Is Navigation worth it? (ready to order car)

[JohnK]

I have a clip that slips on the heating/cooling louvers that the phone mounts on. Much of the time there are no wires. If on a trip and we'll be using the iPhone Google Maps for a longer period of time, we run one wire to charge the phone (or keep it charged). But I understand this isn't for everyone...

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[Mustang99]

I think it's worth it. It's very convenient to be able to look up an address on your phone and beam it to your car when you get in it. Plus I don't have to worry about keeping my phone charged and using all of my data on long trips

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Qwkynuf]

Not worth it. Every vehicle I have ever had that had NAV, I always ended up using my cellphone. It's just so much easier, quicker, and BETTER.

Better is pretty subjective, and depends a lot on where you are and what you use it for.

I have Nav in my Mustang, but I don't use it very often because I have a windshield mounted Garmin. I travel a lot for business, and I can throw the Garmin into my carry-on bag and use it in the rental car wherever I land.

I have had this "dedicated device" vs cell phone debate several times with coworkers over the last couple of years, so I decided to test it out on a recent vacation.

My dedicated GPS is a Garmin Nuvi 2555LMT that I picked up about 3 years ago for around 200 bucks. I installed WAZE on my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5.

I frequently drive in Portland and Seattle (and between the two), and WAZE seems to do a very good job in those situations, although I found that I had to buy a different car charger because the Samsung one didn't put out enough juice to keep up with having the screen and GPS function running 100% of the time.

Anyway, on to the trip. We took a 2 week vacation in my wife's car. Drove from Portland to Reno, then from Reno to El Paso, TX. We made a side trip to Carlsbad Caverns, and then returned home - stopping at several National Parks along the way. In total, the trip was somewhere in the neighborhood of 4100 miles. Less than 500 of that was on Interstate highways.

My Garmin always knew exactly where I was, and rerouted in seconds if I chose not to follow the route it had chosen for me.

WAZE did great when there was cell coverage, but repeatedly got stupid when there wasn't. As an example, at one point I was driving on US 93 in Eastern Nevada. I had been without cell coverage for about half an hour, and WAZE was doing ok - there wasn't much map detail, but it did show me traveling on 93. Eventually, I turned off of 93 onto a state highway. That highway didn't show on WAZE's map, so it just showed me wandering in the desert for the next 2 hours while displaying "Searching for Network" at the top of the screen. This happened several times on the trip.

The really crappy part about that is that almost every time it did that, it got *stuck* on stupid. When I finally arrived in a town, or somewhere that the cell signal came back, WAZE didn't recognize it - still showed me lost in the desert, still searching for network... even though I was receiving text messages, email and Facebook updates on the same phone. I had to force-stop the application and re-launch it to get it working again.

So, based on that, and other similar experiences, I would say that cell phone navigation is fine if you stick around town or major interstates, and only use it to get to your friend's party, or find the nearest Starbucks. But it's pretty much worthless if you are in an unfamiliar area with no cell signal.

 

[jtmat]

I am ready to order a 2016 ASAP, and so I am nailing down my last few option choices.

Some folks say Nav is

• a must-have
• overpriced
• will steadily become obsolete
• requires subscription
• is safer and more convenient than traditional GPS unit
• etc

Personally, I think

• I like the large screen, and voice activation
• $800 is a bit much
• I would be disappointed if it becomes obsolete in any way

I would really appreciate hearing from Nav owners about their satisfaction/disappointment with it.

Ideally, I would like to add it after owning the car, but that does not seem to be either possible, or practical, or affordable.

I don't want this $800 dilemma to hold up my order.

Thanks.

Nav might be better when it is time to resell. Navigation screen is large.

Day to day? No, it is not better than a cell phone.

1. It is slow as hell to find an address, compared to a phone... I can do Microsoft Phone's cortona and be on an address in 15 seconds. Navigation takes minutes.

2. You can't import content (unless you can do that with the 2016 models).

3. What really made me decide to stop using? I can't turn off the "beeping" sound when I need to turn. It turns off my music and that sucks. I don't like it.

4. In the vert, navigation gets washed out when sunlight is directly behind you! Phone does not... or even if it did, you can move the phone.

I could keep going, but these two things have me using my phone more and more.

I setup my phone with this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I608BJ8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Setup my phone right next to the navigation.

But with the package you get more than navigation... I like the memory seats and blind side monitoring... and large backup camera screen. Plus, the large screen looks "cool".

I'd get it again. But not for navigation ONLY.

Great FREE tip: Download/find HERE maps by Nokia... you can download maps of the entire US so you don't need internet/cell phone reception to find an address!!!!

 

[SVTFreak]

700$ investment now to make 350$ when you sell the car later is a bad investment. Get it only if you want/need it. I got it cause I wanted it.

 

[Five Oh Brian]

I love my Nav, I find it to be easier and a lot more convenient than using my phone for Nav. I prefer the 8 inch touch screen to the smaller screen with all of the buttons, to me it's a cleaner look. I also like the weather and traffic features. Personally I don't think $800 is too pricey but that's just my opinion. I actually use it more than I thought I would.

You said everything I was gonna say. I love the nav in my '14 GT and my wife's '14 Fusion.


Sent from SYNC in my '14 Mustang GT...

 

[Todd15Fastback]

You said everything I was gonna say. I love the nav in my '14 GT and my wife's '14 Fusion.


Sent from SYNC in my '14 Mustang GT...

I am a lover of NAV, too. Have had it in all my cars and my wife's cars since 2007.

 

[113]

Someone posted an article with a rumor about Ford & Toyota teaming up to limit Android Auto on their systems and that was enough to freak me out enough to just go ahead and add factory navigation to my order.

My original reason for even getting the GT Premium was to have the option of Navigation on that 8" screen. If Ford limits access to Google Maps via Android Auto then a) that's bull and b) I'm not about to get caught in the middle of some inter-corporate war. It was bad enough getting caught in between the wireless companies and Google when it came to Google Wallet; not about the repeat that.

I'm not happy at all about spending an extra $720 (X-plan) on factory navigation but Ford forced my hand. So I'm going to sit here eating crow I guess...w/e

 

[PonyGrrrl]

I honestly think that the Nav is much better than Google Maps. I have used Google Maps in the past, for many years actually, and often it would take me so far out of the way it was ridiculous. I literally found myself backtracking with Google Maps because it took me in the wrong direction and then it would take me way out of the way again, I found this very frustrating. I used Nav last weekend going to Orlando and it took me the most direct way to where I was going when I did the same drive last year using Google maps it took me 20 minutes out of the way. Not to mention it you go out of cell phone coverage area then you're screwed.


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[jtmat]

I honestly think that the Nav is much better than Google Maps. I have used Google Maps in the past, for many years actually, and often it would take me so far out of the way it was ridiculous. I literally found myself backtracking with Google Maps because it took me in the wrong direction and then it would take me way out of the way again, I found this very frustrating. I used Nav last weekend going to Orlando and it took me the most direct way to where I was going when I did the same drive last year using Google maps it took me 20 minutes out of the way. Not to mention it you go out of cell phone coverage area then you're screwed.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Use Nokia's Here maps.... on Windows Phone, iPhone and Android.

It will convince you to switch... driving directions are on point... and you can download maps to your phone, which makes take reception out of the equation.

Best thing about the Ford navigation vs. Here maps... Ford shows the exit and where to turn by the signs... makes things easy at multiple lane highways you have never been.

 

[Brent302]

Use Nokia's Here maps.... on Windows Phone, iPhone and Android.

It will convince you to switch... driving directions are on point... and you can download maps to your phone, which makes take reception out of the equation.

Best thing about the Ford navigation vs. Here maps... Ford shows the exit and where to turn by the signs... makes things easy at multiple lane highways you have never been.

Problems with cell phone nav..

-drains the crap out of your battery
-ugly to mount
-cords all over
-if you don't have cell reception then no GPS
-can be lost broken or stolen.

Get the in car nav it does it's job and very well at that. All these Waze crazies and app this app that. Bahooey.

 

[jtmat]

Problems with cell phone nav..

-drains the crap out of your battery
-ugly to mount
-cords all over
-if you don't have cell reception then no GPS
-can be lost broken or stolen.

Get the in car nav it does it's job and very well at that. All these Waze crazies and app this app that. Bahooey.

What you are saying makes no sense.... everyone has a power cord in their vehicle. 2015 even has USB right there.

You are wrong about reception and GPS... at least for the phones I own. I don't even have a sim chip in my backup cell phone (which means no reception) and I still use it as GPS. Heck, I have a third phone and it was $20 on Amazon (Nokia 525), no chip, but gps.

My mount looks great... I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I608BJ8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

Right next to the gps... looks nice in my car. You must be talking about the phone holders from 2003.

If broken, lost, or stolen, with here maps, you simply sync all your info again... takes maybe 5 minutes. All of your favorites are there... if you sell your car, how in the hell do you sync your favorites out? How do you get your favorites in? I have over 50 locations... I'm not typing each one into the car.

Cell phone you can have your favorites and directions with you at all times.

Sorry, cell phone wins there... hands down.

I have Navigation and will use it from time to time, but it is not the system I thought it would be.

 

[SVTFreak]

That mount still looks terrible. So does wires. I don't want my phone there. I don't want wires running all over. Jtmat, that's your opinion. I happen to agree with Brent. You're ok with it and that's fine but I dont want that crap in my car. So I'll stick with factory nav.

 

[jtmat]

That mount still looks terrible. So does wires. I don't want my phone there. I don't want wires running all over. Jtmat, that's your opinion. I happen to agree with Brent. You're ok with it and that's fine but I dont want that crap in my car. So I'll stick with factory nav.

Luckily my cell gets two days battery so I don't have to run wires... not sure how one wire is killing you two, but each her own.

You don't want what crap in your car... a cell phone? That is odd. Where do you put your phone, if you have one... in our lap? In that front console (where it goes flying out when you hit the gas)? In the cup holder? No thanks on all that.

At any rate, I have both, so life is good in my world. :cheers:

 

[Brent302]

Luckily my cell gets two days battery so I don't have to run wires... not sure how one wire is killing you two, but each her own.

You don't want what crap in your car... a cell phone? That is odd. Where do you put your phone, if you have one... in our lap? In that front console (where it goes flying out when you hit the gas)? In the cup holder? No thanks on all that.

At any rate, I have both, so life is good in my world. :cheers:

Why so defensive....I swear discussions cannot be had on this forum without people getting emotional. How about not everyone agrees with you and you don't have to agree with them eesh.

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