How to use XM Nav Traffic?

The only time I've seen/heard the traffic information is when I've been using the Nav system to guide me to a destination. I guess since it knows what roads you're on (and will be on if you follow the routing) it can let you know of traffic on those particular stretches of road. If it's not guiding you it can't tell if you're going to run in to the traffic jam 10 miles ahead or not because you might be getting off that road soon.

It also depends on which roads in your area XM traffic monitors, and for what. Where I am some roads are listed for 'accidents/incidents' but not general traffic flow, so if there's slowness due to volume it's not announced.

 

I also set a destination whenever I drive and xM Nav becomes quite active - often offering to reroute me around traffic.
You can also reroute manually but, if you have no destination there is nothing to reroute.

 

There is an option to show traffic information or some such, under the Navigation settings menu I believe.

 

If your XM audio stations are functional then the XM traffic should show up any time the Nav is on. That's how mine worked. So make sure your XM audio works and you get all of the channels, if not you'll have to call XM to activate your free 3 month trial.

 

I didn't find XM traffic to be useful and thus did not go with it when it was time to renew my XM service.

As for an unhelpful dealer, I showed my salesman how to program my iPhone Bluetooth when I took delivery of the car .

 

I recently bought my car and was shocked that I knew more about the Prius then the salesman at all SIX dealerships I went to.

 

XMTraffic isn't included in the 3month free trial. i had to call Xm to add it (at a cost) during the trial period.

 

It did on mine. I haven't renewed it because it seemed to be inaccurate, or nearly an hour out of date, or both. It only once was accurate and timely enough to get me out of trouble. (Getting around some all-night road construction in an unfamiliar area.)

 

Hmm - we definitely had Traffic data during our XM trial (bought in Sept. 2010).

Sadly though, the Nav wasn't effective at choosing the least congested route for the daily commute, so we didn't renew. (XM Traffic coverage seemed good here, and not to blame.) Failing at this task is my single biggest beef with the Toyota Nav. I hope it goes better for you.

(It burns 'because my old $250 Garmin with lifetime traffic does a great job at picking the quickest route through SF Bay area traffic.)

BTW, XM recently began offering Nav Traffic-only plans at $3.99/month. Still way pricier than the $50 lifetime traffic plan Garmin offers, but whaddyagonnado? *shrug*

 

XMTraffic was included in my 3 month free trial too, but I didn't even figure this out until near the end of my 3 months. It's never rerouted me or even showed a traffic alert that affected me (at least I've never noticed one). I finally scrolled my Nav map to a big city area, and there, traffic advisories are shown on the map. This confirms I do have service.

If you look at the XMTraffic site XM NavTraffic Overview - SiriusXM Radio there are "market coverage" maps. These only shows a limited number of major roads, so I guess that's all that's covered. I only drive frequently on one covered road, but this road has light traffic and I've never seen a backup. I've not encountered a backup on the few occasions I've been on other covered roads either. Given that I've seen no benefit during my trial, and don't frequently drive on covered roads that experience frequent delays, I don't plan to pay for continued service. I wonder if I can easily buy a month at a time though if I do make any trips that take me through highly congested areas.