Add on sat nav units are naff

[garystu1965]

I hate them. They look ugly, cheap and totally naff.

Especially the ones that are stuck in the middle of the windscreen with a sucker. Dreadfully tacky.

Surely the car manufacturers should build them in to all cars now ?

Anyone agree ?

 

[Parrot of Doom]

I have a Nokia 6680 phone, with TomTom software, and a bluetooth GPS mouse. Sits in the car cradle, and the mouse is good enough to work sitting on the passenger seat

Agree with building them into cars though, the cost of speccing GPS in a new car is exhorbitant.

 

[jaymanek]

To be fair, i love them, I drive a different car every day and i love the fact that i can just transfer it between cars...

 

[imadoofus]

Surely the car manufacturers should build them in to all cars now ?

Why? They're by no means a necessity, and lots of people don't want them.

My portable sat nav unit is just that. Portable. I can use it on foot as well as in the car, and in places like Paris, that's a real advantage.

I can't help feeling you're being a tad over-vehement on this for some reason...

PJ


PS:

I drive a different car every day and i love the fact that i can just transfer it between cars...

Good point. We've got four cars, and this feature is also invaluable.

 

[BTB 500]

I agree that all new cars "should" have built in satnav, but until such time as the manufacturers make it standard or price it sensibly as an option (£2,000+ is taking the p*ss big time) add-on units will have their place.

There's also a fundamental problem with updating built-in satnav systems ... you are tied to CD or DVD once a year if you're lucky. I imagine that's why they don't attempt to do things like safety camera warnings etc.

 

[hitt]

The downside being that most (if not all) built-in sat nav systems a very inflexible. The cost of updated map DVD/CD it usually quite high too.

Although they look ugly (can't disagree with you there) they are far cheaper, in many cases faster and more adaptable.
I use my PDA as a Sat-Nav device running TomTom v5. Nice and fast and in my opinion the best & most easy to use interface of any sat nav system (both built-in and portable).
I can load any points of interest I want from speed camera's to petrol stations and download customised icons which clearly show the logo for the various places (e.g. McDonalds/Pizza Express/BP Petrol Station) and the icons also provide useful information, for instance which Shell station has Optimax.
Admittedly these additional features may not be of use to everyone, but I haven't seen a built in system that comes close to the basic functions of tomtom.
(ok i'll go an hide now) :bannana:

 

[nigel cross]

I think that they are really useful, but the cost of an oem one is mad compared to the cost of say a TOMTOM. Just think is the manufacturers had an order with TOMTOM to install one in every car fron new the price would proberly be £150.
Far more realistic.

 

[Bedouin]

Let me think - should I spend £1850 getting one fitted as an option or pop down to Halfords and pick up the latest Garmin for £99

Given the choice I would rather get my GPS system from a company whose business is making GPS systems (Garmin) rather than a car company; plus there's the benefit of portability and ease of upgrade of the after-market unit

I agree that some of the stuck on ones look rather naff - but then you probably don't notice the neat installations.

 

[219]

I use TomTom Navigator 5 in my Palm Treo which is also my phone and PDA all in one unit - it's great !

I agree about the built in units being overpriced . Another criticism of the M-B ones I read about on another forum is the fact that Merc seem to decide what sort of lifestyle owners of different models should lead .

Apparently , if you ask the sat-nav in your S-Class for the nearest restaurant it will direct you to a 5-star establishment . Unfortunately , the owner of an A-Class will be pointed in the direction of the nearest McDonalds or Happy Eater !

 

[SilverSaloon]

not everyone wants a satnav unit in the car. If u buy a Kia Picanto or other similar sized/priced car on a budget then u want the cheapest u can get, and therefore lowest spec.

i personally wouldnt buy a car without built in sat nav now.

 

[Alps]

ive got the Alpine sat nav, and it integrated well with everything else I have in my car, Audio Visual touch screen, voice through stereo, includes TMC and is spot on! best sat nav unit ive seen\used so far!

 

[BTB 500]

My TomTom 910 arrived today

 

[Alfie]

I hate them. They look ugly, cheap and totally naff.

Especially the ones that are stuck in the middle of the windscreen with a sucker. Dreadfully tacky.

Surely the car manufacturers should build them in to all cars now ?

Anyone agree ?

I agree but then I would wouldnt I.

BTW to all those who think OEM units are circa £2,000, they dont have to be

 

[Wezzel]

My Nokia 6670 smartphone came with Route 66 Mobile Britain as a freebie.

I don't use it very often but when I do it works fine and sits nicely in the phone cradle.

I wouldn't want a windscreen mounted one as they become a magnet for tea leafs. The little bastar*s even look for the sticky marks on the windscreen before smashing their way in and retrieving them from under the seat, in the glovebox, arm rest ....etc.

I just can't be ****d to have to clean the windscreen and put the thing in my pocket every time I leave the car.

 

[nickg]

downside of built in:
- ludicrously over-priced total rip off
- obsolete within a couple of yrs i.e. buy a 4yr old merc now with comand and you get ancient spec.
- not tranferable to other cars

downside of after-market:
- design still not good enough. They are too bulky.
- easily nickable

I've got a Tom Tom which is excellent.
I had a becker single din system (before it got nicked with my previous car). These I think are a great compromise. the Becker units are really good and not having a screen is not a problem if the voice instructions are good.

 

[prprandall51]

Let me think - should I spend £1850 getting one fitted as an option or pop down to Halfords and pick up the latest Garmin for £99 .

Whilst I agree that the OEM system is over-priced, MB charge £1850 for Comand, which is much more than simply a SatNav system.

Given the choice I would rather get my GPS system from a company whose business is making GPS systems (Garmin) rather than a car company

All in-car OEM systems are made by companies that are experts in Navigation. TomTom and Garmin are the newcomers to this field. OEM companies such as Bosch have been making in-car nav since the eighties - before GPS was available at all.

PHilip

 

[BTB 500]

VW satnav (only) is £1939.

All a bit academic really, I'm driving to Southern Germany and back soon ... buying a portable unit (that can be used in our other two cars as well) was a viable option, selling my car to buy a brand new one with built-in satnav wasn't

 

[Bedouin]

Whilst I agree that the OEM system is over-priced, MB charge £1850 for Comand, which is much more than simply a SatNav system.



All in-car OEM systems are made by companies that are experts in Navigation. TomTom and Garmin are the newcomers to this field. OEM companies such as Bosch have been making in-car nav since the eighties - before GPS was available at all.

True - but however you look at it the additional cost for the Sat Nav is much more than the cost of a 3rd party unit.

More seriously by going to independent suppliers you get a choice of units that you cannot get from OEM. I happen to like Garmin - I've been using them on my boat for years and I like the interface - plus you get the benefit that software and maps are interchangeable

 

[Shude]

True - but however you look at it the additional cost for the Sat Nav is much more than the cost of a 3rd party unit.

More seriously by going to independent suppliers you get a choice of units that you cannot get from OEM. I happen to like Garmin - I've been using them on my boat for years and I like the interface - plus you get the benefit that software and maps are interchangeable

BUT I bought a second hand comand unit for under £500 that is not only a good satnav unit but also a superb headunit upgrade. It can interface with your phone, be controlled from the steering wheel and put directions and other information on the instrument cluster.

No 3rd party applications can do this yet!

 

[Bedouin]

BUT I bought a second hand comand unit for under £500 that is not only a good satnav unit but also a superb headunit upgrade. It can interface with your phone, be controlled from the steering wheel and put directions and other information on the instrument cluster.

No 3rd party applications can do this yet!

Ok, Ok - I admit it - I am seriously tempted by the Comand as an upgrade for the ICE - not to mention the fact that they look cool!

However for the sat nav I would still prefer the Garmin.

Does anyone know if it is possible to download a list of "known accident blackspots" into the Comand unit?

Edited the quote of my earlier posting to remove commercial interest --Shude