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Automotive News & Views Navigation GPS Systems
1753 messages, Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 12:23 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
A newspaper reporter is wondering if people are satisfied or dissatisfied with their vehicle navigation systems. Please send your brief comments and daytime contact info to jfallon edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, July 14, 2004. Thanks, Jeannine Fallon PR Director Edmunds.com |
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I purchased the Magellan 700 from Costco for 1099... I am going to be purchasing a new car in the next 3-4 months, and was completely shocked at how much extra it costs to add the nav system.. It is usually 2-3K more! But the real kicker is that the manufacturer packages nav so that you have to get a completly loaded vehicle in order to get the nav. That meant that the pretty loaded Murano that I was looking at out the door at just under 30K was going to cost me 35K!!! No thanks... In addition, you are stuck if the built in nav goes out on you... From other posts that I have read this usually costs anywhere from 1-3K to fix.. So, after doing my homework and scouring the messageboards I feel very comfident with my purchase.. Highlights of the Magellean: -10 gig hard drive built in. There is no need to upload maps.. You can travel anywhere in the US (and most of Canada) and never have to buy or load additional maps.. -WAAS technology. This ensures that you get as close as 9ft to your destination.. -Great voice system. The 700 has both female and male voice commands. In addition to the turn-by-turn voice commands, the 700 also gives a chime just as you approach your turn. -Magellan utilizes the same technology as the Hertz Neverlost units.. Read rave reviews about this system. -Auto re-route. A most for me in the DC area. -Utilizes the same mapping system as Lexus, BMW. -Price. For 1,099, I can enjoy the freedom of transfering this to other vehicles, or if I rent during a business trip. -Murphy's Law. Over the next 2-5 years this technology will be light years ahead of where it is today at half the cost. Do I really want to dump 2-3K into a built-in dealer system? For those of you looking, I highly encourage you to research the 700. I will post a follow-up after I have a few trips under my belt!!
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Replying to: dc_driver (Aug 14, 2004 5:01 pm)
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I am glad you are enjoying your Magellan, DC Driver. You said it Utilizes the same mapping system as Lexus, BMW. I believe it uses the same data. After trying to set the system for a Lexus, I have finally been able to set it for a cross-country jaunt with four destinations (waypoints). The Lexus manual is not written for American English speaking natives although it is in the English language. I have begun to unlock some of its secrets but am still a long way from mastering it. If I were to start over with a car purchase, I would ask if there are any car salesmen who had mastered such a system for a long, American trip and insist on getting them to show a demo. What might be a whole lot better than either your solution or mine is to spring for one of those pedestals to hold a laptop. The larger area displayed is a big advantage. The almost infinite angle at which it can be positioned is also. I have heard there is a wireless GPS antenna that can transmit through WiFi to a laptop. Yes, you have the $ for pedestal, $ for laptop, $ for software, and $ for gps antenna, but if you drive without any real help in navigating, it is worth it and you have a choice of any car. |
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Replying to: dc_driver (Aug 23, 2004 4:58 pm) Thanks for sharing your experience. Where did you install the Magellan in the car? How's the signal reception? Are you using any external antenna?
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It was not a Magellan, but a Lexus built-in system that I have been trying to learn. The car purchase was a necessary one and the need for a nav system was real also. I needed to have both in a short time and found this one in stock. I am happy about the car, but there is a difference between a routing program and a nav system -- even with GPS. Another problem a laptop with a routing program solves is that you can take it inside and practice all you want. If it is built-in it isn't always convenient or comfortable to try to practice it in the auto. Still another is that programs written for Windows conform to many conventions we are accustomed to and it is a lot easier for us to learn. Documentation for a Japanese-designed single-use computer is not very user friendly. Sorry my wording led you astray. |
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Just figured to give a quick note on the Garmin 2610 portable unit. One of the reasons I went for the Garmin is it's portablilty factor, and that came in handy recently. Last week I went on vacation to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada. Being a New Yorker, I had no idea where I was going, except for the Garmin. It took me cross island, and even cross province with very little problems. I set up my waypoints at home, so I had my hotel and some landmarks set up for when I got off the plane and into the rental. Within 5 minutes I was on my way. It did present some problems in the sense it once told me to take a road, that was really an overgrown dirt path. It also did not list all the wineries in the area, but if you have the address, it will get you there jsut the same. After this trip I definitely see the advantages of a portable nav system ovewr built in: it will go car to car; you can program at home before getting into the car; it is also approximately $1000 or more cheaper. Mark
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Replying to: bat1161 (Sep 07, 2004 12:26 pm) Has anyone else here used the Hertz Megellan Neverlost? I tried one this last week and was not impressed at all compared to my Garmin. Not only was it weaker in operation, but it locked up on me several times and the only way to get it unlocked was to restart the car. In the mean time, I was pretty much wandering around lost. It also refused to recalculate the route after the reboot, just told me to proceed to the highlighted route. Great! Now, how the heck do I get back to the highlighted route!!! I actually started putting in the route, then writing the directions down so that I could have something to refer to in case it locked up on me again. |
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I'm shopping for a built-in GPS navigation system for a 17 year old Porsche 928. So far I've looked at models from Alpine, Kenwood, and Pioneer. They all appear to work well on paper and in the store, but I'd like to hear from anyone who has real world experience with these systems. Which system would you recommend and why?
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Yeah feedback on the pioneer would be nice, I'm thinking of putting one in my Legacy or Trooper. -mike |
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