Garmin v.s. Car Navigation

Never could see paying the high price for a built in GPS. Less features for more money. I will keep my portable.

Cheers

It was $2000 option if I had gotten one in my 2003 Accord Coupe. Even then a really nice Garmin was less than $800, and I could still take it with me when I got rid of the car. I really can't understand why anyone would pay the inflated prices for an in-dash unit.

The only advantage I see with an in-dash GPS is that you get perfectly integrated sound with the car's speaker systems. Using cables for FM transmitters is a little awkward and unsightly. Other than that, portable GPS win hands down.

I've often wondered how the built in units stacked up to portables. Other than the esthetics and "coolness" of having an in-dash unit, I've never understood why they cost so much. I'll stick with my portables and pocket the extra cash.

I didn't want a built-in GPS when I got my '07 Camry (not sure if it was available that year), and went for Garmin. A friend had a built-in GPS in her Accord, and I found mine to be easier to use and more convenient to own.

$450 vs. $2,000. Well....

Yes, the sound level is a bit low at highway speeds, and there is a matter of the power cord. But it connects to the hidden power outlet through a pass-through, so it doesn't look too bad.

In the next year or so, we are going to see some fun inovations when it comes to in-car navigation. I have seen some devices that are basically screen-less voice-activaated gps systems that can manage music, and (with Sprint's Wimax) access the internet. You'll be able to talk to your car and tell it where you want to go, ask it to read your latest emails (and respond) and play whatever music you like, your own or streamed. Once this technology takes off, it will be interesting to see what happens to the in-car gps units with screens, since they'll be obsolete.

My portable GPS would not be obsolete. I don't want to read emails and respond when I'm driving, and I much prefer the visual map to the turn-by-turn audio, even though I have it.

My GPSr map counts down (visually) the distance to the next turn, which would be highly irritating if it were a constant voice. I look when I want to know, but I sure would not want it to listen to it tell me my next turn is in 1 mile, .9 miles, .8 miles, .7 miles, .6 miles, .5 miles, .4 miles, .3 miles, .2 miles, 500 feet, 400 feet, 300 feet, 200 feet, 100 feet, 90 feet, 80 feet, 70 feet, 60 feet, 50 feet, 40 feet, 30 feet, 20 feet, 10 feet, 5 feet.

I also like the unit up on the dash, closer to my line of sight when I'm driving. One built into the dash would be more distracting, in my opinion.

There is an interesting article in the June issue of Popular Mechanics (page 38) on testing 5 (I think that was the numer) different GPS portables. Garmin came out good in all but one of the categories of testing. The interesting thing is they were all mounted in a Lexus and all the different models outperformed the Lexus navigation system hands down.

I have also wondered why care makers do not get on board with one of the Portable navigation companies and get a good navigation sytem designed for their cars.

The only thing an in dash system adds to the car is easy integration with the the car's audio, the bluetooth,DVD playing capabilities (if u have kids or adult kids), controls on ur steering wheel for the system etc etc

I have zero interest in such a unit. I WANT the screen. I DON'T want the other junk. IMO, such a unit would be a major step backwards.

How in the world do you load new maps or even POIs into the in-dash GPS?

First make sure you have a well padded wallet....

I don't know if you have to buy it through the dealer and have them install it, or if it can be done by the owner, but I do know that it's much more expensive than the $70 to upgrade my Nuvi.

haven't used it but the new version on onstar has a button to call and request routing and it DLs to your car. No mapping yourself, just tell the operator you want to go to location X and it takes you there. The screen is not showing a map but has big arrows to tell you when to turn and it has TTS routing.

In our 2004 Toyota Sienna, the built in Navigation has always been a bit behind the time when it comes to map completeness. Mostly that's a data issue since Google Maps and Mapquest used to have the same problems with the county we're in.

The biggest drawback the built-in system has is the restriction on making entries when the vehicle is moving. Sure it might be a safety issue if the driver is multi-tasking, but you are stuck as the passenger, too. This is where the portable really wins – making changes while in motion.

I had an Acura that had the unit in the trunk. The update was done via DVD (I think the price was $199 for the update! Of course that covers the cost of the service department to push eject and insert the new disk).

As a side note, the Acura unit had a gyro and throttle position sensors. This was supposed to maintain tracking during signal loss. That adds some dough.

I, too, prefer the Garmin.

Agreed. I'd prefer the Garmin over any of the factory GPS. The Toyota 4Runner Urban Edition has the tomtom as part of their package. Why couldn't it have been a Garmin?

I have an indash unit in my 2007 Lexus and although the Garmins are great the built in unit is much more sophisticated. I have a 750 and use it in my other car and it works well but not nearly as well as the built in unit. The only problem I have with the Lexus unit is the cost of updating the maps and Lexus will not let you use it while in motion.

Obviously they both have their pros and cons.

Factory GPS units are not worth the money, can't use them while driving(change options)can't update them easily if at all. And surly can't move them from car to car, besides the staggering price as an option. Buy a portable, the brand that makes makes you happy.

Bob

Please note in my comments that I have both. I have a Garmin 750 and like it very much but as I stated the factory car unit navigation capabilities are far superior in many ways. I was not bashing the portable units I was just stating my opinion in the differences between them. Pros and cons in both....

Also, I love being able to take the Garmin and use it anywhere. We use it alot when traveling and just walking around in an unfamiliar city. Just gives a great since a safety for some reason.

I totally agree....

Sheesh, I had no idea that the in-dash units weren't essentially the same as the hand-held units. I'm really surprised to see all of these comments which are (for the most part) negative toward the in-dash units.

When I bought my new Honda Goldwing, it came with the navigation option. It appears that the Garmin unit is roughly equivalent to my SP 2620. It's nice that it's completely integrated with the bike's audio system, but the capabilities aren't up to the same level as those available on the newer units.

If I had not gotten the built-in GPS, I would have gotten the Zumo.

Humans have been following maps since the beginning of time, from a simple X marks the spot on a piece of bark, to the modern digital maps. not sure we will ever go totally map free and sightless without visual screens. We will always have to see where the X actually is. I do agree with the voice commands and such.

Bob