2018 Prius Prime Adv Navigation issues

Sad to tell you, but all of what you mentioned are well known "defects" of Toyota's in-car navi system. "Defects" in a sense of normal operator who expect functional GPS navi system, but for Toyota engineers eyes, it is a finished product with no repairable parts. I suggest getting a Garmin and mounting it on one of the side vent. I recently replaced my 2017 Prime Premium which came with the same 11.6" screen infotainment and navi system as your 2018 Advanced, with a 2020 LE which came with no in-car navi and with a smaller 7" screen. I can't be happier.

 

Normal

 

Navigation is not as good as google maps or Apple maps but it’s probably about 75-80% effective. On long trips or in urban areas, we’ll check the car navigation against the phone navigation apps.

Have a 2018 Prius Prime Advance, approx 14K miles. Nav screen has frozen twice in last 2 weeks. Anybody else have this problem? Taking the vehicle in for planned maintenance and will have them investigate.

 

I too have a 218 Prius Prime ADV. I tried to use the Navigation system for about two weeks and got so frustrated I haven't tried to use it since. Oh and the Voice Command System is a joke. It's like it is hearing a different language. Me: "Call Mom" VCS: "Calling Bob"

 

I was pretty amazed to find that the voice recognition and navigation in the 2021 was almost as bad as in my 2004 Gen 2. It’s insane how little progress they’ve made in 17 (!) years. I think on 10 attempts—and I only kept trying because it got to the point it was funny how badly it was misinterpreting me—I was finally able to enter an address using voice recognition mode. I even “trained” it… I’m convinced Toyota uses the training data to ensure the system intentionally misinterprets the voice used to train the recognition system..

I did manually program in a few destinations in case I’m ever lost and have no cell service. I fully expect if that happens, there is a 50-50 chance the navigation will suggest I drive off a cliff.

We wanted the safety features on the Limited, and my wife wanted the heated steering wheel (that better not peel!), otherwise we would have totally gotten an LE

 

"We wanted the safety features on the Limited, and my wife wanted the heated steering wheel (that better not peel!), otherwise we would have totally gotten an LE."

Expect the steering wheel to peel. It happened to me at 24,000 miles. It cost nearly $1,000 to replace. Get a cover to prevent that from happening.

I didn't do anything to abuse the steering wheel cover. It's just poor quality material.

I have a 2017 Prime Advanced. It's incomprehensible that Toyota has done nothing to improve the horrible nav and voice recognition over 4 years.

 

There was a thread here a while back, a guy looking to replace his cracked display (the bigger one IIRC). Eventually he disclosed: it was cracked because he punched it.

 

Except for the dealer telling you there was no later database available - I think it's normal.

As for the database, unless the model/trim you have uses a different nav system SDram - which I doubt - then it should be the same as the rest of the Prius and Toyota line. Look on Amazon. I found one for $35 that was an "April 2020" database (bought in May of 2021). IF the dealer had it, they'd likely ask $200+ for it.

As for the goofy routings - mine tells me to cross a set of train tracks on a street where the crossing has been abandoned (IOW - no longer a crossing) for over 12 years(!) Remember that the database is only as good as the data being put into it. I don't know where Toyota gets theirs - but it's pretty poor.

Our only seems to have a "fastest" and "shortest" option for routes - and neither is the "best" route" (IMHO).

Points of interest - again - it may take years for these to get into the database. Best if you can look up the address on your phone and have the system navigate you to the address.

I don't know if your "Advanced" has "Entune" or something like it - but you can get an Entune app for your phone and look up your destinations there and have the car bluetooth them from the phone. They come in under "saved destinations" on our nav system.

As for the traffic alerts - I don't find them to be especially useful either. There's a screen that will display the ones on your route (if you have a route) but otherwise, I think it will tell you about ALL of them on the road your on and maybe some additional ones as well.

I would opt not to go with an aftermarket system. I've used Garmin as well as a few lesser systems and find they all have inaccuracies that make you wonder what they had in mind. Every source will rake you over the coals for their databases annually. Besides, having a system that is fully integrated into the car is just "cleaner" than tacking something else on.

 

I've thought about this too. Needed to get from north Coquitlam to Van. Int. Airport (YVR) yesterday. I do know the way, but we were heading for an out-of-the-way secondary seaplane terminal, so took a look on Google Maps.

It invariably shows me the "cabby's" route. It looks like speed took precedent over directness, and it is complicated, hopping on/off the freeway, through various (unfamiliar to me) districts, and you really need to be on your toes. I know because I've gamely tried it a few times, ended up missing turns, and just stressing.

I like lower speed, straightforward routes, stay off the freeway (if practical), minimum of transitions, turns, merges. It'd be nice if a navigation system could accomodate indivual preferences like that.

Here's Google Maps proposal:



And my pref:



It's slower, but shorter, and easier on the nerves.

 

My vote goes to WAZE via CarPlay with real-time road condition updates. Just yesterday on an otherwise routine ride home, we were rerouted from secondary to tertiary roads to avoid a major back-up before we were impacted. A few extra minutes, but when we rejoined the secondary road we could see a complete blockage (major accident) a few hundred feet to our left. Whew... major headache averted!

Real-time is da' only way to fly (er, drive)!

As to the Toyota Navigation App... no thank you.