I’m loving the widescreen infotainment screen in our Lexus 450h test car this week. The sat nav screen is massive, the graphics are clear and somehow the screen doesn’t dazzle you at night either.
So why then is the control stalk that acts as a mouse so damn difficult to use?
BMW suffered abuse when their iDrive system first came on the market about 13 years ago. But the mushroomed-shape mouse in the Lexus requires the dexterity of a neurosurgeon.
It’s so sensitive that any road surface other than smooth will jog the cursor on to the next icon. And every time the mouse is clicked, it gives off an annoying sound.
It’s fiddly and awkward – possibly designed by a five-year-old and lets down the rest of the interior big time…