prius GPS navigation sucks

Learning voice commands is not all that difficult; there are quite a few of them available, but here are the most important ones to remember;

HELP - displays a list of all commands, in case you forget.
ADDRESS - will prompt you through setting a full address (State -> City -> Street -> House Number)
ENTIRE ROUTE MAP - see the whole route
DETOUR - immediate calculate a detour
QUICK1 / QUICK2 / SHORT - recalculate an alternate route
NEXT DESTINATION MAP - display your destination
<any POI category, i.e. RESTAURANTS> - display these POIs on map, simply press on one to set as destination
NEAREST <POI category> - immediately show the closest POI in that category. There is an option to Show List in order of distance if you are stopped.

And those are the most important ones. Once you get the basics down, you can learn how to switch map views, zoom in/out, and other cool stuff.

Hope that helps...

 

Not withstanding everything already said, the true and glaring deficiency in the Prius nav, is it's POI database, and it's associated search function.

A POI name search should, without question, be based on 'nearest to present position'. But in the Prius it's based on region, and as a result it presents thousand of possible returns that must be sifted through.
Furthermore, the search is very spelling dependant, and if you don't spell it right, you won't find it. Was that Walmart, Wal-mart, or Wal mart?
In the prius it matters, and you won't find it. In a Garmin it doesn't matter.
Was that Chick fil A, Chick-fil-A, OR CHICKFILA. Don't get it right and you won't be eating a chicken sandwitch for lunch. With A Garmin you could just punch in Chick. And it will find the nearest to your location, which will be a Chick-fil-a. Do that with a prius and you will get 5000 returns over all the states in your region. Total crap.
Want to find a local bike shop?, type in Bicycle. Another 10000 returns and you'll never find the one around the corner. A Garmin will show you the shop right around the corner, with same basic "bicycle" input.

Any GPS can calculate a route to an address. It's the database POI search function that set them apart. I want to put my fist into the Prius MFD everytime I must use it's name search function to locate something.

The funny thing is, it's POI catagory search function is based on 'nearest to present position'. But Im usually looking for something very specific, like a bike shop, and categoy won't help you there. The database is lacking too, showing only 2 of the 5 chain stores around my city. And often it's because one of them is actually mis-spelled in the database, so it didn't fall into the group. Where they get their input info for the database is poor.

The POI name search is seriously flawed. I know you can narrow the search to specific cities, but if I knew what little city boundry I was in at any given moment, I'd probably know where to find what I'm looking for. Present position is the only logical thing, unless I specificy something else. And that's the beauty of a Garmin.

 

Just bought a loaded 2009 Prius and can't believe how horrible the GPS is. It doesn't do the most basic thing a GPS is supposed to do--find an address. Fully half the time I get a "no such address" message for addresses I know exist and which my garmin finds easily. Even when it does find the address, it often then says "turn-by-turn guidance unavailable for the area" when the street names are right on the map display!
This is simply unacceptable in a fairly expensive car--and a very expensive add-on feature.
Does anyone know if Toyota has any plans to upgrade the software (why don't they just license garmin's) or otherwise improve this embarrassingly awful system?
(And yes, I have tried entering the city first which helps a little, but not much.)

 

Toyota, like all GPS manufactures, uses a map database supplied by another company. Issues with turn by turn guidance and addresses come from the map database. In the case of Toyota, they use the same database company as Garmin.

Tom

 

Tom--it's hard to believe that the Prius database is the same as garmin since my garmin finds the same addresses (and provides full guidance) that the Prius doesn't. (I've tested one against the other on the same addresses).
I want to like the Prius, believe me (and do like the other features), but I've now used four navagation systems fairly extensively (Magellan, Hertz Neverlost, Garmin, and Prius) and the Prius system is by far the worst.
What really bothers me is that I need a system that is reliable--that when I start on a trip, I can pretty regularly count on the GPS getting me there. I just can't with the Prius; when I climb in the car, it's a crapshoot as to whether the GPS will find the address I need. And it is galling to have to buy a $100 Garmin and plug in next to the very expensive built-in Prius system just to get where I need to go.
This seems like a pure software problem and therefore should be solvable.

 

I have used both Garmin Nuvi and the Toyota, and they both have strengths and weaknesses. The Toyota unit does many things better than the Garmin, but the converse is also true. We have pretty much beaten this topic to death on previous threads, so I won't go point by point here.

Tom

 

I know of what you speak. I put in an address which it took. I was driving along close and got a could not continue. I turned off on a side street and got out my TomTom, plugged in the address and the TomTom took me to the door. Interesting note; where the Toyota NAV stopped is where I needed to turn right off the highway. Go Figure...

 

It is my understanding when I contacted the Navq about problems with my 2004 Prius map, They told me that Toyota was not using them for the DVD data anymore... I complained to Toyota as well as did a lot of others. Toyota changed back and gave us a ONE TIME free upgrade. I also found out that the data Toyota is using is at best 2 years old and that in some cases Navg can be two years off.

Now as to Garman they make a lossy CAR. Maybe Toyota needs to buy them or the software and put these into there units... or sould I really state Denso need to get the software...

and YES this DEAD HORSE is been beaten to death...

 

My Garmin C530 Refurbished works just fine thank you

 

My main complaint with the Prius GPS is that my database is listed as Jan 2007, and I bought my 2008 Feb 2008. Twice it has taken me to businesses that moved in 2007 and wasted an hour of my time both times. I would think that a 2008 Prius would have a 2008 database.

The next complaint is that a passenger navigator can't use the GPS while driving.

 

It's been doing pretty well for me so far, especially the very first trip. I ended up driving home Ruby on my very first trip to that dealership. My husband told me one way to get back out to the main road over the phone. I tried the nav and it was much clearer than the directions he had given me I look forward to testing it out in more in the future.

 

For those who need their headlights on but can't see the screen in 'night' mode because it's really not that dark out (especially the Canucks) you just need to press the "Display" button to the top left of the MFD and only when the headlights are on you will have an on-screen option that (IIRC) should say "Day Mode" so you can brighten that screen back up without having to adjust the brightness/dim wheel for the instrument cluster. Enjoy!

 

I'm new to the forum... awesome community of Prius-addicts :rockon:

I can relate to a lot of the comments made on here after using my Prius nav system since Jan 2006

My big beef with the nav system is the fact that it is terrified of underpasses . I work in the Washington DC area and I can't tell you how many times the nav system tries to take me off the road only to guide me back on after taking surface streets.
I really think that Toyota should issue a firmware bug fix release for this problem. (I use the split screen mode with the left pane showing my route zoomed out in order to know whether this next "required" turn is actually going to eventually redirect me back to the same street)

The daylight display mode with the dimmer turned up doesn't match brightness of having the headlights turned off. I've learned to turn my headlights off at times where daytime screen glare makes it impossible to read the display.

I've also experienced the map problem where the nav system will tell me to turn and um... the street is another football field away. (so I have found that making a mental note of the upcoming turn street names to be a useful habit).

I'm also somewhat annoyed by the fact that you need to stop in order to program a destination. I don't use the nav system on my daily trips to/from work but I do use it when I get off at an earlier exit due to an accident or traffic backup (and then, like other prius nav users, race to the next stopped car bumper or red light so that I can select my already coded 'prior' destination) ... I'll probably research the 3rd party 'hacks' I've seen online to bypass this 'safety feature' after my warranty expires.

Love the car. love the mpg, pickup, headroom, comfort, the fact that I fit 15 landscaping timbers (railroad ties) into my car at home depot etc Just some of the nav issues and (sometimes) the kill-all-forward-motion-while-turning-the-corner traction control that give me grief.
eenyways, great forum you have here - thanks for letting me rant

 

You can register 5 common destinations (such as home, work etc); these can be selected while in motion.

 

good to know (I actually read the manual 3 yrs ago but I guess I forgot that)... I had my home destination pinned but didn't know that you could register more than one. Thanks hschuck :thumb:

 

Not sure if I follow you here. Are you saying the Nav doesn't auto-calculate a new route if you stray from the suggested route? If so, this is an option that can be configured to auto-recalculate if you miss (or choose not to take) a turn. By default it WILL auto-reroute, unless someone has changed it.

Also, you should learn how to use the voice commands for inputting destinations, especially the command "Address". It is actually quite useful when you get familiar with it.

Oh, and welcome to PriusChat! :welcome:

 

It is true that Garmin and Toyota (Denso) use the same map vendor, NAVTEQ. But that has no relationship to the accuracy or functionality of the GPS unit.

Arguably the most critical components of any turn-by-turn GPS navigation system are the routing engine and map accuracy. The routing engine is the software on a GPS that decides which route the unit should choose to get from point A to point B. Many people falsely assume that simply having the same maps on two GPS devices will result in the same routing choices. Not so, as there is a great deal of math and decision-making involved when calculating the "best" route.

Not surprisingly, this also one of the most difficult and complex aspects for GPS manufacturers to get right, and is the aspect of GPS navigation that is least well understood by consumers. In fact, routing engine quality should be at the top of any GPS buyer's checklist.

The two largest mapping data providers are NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas . NAVTEQ is generally considered more accurate and complete in North America, so it's preferable to buy a GPS that uses NAVTEQ rather than Tele Atlas (as of this writing). (for more detailed information on both NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas, check out "NAVTEQ vs. Tele Atlas, Which one is Better?")
However, there is a lot more to a routing engine than just the mapping data provider. How a given GPS will determine the "best" route is the result of not only the mapping data, but also how many additional data points, or attributes, are factored into the equation. For example, are certain roads closed after hours or on the weekend? What is the average rate of speed for a given road? Statistically speaking, more accidents happen when making left turns as opposed to right turns -- is the GPS unit factoring that into the route? Each company takes all this data and compiles it in different ways, making unique decisions about what data is more important than others. The number of attributes used varies depending on how much money the manufacturer is willing to spend on their mapping data. For example, a full NAVTEQ map database that includes all available attributes can cost the manufacturer twice as much as a basic set of attributes.
All Magellan, Denso and Garmin GPS units use NAVTEQ mapping data, while TomTom uses Tele Atlas.
So far Garmin is in the lead because it (and you) pays for the full attribute database, and has the superior rounting engine.

 

Thanks for the welcome Sarge
(and I'll try to remember to make a note of the voice commands... I've never used that feature but it sounds handy)

Sorry I wasn't clear on that... another member helped me on that issue (I programmed work as a quick pick so I'm good to go). The GPS does autorecalculate and eventually gives up on trying to get me to drive back to the detour/accident site I came from.
The underpass thing is bizarre though... the GPS seems to think that the overpass 'line' crossing my path is a solid walls & redirects me to surface streets. I haven't had this problem with highway overpasses just ones on city streets. (if anyone here is in DC, just try driving down North Capital or Connecticut around Dupont Circle.)

 

The daylight display mode with the dimmer turned up is exactly the same as it is in daylight. Make sure you turn the wheel all the way to the detent, and haven't overridden any of the display settings.

Tom

 

Hmmm. The underpass sitaution does sound a little bizarre. I have taken many tunnels and underpasses and I can assure you the system doesn't have any "problem" with them per se. Rather, it sounds like there may be an error in your map, or perhaps it is one of the less-populated areas where guidance is not available? If so, the system will try to keep you stuck to the streets it "knows". Here is an idea to test it: try setting a destination in the area where it refuses to guide you through. If it is one of those areas where guidance is not available, it will take you to the nearest point then verbally tell you turn by turn guidance is not available for that area.

On a related note, are you still running the v5.1 disc that came in your '06 or have you updated the DVD? Version 8.1 recently came out, and this sort of issue should eventually be resolved with a map update...