2010 Prius Navigation System is really horrible

Does the Toyota Nav talk to you telling you to turn in a ceertain direction as you approach turns?

My wife has one of the newer garmins that talks to you. She also had the one that allows you sync your phone but you had to tune into a certain radio station. In a built up metro area you always seem to have overrides regardless of the station you tune in on your radio so the phone sync on the garmin was worthless for hands free blue tooth talking on your phone.

 

Hm?? You can use the garmin bluetooth without plugging into your radio station. Just use the garmin speaker.

The bluetooth reception isn't the greatest (I get much better reception on my Plantronix bluetooth earpiece), but it works!

 

Ugh, sorry to hear it. I've only used the my navigation system a couple of times so far, but it's worked perfectly in my neighborhood...

 

Give it some time. Also if this is not unusual, Toyota will update sooner than normal. Its always tough going from something you have used for 4-5 years to something new.

Just as the new G/F that

 

I wouldn't get too discouraged Ros. I really have to go with NYPrius1 here. I have the navi in my 07 Camry and love it. I have travelled all over the country and whenever I have put an address in of a "real" location it has taken me there quite efficiently.

You just have to remember that even though you have a navi, you still need to use some common sense. Some errors are inherent due to mapping errors. I was told that the system is based off the 911 mapping system. It has been my experience that larger cities have been pretty much flawless but small rural towns you need to make sure what you see is accurate.

 

and the web, you can find and download most easy.

 

Sorry, I don't want to hijack this thread. But I was wondering if any navigation system has the following capabilities:

- the ability to pick routes on a map to specify what major routes you want it to use when plotting a guidance. Maybe just touch the map overview at various points, and have the guidance define a route that utilizes those specific roads? I guess that you could sort of do this right now with the G2 Nav by specifying a "multi-destination" guidance, but that is not really a great solution.

- conversely, the ability to exclude a particular road completely. For instance, you know that I-64 is shut down in St. Louis, but your nav computer keeps trying to use that as a way through the city. So you want to eliminate it completely from any guidance. My Magellan only allows me to eliminate specific turns, but not entire roads or highways.

Thanks

 

I think the multi-destination option is not a bad way of doing it. I've done this with both the G2 Nav and with a Garmin.

The G2 Nav allows you to allow/disallow a variety of roadways, such as Tollways, Interstate Highways, etc. I thought this was a fairly common feature, but I only have experience with the Prius system and the Garmin 660.

 

I really wanted to like the built-in nav. It seems nice to have a fully integrated system with a a big screen and just looks cleaner than using a portable.

However, for $1800 you should expect it to do everything a $300 portable does.
Cheap portable GPS units can:
Announce what side of street your destination is on.
Use traffic data to automatically reroute around traffic and adjust the displayed ETA based on expected traffic delays.

For $1800, they should include map updates for the original owner for at least the warranty period instead of charging $265 for once a year DVDs.
If you keep the car for 5 years, you could spend over $1000 for 4 yearly DVDs not to mention the money you spend on XMNavTraffic subscription.

With a Garmin GPS, for $95 one time fee you can get lifetime QUARTERLY map updates.http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B001PKTFM8?tag=priuschatcom-20

Many of the new Garmin models include free lifetime traffic. The MSN Direct models allow you to buy lifetime MSNDirect for $130.

 

most phones have the advantage of accessing a database thru the network for map updates, etc. i have 3 GPS systems and my VZ Nav on my cellphone (with bundling services i pay about $5 a month for it) is by far the best of the three. maps are waaay newer.

see response above. remember USB is being integrated into the Pri, wondering if can transmit the data to the screen. probably not the video, but the audio turn by turn would be nice... to bad we dont have a full BT profile in the car...

what makes it tougher is recent VZ Nav updates for traffic enhancements, voice enabled input...so no typing of addy into phone any more. just push button, verbalize addy, click "Nav" and away we go!!

that is only reason i have it and it was VERY VERY close to a deal breaker for me. i ended up with a hefty discount so i went ahead and got it anyway... as far as issues, they are minor and i have already pointed out a few inconsistencies in an earlier post over "disappearing" streets.

 

The problem with phone based nav systems is that they rely on the data network to stream the maps. If you lose data coverage, you lose your map and the entire route until you reach another section of your carriers wireless data coverage area.

Very easy to get lost and stranded when you are are out in the rural countryside or in the mountains and can't reliably pick up the wireless data network or maybe not even the voice network to call for help.

Another issue is that many of the phones don't handle much multitasking with the navigation and when you need to make or answer a call, you then lose access to the navigation service and it may take a while for it to get back to the route after your end your call. In the meantime you may have missed several turns and are now far off course.

I tried out the cell phone navigation service and it would get so disoriented when a phone call interrupted it, that I would have to pull over, wait for it regain satellite lock and then manually reenter the route to continue to the destination every time I got off the phone with a caller.

That's pretty crude.

 

We rented a Prius for a weekend and had no trouble at all using the GPS and we were brand new to the car and GPS. In my Cessna 172, I fly with a Garmin 296 and it is more than wonderful. I’m accurate within 6 feet most of the time. Everything is dead on accurate, airspeed, groundspeed, estimated time in route (a calculation based on speed); it even tells me when to start my decent. In our cars, we have a Garmin Nuvi and love it too. With a ding, it tells us to turn and names the street. What I like best is the screen. It’s like a helicopter is flying above and behind the car showing our car and the road ahead. A big white arrow also shows your next turn. If you make a wrong turn or want to use another route, it will say, “Recalculating,†and then it give you another route to your destination.

I can vouch for Garman but I am buying package 3 with Navigation and backup camera. I think Toyota’s voice-activated unit will work just fine.

Dan

 

yes. it uses only the left speaker though and the volume is pre-set meaning if the stereo is turned up, Nav volume does not auto-adjust and could easily be drowned out. when approaching a turn, it will give name of street, direction and distance of turn. as it hits the actual street where the turn is to occur, a double tone will sound

well kinda of VZ Nav you can select parameters of route including, fastest, shortest or simplest. and can select types of roads to avoid. as far as not driving on certain streets, well all Nav systems should automatically recalculate the route if you stray off the path

get another carrier then. verizon does not work that way. you only need data service to download route info. i have navigated SW western WA many many times where verizon only has extended network coverage (iow, they rent time form 3rd party cell tower owners and there is no data coverage available)

multitasking is an issue and my phone wont do both either. but mine resumes Nav as soon as i hang up. as far as missing a turn, no biggie, Nav will recognize that and compute a detour.

granted all Nav's have draw backs, but VZ Nav has way advanced functions, cheaper and by far, the most accurate, up to date maps.

 

Even if your phone can cache a certain sized map area and route in local memory, if you miss a turn, need to reroute or make a detour, it has to connect to the wireless data network to contact the servers to get updated directions.

If you drive somewhere where there is no data coverage from your carrier or even a roaming partner your carrier works with, then you are stuck without directions or ability to reroute.

If you originate your trip from a spot where you can't get data coverage, you are stuck. It can't work with just satellite coverage, you also have a data network dependency and data network coverage is less widespread than even voice coverage.
If you will never need to drive out of your data coverage area, then you will probably be OK.

 

Canada has three territories? They don't show up on my Nav.

 

most of that is true. but as long as i start Nav in a coverage areas (and MOST extended network areas wont work... but that percentage is getting better. it used to be NO extended network had any data services at all including sending or receiving pictures, etc)

i can drive thru no service areas and still get Nav. i can also change to map mode and see myself and simply navigate on my own back onto the route planned.

but once again, i have several Nav systems and they all have drawbacks and when you get right done to it, it all boils down to what is most important...

*having all the roads known which means more route options i think is paramount. VZ Nav wins and its not much of a contest here

*convenience with route entering. being able to program multi-route destinations in advance, (can be done on phone or point and click map interface online and sent to phone) adding routes on the fly, a much better POI search (not sure who has more options since Toyota Nav is limited to distance from your location) VZ Nav simply starts at the closest and goes out. not sure if there is a limit to what it shows, but i can remember going 100 miles out on choices numbering near 100. also dont have park to enter in new addresses although can get around that option as well since POI's can be selected while moving in the Pri

*features... Voice recognition for address entering makes it nearly hands free while driving. integrated traffic alerts, automatic detour suggestions, portability... can be moved around as long as you are willing to lug your phone around.

*price....all the above included for a MAXIMUM price of $9.99 a month. can start and stop it at any time (a lot of people only use it for trips) now i dont do this because although you can simply install it in 2 minutes any time, you really never know all the times you will need it.

but that is the maximum price. bundle it with other services and you get it for $5 a month like i do. (granted this works if the other services are something you value)

so, ok... to be fair... we need to look at what Toyota and other Navs have (granted i have seen some portable navs that come close to VZ Nav services) that are better sooo....

*speed and screen size... if in some extended networks, it can take as much as 2 minutes to determine the route. and like all cellphones, its possible to lose a signal to where i have to click "try again" (this has happened to me probably a dozen times or so, but i have been using VZ Nav for over 3 years pretty regularly). but i am going to be getting the eNV touch when its introduced June 5th which is faster, so that will help a little im sure.

i should also mention battery issues, but easy fix. i dont own a cellphone (or for that matter any other portable electronic device) that does not immediately get a car charger

but all in all, like i said, the requirement to have Nav for the sunroof was very nearly a deal breaker for me. but the discounts i received basically paid for the Nav, the sunroof plus a bit left over, so who am i to complain??

P.S. i had Garmin, but its cost and lack of features caused me to offer it in the last 2 garage sales i've had...still got it.

 

Isn't $9.99 per month only for those who are already paying for a data plan? If you don't have an unlimited data plan, you have to add that extra cost also.