Thoughts on the navigation system

I have found the traffic information to be more accurate and current than the Tom Tom I used in the Corolla that was traded in for the Prius. This is a huge help navigating the crowded highways around Boston.

 

my 4 year old Garmin with LT also alerts me of traffic and does better job at routing than my 2013 Prius Nav. I don't own/use smartphone, so no ETune for me

 

Garmin Traffic non HD version uses RDS from radio stations. I guess its from Navteq too
Garmin HD Traffic uses NavTeq/Nokia Traffic (more coverage)
Toyota Display Audio with Navi uses Inrix traffic (better coverage than RDS) thru the Entune App. Traffic is "free" besides paying for the data.

HD Traffic from Clear Channel is providing data for the new Premium Navi system.
TomTom Wins Clear Channel Traffic Business from INRIX

 

the GPS on the 2010 Prius is the worst GPS ever if we ever get another Prius i wouldn't ever get it with there GPS Garmin NUVI is the best gps i have ever used its simple and they always work. The Toyota GPS is always taking me to the wrong location. I have done everything adjusted all the settings sent it in to Toyota and they replaced it with another one that was worse then the first. but the car is great we drove from Los angeles to montreal twice and Los Angeles to Florida once costing us only around $200 and so far have not had any problems. we save a car payment on gas. over all it is really reliable as we really tested it driving across the states and it saves us a lot of money thats really whats important anyways. you can find a replacement GPS that fits perfect and has back up camera built in with DVD player.

 

I will be comparing the Prius navigation to my Garmin Nuvi 2555 side-by-side starting Tuesday on our 6,500 mile trip. So far around town here it's worked fine, but it'll be interesting to see if I run into the same problems others have once we get on the road. I expect minor differences, but nothing serious to get us off track. Initial checks say they will both give me the same directions, so we'll just have to see for ourselves. It was a bit or a pain to enter all my destinations and waypoints in both, but I think it will be worth it. FWIW, I've even got tentative fuel stops entered, so I think this will be a really good test.

 

Update on this. It does adjust routes depending on whether I'm on the interstate or surface roads. However, something that has me a little concerned is it likes to sometimes route me through "sketchy" areas. Like yeah, I don't care what you say Mr. Navi, I'm not going in there!

 

Just got back from an extensive trip using the Nav in our April 2014 Prius Model 3 and it worked flawlessly. In fact, our trip was sooooo much easier with the awesome navigation that it raised the ease of our trip to a whole new level. I not only recommend it, but it is completely necessary now whenever we travel. I rate it a 9 out of a possible 10.
We drove up Highway 1 all along the coast of California, Oregon, Washington and into Vancouver, Salt Spring Island and Victoria Canada using ONLY the onboard Prius navigation. We stayed at several Airbnb’s, traveled by ferry, and visited many tourist attractions using the nav to find them all. Prior to our trip I entered all the addresses for the Airbnb’s, ferry ports, hotels and attractions we planned on visiting. This way when it was time to go we didn’t have to worry about looking up or entering the wrong address. It worked perfectly for each and every stop we made.
Key Points:

• - Have the complete address, especially the zip code.
• - The intersection option worked great also.
• - Not being able to use the nav while the car is running is a big negative.
• - The POI worked well for major attractions.
• - Can not move the map around to see the route further ahead. Must zoom out.

 

The nav is not standard. Buy yourself a Garmin portable for about $120.00. It is better and easier to use.

 

My Prius is two days old. I used the built-in nav to get me home from the dealer's with the car, though after finding the freeway entrance most of the route was well known to me. It seemed to work fine and the voice directions were very clear -- a good thing because I could not see the map with the Sun on the screen -- which, since I was driving south and west in the early afternoon, was most of the time. How did you manage to see what was on the screen?

I now have my 2007 Garmin Nuvi mounted on the dash in front of the steering wheel and below the windshield, and will replace it with a new Garmin model arriving later this week (identical to the one I just added to my 2003 CR-V and voice commandable).

But I'd still like to read the screen for other reasons, even if not using the car's navigator. Aside from traveling in the cloudier northwest part of the time, how did you manage to make the screen usable? I know there are some screen shade products (the one I've seen conflicts with the CD player, and I listen to CDs while traveling). Are you using one of those?

Phil

 

Phil, did you find the contrast and brightness adjustments yet?

 

I just bought a 2014 last Thursday and have no problem with the navigation or screen brightness. If fact I had to turn it down because it was to freaking bright. I drove over 350 miles all over the San Francisco bay area and voice activated navigation was great. I was getting tired driving back to Sacramento from Point Reyes and just asked the system for "coffee" and it lead me straight to a Starbuck

 

Hey Phil maybe the display as locked on night mode. Even with the noon day sunshine on the display i can see it fine.

 

FWIW, I ran across something called Navdy today. (Sorry; I can't yet post links, so you'll have to Google it.) It's a heads-up display (HUD) navigation system that can be added to any car. It also supports Bluetooth links to your cell phone (in fact, the navigation functions rely on that, since they use Google Maps) and to your car's infotainment system. It's based on Android, and the company promises more apps for it in the future. They're in a pre-order state now, so early adopters will need to take it on faith that it will work. It might be safer to wait, but they're offering a hefty pre-order discount ($300 vs. $500 once released) if you care to gamble that it'll work right. As with a standalone Garmin or TomTom, it might be a bit of a theft magnet, so I'd recommend stashing it in the glove box when you park in the open. If it works half as well as they claim, it should be pretty slick.

 

FWIW we have the entune Nav on our v3, but never use it. Seems pretty clunky compared to just using turn by turn navigation directly on our iphones.

 

I'm looking forward to the upcoming Apple presentation this month to make a final decision about Carplay. Sure, I will buy. The only question is which head unit and how to preserve most of my existing car functionality (steering wheel controls, backup camera, JBL sound, satellite radio).

Comparing to iOS Prius navigation is a stone age. I can ask Siri "Get me home" and it will route me best possible way around - no questions asked. And I don't need subscription for satellite radio traffic for that. Stock navigation system is very inaccurate with it's estimations while traffic data is present.

 

This can't be right... zip code needed
U should learn how to use Voice there are only 10+ commands to learn.
touching the map moves the map around.

 

I'm on a trip right now and have not needed a zip code yet, but there might be times when you enter a city and it has multiple zip codes. If you select the wrong one, it may not find the street or number you are entering/searching for. My street overlaps 2 zip codes, so I'll try to remember to check that tomorrow.

Voice commands are virtually useless if you are looking for local POIs because the Prius appears to be able to bring up only brand names when the car is moving. For example, when near Cody WY, I asked it to Find Next Restaurant and it told me to say Brand Name. So I said Granny's and it couldn't find it. I also tried Find Granny's Restaurant and variations. I stopped and looked it up by Category and by Name and both found it in the database, so it was there. It was successful in finding places like McDonald's, Flying J, Taco Bell, etc., but nothing local while moving. Using Voice, it also displays the results without a city, so you don't know if it's ahead or behind where you are until you select the Info icon. I don't know if I could say Info (or something) and get it to display the city. There is an Along Route option when searching manually, but I couldn't figure out to get Voice to limit the selections to the route ahead, it just brings up a list of whatever it finds; ahead, behind, Timbuktu. I did find I could simply press the Voice button and then touch the options on the screen rather than talk. It did understand my voice though, so that part was no problem. I did use it for what I could, but am glad I had my Garmin sitting in the dash. The Garmin let me select the right place out of the list the Prius offered most if the times. I only had to stop a couple of times to find it manually. I use Prius directions all but once, a shortcut in Wyoming the Prius didn't offer. The Prius did stop asking me to turn around quicker than the Garmin did, sometimes a lot quicker, when I altered the route on the fly. If the Garmin breaks, I probably won't replace it, the Prius did well enough once you learn the limitations. in fact, the Garmin made the only mistake so far.

 

u don't have to select zip and still go on to street and house number.