Is Navigation system worth it

the built in nav system is one of my favorite options, with the keyless entry/start being second.
i see a lot of people with the aftermarket ones now. i allow myself a little smile when i see how much smaller the screen is compared to the prius, and the mount screwed to the top of the dash.
i use it a little around my town but i use it all the time when i run up to orlando for the weekend, or down to naples etc. what a time saver.

 

Can you remember back as far as hurricane Rita? My inlaws drive from Sugar Land, Tx to Dallas was 16 hours and they only made it to Conroe, Tx (60 miles). My wife and drove to Dallas and made it in 6 hours, normally it can be done in 4.5 hours comfortably. We had a navigation system they did not. Enough said!

 

Yes, it's clear that having a Nav system will increase the resale value, as any substantial option would. But would it increase it anywhere near what it cost? Right now we're waiting for an '06 #4 ($1825 options package). Evidently, one has to get at least a #7 ($5730) to get the Nav. That's nearly a $4200 difference when our additional 7.25% sales tax is included; of course, in includes Bluetooth, HID headlamps, and foglamps, too, but I don't care so much about those things. When it comes to resale time in, say, 4 or 5 years, how much of that $4200 would we be likely to recover over what we'd be able to sell our humble #4 package for?

 

You should try checking out your Nav manual.

 

Has anyone had any experience with After Market navigation systems on the Prius? This one (http://www.coastaletech.com/nav.htm), promises a HD-DVD based Nav system, and costs $1,500.

One solution could be to go for a lower Option Package, and then add an After Market nav system.

Cheers,
marlinSpike.

 

I felt that I needed a Navi system in my Prius, and decided to order a package that provided it. My current car does not have Navi and over the last 9 years it's been tiresome for me to have to either print out driving directions from Mapquest or Yahoo Maps or to carry a Thomas Guide map with me everywhere. With printed-out (or even written-out) directions, I find it hard to drive and read a slip of paper at the same time. I like to travel locally alot, and quite a few of the places are not familiar enough to me for me to not use a mapping system to get to.

Do I get off at this exit, or the next one? Let me consult the paper, oops gotta brake...dang, missed the exit. Was it a left turn or a right? Oops...better get over to the far right lane before I miss that turn too.

My husband has Navi in his Accord, and in the ~2 years he's had the car it has come in handy on so many occasions that I wouldn't consider NOT getting Navi in my next car. Especially with all the additional travel I plan on doing in my gas-sipping Prius.

 

That particular model is for the 2000-2003 Prius only.

There are lots of Prius owners that have some sort of third party NAV system. My original plan was to get a lower option package and get one, like you suggested. When that fell through I got a #6. Now that I have one I would have to say that any new car I would get would have a NAV system, but not necessarily a built in. I'm not worried about resale as I tend to drive cars into the ground.

 

We have the Nav pkg on our 05 Tideland. I also have after market GPS units in other vehicles. IMHO the system used by Toyota is a lower caliber than most after market units. It doesn't give verval instructions to several areas of the country and doesn't give me as much info as my Garmin units do. There are better units than the Garmin, but that's what I have. We are getting ready to trade our Prius and after comparing the Toyotas unit to after market, it is way over priced and a waste of money. The after market screens are smaller, but much clearer and offer more info. Buy an after market unit that you like and go on a vacation with what you save. Then transfer to other vehicles.

Doug

 

I agree with GreenMachine. GPS itself is a real help.

I don't have a built in NAV, I use my PDA and GPS CF card ($600 total).
I never leave home without my GPS if I'm going more then 20 miles. I think the factory system is overpriced. If I had to pay an extra $2k for each vehicle I own I would have spent $8k in GPS hardware!!!
BTW with my PDA I can play MP3s (FM link) and watch movies.

 

Does anyone know which map provider was used for the navigation system? I personally am a fan of Navteq?

Second, Has anyone changed the built-in microphone to improve voice recignition and blurtooth phone quality? As a front-of-house sound engineer for small-medium venues, I can tell you that that will make all the diferance. I am thinking a good one to try would be the Audio Technica at-899 which would cost around $200.

 

NAVTEQ has a copyright on the disk, but so does GDT (Geographic Data Technology) and infoUSA.

On the microphone, the posts I've read make it pretty clear it is the phone and not the car that is at fault for Bluetooth quality. I would do a search on your provider to see what phones people like/hate with the Prius. If that doesn't answer your question, then post a new thread asking which phones people like/hate from your provider.

 

Just touch the north up icon on the screen and you'll see the map exactly in the direction that you drive. It's that simple.

 

Hey, how did this post make it here? Anyway, it was meant as a reply to someone that said she didn't like that north was always up, and the map was displayed in the opposite direction in which she travelled.

 

Hated the idea of being "forced" to purchase a NAV system on the Prius that was available when we wanted one. Had never used one and swore I didn't want one. Husband said he would be relieved if I learned to use it as I was always getting lost when I drive. Really! :angry:

Foxy is now four months old and I love the system! Have used it to and from unfamiliar places in cities that are, ahem, notorious for "unsafe" areas. Baltimore, Newark NJ, Camden NJ, Annapolis, DC, etc. Used it on holiday in wine country in Virginia. It found a back way to the doctor's office and a shorter, alternative way to visit friends in NJ.

Will be house-swapping with friends this summer. Already "mapped" important places on the NAV for them to refer to: local gas station, grocery stores, best local bakery, couple good restaurants, marine store (we're all boaters), library, shopping malls, entrances to Rt. 95, etc. They will be doing the same on their car's NAV system, for us.

 

I agree with all the good things being said about GPS. You may want to consider a dashtop system. Top of the line aftermarket systems go for about $1000. I hear that map updates for the Toyota system are $288. The annual update for my Garmin system has been $75. As someone else commented, I can take my unit in a my wife's car or a rental car if I travel on business. Good maps are even available for Europe, but at a cost.

 

Note that Garmin does not support Macintosh for the updates as far as I know.

 

For $650 with a $100 rebate, the Lowrance Iway 500c with a 5" touch screen and voice is really a top unit. The voice commands actually say "exit on 5th street" rather tha exit 200 feet..etc. It also has an 1/8th inch stereo jack that will plug right into the aux input in the Prius. That along with 10gig of storage for MP3's, and 10 gig of preloaded maps, is a pretty sweet alternative to the factory NAV. I have 4 Lowrance Marine GPS's and the quality is far superior to the rest. I believe it also has free updates for a year via their website. USB connect to computer.

Check it out if you are in the market. The Garmin 330 is nice also.



Iway 500c

 

Hello all ... bringing this back up b/c I was curious how this has changed with time. I have a Nav system now (in unit) and like having it, but am unsure whether it's better to have the portable GPS or not.

If you have the portable one, you can take it in different cars. I do like the looks of just having it integrated though. As of now, the in-unit system through Toyota would cost $800 extra ... you can get a good unit for about 1/2 that as far as hand helds go. They are also more easily and cheaply updated as well, correct?

Plus I would have to get the hack to allow inputting destinations while moving ... how much is that to buy and install?

Anyone who's shopped for hand helds recently care to chime in? I know there's been a lot of advances. Care to share pros and cons of each?

Right now I'm down to a black Touring, either pkg #3 or #5 depending on the Nav of course. Sorry I know this has be re-hashed a million times, but I thought maybe a lot had changed recently with hand held units.

THANKS!

 

I'm curious about this, too, since I'm going with a friend to look at a new Prius this afternoon. Am I right in assuming an aftermarket unit is cheaper, more portable, and can also be used on the fly? Is the nav still neutered on the 2008 models?

 

I think that is set to change soon, unless Garmin have changed their minds again. Last year at MacWorld, they were on the show floor, and I asked when the Mac support would come. The answer was "in the next year or so" if I recall correctly. So maybe there's an announcement set for the upcoming MacWorld.

To get back on topic: The thread is pretty old, and I'm sure the OP has long since made his decision. That said: for my money, a Nav system is a must in any car I own from now on. I use mine many times even when I know the way, as a way of estimating when I will arrive at a critical destination. And mine has enabled me to find routes to places I visit regularly that I didn't consider or know about.

On the other hand, I'm a pretty confirmed gadget freak, and I own about 3 portable GPS receivers as well: A Garmin automotive one (originally my main one before the Prius; now reserved for use in rental cars), a Garmin handheld (for geocaching and other "on foot" activities), and a Lowrance aviation GPS (bought back when I was flying).