Best Car Navigation?

"Dunnik" (dunnik) 09/17/2014 at 11:55 • Filed to: CAR NAVIGATION, GPS

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Is in-car navigation a need or a want for you? Is yours factory, bolt on, or in-dash aftermarket? Or do you just use your smartphone?

Each seems to have their advantages and disadvantages. Factory units have the advantage of fitting in well with the car's interior. They can often include controls for the car, like an OBD scanner. But these types of units are often obsolete even when new, and some of the older units have not aged well.

Bolt-on GPS units, like from Garmin and TomTom, are useful because you can move them from one vehicle to another, and are the cheapest solution. But the short 12v cord and typical outlet placement usually means you have to mount the unit in the lower middle part of the dash, which isn't optimal. A left-side mount would be preferred, but this properly requires wiring into the battery. Regardless, unless you remove the mount when you leave the vehicle, your car has a higher risk of being the victim of a smash and grab, as thieves may assume you've left the unit in the car.

A modern double-DIN all-in-one unit with navigation, bluetooth, etc., might seem to be a happy compromise but in some cars - like the 08 Acura TL I'm looking to buy - such an install can be very tricky if DIY and very expensive if not.

Of course, many people just seem to use their smartphone these days, especially as there has been improvements to Google Maps and Apple's navigation. But smartphones acting as GPS units aren't as easy to interface with, usually have smaller screens, and you'd still have to mount it - requiring the detachment of the mount each time.

Speaking of mounts, vent clip mountings are popular. I don't know why. Certainly A/C operation is beneficial to electronics, but dunno about a heater in the winter!

I suppose it comes down to how often you need car GPS. If you travel a lot to places you've never been before it's probably a must-have. But if you only occasionally veer off the beaten path, smartphones and paper maps as a backup/suppliment would seem to be the cheapest and easiest route.

What say you, Oppo?

Sweet Trav > Dunnik 09/17/2014 at 11:57

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Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Dunnik 09/17/2014 at 11:59

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I haven't used every system out there, but we just use our phones. We have UConnect so even if you are playing music, Galaxy interrupts and demands we exit right at the Y. Exit right at the Y. DAMNIT ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME YOU IDIOT I SAID EXIT RIGHT AT THE Y!!!!

I wish GPS talked to me that way. At least when passengers are in the car.

Dunnik > Sweet Trav 09/17/2014 at 12:01

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I have paper maps in my car, and sometimes will supplement with my smartphone and/or a Google Maps printout.

And as a member of CAA, they offer a neat road trip service - a flip-map step by step route map to your destination, with anything interesting marked along the way. Easy to follow especially if you have a passenger to navigate.

Paper maps have been with us for several thousand years now, and there's a reason electronic GPS units haven't replaced them entirely.

505Turbeaux > Dunnik 09/17/2014 at 12:02

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waze, all day, on my smartphone, in a cradle on the dash

wabbalosthiskey > Dunnik 09/17/2014 at 12:03

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Easy, none of them. In-car GPS is a terrible idea. The systems generally suck, and from a UI standpoint, they never get updated and consequently become instantly outdated. You use it for a month after you get your new car, then realize it's a pain in the ass and just use your cellphone which is fast, easy, and you already know how to use. Then when you get in another car, it's exactly the same system. And it's constantly updated and improved, with the most current information.

Then there's always the system we used to use, which is figure out where you are going before you start.

Dunnik > 505Turbeaux 09/17/2014 at 12:04

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You have a data plan, presumably? I suppose your navigation doesn't eat up much bandwidth, yes?

I don't have a data plan on my phone to keep costs down - data is very expensive in Canada - and so I just have a high flat rate. With Google Maps offline mode though, I can just find wi-fi on the way to update or plan a new route.

Nibbles > Dunnik 09/17/2014 at 12:06

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HERE Drive+. Most accurate I've found, least resource intensive so the phone doesn't melt, and the maps are stored locally - so I have routing even when the service cuts off, as long as there's satellites in view.

505Turbeaux > Dunnik 09/17/2014 at 12:07

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I was worried about it, I use it an awful lot even when not needing directions, because waze gives you alot of live police and hazard info. It uses maybe <1 GB a month. My plan has 6. Spotify eats up alot though, maybe 2G but that is on all the time too

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Dunnik 09/17/2014 at 12:10

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A combination of Waze and Google Nav. I have an in-dash GPS in my '10 SHO but I hate dealing with it, it's nice to have that map to look at though.

Decay buys too many beaters > Dunnik 09/17/2014 at 12:21

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Waze.

Cé hé sin > Dunnik 09/17/2014 at 12:33

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Garmin sat nav. I use my phone if I don't have the real thing with me, but if I'm abroad a phone would be cripplingly expensive.

Trevor Mohr > Dunnik 09/18/2014 at 00:18

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Volkswagen's RNS-315. I have one in my GTI. Yes, the screen could be larger, yes, it could be considered dated, but fact of the matter is that it's wicked fast, the UI is simple and very ergonomic, it does everything you want it to hassle-free. I love it. (BIAS)

The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin > Dunnik 09/18/2014 at 21:52

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Waze. Smartphones have not yet rendered factory nav systems and dash-top GPS obsolete just yet, but it's inevitable. The apps are almost continually upgraded, they aren't tethered to one vehicle, and so long as you have data coverage when you set your destination, they work just as well as either of the other options, and if you have data coverage along the route, they work better, rerouting around traffic and construction impediments.

Factory navigation is generally outdated before it's installed, because the car company and their navigation supplier probably made their purchase agreement 2 years before production started. So, if you bought your car last week, and the model was launched in 2011, the navigation was state of the art in 2009. Would you pay $2K extra for 5 year old technology anywhere else? What's worse, car makers have lawyers, who make decisions that lead to the navigation system in my dad's brand-new car, into which you cannot input a new destination unless the car is in park. If you're in motion, you can use the voice-recognition, but it doesn't work at all.

Most people only really need GPS navigation about 10% of the time, but a lot of those times, you don't know ahead of time that you'll need it, so it makes sense to use the smartphone that you carry with you 100% of the time.