INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW LEXUS GS350
The show featured a fully re-engineered version of the Lexus GS350 that is about to hit the streets as a 2013 model. This popular vehicle helped define the luxury sport sedan category in its early years and looks to re-energize it now. The body is nice looking and the entire car has the high quality you have come to expect from Lexus. The highlight, however, is the entertainment display in the center of the dashboard. The screen is 12.5x5 inches (similar to the Cadillac CUE-equipped vehicle gauge cluster mentioned later in this story), and provides an expansive view of the driver’s entertainment options and information. As a result, the navigation mode provides an enormous view of the map, and the large amount of real estate available allows helpful, clear information to be available and quickly recognizable while driving. One concern, however, is since this is such a large portion of the dash, will the huge screen actually distract the driver more than a smaller one? Only time will tell, but I can say that sitting in the car myself, I couldn’t take my eyes off that enormous screen. A standard 5.1 Surround Sound 12-Speaker audio system compliments the display but provides very marginal sound. A 17-Speaker Mark Levinson Green Edge audio system is optional and boosts audio performance, but there is still room for improvement. One of the more disappointing details about this vehicle, and in many of the Toyota and Lexus models, is the disjointed use of different types of displays on the dashboards. The GS350, for example, has a beautiful screen in the upper portion of the dash that is very easy to read and use, but the automatic climate controls and the dimly lit, 1990’s-style vacuum fluorescent style readout for the temperature does not seem to belong in this car. The buttons here, as well as on the doors, seem more Toyota Corolla than Lexus GS350. This type of scattered experience was apparent in quite a few Lexus and Toyota models.
DODGE DART
The new 2013 Dart is Dodge’s new compact car — think this generation’s Dodge Neon but on steroids and in a nice suit with a wallet full of cash. The vehicle is attractive and the interior is far better than anything the Chrysler Group has offered in recent years. This trait is starting to become apparent on many models in the company’s separate Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat lineups. The Dart looks fairly aggressive and shares the new Dodge signature LED light bar that was introduced in the 2011 Dodge Charger. Dodge claims that more than 150 Mopar® accessories will be available at launch in late spring, with more than 100,000 ways to customize the car.
This vehicle provides a great canvas for some style and audio upgrades. This car has no physical gauges — the entire gauge cluster is a 7-inch TFT display that can be reconfigured to display what the driver needs or wants, including navigation and performance information. All the Darts we were able to sample at the show included the optional 8.4-inch touch screen radio display, and it shows a quantum leap forward in ease of use when compared to the older-generation Chrysler UConnect™ radios. The vehicle has standard 6x9-inch speakers in all doors, allowing plenty of room for upgrades and modifications.
50 Mobile Electronics February | March 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68