[QuarterSwede]

Hello all,

Well, I've done some research into the navigation system option and now I have to decide whether or not to get it. If I decide in favor of it, I'll have to order the car because it seems to cost about twice as much to install after market than to have it installed at the factory.

But the question is: is it worth it? Although it seems cool at first glance, I've been trying hard to think of practical uses for it without much luck. I'm afraid that 99.9% of the time it would be in the retracted position, nothing more than a bump in the dashboard, throwing off those nice smooth lines.

The fact is, 90% of the time that I'm in my car, I'm commuting back and forth to work--a route I know all too well. The other 9.9% of the time, I'm in the local area that I also know quite well, having lived here for the last 15 years. So about the only time it might come in handy, it seems, is during out of town trips to unfamiliar cities. But these I take rarely and when I do, I always have at least one passenger, who could navigate for me with a paper map.

The extra information in the DVD database (especially restaurants) seems mildly useful, but I think I could get the same effect with a Zagat's guide. This has indexes of restaurants by neighborhood, as well as reviews, something the database lacks.

In short, the navigation system seems like it would be useful for someone who needed to find a lot of unfamiliar destinations (such as a real estate agent) or who took a lot of trips out of town. But I just don't see how it would be very useful to me.

So can anyone out there think of any possible uses for the system that would help justify its nearly $2000 price tag?

Thanks!
Matt

[This message has been edited by QuarterSwede (edited 04-01-2002).]

 

[S.R.]

I have not spent any time with the new DVD based navigation system. I really would like to know how detailed the mapping is in my area. When I looked about 2 years ago with the CD based system, the mapping was terrible. I am sure that it has improved much more now.

I wonder if there is any way to find out what the mapping is online? The only way I can tell is that Yahoo Maps uses NavTech data, and their website is pretty accurate. My area is basically mapped out really well as far as I can tell.

How do we find out, that is my big question!

-Drew

 

[QuarterSwede]

InDy,

Good question. Here's what I've learned so far: NavTech makes the DVD database for 90% of the car navigation systems available, including Volvo's. From what I've read, street coverage is good in metropolitan areas, but is much worse in rural areas--precisely those situations where you would need a good map! A simply experiment confirmed this. I went to Car Toys and played with their Alpine unit (TME-M750 monitor, NVE-N851A DVD player) that uses the NavTech disc. I tested it by zooming in on a small town outside of Seattle and it showed only three of the dozens of streets that I know actually exist there.

I suppose you could try the same thing. Go to a store selling car navigation systems that use the NavTech disc and see what's in the database by panning around and zooming in.

To me, the lack of street detail for out-of-the-way places is a major limiting factor, but also one that might be remedied in the future. After all, new discs could be released with more detailed databases that fix the problem. It may be that there's just not enough room on a DVD for street-level detail for the entire U.S, but at least a major region of the country would probably fit.

 

[Freeworld]

QuarterSwede,
I think you hit the nail on the head. This is definitely more toy than tool. If you really need to get somewhere, no navigation system can do better than a navigator with a good map. Either way you have to keep buying maps as things change, or DVDs. If you like to play... go for it.

 

[QuarterSwede]

Okay, two more questions about the navigation system:

(1) Is it true that the system in the Volvo S60 is functionally identical to the Alpine system (TME-M750 monitor, NVE-N851A DVD player)?

(2) Does anyone have a photo of what the monitor looks like in the retracted position in the S60? If so, could they please post it?

Thanks!
QS

 

[S.R.]

This is from Mike's Alpine system, & the story we did. Very clean looking install.

-Drew

 

[QuarterSwede]

InDy,

Very interesting Alpine story. Mike's a braver man than I am!

I'll have to keep this brief since there's a fire alarm going off in my building at the moment. Probably just a drill, but...

Could some kind S60 owner out there who has Volvo's factory-installed navigation system please post a photo of what it looks like when fully retracted? I'm curious because I have a feeling it's going to be in this position quite a bit.

Also, for those who opted to get the nav system, do you find that you really use it? Do you use it in any ways that you didn't anticipate?

Sorry for the terse tone of this post. Gotta evacuate the building now!

Thanks,
QS