Navigation/GPS sucks.

**barrysharp** · 06-03-2005, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by hunterxc

Had my XC since August. I haven't read much here about the navigation system and I am writing this to recommend against puchasing this over priced option. I traded an MDX with navi. for the XC that happenned to have a navi. option. I couldn't test the XC navi. b/c Volvo mails you the DVD after you take delivery but I thought that they were comparable in function. What I learned was that the Volvo navi. has a very limited functions in general and specifically the "facilities" menu is limited as there is little ability to look up, for example, a specific location such as Macy's or some other store. It only lists shopping centers. This greatly limits the useability of the navi. I used the MDX navi. like a phone book.

The 2005 version in some Japanese cars are further updated by showing more of a 3D view and are voice activated.

Why are the Europeans so far behind on this technology? What a rip.

Hmmmm - Places like Macy's and the like are transitory and although at a certain shopping center today, as you say, could very well be a mile away from its current location 1 year from now. Why clutter up the DVD space with such stuff. On the other hand Volvo dealerships tend to stay put for a very long time.

For the cost of RTI/NAV I'm absolutely surprised you didn't insist on a trial run as the dealership could have easily provided a DVD for you. The alternative to this would have been for you to read the manual before purchase. You would have found out about Macy's not being available in the "Facilities". I'm afraid I have very little sympathy for your situation.

**thomaslally** · 06-04-2005, 05:41 AM

I was planning a roadtrip this summer. So I will set the GPS to get my anywhere near by, after computation this thing is going to send me on the moon. I better pack the car right away if I want to be back for Christmas... 2020!

Interestingly enough, I have very little sympathy for my situation

Thomas

**Dubhead** · 06-04-2005, 03:36 PM

Folks,

I have consistently read great reviews of the TomTom Go 700. Check it out!:
TomTom Go 700

It is a little better than the Garmin units in my opinion with more customizable POI database and intuitive usage.

Hope that might help

Dubhead

**AWD*V70XC** · 06-05-2005, 03:16 AM

There are 3 versions available with the 700 model being the top of the range, the only difference between the 300 and 700 is the bluetooth facility. I am waiting for a sample to do a 'road test' but as TTG have changed the whole line up, test models are in great demand at the moment but I have got my name on the list.

**vtie** · 06-05-2005, 07:36 AM

Looks like something is going on in the car GPS market. Lowrance (traditionally catering for the boat market) has entered this market and launched the iWAY 500C, and it really looks like a great device and has received very good reviews. I has a 5", superbright touchscreen and a 20Gb hard disk. Interestingly, it is also an MP3 & Ogg Vorbis player with 10Gb of song capacity and that can be connected to the car stereo. Now that's a nice idea: for the same price you have an MP3 player with a nice, big touch screen to control it.

If you can wait a little longer, this fall they will introduce the iWAY 800C with a 10" touchscreen (800x600 resolution). It will be interesting to see if the other manufacturers will react on this...

**John@CdnRockies** · 06-05-2005, 09:05 AM

I followed up on the links that Thomas provided in this thread. One of the firms [http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/g...etpilot2610.htm] was based in Calgary so I dropped by their offices yesterday.

I've always wondered what Internet firms look like behind the scenes. These guys looked pretty professional and were certainly knowledgeable. Apparently they are the largest Canadian retailer for Garmin, so that's probably their preference.

In our case, we are looking for a combo marine/car/hiking product. Interestingly, they recommended a cheaper model quoting value for money (how often does a retailer do that?). Think I will probably buy from them in the coming weeks as they seemed tuned to the market and had tons of demo units to play with. I do recommend you play with a few units as ease of use is a key factor.

John

**Art** · 06-05-2005, 09:29 AM

John,

GPS Central is where we bought our Garmin Map 76 handheld with Bluechart for our kayaking trips. See some of our trip photos here.

They truly are knowledgeable about their products and have one of the most extensive and informative web sites that I’ve seen.

**John@CdnRockies** · 06-05-2005, 03:43 PM

Nice pictures (as always) Art. First you adorn foreign car sites and now you are being quoted in the GPS market. Hope Sai doesn't let the fame go to your head.

For the record, GPS Central quoted us the Garmin 76C (about C$450 after rebate). Have you tried your unit in the car by any chance?

Pender Island may see a fair bit of us this summer as the marina has managed to find me a berth again. With Stephanie in Thailand on a school promoted tsunami rebuilding project, the local waters will see its fair share of me! We're headed to Pender for launching this Friday so we look forward to seeing you and Sai again in the coming months.

John

**Art** · 06-05-2005, 08:18 PM

Thanks John, although I’m afraid that I can’t take any credit for posting that photo of my rig on the Global Car Trading website.

As for the in-car capability of the Map 76, I think that it’s safe to say that it’s functions are fairly basic when comparing it to Garmin’s mobile units. I find it to be a bit sluggish when using the zoom feature....might have something to do with the additional Bluechart software that I downloaded. However, Garmin appears to have made some drastic improvements over the basic model by embellishing the 76C with far better screen resolution, a faster processor and by adding auto routing applications.

Glad to hear you were able to secure mooring for the boat on Pender. Still willing to offer sailing lessons in exchange for a go around in the kayaks?

Have a great time on the Islands and hope to see you soon!

**littlewaywelt** · 06-06-2005, 05:09 AM

HunterXC, actually, with the factory NAV you can look up by name or partial name, so you could find the nearest Macys. I recently punched in part of the name of a restaurant since I didn't know how to spell it and up it popped after a few seconds. I clicked add to itinerary and we were on our way.