2010 navigation?

I have TomTom because I'm too cheap to fork out for the iTech at an extra $9000.

 

Yep, if you want the GPS here you have to take everything. We get 2 options, base with cruise, 2 air bags, 15 inch alloys, CD radio with 6 speakers, ABS, EBD, EBA, and fog lights for $37,400AU or you can have the iTech with 9 speaker 6 stack CD, side and curtain airbags, stability control, GPS, reverse camera, SKS, plus base equipment for about $9000AU more.

 

As Pat points out, it's a bundling issue where he lives.

There are many threads on this site relating to the relative merits and weaknesses of Nav systems. In a nutshell, these are the main points:

1) The built in units are more expensive for what you get, but they are fully integrated and have larger screens.

2) Many people prefer the user interface on TomTom and Garmin units. I haven't used the TomTom, but I find Garmin and the built in about even in ease of use. The Garmin is more intuitive, while the built in does a better job with highway information. This area is very subjective.

3) For safety reasons, Toyota insists on locking you out while the vehicle is in motion. Voice commands still work. While a good idea, it is incredibly annoying, especially when you have a copilot in the car. There are ways to hack this "feature", but all are invasive. Garmin and TomTom are on top here.

4) The built in system features dead reckoning. It uses speed and direction information from the car to guess your present position when you lose the GPS signal, which means it does a better job in areas where the signal is spotty.

5) Database. The road database for the built in unit lags behind Garmin's. Map updates are also more expensive.

Now if you want my subjective opinion, I have the built in unit and will get another built in for my next Prius. I assume the new one will be even better, but as it is I am willing to pay extra to have the unit fully integrated into the car. I like the big screen. Garmin, TomTom, and Toyota all make good units. All work well. Many here on PC have very strong and highly subjective opinions about which is better, but they all do the job.

Tom

 

Having only used my TomTom and a HP PDA with inbuilt GPS I can only say I am really happy with the TomTom. I just got the latest maps yesterday for $80 including tax On line which is cheap! It has never let me down yet, except when it took me up 160km of dirt roads when set to avoid dirt roads. The HP PDA died when I was in the middle of Melbourne, 750km from home. That was a pain in the bum!!

I might add, I have a powered hard wired cradle for my TomTom in my Prius, it lives at my fingertips and closer to my line of sight than the MFD.

 

Is the 2010 going to finally have a 3d map or birdseye view I believe it's called?

 

Do either the old (2004 - 1009) or the new prius gps use text to speech?
Does it actually say the name of the street as opposed to say turn right. In NY with the number of streets, this is basically mandatory and even the cheapest Garmins have this features.

 

We have the same nav system in our Tundra, and we hate the fact that we can't use the system while we are driving, like we can in our HCH. Also, the Toyota system does not show side streets at the 1/4-mile setting, like the Honda system does. We do like that the Toyota system shows the next several freeway exits, but overall, we greatly prefer the Honda system. It is much more user friendly, and the copilot can use it any time. We don't need a Big Brother to tell us what is and isn't safe!

 

Is taking a quick glance at the nav screen while driving really less safe than stopping along side the freeway so you can find out where you are or which exit you want? I doubt it. I think Toyota management has been terrified by their own lawyers. If their fears were valid companies such as Garmin and Tom Tom would be out of business, and so would some other automobile manufacturers such as Honda.

I will still buy a 2010 Prius if it proves to be the best hybrid in other respects and if I can get the options I want without paying for, what is to me, a non-functional navigation system. I would prefer a good built in system but my Garmin works fine and I can always put it out of sight when I leave the car unattended.

 

You can glance at the screen while moving. Heck, you can stare at it nonstop if that's what you like to do. What you can't do is punch the buttons and enter new destinations while moving.

The exit information is clearly displayed on the Toyota unit. I like its presentation better than our Garmin.

Tom

 

OK, that sheds a different light on it Tom, I might be able to live with that. Do you mean if I select the scale I want to use first I can still see the map while moving down the road? I was told the screen went completely blank as soon as the car moved.

I hope you are right because I also want a backup camera, that is an important safety feature.

 

Screen does not go blank. You can set the map scale while moving. You just can't text enter a new destination while moving. There are voice commands, but on the older models they don't work in the real world. I thought I had read somewhere that the latest Toyota Nav units have much better voice recognition.

 

Oh heavens no. You can zoom in, zoom out, go North up or heading up, pan the display, display points of interest, and get details for each highway exit. You can also add destinations if you do it by voice.

The Nav system lets you do pretty much everything under way except punch in a new destination or change system settings. Here is where it's a hassle: You are moving down the road with your copilot at your side, and you decide you really don't know how to find your destination so you want to use the GPS by entering an address. To do this, you either have to stop the car, or do it painfully by voice command, which on the current model isn't easy to do. I'm told it's a lot better on the 2010, but I have no first hand experience. If you enter your destination before start, it's no problem at all.

Tom

 

Thanks for the replies, I'm back on track now. I can order my new Prius with all available options. Sure hope it's as good as it appears to be. I'm going to try the 17" wheels, if I don't like them I think it will be easy to find someone to swap with. My present car has 17" wheels, 45 series on front and 40 series on the rear. I have had no problem with them but I like a fairly stiff ride anyway.

 

It's not that bad, even without the override. I would prefer that they let us click a waiver button and assume responsibility, but then I feel that way about most things.

As for the override, you can add a switch to the speed wire input, or put in a third party device. Either is fairly simple to do.

Tom

 

There's another difference between builtin and tomtom:
If Tomtom/Garmin breaks: you can send it to the store/manufacturer and you're basically screwed for a few weeks.
If builtin breaks: as it's a car feature, you can drive to the shop and they'll fix it immediately. This is especially nice if you're leasing the car and really need navigation for your job, like me.

Plus, I've seen a few broken down garmin/tomtom devices and seen them hang even more often, but never seen a broken down builtin (yet). I guess the software/hardware quality is just of another level.

 

If you want to see what the new Gen4 Navi unit will be like in the 2010 Prius .. today .. go to any Toyota store that has a loaded Venza in stock and ask to sit in it and play with the Navi unit. They will be identical.