The digital assistant you know and love has found a new home. Sure, Siri loves hanging out in your iPhone, but she’s expanding.
Select 2014 Lexus models will feature the Eyes-Free system, allowing drivers to chat with Siri without needing to take their eyes off the road or their hands from the steering wheel.
Hello?
Simply pair your iPhone (which needs to be a 4s or a newer model) with select Lexus vehicles via Bluetooth, and get going with your task-asking. Drivers just press and hold the off-hook button on the steering wheel to activate it. Now, making a call to your folks is a simple, hands- and eyes-free action. Firing off a text is no longer a behind-the-wheel danger; just dictate the message to Siri. The feature even reads you the texts that you have coming in.
It’s also a breeze to control your favorite songs in your iTunes library, check your home team’s score, and scour a neighborhood for the best hamburger joint. Siri does it all with voice commands and audio answers.
To the Rescue
Looking for navigation help is an easy endeavor thanks to Apple Maps. When you ask the system for help, it will deliver turn-by-turn navigation assistance over the car’s audio system. There’s no need to glance down at a map on your phone.
Siri joins two other voice-control functions already available in Lexus models. The first option is voice recognition for nav help, audio and climate control, and the other feature is direct voice communication with the live response agents on the Lexus Enform system.
The Eyes-Free mode is available in these 2014 vehicles: the ES 350 and ES 300h, the GS 350 and GS 450h, the LS 460, LS 460 L and LS 600h L, and the RX 350 and RX 450h.