If Waze came to Car play and android auto I imagine a lot of people would use it. The only navigation I currently use is Waze and I use it every single time I'm driving, even if I do not need directions. The ETA, routing, and the alerts are useful even if you know where you are going.
Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
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Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
#52Builtin GPS was pretty much the only requirement I had for the last few cars I got (both VW) and tbh I'm not that disappointed. The only thing really lacking is decent search, once you have an address to input it's mostly ok, but it's true that the temptation to just say "fuck it, I've found it on Maps, let's just use this" is there. If there was an easy way to copy or "stream" the address to the car via bluetooth, I think most people would use it.
It looks like the field is in flux anyway, VW keeps dramatically changing the UI in every new car.
Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
#53It never made sense to me why you'd want to have a built-in GPS these days when modular devices are available that are A. generally better-designed and B. replaceable. People buying used cars in the coming years will be stuck with these big-screened dinosaurs in their dash that are essentially wasted space.
The navigation system that came with my 2004 Infiniti performs better than almost any systems I have used. It is well integrated with the car, it starts in seconds, there are physical buttons for the most common operations, it always plans a route in a few seconds at most. The screen space is used well so I can see what I need with just a glance. The company that built it clearly thought through what they were buildi…
> integrated with the car audio to turn down music when giving directions
This is also the case using e.g. Waze via Bluetooth connection to the car.
If you live in a place where new roads are built with any frequency, car GPS's become quickly obsolete.
I also find that a car GPS often requires you to use your smartphone anyway, to look up the address of your destination.
Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
#54Another reason not mentioned by the article is map updates . Lexus charges $169+ to update the map data and requires a dealer appointment. A smartphone with google/Apple maps is always more up-to-date. If you're buying a new car today, the reason to get navigation is for the LCD screen and not for the GPS. The LCD is used to see the rear view camera image for parking. Also, playing music shows the song titles.
I agree. It's a ridiculously antiquated model that appeals to and/or traps "old people" (in the not-tech-savvy sense). It will disappear.
I use my in-dash GPS to gauge distances on big trips. If I really need to know where I'm going, I use my phone.
Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
#55I've always hated built in GPS for two reasons. First and most important - the damn maps are always viewed from directly above the car so the map is 2D and North is always at the top. There is a lot of effin' mental work to try and figure out which damn way your car is pointing and whether you need to turn left or turn right because you may be driving "down" the map and shit is reversed. On my phone or on my garmin I get a perspective view of my car and it's position on the earth. There is no confusion about which way I actually need to turn.
Secondly, the vast majority of built in GPS is on a console a good 6 to 12 inches below the windshield. Meaning I have to remove my eyes far off the road in order to look at everything. My garmin mounts to my windshield or dash. It is a quick glance and then eyes back at the road.
Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
#56If Waze came to Car play and android auto I imagine a lot of people would use it. The only navigation I currently use is Waze and I use it every single time I'm driving, even if I do not need directions. The ETA, routing, and the alerts are useful even if you know where you are going.
It is coming [0]. No word since May though. I imagine they're re-jiggling the UI for Android Auto.
[0] http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/05/18/waze-come...
Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
#57Out of curiosity, are there any Tesla owners that can chime in about their experience? Do you use the in-built GPS, or just use your phone? I would think if anyone has it right, it would be Tesla.
100% built-in nav on the Tesla. Why: * voice commands for navigation actually work. Recognition is quick and accurate. * Should you need to type in an address, Tesla treats you like an adult, and lets you do it while the car is moving. All the other recent cars I've driven won't even let the passenger enter an address unless the car is stopped. * Map display is fluid and uncluttered
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Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
#58After reading the article, I think the non-clickbait title should be "Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems _sometimes_ use phones for directions".
I am pretty happy with my built-in system - it is fast, always on, integrates well with the car, provides dual-screens (in dash and bigger console screen output), free quarterly OTA map updates, uses Google for POI search, live traffic. Most important I don't need to fish my phone out of pocket, mount it somewhere and connect cable for longer trips.
Yet I am also sometimes (1%?) use phone for directions. Most of the time it is when I need to lookup something nearby and I am not in the car.
Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
#59Another reason not mentioned by the article is map updates . Lexus charges $169+ to update the map data and requires a dealer appointment. A smartphone with google/Apple maps is always more up-to-date. If you're buying a new car today, the reason to get navigation is for the LCD screen and not for the GPS. The LCD is used to see the rear view camera image for parking. Also, playing music shows the song titles.
I would love a rear-view camera that could display on my phone
I just wish I could have my rear-view camera on while I was driving forward.
Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions
#60Out of curiosity, are there any Tesla owners that can chime in about their experience? Do you use the in-built GPS, or just use your phone? I would think if anyone has it right, it would be Tesla.
I use the built in GPS, and I use it even for my daily commute. The biggest factors for me are that it uses google maps, it is traffic aware, and the screen is large enough to show detailed traffic for the route.
The UI just got a refresh with version 8.0 and it is now even easier to use. With a single swipe I can navigate to home or work (it is location and time aware, so it will navigate me to the right destination automatically), and the navigation now sticks to the top half of the screen when I have two apps open. I tend to leave the nav in fullscreen mode though since I like to see more of my route.
Its critical for long distance trips because it will also navigate you through superchargers automatically as needed, and will tell you how long you will need to charge at each, along with an estimate of your trip time. I have taken a lot of long trips since getting the Tesla so this has been invaluable.
Supposedly the next update will use the navigation to guide the autopilot (it will take exit ramps between highways automatically).