(Warning: I spent my entire career building control systems and user interfaces)
Having owned my 25 premium for about six months and having put 15000 miles on it, I just completed a near-5000 mile journey over two weeks covering two thirds of the country on interstate highways and approximately 1500 miles of Idaho back country on forest roads or trails (thanks for having me Idaho, I miss my time as a resident). For me, this is what I wanted my LC to do. It performed very well. With the obvious lower mileage and high cargo floor which are hassles as are the non lay-flat seats and small tank, but whatever, I knew those were there when I purchased. On a not so unrelated note , I'm unsure of the real mileage because the tires used for this trip are oversized and there's no way to change the effective tire diameter.
Skipping the pleasures of sure-footed capability and how great a substitute overlanding is for backpacking, my biggest complaint is the embedded conclusion in the control system: Toyota feels IT knows what you "need" better than you. I didn't think it would be this bad. From map screens that change their own settings (including orientation) from what you've selected back to default orientation settings if you look at anything else to glitzy transitions with twirling graphics that take away your instrument display for long seconds while driving if you change driving modes, it is NOT THIS DRIVER'S CONTROL SYSTEM. The video-game like antics on display conflict with real-time driving tasks and far too often require the driver's eyes to complete sequences for common tasks- it's ok when you're parked in an urban setting but unacceptable in dynamic driving situations. If the camera WATCHING YOU is blocked, say with a Factor-55 sticker as a crazy example, you have 30 minutes before an endlessly recurring warning will come up repeating itself every 5 seconds. This warning must be cleared each time interaction with the instrument cluster is needed (yes! I'm pig-headed enough to have had the message displayed near full time for weeks.) The fact that the vehicle, purportedly built for overlanding can, among other things, can kill its own battery with non-running electrical current requirements and yet does not have a "single button low power mode" is indicative. Many TSS systems also cannot be turned off, including the driver monitoring system alluded to above (a particular hot button for me- ever wonder what the data being collected is or who gets access to what?). Additionally, of the items that can be defeated, too many of the settings are not retentive and return TO THE TOYOTA SELECTED DEFAULTS on power cycle. The idea that a single set of defaults can support a multi-use vehicle with tons of user variability is ludicrous and hubris in the highest degree. If I get rid of this vehicle it will be for reasons along these lines and I have to confess I am considering it, I am very dissatisfied with the software in the controls. Ironically, it doesn't have to be that way.
Required nanny systems that don't work well (see cross traffic detection anywhere) aren't welcome and are for sheep or for the manufacturer's continuing development. They shouldn't be forced onto customers as is the current practice. Given Toyota's prowess in producing excellent vehicles, their continued expansion of owner unfriendly controls is shocking. I am also thinking there are buyers for an aftermarket interface given the clear deficiencies of the factory implementation. Toyota, are you listening?
The windshield can't even handle a few small rocks kicked up on the highway—how's it supposed to stop a full-grown zombie from coming through?
