.

More on our long-term 2014Lexus IS:

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