Prius DVD Nav vs other Nav System

The deal clincher for me was portability. I'm new to GPS but I know our routine for road-tripping. I spend evenings going over maps and planning our next day's route and sight seeing. I want a unit I can take to the room and work with to put in waypoints for the next day. Even in stealth mode I can't do that with a Prius!

I have a Garmin 760 (more expensive than the 360 but it allows routes for a compulsive planner like myself) and we are looking for an Option package #3 Prius without the NAV system.

By the way Garmin map updates are $65 for most units. I have seen GPSrs recommend updating only every other year rather than annually.

 

HSCHUCK, thank you, but i've already done that. I've noticed that even my caddy had some of the same problems. it's funny because the cheaper, garmin, tom, etc can find some addresses that my factory navi cannot. with my caddy, i had on-star, so i just called onstar and they told me the directions. now, i'm kinda on my own.

TO ALL - back to the top, REAL TIME NAVI? can our cars be converted to that? How about replacement DVD's? do we have replacement dvd's that we can buy? do we get a free upgrade?????

 

1. Real time navi? You mean, like, traffic data? The only unit that does traffic data real time is the InDash (not including FM-traffic data). The GPS does show you where you are as you travel, and if you get off route, it automatically re-routes you.
2. No, your car cannot be converted. At least, not easily or cheaply, or by the factory.
3. Replacement DVDs cost over $200 each, last time I checked.

And no you do not get a free upgrade.

One of the biggest pluses to the Toyota system is multi-point routing. A LOT of after-market units still don't do it, and I have no idea why. Toyota's lets you put in up to 5 points (at least, for the 2004 version), and I usually use up all 5 when I'm out driving my trips.

One of the biggest minuses is that it costs SO much more than an aftermarket unit. If I could do it all over again, I'd have gotten a Garmin so that I could move the unit to my fiancee's car AND so that I could afford getting updates more often (updates i've gotten so far? zero). There are nice features to the Toyota unit, voice-recognition being one of the biggest ones, but if I could do it all over, I'd have skipped it.

 

Tom,
Thanks for this info. I appreciate your response! Even if the roads are "sketchy" on the nav system in Hawaii, at least I will be able to use the system that is coming with the prius. Otherwise, it would seem like a waste of money. I don't know why the Toyota dealerships here in Hawaii don't sell the cars with the nav systems.

Terry

 

My .02 ......

First, to be honest, I have NOT used the Prius built-in nav system. I have used several others, in cars that are 2007-2008 models. I have my own portable GPS system (it's a Holux GPSMile 52+ that I got for $90 after rebate).

Personally, other than the fact you can leave the "built-in" nav system in the vehicle, and have less chance of it being stolen, the portable wins hands-down, IMHO.

First, unless you are doing a lot of "local" driving to "unknown" areas where you live - why even have the GPS on - other than "for fun". Unless you are trying to use it to "verify" your mileage for IRS tax usage, or some similar usage, generally, it doesn't come into play much in most towns you are familiar with.

Second, the built-in unit is NOT portable. That means you can't take it with you. Earlier this year, the family and I went back east, and spent a day visiting Washington DC. We got there a bit early before the Air & Space Museum was open, and since it was pretty cool that day (we were there mid-March), we decided to go to some restaurant, get something warm to drink, and sit down for a while to wait for the museums to open. I whipped out my portable Holux, used the POI search to find "restaurants", after it got a GPS lock, and found a Mickie D's (commonly referred to as McDonalds), not 2 1/2 blocks away. We'd have probably tromped quite a bit, as it wasn't easy to spot, unless you knew it was there. Saved a lot of wandering to find someplace to get a warm drink and sit down. You can't do that mid-day while your vehicle is parked several blocks or miles away (we took the train in from Fredericksburg).

Third, comparing various systems (some using Navteq, some others) that are built-in units in other vehicles - I've found them all VERY basic and extremely cumbersome to use. Several only allow you to enter 5-10 "favorites". While that may seem great, it isn't. I've found the built-in's road coverage to be barely adequate, while many of the hand-helds have very obscure roads. For instance, a 2007 Chevy Tahoe didn't have the dirt road I live in, but did show the black top 3/4 mile away. In fact, the system used in the Tahoe didn't show any county roads, unless they were "major" roads. Not much good for getting "off-road" when someone or someplace is in the country.

Back to the limited number of favorites - typing in addresses can be a pain, especially when you're on the road. So when we go on a trip, I key in the address of every place I THINK I want to go, and save them as favorites or waypoints (depending on the terminology used for your unit). On my last trip, I had about 30 different "favorites" set up, and all I had to do was call it up, and punch "calculate route".

Lastly, the cost. You pay a premium for the "in vehicle" unit. I paid $90 for mine (after rebate), and even though it was a bit out-of-date, it was better than any of the in-vehicle systems I've seen or used (mostly GM/Ford and one Honda). The yearly upgrades for DVD based systems is usually $100/year, so if you wanted to stay up-to-date, it costs you more. Or you could simply go out and buy another unit, and give the old one to a family member, kids, or sell it on ebay.

The ONLY draw-back to a portable unit is the cable/mounting system. I've got an idea to try when I finally get my Prius, and I think it will look very clean, once done. And not be overly difficult for most anyone else either.

Just my .02 - but I'd save my money and get a portable. They generally have more features, no lockouts (or the lockouts can be overidden), and are certainly less expensive. For the price of the built-in nav, and 2 annual updates, you can get 3-4 pretty decent Garmins.

Might want to sit at a dealer with the built-in nav, then go to a store (BestBuy, etc.), and play with a portable before deciding.

 

I have a 4-year-old Garmin IQ3600 portable GPS/Palm Pilot that I've used in several cars I've owned, including both Prii I had. IMO its the best I've used - much better and more user friendly than the built-in Nav system in my friend's Prius. Like others have said, the portability is great - for instance say you are taking a trip somewhere and are renting a car, I've brought my Garmin and car mount/speaker with me...its been extremely handy. Cost is so much lower than the in-dash option and if you ever sell the car you get to keep the Nav (and you don't have to pay another $1000-$1500+ premium for a Nav system in your new car!).

I've never had an issue with either taking the unit with me when I park or hiding the bean-bag car mount before I lock up my Prius...to me its a tiny price to pay for the benefits of a portable GPS.

Oh, and one other thing - The IQ3600 is so user configurable, much better than the TomTom I looked into. I like the overhead view that shows every single road (paved, dirt, trail, etc) for miles around my current position on the high res screen (480 x 320 resolution).

Just my thoughts...

 

I really wish there was some way to get traffic updates on the built in prius nav

 

I bought a Package 2 no nav. I agree with TUNDRWD and others. The ability to take the nav system with you is great. If you are visiting somewhere, and you happen to travel with somebody else you can bring the unit with you. Many have walking and biking modes (Garmin 200W-$168) that calculate travel differently. You can also go on mapquest or other sites plan out a travel route and upload it to the Nav unit through your computer and have it good to go for your trip- much easier than on the fly- ok- on the parked with the built in nav system. For more money you can get many other features. At least check it out.

 

I generally agree with all your pluses and minuses, but an additional minus is that even the update isn't very current. I bought an update last year that still didn't show a grocery store that has been in town at least five years.

Dave M.

 

Thanks for suggesting this. My car is arriving this week and I was a little nervous about what I'd do with my GPS. I just ordered the weighted mount on Amazon. This will come in handy when I travel (which will be 4 times a week starting in September!). Thanks!

 

Updates can be several kinds with aftermarket (portable) GPS units. The maps change slowly. Navteq (used by Garmin and Magellan) updates their maps quarterly although Garmin updates only annually (and about a year behind. With computer interface updated routes can be downloaded to the GPS through a computer interface. Garmin has an interface with Mapquest and also Google Maps and Google Earth.

Software updates may be more frequent and usually are free. Just hook up the computer interface and connect to the internet. Garmin is great with their updates.

Points of Interest (or POIs) include many businesses such as restaurants and gas stations and are constantly out of date. Most Garmins come with something like 6 million POIs for North America but that is not enough for everyone. With a portable device you can add POIs from sites like POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS where you can add listings of special interest which are constantly updated. POIs such as rest areas, Toyota dealers, Costco's and red-light camera lists are popular downloads. This is another big plus for the aftermarket GPS.

 

I've had a low end Garmin Nuvi (200, I believe) for several months, and love it. Just got my 2008 Pkg #6 Prius 4 days ago, and am amazed that the GPS instruction book has 150 pages! Geez! I learned the Nuvi in a few minutes, whereas it will take me probably several days to really learn the Prius one. That said, I like the built-in feature, particularly since I live in CA and techincally it's illegal to use a portable GPS on your windshield. I'm glad I have the Nuvi for rental cars on trips, though.

The built-in GPS seems much more cumbersome to learn, although I like the larger screen. I live in the hills, and it could not find my house! The Nuvi did fine. Sooo.........like everything else, there are pros & cons. I think after I master it, I'll enjoy it more. As for everything else about the car, mucho thumbs up!!

 

I have a 2006 Prius without NAV. Last year I bought a Magellan portable GPS with text-to-speech, and I like it a lot. (I already have Bluetooth in my Prius, so I wasn't interested in a GPS with Bluetooth.)

I rarely use the GPS to navigate to a destination because most of my driving is to places I already know how to get to. But I'm 60 years old, so my night vision is nowhere near as good as it used to be. So, after dark, I will usually use my GPS just to map where I am, zoomed in to the first or second level. I can 'see' where the curves are on the GPS before I can see them with my eyes and my headlights, so I can better anticipate upcoming curves (and in semi-rural New Jersey, there are a lot of curves in the road).

I don't mount my GPS on my dash or my windshield - the one I have is a perfect size that it sits easily on the door that opens down below my CD player/radio, and doesn't slide around. Since I'm mostly using the GPS to 'anticipate curves', I can glance at it periodically for that. When I'm using it to actually navigate, I can still see it easily to see when I'm going to have to make a turn, how far away the turn is, etc. And the voice-prompts and the 'ding' when I actually arrive at the turn are more important to me than seeing that on the GPS screen.

This way, my GPS is never blocking any of my vision by being on the dash or windshield. I can also easily stow it away in the little cabinet under the radio/cd player, so no one looking into the car while I'm parked can tell I have a GPS or even guess I have one, because they can't see any mount for it.

So, for my driving habits,my portable GPS was a good choice for me.

 

I think you might be short-changing the Totota Nav system versus the Nuvi in one very important regard. The very best aspect of the Toyota Nav system is the large screen for us baby boomers. If you use the Nuvi to anticipate curves ahead, you would absolutely love the Toyota Navigation system. I have a 3.5" Nuvi screen and I have to say, it is a pain to read when your on the road. In the sunlight the screen is barely visible and at night your eyes strain to read it. I don't wear glasses when I drive because I would probably kill somebody but I do need reading glasses to see the Nuvi. For all of you portable Navigation users that don't need eye glasses to read...enjoy your Nuvi/Tom Tom now...it won't get better as you age. Also, when I bought my Nuvi in December the temperatures in Chicago were 0- 30 degrees. Try using a suction cup to hold your Nuvi on your windsheild in that weather, and the bean bag...it works but it is a pain...it's unsightly on the dashboard, it can affect a driver's visibility and it takes up a lot of storage space in your glove compartment or you have to carry it home with you.
Still, I think Toyota made a huge mistake using this manufacturer for their Navigation sysytem. The dealer informed me ahead of time it would take time to learn all the features, and frankly, I do not think I will learn them all. I do want to master voice recognition because of the annoying safety features that disables programming the unit when the car moves.
Otherwise, I am happy with the Toyota Navigation selection.

 

We took our 4.3" screen Nuvi 760 for its first real road trip yesterday. My 63 year old eyes had no problem seeing what was going on and what was coming up. The slightly larger screen 4.3" over the 3.5" screen would make a difference. Still I was able to set up my route the night before (from my living room) and just select from a list while on the road. I could not do that with a built in.

By the way the road trip was in our Honda. Still waiting for the Prius although one Prius showed up at our event.

 

It's my understanding that it's possible to change addresses while the Prius is moving by using the voice recognition system. Is that correct?

 

Yes. However, (at least on my 06), you can only put in addresses (street city, state - in reverse order) via voice recognition. You can't enter businesses, intersections nor phone numbers as destinations via voice recognition.