Just got a Prius v 5 this week, having owned 2004 and 2008 Prii (plural?). Lost of possibilities as Entunes comes of age, but some problems--as numerous others have posted in the past few months. I could not find anyone who posted a comment about the map color. The default map color appears to be gray, making it quite difficult to read street names. Then, en route, the map background mysteriously turns a greenish-yellow that makes street names MUCH easier to read. Once I've been underway on an entered route for awhile (a non-reproduceable amount of time) the background color changes to become readable. It almost never changes to the better background when going slow without entering a destination on the map. This is not a function of day/night setting. It is not affected by the panel light dimmer and does not seem affected by whether the head lights are on (I have the AUTO feature enabled on the headlights). It does not change when one changes the color of the car's icon on the nav screen Nothing about this appears to be documented in the book. Looking at Toyota's YouTube videos occasionally shows a map screen that does seem to have a gray background but can't tell. Sometimes, as if to tease me, the map display is green at the far side of the screen but gray where I am in the middle. Has anyone else noticed this? Has anyone figured out the pattern or how to improve it? There are clearly several things that the 04 and 08 Prius Nav systems had down much better than the "new improved" nav system. Thanks for your opinions in advance.
I haven't studied this as much as you, but I've noticed the color variations and wondered, too. I'll follow this thread hoping to learn more.
Totally agree, the Nav screen is hard to read, background is awful and street names you are approaching rarely are visible. Terrible display and NO COMPASS!
From what I can tell, the gray-green difference seems to match up with "in town" vs "out of town" boundaries around here. I agree- I'd like to be able to change colors, like on our '05 Sienna. It'd definitely not the most user friendly nav by a long shot. For some areas, switching to day mode at night makes it much easier to read.
Although I got my PiP (base) a couple of months ago, I've just gotten around to complaining about the display. This is all in comparison to a 2005 which I drove 100k+ miles and about whose display I've issued nary a whine. 1: The display is mounted in a manner that it is washed out by sunlight much of the day. I suppose I can make a sunshade. Why was it located below the driver's view and mounted tilting up? 2: It isn't as bright, even when the sun isn't a factor. 3: The map display is much more confusing and the contrast between the colors of the map and the background is poor. 4: The street legends are essentially unreadable because someone, perhaps with an artistic background, decided that just "printing" the legends in the highest contrast possible with a reasonable font size was too pedestrian. Fortunately I can sometimes read them by stopping the car so I can get my face closer to the map and shielding the display from the sun. I guess this is another benefit of regeneration when braking. I'm really disappointed in the display. I hope that 3 and 4, which can be fixed in software, will eventually be improved. For #1, perhaps Toyota can send someone over with a some tools and a can opener and fix the mounting debacle. Richard
The Map interface is what I would have expected from GPS systems 10 years ago. It works however I miss my Garmin alerts for Red Light cameras and lane assistance. Whats yet, Garmin & TomTom interface systems are currently the expected standard for even the cheap sub $100 systems.
In addition to all of the above, I just finished a 6000 mile to LA and back and noted that the turn arrow on the gps is blue on Black. Most difficult to see and then when the sun washes out the whole display, ..... arrrrgh
5 months have gone by & I can now reply to my own post. The map is gray (& unreadable) when in a metropolitan area & greenish (readable) when in the suburbs or out of metro part of city. You can check by zooming out to see the gray borders. Over all I think the GPS system on the 2008 Prius was simpler, better designed, and easier to read. The V's updated GPS wins in only one area-the ability to enter a destination verbally with car in motion. I see Toyota did a survey a few weeks ago about the GPS system design but I was told they had sufficient responses when I tried to respond. They must know its a dog. Entering a destination by hand is a terrible experience. the car drives & performs well (10,000 miles so far). But the electronics (GPS, Entune, etc) are a disappointment.
I must correct my earlier post as well. I have witnessed a lane assist on the interstates now. So now we have a system I would have been wowed by 5 years ago. Toyota is making progress. Looks like Nissan though will be first to have Garmin for their system standard.
where did u see the new? quick google shows Garmin on Dongfeng Nissan. Chrysler UConnect 1.0 has Garmin for their Nav unit already. Garmin adds high-tech features to the Chrysler, Dodge navigation system
I also have wondered about the green and gray backgrounds on the GPS. I don't think that it's urban/suburban, though. I live in a very rural area, and will often note that I'm driving down a road with farms on both sides, but on the GPS screen one side is green and the other gray. Same thing occurs if there are homes on both sides of the road, and sometimes one of the colors changes even though I am in an area where I know there is no city or county line to account for the change. I remain baffled. One thing I have discovered (from others on Prius chat) is that the visibility of the screen can be improved significantly if you turn the contrast way down, and the brightness way up. You can do this through the options section on the screen.
