Hey folks, I have a few questions regarding the nav system. It'll be our first factory nav (currently have a TomTom) so I'd like some feedback from the current owners

1. If we switch the units to metric, does the guidance also announce in metric? (I'm assuming it's a yes but I'd like to double check)

2. Does it do TTS? I heard it does but not for every single street. When does it announce street names then?

3. For those who have a RAZR V3, how the bloody h*** do you keep the BT on? Even changing the settings to "ON" doesn't keep it on when I turn off the phone and turn it back on again (i.e. the blue BT light isn't blinking). Also, if it's on, does it automatically sync with the car when I start up the car? What if there are multiple users, which phone will it choose to sync all the users are in the car with their BT on?

4. This one isn't nav related but is there a difference btwn the Turanzas on the US cars and the MXV4 S8 on the Canadian cars? I mean the MVX4 S8s are a premium tyre and I know they're very comfortable but how do they compare to the Turanzas?

5. When searching an area, do you have to change the area number? (you know how the map's divided into several sections?) e.g. since I'm in Canada, searching for something in the US means a different section.


I think that's it for now. TIA!

 

I've got a few impressions after 1 month.

2 - TTS is pretty rare, at least from my experience. It did a few interstates, but not others, and I've never heard a major non-interstate road.
3- No clue about the Razor, but the Camry I believe can sync with up to 6 BT phones, but only one at a time, and you have to choose which one from the NAV display. It will continue to sync with that phone until you change it.

5 - The NAV will only search POI's in the area chosen. I was heading from TX to Louisiana, looking for Days Inn. The POI search found Days Inn's in El Paso (750 miles away), but not in Louisiana (180 miles away) until I changed areas.

Other random observations:

The NAV will not route onto minor or residential streets. Maddingly, it displays the roads on the map, will show your indicator traveling down the road, but will not route you on that road. Hint: only the blue roads are routable.

If you have a route set, and you're on an interstate, the NAV switches to a cool map view. On the left is your map. On the right is a stacked list of the upcoming exits (with street names, if it knows them). The closest one is highlighted blue, and at the top of the screen are icons of the POI's at that exit. You can touch one of the farther away exits, and the POI's at that exit appear at the top of the screen. There is current mileage to every exit, and as you pass one it disappears, and the next farthest one pops on to the top. Very neat!

Map display is UGLY if you're used to hand-held map devices. Roads are either blue or grey, and all the land is either white in the day or black at night. No distinction between parks, cities, mountains, marsh, or even the road type (except for routeable or not routeable).

Disappointment: There is no 3-D display. My $150 MIO has a 3D display that shows an approximation of the cockpit view. The apparent height goes up as your speed goes up, and down as you slow down. I really miss that.

Hope this helps!

 

Hey, thanks for your help!

Hmm..so the change in the area is only for searching?


Could the routing to residential streets be because of the speed we set for the res areas? (i.e. how res = 25mph, main = 35mph and highway = 60mph or whatever the default is in the Settings)


Ahh.. that map view is Freeway Exit Information mode? You can change the split screen mode right?


Yeah.. I remember seeing only two colours. Ony my TT, it's fairly colourful and I can change the scheme if I want to. And yeah, I'm used to 3-D "Bird's Eye View" display. 2-D does look pretty plain but at least you do see more of the area.

The problem is, on my TT, it doesn't display the street names as often as it does in 3D mode. Is that the case with the Toyota nav system? (even if you change the zoom level)

 

Tideland Prius...I am not sure if this will help with your phone problem, but you may want to make sure it is set to always be visible by other BT devices. I have mine set this way and hop right in my car (not touching the phone) and it connects perfectly. This is one of my favorite features, since I have never had a car with built in BT. I hope this helps...sorry if it doesn't.

 

You mean it won't navigate to a residential address? You say it won't route to minor or residential which is where houses are, if I wanted to find someones house on a normal house street it wouldn't do it?

Thanks,
John

 

I'm not sure I'm following this, my house is on small residential street and it will guide me into my street within 50 yards of it, then it will state your destination is ahead and at that point you should have map display with your car position and mark of the house and start looking for the parking, what else would you need? The particular house street number could be little off, I think to save storage space, some streets have range of numbers in memory, let's say between street A and B you have house numbers from 100 to 200 and if you choose house number 150 , the system does not have exact location of the number 150 but it would estimate half way between 100 and 200, which could be correct or may not and therefore it may tell you, you're here find your exact number yourself. Assuming that the GPS position could be off by 20-40 yards, I think it is good strategy even if the house location was known exactly and to do so you could mark it as POI once you get there first time, for future reference. I was guided to some really obscure places and never had a problem, maybe i'm just lucky.

 

It depends.

If you're in a large city (Orlando), it normally will take you directly to the house.

However, if you're in the boondocks (my small town in Va.), good luck. It will take me to the area and then tells me to "follow the Nav Display arrow" -- which is as the crow flies (not if he his stuck trying to stay on the roads.

Now, when you do get to the destination, it will tell you you're there.

 

I actually find the 3D view useless. Why not look out the windshield for that view? I can make out street names in real life better than the 3D view in most nav systems.

 

My favorite nav feature, and didn't realize it was also on our 05 Sienna XLE Limited is the route preview, where it runs through the entire route..

 

Can you give me specific example of location where it won't guide you no more? Could be shopping center, park, anything that you know for the fact it won't have guidance. I have never encountered such issue and was wondering what the problem was. I will be in Virginia Beach in September but that probably has pretty good coverage and should be no problem.