[arowens54]

I am considering adding the Garmin portable navigation for two reasons:
1) I am familiar with the Garmin and planned to continue to use the one I currently have; and,
2) It appears from the videos that this unit is somehow hardwired so that there are no cables snaking into a 12v outlet

Can anyone comment on this? We did do Nav. prep when we ordered our 2012 OSD (currently on its way) but I did NOT like the built in navigation when I played with it on a car at the dealer. I love my Garmin but am not thrilled with the idea of the cable coming over the console and into the storage area. For some reason, on the CR-V, the 12v connection is lower down and I don't even notice the cable. I think I will if it's connected right at my hand.

We just received the 15% discount on accessories offer, so that would help a bit. I'll do real nav. when they get their act together and make it more user friendly.

 

[wsu_cougars]

We have a portable Nuvi attached to a bracket in the cubby that came with our car. I thought I would be disappointed with this setup, but I'm pleasantly surprised. the benefit of this setup is that you get usable storage behind the nav for sunglasses, etc.

 

[Jim1969]

I am considering adding the Garmin portable navigation for two reasons:
1) I am familiar with the Garmin and planned to continue to use the one I currently have; and,
2) It appears from the videos that this unit is somehow hardwired so that there are no cables snaking into a 12v outlet

Can anyone comment on this? We did do Nav. prep when we ordered our 2012 OSD (currently on its way) but I did NOT like the built in navigation when I played with it on a car at the dealer. I love my Garmin but am not thrilled with the idea of the cable coming over the console and into the storage area. For some reason, on the CR-V, the 12v connection is lower down and I don't even notice the cable. I think I will if it's connected right at my hand.

We just received the 15% discount on accessories offer, so that would help a bit. I'll do real nav. when they get their act together and make it more user friendly.

How is your back-up camera set up without navigation?

 

[arowens54]

How is your back-up camera set up without navigation?

It pops up on the Sensus screen. Maybe the Nav. Prep had something to do with it? But we don't have navigation (yet) in the car. We did pay the $95 to get nav. prep in the event that integrated navigation becomes more user friendly with some of the newer features on upcoming model years.

I need a back up camera and this one is sweet. It has lines that guides the driver to the proper placement. We also have the warning beeps on both front and back parking.

 

[Jim1969]

If you get the Garmin unit be sure to post up pics.

 

[arowens54]

We have a portable Nuvi attached to a bracket in the cubby that came with our car. I thought I would be disappointed with this setup, but I'm pleasantly surprised. the benefit of this setup is that you get usable storage behind the nav for sunglasses, etc.

Could you elaborate a bit for me? What model year do you have? What cubby? We have that opening behind the console but how would you see the nav unit? Does the bracket swing out of that cubby? Where is your cable and power connection? My husband's POS PT Cruiser died (we were going to keep it for the dog mobile - we have 2 Labradors and a 45 pound rescued muttigree) and our dealer has graciously loaned us an S60 until our XC60 hits stateside. The power connection is smack in the console area inside the storage unit. Since we only drove ours for a brief time in Gothenburg, I don't honestly know where the outlet is in ours but was assuming it's in the same place, hence the reluctance to have a cable snake over the console area.

 

[arowens54]

If you get the Garmin unit be sure to post up pics.

Will do. Of course my dealer wants me to go the $2200 route with the indash, but I DO NOT LIKE IT!

 

[GrecianVolvo]

Will do. Of course my dealer wants me to go the $2200 route with the indash, but I DO NOT LIKE IT!

That system should be $1,895 plus tax. I know it is expensive but you will also get voice activation fully integrated with the Navigation system and the Telephone function of Sensus; that alone, is priceless.

 

[Jim1969]

^ yes, but the system is so far behind BMW, Acura, Lexus and Infiniti. Do the Volvo engineers familiarize themselves with the competition? Or is it Volvo not wanting to invest in navigation? They all get the map info from the same place. It's how they use that info that separates them.

 

[drat19]

Could you elaborate a bit for me? What model year do you have? What cubby? We have that opening behind the console but how would you see the nav unit? Does the bracket swing out of that cubby? Where is your cable and power connection? My husband's POS PT Cruiser died (we were going to keep it for the dog mobile - we have 2 Labradors and a 45 pound rescued muttigree) and our dealer has graciously loaned us an S60 until our XC60 hits stateside. The power connection is smack in the console area inside the storage unit. Since we only drove ours for a brief time in Gothenburg, I don't honestly know where the outlet is in ours but was assuming it's in the same place, hence the reluctance to have a cable snake over the console area.

I'm not sure if your Garmin would mount in a similar location, but here's a pic of my iPhone mount (got from proclipusa.com) and cable "snaking" down to the center console power outlet. As you can hopefully see, there's a groove alongside the radio console piece that allows the cable to be partially hidden there..not the most elegant solution but it works well enough for me.

 

[NashSmartGuy]

I'm not sure if your Garmin would mount in a similar location, but here's a pic of my iPhone mount (got from proclipusa.com) and cable "snaking" down to the center console power outlet. As you can hopefully see, there's a groove alongside the radio console piece that allows the cable to be partially hidden there..not the most elegant solution but it works well enough for me.

Actually, that looks pretty good. To install my speeding ticket avoidance device, I put it up to the left the rear view mirror/City Saftey pod, ran the cable (the straight kind) between the headliner and glass, down through the post cover, into the end of the dash, through the dash, out at the center console, under the plastic (where the plastic meets the carpet), to between the driver's seat and the console. I then have a short extension cord with a right angle plug going to the outlet on the back of the console (facing the rear seat). It looks really clean, and you can still close the door over the cup holders. With the plug back there, I never even see it. Since it's black, it doesn't really stand out, either.

 

[wsu_cougars]

Here is my portable garmin attached to the back of the upper cubby.

 

[wsu_cougars]

 

[wsu_cougars]

awesome. I give up with pics. It's a garmin mount attached to the rear wall of the upper cubby where the factor nav is installed.

 

[arowens54]

awesome. I give up with pics. It's a garmin mount attached to the rear wall of the upper cubby where the factor nav is installed.

Sorry about the pics, would have liked to see them I have investigated the Volvo portable unit a bit more. It does mount without wires and cables showing. For left hand steering columns, the door pillar and some of the panels underneath the steering column are removed and the docking station along with power source wiring gets installed. The bolts for the docking station are on the pillar and wires connected there. The unit sits on the docking station and receives the charge while docked. You can lift it off and take it with you while walking unfamiliar cities. It has voice command, phone interface, and a traffic update (a separate purchase piece) that according to Garmin's Volvo site, operates from a dedicated FM radio station. It didn't say anything about fees. Not all cities have traffic updates, so on the fence about that one.

 

[arowens54]

That system should be $1,895 plus tax. I know it is expensive but you will also get voice activation fully integrated with the Navigation system and the Telephone function of Sensus; that alone, is priceless.

I'm sure if I decided on that, I'd get the correct price. I trust my dealer. However, as I mentioned, I tried the navigation on a car the dealer had. I did not find it easy at all and have used Garmins and TomToms in the past so am not a newbie to GPS. The portable one from Garmin also has voice activation and a telephone interface, but sensus without nav. does as well (bluetooth) so I don't need navigation to link my phone. We did do nav. prep so I am ever hopeful. I have haunted this site since researching OSD and XC60s and I haven't found anyone who has an unequivocable love of the navigation system. It's a minor irritant to me in the overall Volvo experience. We were excited about OSD, loved planning and putting the features together, loved our salesperson, kept our fingers crossed that the actual trip would meet our expectations and were blown away by the whole thing. Volvo personnel were fabulous in Sweden, stateside in arranging the trip, we got bumped to business class on the overnight to Copenhagen (I asked, they agreed, FREE!) so SAS not too shabby either. So all in all we are in love with Volvo right now and are trying to figure out another OSD. I've heard horror stories on service, but I have a way of making friends with service personnel b/c I talk turkey with them, treat them with respect, and they seem to trip over themselves to make things right for me. So I'm hopeful there too. I've already met the service manager at our dealership. This is our first Volvo; I doubt it'll be the last.

 

[drat19]

Arowens, is your dealer Bergeron in NO?

 

[GrecianVolvo]

The portable one from Garmin also has voice activation and a telephone interface, but sensus without nav. does as well (bluetooth) so I don't need navigation to link my phone. We did do nav. prep so I am ever hopeful.

I am sorry but Sensus without Nav does not have voice activation. Yes, Bluetooth is standard and it allows for a handsfree operation but only when a call is made. I like th voice activation because I can name a call, search for a contact through the hundreds of names I have stored on my phone, I can tell it to take me somewhere, end the itinerary, amend the itinerary, etc without lifting a finger. To me, that is priceless.

I have haunted this site since researching OSD and XC60s and I haven't found anyone who has an unequivocable love of the navigation system. It's a minor irritant to me in the overall Volvo experience.

Like anything else, if you are frustrated with something, you are more apt to vocal about it vs if you were happy. I know a lot of people are happy with it and many other (like me) are happy with the way it works but realizing it is not a perfect system (and no system is).

 

[drat19]

Yannis, in fairness I do agree with the redeeming qualities of the voice activation features in Sensus with Nav that you cite, but it's still lightyears behind the competition. I know others here will chime in with more recent examples, but from my own personal experience I can tell you that the voice activation features in my traded-in-for-my-XC60 '06 Acura TL were superior to my '12 Volvo's features, and that was 6 years ago. And as for the Nav, once again Volvo's implementation is inferior in many ways to the competition's...my particular complaint is the way the Volvo system presents map detail (even upon adjusting that in the settings). It is inexcusable that city/town names are not presented when "zoomed out" to wider views...when I'm on an interstate road trip and I have my maps zoomed out to 5 mi view or more, I expect to see city/town names...that should be a given. Am I missing something?

 

[wsu_cougars]

These are late, but figured out how to post pics.