VW and Garmin "Click & Ride"

That's cool. I wish it was integrated a little bit better. Right now, it looks slightly better than using a regular mount.

Interesting. I wonder which models offer the audio being routed through the standard mount. I currently have a semi-permanent mount that still required me to attach a separate audio plug to my stereos AUX input. I would love it if I could just use a single plug and have a more permanent mount that requires no other cable to be plugged in.

Thanks for the post.

Looks like it still has a way to go - but it's a big move in the right direction!

That's exactly what I've been thinking since I got my Nuvi a few months ago. Some new cars have a factory installed iPod mount. It'd be great to have a portable GPS mount as one of the options.

VW is heading in the right direction but it needs improvement. A hidden GPS mount would be better so no one can tell there's a portable GPS in the car.

VW has always been a leader in putting in consumer friendly devices. The other car manufacturers may not be so quick to put in mounts for portable GPS b/c it would compete with them selling the in dash GPS.

If very few people buy the factory units then perhaps there is more profit in selling a mount or a unit/mount system installed by the dealer.

I have been surprised that the price of factory GPS has not dropped precipitously as it has for the portable units.

I see that the mount has no extra wires for the audio out, which is something I am looking for to get a more permanent and simple mount solution. This to me means that the pins on the bottom of the unit do in fact have an audio output. Searching some I cam across this other post in another forum:

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=91718&...

Theres a garmin.zip file with pictures and the pinout for the audio out, as well as a link to a company which carries the same connector that interfaces with the stock Garmin mount.

This is great news to me because now I can use the stock mount and simply build a custom wire that would be hidden within the dash and have a simple 1-step connection for my nuvi, instead of having to hide the powerplug and headphone plug everytime I mount and dismount the unit.

BMW/MINI did this. Of course the unit from them is much more expensive than a NUVI purchased from say Amazon. And, they are still using the 350/360 platform...

I think the reason that the price of factory fit GPS units hasn't dropped dramatically is that they aren't expecting to sell too many. They're happy to let them sit there, and when someone who doesn’t realize all the customizability that GPS's have nowadays, they can pop it in without having the hassle of buying your own and taking it to the mechanic. For my two cents worth, though, the dash mounted units look a little wobbly. I actually prefer simply having a power cord to tape or clip down, and having a much neater looking suction cup unit on the windscreen.