Prius NAV vs. Tom Tom 910

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(smurf @ May 15 2006, 10:04 AM) [snapback]255658[/snapback]</div>

I would recommend the tom tom for accuracy and the built in one for looks....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(clifford @ Jul 20 2006, 08:04 PM) [snapback]289767[/snapback]</div>

My experience is completely opposite that of yours. The Prius will very quickly and automatically recalculate the route if I miss a turn, etc. I do not get the constant "U-turn" message problem here. Yes, I do encounter the problem where my personal preffered route is not the same as it's 3 different route choices, and it is constantly recalculating the route, but eventually I get to a point where my route and it's route converge and life is good. The Garmin Street Pilot III that I have, on the other hand, reclaculates the route really slowly, and will do the constant U-turn thing.

It's true that the map data for some areas is rather lacking. Apparently only major metropolitan areas have significant map detail. The rest of the country just gets major local, state, and federal highway information, and Alaska and Hawaii aren't even on it, but Canada is. You can only fit so much data on a dual layer DVD disc. The advantage of the new portable units is that they have a large (20GB or larger) hard-disk in them that allows a lot more map detail to be available, including rural areas. 5 years ago (about the age of my Street Pilot III), such level and amount of detail wasn't available. As it is, on a 128meg memory cartridge, I can only get California, plus some neighboring parts of Oregon and Nevada, on the Street Pilot III. 5 years ago, this was an acceptable limit. These days, obviously not.

Both Naviation systems (built-in and portable) have their pluses and minuses. I've used both. Neither is perfect.

Btw, I haven't stopped using my Garmin, it just lives in our Sienna minivan fulltime. We briefly thought about getting a Sienna with built-in navigation, but at the time it would've meant giving up the 6-CD changer, and would've added a lot to the van (which was already pretty pricey in the XLE Limited line), plus having to wait for the dealership to find a Sienna with that package. But since we had the Garmin unit already, it was an easy decision to make. But when it came to getting the Prius, I decided since I was likely to have this car for 8 or more years, I might as well get all the bells and whistles that I could.

 

Hm.. dead reconing.

How does the Prius NAV do that?

Are accelerometers involved?

Thanks.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill-psi @ Jul 21 2006, 09:48 PM) [snapback]290337[/snapback]</div>

Dead reckoning, yes. The Prius NAV has access to the wheels rotation and other hardware making the dead reckoning pretty good. But not really often used in my experience.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(devprius @ Jul 21 2006, 12:38 PM) [snapback]290025[/snapback]</div>

 

I have used a Garmin SPIII for 3 years in my old Misubishi Galant, car since sold. The SPIII has been very reliable and accurate. A friend of mine has a Prius 05 PKG 8 and I have experimented with the Nav and found it wanting.
Display washes out in bright light, cannot be programmed while driving, the voice recognition is a joke, updates are overpriced and the initial price is way out of line. A Garmin 7500 with Display: 7†(16:9) WQVGA, 480 x 234 pixel, color TFT with automatic dimming backlight and touch screen is $1200 at Costco and that is Garmin's most expensive unit.

So I bought my 06 Prius with package 3 planning to continue with the SPIII. Then Costco.com showed Garmin SP2720 $50 off for $599 and I bought it after extensive research here:
http://gpsinformation.net/ a truly unbiased source of information on GPS units. Also checked gpsdiscount.com and gpscity.com, probably the best GPS discounters around and found costco pricing superior.

I now have the 2720 and love it. Bright display, readable in daylight, remote control, press the speak button and 2720 voice announces the name of the next cross street. A boon for a 78 year old while having decent vision cannot read street signs at night in the dimly lit streets of San Diego.
Route calculation typically less than 3 seconds. 3D display with choice of north up or track up.
But what is really neat is the POI loader software from Garmin. The Garmin site has links to POI files which can be loaded into the 2720. This data, conpiled by third parties, contains many items not in the built in data base. I downloaded (from a free site) a list of all the Red Light intersection cameras in San Diego and set the 2720 to anounce with a double attention tone whenever such an intersection is approached. Works like a charm.

And I can of course use the 2720 in my other car

Since practilly all automotive GPS maps (as well as Yahoo, Google etc) are licensed from NavTec there is little difference in map data, POI data etc. Audi, Mercedes, Lexus ... same maps. But Garmin map update DVD's typically every two years have been $150, cheaper than updates for built-in navigators that I am aware off.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

 

I have both the '06 Nav and a Garmin 2720 working at the same time. The Garmin sits on the dash to the left of the MFD. I do like that it is constantly on while the MFD displays other information.

The MFD has a footprint mode showing details that blow away the Garmin. Combined with a satellite photo I have been able to place my destination not just at the correct address but on the parking lot of my destination. This is very useful going to a large university, for example.

The Garmin sits atop the dash on the bean bag type mount. I am fearful that it will fly into me in a severe rear end collision.

The POI's of both units suppliment each other. The Garmin is much easier to set a destination (I'm still new to the NAV and hope to be faster). I have noticed that one unit will have a destination and the other will not and vice versa.

The Garmin has a screen showing the current elevation. This helps me determine if a gentile slope is up or down. I have learned much better where the downslopes are to help gliding and coasting.

The Garmin screen is still smaller than the NAV dispite being closer yet is it still readily visible. Voice is fine.

It's cool to hear both female voices telling me what to do. Add the wife and there's three! I take that back - it's confusing at times.

It is a hassel to stow the Garmin away to prevent theft. The power cord is cluttery and gets in the way. Also uses up the dash power socket.

With the Garmin I can set the destinations of a complex trip at home using AC power. Great especially in horribly hot weather where doing this with the NAV in the sun is an unpleasant task.

The NAV works right away upon departure while the Garmin usually needs many minutes to lock onto the satellites. My Garmin 2720 does not have dead reconing.

The NAV gives me choices of route. Garmin does not. Both units do rarely give me screwball directions.

The Garmin can be used while the car is moving but doesn't have voice recognition.

I use the Traffic Gauge for traffic based real time information as I live in the L.A. area so I am covered. I have a Delfi SkyFi 2 for XM radio which as some unique features not on the factory unit or TomTom.

If given the choice I would probably pick the NAV but fortunately I can use both. Use either one and you'll never but never go back to not having one!

My first post! Be kind!

 

I bought one of the new Garmin StreetPilot c530 models for under $500. To buy a NAV system would have cost me an additional $2500 for package 7. Now I have most of the same advantages of the built-in NAV. but saved $2000. The $2000 savings is more important than a larger screen!

The biggest advantage of a separate GPS as opposed to built-in, is that you can move it from vehicle to vehicle. This is especially advantageous when you are renting a car and can save $10/day just for the GPS.

 

If you can afford it, buy both the OEM Nav and a portable unit. We're only talking $800 for a Garmin Nuvi 360 or TomTom 910. I'm playing with a Garmin Nuvi 360 (with Bluetooth) right now and it's a great little unit. I really like that it gives me Bluetooth hands-free in any vehicle. But despite its advantages over the OEM Nav, I've never wanted to bring it with me in my nav-equipped Prius. The OEM system is just so much more convenient and easier to use that it outweighs all the other advantages of an aftermarket nav.

 

In addition to the research tools above, the August issue of Consumers Report has a 1 page portable GPS write-up.

To of the 15 they reviewed, the highest ratings went to...

1. Garmin Nuvi 350
2. Garmin Street Pilot 2730
3. Magellan RoadMate760
4. Tom Tom Go 300
5. Tom Tom Go 700

And coming in at no. 6 and rated the only 'Best Buy' on the list was a Garmin StreetPilot i5

Cheers

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mark M. @ Jul 31 2006, 06:19 PM) [snapback]295439[/snapback]</div>

I wouldn't buy any of those units, since their replacements have just been released or are about to be released, and those replacements add significant new features or correct serious deficiencies of the older units. The Nuvi 360 adds Bluetooth, the TomTom x10 series has a MUCH improved display, and the RoadMate 6000T has Bluetooth and the new SiRF III chipset that is much more sensitive (my Nuvi 360 has this too and I can get satellite reception indoors). This means it is likely better at maintaining satellite reception in concrete canyons, which matters a lot in a portable unit since you don't have the dead reckoning of the OEM nav.

You can save yourself about $30 AND get a copy of a MapSource DVD for use on your PC by buying an i3, and a 1GB MicroSD card rather than the i5. I have an i3 and a Nuvi 360 and much prefer the 3.5" touch screen to the smaller screen and thumbwheel input of the i-series. So for an extra $60 I'd get a c320 rather than an i3.

 

I remember seeing a 'house of the future' in the 1980's that had an integrated personal computer. I wonder how long that PC was useful or competitive.

I like the idea of a separate GPS that I can not only remove to use temporarily in other cars and when traveling, but that I can remove and sell when I upgrade when the technology improves. I'm confident that in 5 years, new aftermarket GPS navigators will easily trump the 2006 built in ones from 5 years before.

I also like having the navigator on a separate screen. The MFD is already busy enough with the energy and consumption displays, audio, climate control, and (hopefully soon) CAN-view. I like to be able to see these and the navigation display without pressing buttons to switch between them.

A large 7" screen and automatic on & off is appealing, even at the expense of easy portability. I'm considering buying a Garmin 7200 and installing it on the dash to the left of the steering wheel. The similar Garmin 7500 also offers dead reckoning for tunnels and between skyscrapers.

Regarding privacy, I wasn't too thrilled to learn that the Prius essentially has a 'black box' that records driving conditions and such, ostensibly so that Toyota can use it to research accident conditions and causes.

 

I've had a Garmin 2620 for about two years; I used it on a cross-country trip in the summer of '04. I've only used the Toyota OEM Nav system for a few weeks, and I find it quite lacking.

Putting aside the inability to use it while moving (I have an '06, so I can't bypass that yet--but why oh why couldn't they at least have enabled it via VOICE input?), I've found that the 2620 has *much* better detail for a larger portion of the country.

I think the Nav interface is abominable; Toyota's engineers ought to buy a few Garmin units and learn how to design a more intuitive interface.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottR @ Aug 1 2006, 12:00 PM) [snapback]295806[/snapback]</div>

It's not made by Toyota, it's made by Denso/Eclipse. I kind of doubt any auto manufacturer makes their own Nav system. Acura's is made by Alpine, Infiniti's is made by Xanavi, etc.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Zzyzx @ May 15 2006, 10:09 AM) [snapback]255618[/snapback]</div>

GPS/Nav systems don't broadcast anything. They just recieve signals from satellites.

The OnStar thing is different. I think it works like a cell phone. The OnStart staff can call your car and you can call them. Like new cell phones, the OnStart system in your car can transmit your GPS-derived location.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(theorist @ Aug 1 2006, 02:57 PM) [snapback]295802[/snapback]</div>

Note that the memory of these "black boxes" is very short (seconds, maybe).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(njkayaker @ Aug 1 2006, 03:51 PM) [snapback]295839[/snapback]</div>

With OnStar, they can also listen in surreptitiously to conversations in your car. The FBI tried to do just that.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottR @ Aug 1 2006, 03:59 PM) [snapback]295841[/snapback]</div>

FBI? I guess the NSA is too busy with phone conversations.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(benbethel @ May 13 2006, 08:27 PM) [snapback]254956[/snapback]</div>

Very simply you might want to check on the reliability and customer service of the Tom Tom. Please go to an online dealer that sells both Garmin and Tom Tom and ask for their opinion of reliability.
You will probably find that Garmin is serviced in this country and has much greater reliability.