So below are the options my car comes and I was wondering how I could just add the navigation. Would I have to switch out the head unit and add a GPS antenna or is just a waste to do it. I personally like having navi. Auto Climate Control System Display Audio: 6.1" Touch-Screen, Multi-information Display w/Trip Info Instant MPG, Touch Tracer Display Fabric-Trimmed 6-way Adjustable Driver 60/40 Split Fold-Down Rear Bench Seat w/ Cruise Control Tilt/Telescopic Steering Whl w/Controls Driver Door Smart Key System Push Button Start w/Remote Illum. Entry Power Locks & Auto Up/Down Power Windows Center Console w/Armrest and Storage Dual Compartment Glove Box Cargo Tonneau Cover, Under-Floor Storage 2 Front Power Outlets 2 Front & 2 Rear Cup Holders BC Backup Camera Extra Value Option (Value of $350 MSRP - Included at No Charge) Factory
Yes and yes and yes. There are better alternatives: Stand alone GPS. Garmin is good, so are others. Most smart phones can be used as a GPS too......and in my experience they do a really good job. Overall better than the buit-in GPS I have in either of my cars. I wouldn't have either of them except they "came with the package".
Welcome to PriusChat! My question is why would you not prefer to use a mapping app on your phone? I use google maps since the information is real-time, and always up to date! (no updating/CD/DVDs needed)
Why ? Are you still paying by the minute for all usage ?? A GPS app on your phone actually uses only a tiny bit of data time; it is mostly self contatined.
You might not like my reply..I was told by one dealer..in a car I test drove..That it would be cheaper to just dash install a Garmin GPS unit than to try for a factory installed unit..When you consider that vast cost differences high $3,000 to mid 4,000$ price range..He's just might be right..
Yeah, Garmin with suction cup mount, stick it on the little triangle window next to A-pillar. That's our route.
I've had several Garmins and generally prefer them to any in-dash GPS that I've had (especially when you consider the initial price and the updates) but they are NOT perfect. A couple of days ago headed down the Florida Turnpike toward Miami. Garmin told me to get off at the YeeHaw Junction interchange, then it told me to go down the state road a half mile and make a U-turn and then get BACK ON THE TURNPIKE that I just got off of. It seems like it told me to do the same thing at that same place about 3 years before.
A similar event happened to me just recently, told me to get off at the next exit ramp..then at the top it directed me to proceed down the on-ramp back to the same highway it had just directed me to exit..lmao, I felt so silly for a nano sec.
I had a Myron and Davis in-dash NAV that I swapped out of my Prius and really liked it. It was a limited offer years ago for about $300. But as others have said, the SD card needs periodic updates at a cost. But all of that is "in the rear view mirror" now as a teenager plowed into me and totaled it. Guess what? If you do swap out your head unit for an in-dash NAV, be sure to let your insurance company know as I had to fight mine for the value on the settlement. Insurance companies use your VIN to determine options and value and the swapped unit won't show up. On the plus side, it had options for real-time traffic situations, accidents, etc. and would warn you if you exceeded the speed limit.
The only problem I've had with this method..While it works great..it also ate up my date rate on my Verizon phone which I was not too happy about. Ona 1500 mile trip, that can happen quickly..
When I was relying on phones (and often driving on routes with sparse cell coverage), I was using the open-source OSMAnd+ OpenStreetMaps app on my phone. I could download the vector maps for the states I was going through in advance, and use no data while driving. (The app didn't do geocoding of addresses locally, so if you wanted to enter a street address and get it converted to location, you'd need data for that, and route layout for a long trip went much faster on the cloud, would get the phone pretty hot doing locally.) But lately I've been content with what's in the dash, even if it isn't perfect and I haven't updated it lately, because it's in a good spot for viewing, and keeps me from faffing with a phone while driving.
