2010 Nav Package GPS & Nav Traffic Thoughts & Qs?

Prius bought 02/10. Going through SFO, LAX, and SDO environs soon and thinking I might like to experience the Traffic Navigation system there since Central Oregon still doesn't have enough traffic to warrant the need.

Q: Does the system really work well or will I find it a pain in the nice person after a little use and ignore using it?

Q: I'm thinking I should update the GPS CD but wonder if there is a better way to buy the software for a lot less then the $200 ($199.99?) the only dealer in Central Oregon offers it for? Don't quote me on the price--all I remember for the moment is that it is closer to $200 then $125.

Q: I once read and/or figured out how to remove the GPS CD but without reading couldn't figure out how I did it back then now... I thought if I knew who produced the CD I might be able to contact them for a lower price? I know there is some man hours of effort keeping road information up to date but is it really worth it?

Thank you for the help. BTW, I just bought and installed the rear bumper guard from the Shop here and it looks great!

 

It turns out I do have the DATA ver.09.1 DVD. I'll see if I can find out more definitive info from Toyota as to when the newest update will be out--my dealer parts seemed a little in the dark and uncaring about the subject.

In your Lincoln Tunnel example I guess what I'm wondering about is 1) whether the Traffic Nav XM Radio option routed you some other way clearly and successfully? 2) does it just show green (good) and red (congested) routes and then leaves you to figure it out until a new course sets up that navigates around the congestion or manages it some other way? And 3) I assume it is accurate--but this would partly depend on the map itself being accurate? So some times you win and some times you lose?

Thanks.

 

I'd like to add this problem I've noticed many times when comparing trip time estimates between the car's GPS and a portable Garmin. Every time I've done this for a trip taking many hours the Garmin portable has been almost dead on estimating the time of arrival while the Prius GPS has been off by at least over an hour. This, for me, has made it impractical to use the cars GPS at the start of a trip to help predict when I might arrive at a destination. As the trip develops though the time narrows down and starts agreeing with the much more accurate estimate the Garmin portable gives.

The question then is whether any of you have experienced this also and if there is clearly something I can do from the start to get rid of this inaccurate error?

I'm not aware of any error adjustment(s) I can make. I suspect the Garmin may use actual road speed limits. If I drive over the posted speed limits the trip estimate shortens. If I drive under the speed limits it adds time. If the Prius does something similar it doesn't seem to use actual route speed limits but perhaps only what speeds I input I think I will be driving at over certain types of roads?

Will the XM Nav Traffic help eliminate this large error estimate from the trips start? Of course I know traffic conditions will change over many trip hours--like an 8 or 10 hour trip all day long. Still, it is uncanny how good a job the portable Garmin does compared to the poor estimate the Prius GPS does.

BTW, the portable hand-held Garmin may get updated a couple times a year for a one-time price of around $100.00 good for the lifetime I own/use the unit. Toyota has clearly missed the boat providing such an outrageous each time update price.

Any experience or thoughts on this? Thank you.

 

For what it's worth... I've discussed my feelings and concerns with Toyota and with my dealer and most recently added the suggestion that Toyota make the GPS update DVD available online for a very significantly reduced price to bypass the dealer's unknown markup.

I pointed out that Garmin (for instance) offers a life (life of the GPSr unit) time update service for around $100 where you then get free download updates at least a couple times a year (maybe quarterly--I forget). That is a reasonable deal--why can't Toyota do it? (Because they have a rich clientel that does care about price that does not include me?)

 

Getting ready for the trip. The DVD GPS update ended up costing $169, and a 3 months only XM Nav Traffic deal for $22.95, plus the portable Garmin is all updated too. All set for my limited adventuring now in a couple weeks.

Wondering if there are some good Nav Traffic indoctrination videos anywhere? Thanks.

 

I found a number of videos on YouTube and from them think I've got everything turned on and understood well enough that the next best thing is to get down into traffic through San Francisco on the trip and really see then how it all works first hand.

 

Back from trip and finished playing with Nav Traffic.

Set my travel speeds higher then I 'think' they actually are and the travel time estimate is much better. But I still like the Garmin Oregon 400t because it accurately predicts ETA stationary--wherever the unit is while whoever's system it is in the Prius will only predict ETA _after_ you start driving.

I'm back home now with no need for traffic support and the service doesn't even cover my area so I'm planning to discontinue it soon. This might be interesting because XM really tries to rope you into a year while they actually gave me a one-time deal for 3 months for one price.

Overall I did not find the service very useful. On two occasions it said there was traffic up ahead and asked if I would like to be rerouted. I responded 'yes' but that was all that happened. There was no rerouting and no traffic up ahead that was bad enough or in one case there was no alternate way.

In another section I ran into terrible stop and go for over half an hour in Gilroy, CA--a terrible place to have to drive through. The system gave me no clues or alternate warnings. I don't think it actually covered the area and was a total waste for my worst traffic jam on the whole trip.

I found Google Maps with Traffic turned on just before I left on a trip very interesting to use to plot a course through Los Angeles though. I actually tested the system once electing to drive though a more congested area going south rather then take a less congested area that Google Maps said would still take half an hour longer. It was surprisingly accurate to the minute.

Google Maps Traffic / GPS on the cars console would be terrific. But how or when or how much?