Navigation decision

You can press the voice recognition button again at any time to skip to the beep. You can also disable the voice prompting completely through the settings.

 

I was referring to a complete third-party replacement/alternative to the Toyota nav system that would be integrated into the dash and the car's controls/speaker system. There is currently no way to integrate anything with the Toyota nav screen.

 

There are good and bad with the Nav. I like it because it announces streets and reminds you exactly when to turn. I don't like it because we put our garmin on with the NAV and the garmin is always 1 hour faster in arrival time.
I haven't done to much research yet, but I can't find anything where you can see the entire route. Usually the Nav takes some funky route while our Garmin takes the simple way- neat and tidy. I still have to rely on the Garmin.

 

You can actually see the available routes and then select which one you prefer, SHORT, FASTEST etc. Also there is a PREVIEW button when stopped/parked that will highlight allowing you to see a turn list or the entire route in preview....like a video screen.

It's pretty cool. Try it if you get a chance. It may help!

 

I'm really disappointed with the navigation system. My portable Garmin is so much more intuitive and user-friendly at about 1/10th the price. If perceived ‘safety’ is the reason I couldn’t set our destination from the passenger seat while hubby was driving the other day then that is just asinine. Having to select an arbitrarily numbered region of the country rather than just entering the state is ridiculous too. And not being able to hear the directions over the stereo is a huge inconvenience. Toyota really messed this one up in my opinion. I sure hope they offer an update to fix some of these annoyances.

 

Looks nice as a built-in unit, but I'm sorry I spent the $1,800 for a Navi and Bluetooth unit that can't be used when the car is moving. Reminds me of the commercial where the guy gives the girl a bicycle, but tells her she can't ride it outside the lines of this 2x4 area.

I got around the lockout on my 06 Gen II with the Coastal Tech LockPick device, but when they make a Gen III LockPick, that's going to just add a couple of hundred bucks to the cost of the Navi unit that never should have been locked.

Hello Toyota - Honda does not lock their Navi units!

 

I really like the integrated system. Sure you can't fully use it when you are driving and that's annoying. But voice control can get you quite far. Plus the tidiness of having it built-in the pretty awesome dead-reckoning it does when it doesn't have signal (that external units can't do), the steering cues in the HUD, the backup camera. All of these are really nice.

/Tage Widsell
Stockholm, Sweden

 

Regarding the arrival time variance, which one is correct? It sounds like one of them has a timezone or daylight time setting incorrect...?

As for seeing the entire route, try hitting the voice command button and say "Entire Route Map".

Though I recognize the well-documented limitations of the Toyota Nav, I think overall it does a good job. I personally find the voice commands work fairly well, but also recognize the effectiveness may be correlated with your speaking accent. In fact, I just wish there were MORE voice commands (such as setting a destination by intersection, in addition to address, when you don't always know/remember the exact address you are going for)...

In my next car (which won't be for quite a while yet, I plan to keep this one 300K KM+ or whatever I can get it out of it!), I am not sure if I will go the route of factory Nav again, mainly for cost vs features comparison. Nav technology is advancing quite quickly these days...

In the meantime, I am satisfied with the performance, cleanliness (no wires), and peace of mind of the Prius nav, since there is no worry of theft.

 

yepper, same I second that

 

I used the NAV a bit more over the weekend and found some more things I like about it over the Garmin Nuvi. I really like that when I do not follow the route exactly, it doesn't announce "recalculating" in a scornful voice. It just beeps and instantly recalculates, much faster than the Garmin does. I like the ability to choose between three routes as well. I also really like the split screen.

 

Slightly different question, same topic...

I just purchased a 2010 Package III, no Nav -- my first Prius. Love it.

Let's assume I love everything about the Nav and money isn't a big issue to me -- if I take it to Toyota Service and ask them to swap in the Nav components, will they do that? Or is it not possible?

Thanks,
Ron

 

I was wondering the same thing about a pkg2 or 3 with solar. I plan on installing a Kenwood dnx 9140 so the extra $ spent would basically be for the roof. Definitely sticking to a pkg2 as I can't justify the upgrade.

I think the only factory nav that's worth anything is Honda's.