I am looking to buy an '06 RX 400h, but am having some difficulty in finding accurate information about what accessories the thing has, and what they can and can't do. Here are the questions I have that neither the dealer, or as far as I can tell the Lexus web site can answer:

Is there an aux audio input for something like an iPod? (Dealer says no, CNet video review says yes, behind the rear seats)

Can the GPS maps be displayed on the rear seat video screen? (Dealer had no clue, CNet says yes)

Can DVD video from the rear seat entertainment system be displayed on the fron navigation screen while the vehicle is in park? (not sure how useful this would be, but it sounds cool)

The CNet video review showed a set of AV jacks in the back. Can video from that location be sent to the rear seat entertainment screen? (This would be great as a passenger in the front could be watching a movie on a laptop/portable DVD player while people in the back could watch at the same time on the built-in system)

Can the CD player play MP3 CDs? Can it play CD-R/W media?

Can the built-in DVD player play DVD+/-R/W?

And this one's really obscure, if the DVD player can play recordable discs, does it support mpeg encoded audio, or only PCM and AC3?

I know there aren't a lot of 400h's out there yet, and very few have the entertainment system, but hopefully someone here has one and can clear up the confusion.

 

I will try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge but don't bash me if some wrong information slips through. I have already taken a test drive and am going to pick up my 400h this weekend (fingers crossed).

iPod Aux In: I didn't see one in the stereo console but if you buy a rear entertainment system (lexus installed not aftermarket), it comes with a "red, white, yellow" (composite) input jack with 110v AC inlet both in the cargo hold behind the rear passenger seats on the right. Not sure if you can adapt an ipod to feed the audio through there and besides who would want to put the ipod so far away from the driver seat. I have an ipod too and betting on getting a cassette tape adapter for it.

GPS can be seen on the rear lcd screen and even dvd movie can be seen in the front screen as long as the car is parked. You can even input the navigation destination using the remote for the rear entertainment system. Some have warned that the flip down lcd screen hinders the center rear view vision and also is not as convenient as 2 seperate screens behind the headrests.

I don't think it can play mp3s. not sure about cd-r's or dvd-rws. Once I get my 400h with rear seat entertainment, you will hear from the horse's mouth Wait for my response early next week!

 

Thanks for the info. I look forward to hearing more when get yours and get to test it out. The one I test drove didn't have the rear seat entertainment system installed, and the dealer didn't know much about the technical details. Heck, the salesperson who showed me the car didn't even know what a PDA was...