Ok so last week my wife and I took delivery of a 07 TCH loaded up just like we wanted which includes the DVD Navigation system. Well a friend of mine has owned a Lexus RX Hybrid for a couple of months now and he warned me that the DVD Nav may be a waste of money...I am here to tell you that I think he is right. His previous SUV was a Mercedes M class which also had Nav and that system is great...the Toyota system leaves a lot to be desired.

On a trip this weekend we decided to have the nav system give us the route to test it out even though we knew where we were headed. Right off the bat I could see some flaws, it told us to proceed to the highlighted route which is fine but then the route was poor. We live only 1.5 miles from the 322 bypass of State College here in PA but it wanted us to take 322 buisness through town...it would have been a 5 mile trip just to get to 322 business. So we ignored it and when we got on the bypass (this is not a new road and is a high speed limited access road...with access right near our home) it did reroute so that's all good. From that point it was pretty good until we got colser to our destination. Our trip was to Altoona PA which has I-99 running right past it...we had been on I-99 for about 15 miles when it told us to exit the highway at the Tyrone exit and take US Rt 22 business to our destination. Since we knew where we were going we also knew there is an exit from I-99 with in 1 mile of our destination. The Tyrone exit is like 10-12 miles before that exit and Rt 22 business has full access and TONS of stop lights. Now you may be thinking well you had 3 picks and you picked senic...XXX...nope, all three routes were the same...which is another issue because there IS a common senic route from State College to Tyrone which can actually be faster if traffic is light.

We messed with the settings allowing everything and still no improvement in the route. I read on another forum that there is an update to the DVD coming out in June and I negotiated in our deal for the car that we can buy it for dealer cost if I feel we need it...I wonder if it will actually help. For reference we have DVD revision 5.1

So does anyone know if there is something I may have missed? Why is the system avoiding major highways and selecting buisness routes?

John

 

Every time the NAV system is asked to give directions it has millions of caculations to accomplish and a multitude of alternatives to weigh up. The question is, would you have been able to NAVIGATE your way with the system in the vehicle? It seems the answer is yes.

Technology and information systems are being improved daily. The NAV system in your TCH is leap years ahead of the computer systems in the Apollo space program from not as far back as I care to remember.

I can find fault in a 2007 issue Rand McNally when it comes to finding my home address. I'm sure the TCH NAV system coming in my vehicle will show me living on the 2nd green rather than alongside the 5th fairway. I'm sure I won't drive over the practice green because the car tells me too!

 

Hey you are on GEA aren't you?

But anyway, I don't have an issue with it thinking my home is at 111 1st ave rather than the actual address....I do have a slight issue with it telling me that I live at 111 1st ave and then when I try to set that as my home address that it tells me that 1st ave doesn't exist in my town, after telling me I am at 111 1st ave. Also the whole exit thing is just dumb...I have tried this route on Nav systems from cars that are 5 years old with 5 year old software and they do it perfectly...this 07 with new software (I checked the disk and it is from 05) should be able to get this right...it isn't rocket sience. If a $700 Garmin can do it my $2k Toyota system darn well beter be able to do it. Here Yahoo driving directions got it exactly right. http://maps.yahoo.com/dd_result?newa...y=us&terr=3003

 

The Microsoft version has my house on the 9th green. However, my skycaddie (golfing GPS, for those that don't know) knows exactly where the water is on #4! I just don't expect these things to be perfect - think of the billions of addresses it has to contain. If it can get me from A to F and I have to pass G once in a while, it will make me happy.

Yep - my handle pretty much follows me around. I just went back from the R5TP to the Orlimar 420 ;-)

 

For anyone starting to use the TCH's guidance features, note that you have the programmable option to avoid freeways or maximize them, as well as other features to customize your route guidance. You will be given three route options, as well, and should note which one matches your preferences.

My '07 TCH NAV is light-years ahead of my Lexus SC430 (Toyota), which doesn't even have voice guidance. I believe that most concerns about the TCH's NAV system will be resolved as new owners become more familiar with its operational features.

 

So how do you maximize the use of freeways? Earlier this evening I asked the nav system to route our trip to Washington DC tomorrow. I looked at all three routes and none of them matches the route we know to be the best. I will give it the credit that one of them matches one of our old routes.

Can you guide me toward a solution here...a setting I can change? My friend with the Lexus RX Hybrid confirms that his nav, which is for sure based on the same maps and software, is highly inferior to a 4 year old Mercedes system and even more inferior to his Garmin PDA. Sure the turn by turn is neat but nav systems have had that and if it turns you down the wrong street what good is it? Honestly my concern is that my wife will be traveling to DC or NYC for work and not knowing the area and trusting the nav system could actually put her in harms way by avoiding a freeway and taking her into some neighborhood she shouldn't be in.

We didn't buy the car for the nav...and the way we lucked into the car we did meant it HAD the nav in it...but it is a $2000 option and for $2k the darn thing ought to work MUCH better than it does.

Seriously I am VERY open to any suggestions or tips on what we are doing wrong here.

Also we have software revision 05.1 which I assume means it was the 1st release in 2005 (probably the only one). I heard on some other forum that there was to be a new DVD released in June 06...anyone have info on that?

 

John, the NAV system is a $1,200 option, not $2,000.

Have you thoroughly read your NAV system owner's manual? I think you will find your answers there. If you haven't read it carefully yet, it seems premature to be so strongly critical. I have found Toyota/Lexus NAV systems, including my brief-so-far experience with the '07 Camry, to be excellent.

The only time my NAV system led me down a wrong street, she (the voice behind the NAV) had been drinking, but has since entered AA and has since not made another mistake). While I was on the wrong street, I found a great Peruvian restaurant, and ordered the best Pescado Sudado that I've ever had.

Good luck!

 

Actually the NAV uses exactly the same stereo system as the non-nav, but with a 4-disk CD changer instead of a 6-disk one. And of course the head unit isn't the same since it's integrated with NAV, but I seriously doubt there's any difference in sound quality.

All Camry Hybrids, and all Camry XLEs, come with the 440W JBL sound system as standard.

 

I'm really happy with the stereo... it was an unexpected surprise. Got a 1' cable from Radio Shack, and routed it through the secret holes in the center comparment to the cubby holes flanking the center console... it's the perfect iPod holder.

 

I keep my iPod and my change in the compartment in front of the shifter that has the swinging door. The AUX input is there and it's easy to hide the iPod when parking for the night somewhere, since cars have been known to be broken into just for visible iPods and related stuff, or even for change sometimes.

There's also a 12V outlet in there, but there's noise distortion if you play an iPod and have it plugged into a 12V outlet at the same time, which is a nuisance but not a big deal. And the instruction manual even mentions that flaw, saying you should unplug it if you hear distortion.