Toyota Navigation or after market navigation?

[Kimlai]

Looking at the navigation system that comes with package #7. Anyone have any complaints with the nav system that comes with Prius? What about after market packages?

[aaf709]

The advantage of the built-in is that it's well, built in. You don't have to worry about it being stolen and the system is integrated with the steering wheel. The third-party is cheaper and generally has more features. Also, if you're the sort who wants to monitor your MPG or radio, a third-party frees up the MFD for that.

I have the built-in and am happy with it. My original plan was to get a third-party.

[orionll]

I have the built in navigation in my 06 Prius and it is great. No problems too, but when I am on a road really close and pretty much parallel to the freeway the navigation got confused, but that only happened like twice.

[qbee42]

I have the built-in. It has a few shortcomings, but I really like it. Having it fully integrated with the MFD is great.

Tom

[Bob Allen]

I have a Garmin third party, which I can use in airplanes I fly too....I like being able to have both the MFD functions and the GPS going at the same time. Toyota's OEM GPS will not let you program it while the car is in motion. Perhaps a safety feature, but if you have a passenger, he or she could/should be able to reprogram the thing while you're moving.

Downside is having to remove it nightly for theft protection. I have a little padded bag it fits into.

B

[Jonnycat26]

I have the built-in, and while I like the fact that it's built in I'd go for a third party solution for my next car. The nannying of the nav system combined with the relative lack of features have put me off slightly.

[Vincent]

Simple Answer - Toyota Navi isn't Worth the Money

I've owned Acura's with Navi and have used After Market units; the Toyota unit is a rip-off. The most important features of my 06 Navi and Bluetooth are disabled while the car is moving and compared to most After Market units, the Toyota unit is featureless.

Toyota lost a Navi sale to an After Market unit when my wife bought a new ES 350 and I'll do the same when I replace my Prius.

[aaf709]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Vincent @ Oct 2 2006, 03:40 AM) [snapback]326771[/snapback]</div>

The most important features of my 06 Navi and Bluetooth are disabled while the car is moving and compared to most After Market units, the Toyota unit is featureless.
[/b]

This is a big problem with the built-in (other than the $250 cost to update), but there's a couple of wires that you can cut (and install switches) which solves that problem.

This is the first nav system I've had, so I have nothing to compare it with. My next car will have a nav system, but whether it's built-in or not is still up in the air.

[Bearcatzzz]

I have Garmin Nuvi 350. I did a side by side comparison with the Prius nav system that was in a Pruis that I rented before I bought my Prius. Went on a long weekend trip with both running side-by-side. My wife and I both agreed that the Nuvi was a little better. We turned off the Prius nav after the first day.

Another advantage is that you can move it to other vehicles and you can use it in other modes of transportation (walking, bicycling, etc).

[Pinto Girl]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Vincent @ Oct 2 2006, 05:40 AM) [snapback]326771[/snapback]</div>

Simple Answer - Toyota Navi isn't Worth the Money

I've owned Acura's with Navi and have used After Market units; the Toyota unit is a rip-off. The most important features of my 06 Navi...[are] disabled while the car is moving and compared to most After Market units, the Toyota unit is featureless...
[/b]

I was just reading in the owner's manual that some of the features that are disabled via the MFD (when the car is moving) are still accessible via the voice recognition (itself a mixed blessing, I know).

For what it's worth, I value the built-in-ness of the stock unit in my '06. I'm sure that I'm not a 'power-user,' but it does everything I need it to do. I find myself frustrated with it only occasionally; overall, I'm happy with it. Not saying it's perfect, but the Furuno bells-and-whistles differential GPS (a few years old now) in my boat is TONS more trouble than this, and -- in its own way -- doesn't seem much if any more capable.

It does, however, have LOTS more buttons on the front, this cool looking trackball which I've never used, and always seems to wow the uninitiated.