BPalladium

We've had our 2016 RDX Tech for a couple of weeks and made full use of the nav functions. This is my first experience with built-in navigation systems... in the past, I've resisted purchasing them due to my belief that they are inferior to even the cheapest portable units (Garmin, Tom-Tom, etc.). Here's my initial take on the 2016 system's plusses and minuses.

Plusses

• Real-time traffic monitoring through Acuralink (free for first three years). Traffic density indicators (green, yellow, and red stripes along the displayed routes) are difficult to see, however.
• Multi-screen views, including full map and split screen showing upcoming turns
• Intuitive selection of magnification levels using main interface dial
• Numerous configuration options available in Settings menu
• Pleasant, easy-to-understand voice
• Numerous Points of Interest (POI) with ability to selectively displayi icons of these at appropriate magnification levels
• Ability to preview alternative routes and select preferred route
• Extensive and well implemented volice recognition controls
• Alternative address inputs (rotary dial or keyboard)

Minuses

1. Three languages available, but only one voice in each... English female voice reminds me of the Hexenbiest in the TV series Grimm
2. No on-screen display of GPS-calculated speed or altitude, even though this data is likely available from the receiver
3. No on-screen display of current speed limit, even though this data is available
4. Display of POIs en route indicates DISTANCE to selected item, but not DIRECTION, so that selecting one of them may send you 10 to 15 miles in the wrong direction. I absolutely HATE this and, in my opinion, it makes tne entire feature worthless
5. Numerous controls not available when vehicle is moving. OK, it's deadly to input addresses, etc., while the vehicle is moving. But what if one's significant other is ready and willing to do this, without any danger to anyone? I totally understand this design choice, and if I had created the system, I'd do it the same way... but I still find it irritating.

On balance, the system is not utterly horrible, but I'm planning to take my bottom-of-the-line Garmin with me in order to find gas stations en route.

I'm aware that my 2016 RDX's system is similar, if not identical, to those installed throughout the Acura line. Should I post this in other fora?

AmongU

Totally agree with your assessment.

I have owned the 2016 rdx two days now & kinda wish I had gone without the nav... I have an iPad & with waze app you get so much more; also you can change anything you want while in motion... I know not as safe but really...some of the restrictions are a little over the top considering the adaptive cruise & lane control, & collision mitigation... Your never going to hit anything.

giovane

I'm sure some of those minuses could be changed by coding. Sadly it's something the honda/acura community hasn't figured it out yet.

vbgregg

I hope you are not driving near me. What a dangerous and selfish attitude. The number of deaths and injuries due to distracted drivers is staggering. Those safeguards are inconvenient, but they are there for a reason.

Puma Jim

I wish my nav on my 2016 was tied to the radio so that the radio volume would minimize when the nav voice speaks. If there is a function for that I have not found it yet. Not that I have the radio cranking but on my accord the nav volume overrode the radio volume so you can hear

vbgregg

On our 2013 RDX Tech, I believe the volume on the radio goes down when the nav voice comes on. I don't remember having to alter any settings, but perhaps we did and I forgot (or perhaps the dealer did). If your radio volume does not go down when the Nav voice comes on, I'm pretty sure that can be modified, though you may have to consult the Nav Manual (or the dealer) to find out how.

Gregg

Puma Jim

Yeah read it several times and no luck although I turned up the nav volume all the way

Archie

Hi,

Have you been able to figure this out? I'm planning to buy 2016 rdx next week, not that it will be deal breaker, but still very strange

Thanks

Puma Jim

Yes it's not an issue. I had the nav volume to low after I thought I had it up but it wasn't. Even forgot I had this problem while back. I am still learning this advance package after two months!

RDX-Rick

I agree with your assessment of the NAV system, and wanted to add a couple of my own

Pros:

1. Fast to boot up (compared to other in car models)
2. Announcements like " Take the 2nd right turn"
3. Last 300 meters displayed as a bar graph of decreasing height. Both on the MID and the central display

Cons:

1. No street name announcements (TTS) available in Canada. For example "Turn Left On Lawrence Ave.)
2. Unable to enter street name using voice commands, while vehicle is in motion. I can only enter one letter at a time. I believe in the US, the street name can simply be "spoken in" as my Garmin model does.

Although I miss the street name being spoken (TTS), the "Take the 2nd left turn" type announcements more than make up for it.

In the past, when my GPS announced "Turn Right on Lawrence Ave" there was often 3-4 more streets between Lawrence and my current position (in a big city this is a common occurrence after receiving the 300 meter warning). I still had to strain my eyes to read the street signs. It is much easier to just count the streets in my head.

acuraspouse

Have a 2016 RDX and the NAV is significantly worse that what we had in our 2013 MDX. The major issue is the inability to enter street addresses while moving. The wife and I frequently go on trips together and the passenger will enter in the desired address.

Is there any way to speak a street address while moving OR is there anything that can be done to allow entering of a street address while moving?

dbarnhart

I can enter addresses via voice command while moving but using the nav's buttons.

kfhughes

I've found using the voice recognition for entering addresses works very well. You have to say each digit of the street number, but it works.

dbarnhart

I guess I'm the oddball. I love my 2016 RDX's Nav.

The RDX Nav is MUCH better that in my previous car, a Mercedes-Benz E350. The E350's nav screen was down very low and forced me to take my eyes off the road too frequently and for too long. The RDX's Nav controls are also FAR more intuitive and the voice-entry of addresses actually works.

I also have an iPhone and Waze. Waze is less intuitive to use that the RDX nav and I have the same 'taking eyes off the road' problem as with the E350.

The other evening I was in an unfamiliar part of the city and wanted to get back on the freeway to head home. Previously I seldom used Waze or the E350 nav under these circumstances because the the 'hassle factor' was too great. With the RDX Van and voice command however, I find it so much easier to use.

(My only problem with using the voice command was that I had to tell my loudly yacking passengers to STFU for a minute. )

warrenmr

I am not happy with the nav system (2016 RDX Tech). Here is the exchange I (eventually, once they responded) had with Acura Canada:


Good morning Mr. and Mrs. xx,

Thank you for contacting Acura.

While we do understand your concerns, the cost associated with updating a navigation system is the responsibility of the owner of the vehicle. As such, although we can appreciate your request, we are regrettably not in a position to respond positively to it.

We thank you again Mr. and Mrs. xx, for taking the time to contact Acura. We appreciate the opportunity we have been given to respond.

Sincerely,

Joshua C
Acura, a Division of
HONDA CANADA Inc.


To
"Acura_CR@ch.honda.com" ,
cc
Subject
RE:





Dear Joshua C,

Thank you for your prompt, well-written reply.

I have checked out the HERE maps website. Both of the specific map issues I mention below are correct on the on-line maps, but are not incorporated into the maps in our RDX.

I think it would be reasonable for Acura to provide us with free map updates until these two issues are fixed in our new RDX. As I mention below, these are not new road changes and it is not unreasonable to expect them to be included in the maps.

Thanks,


From: Acura_CR@ch.honda.com
To: xx
Subject: Re:
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 15:21:10 -0500

Good afternoon Mr. and Mrs. xx,

Thank you for contacting Acura.

We are sorry to learn of your dissatisfaction with the mapping available on the navigational system in your Acura vehicle and wish to assure you of our interest. We have created a file in your name to document your concerns.

We can advise that the most current Navigation Software program is always installed in our new vehicles at the time of manufacture. Additionally, the maps available in your vehicle's navigation system is supplied by HERE maps and are verified routes only, which may differ from other manufacturers' software programs. If you would like to provide your feedback to HERE maps, please feel free to visit the following link:

https://www.here.com/?x=ep&map=43.65...3796,10,normal

Please feel free to also use the following link to obtain a navigation update. Please note, according to the website you have the most up to date navigation disc in your vehicle.

The Official Acura Map Update Site | Home | HERE

Regarding your concerns related to the voice command. As you are no doubt aware, Honda Canada takes great pride in the design of our vehicles and strive to manufacture and design features that will perform to our rigid standards. Most of them do in fact perform satisfactorily and in many cases, outperform our customers' expectations. While you do raise a good point about the voice command and the ability to comfortably and smoothly say the address you would like to search, and the fact that the American vehicles have this capability. Regrettably, we cannot comment on the American vehicles, as they are made for the American market with. At this point the Canadian system does not have that capability nor do we have information whether a software update will be made available to allow this capability.

Nevertheless, the improvement of our vehicles has a lot to do with the valuable and welcome input we receive from our customers. Please be assured that your comments will be forwarded to our Product Planning Department for their information and future consideration. We believe it is through open communication with our customers that the opportunity for improvement exists, and are therefore grateful for the time you have taken in bringing these matters to our direct attention.

We thank you again Mr. and Mrs. xx, for taking the time to contact Acura. We appreciate the opportunity we have been given to respond.

Sincerely,

Joshua C
Acura, a Division of
HONDA CANADA Inc.



To
"acura_cr@ch.honda.com" ,
cc
Subject
***Z1***EMAIL***12/15/15***JC







Dear Acura Client Services,

We have not yet received a response to the letter I mailed you over two months ago. We have attached a copy of the letter below and and hope that you will respond now.

Thanks,





Dear Acura Client Services,

My wife and I recently traded in our 2007 Honda Odyssey on a 2016 Acura RDX. The buying experience was great and we are generally very happy with the vehicle.

I have one main concern, and it is with the navigation system. This is something that my wife really wanted because she was tired of having a portable GPS stuck on the windshield and plugged into the 12V outlet.

There are however, two significant flaws with the navigation system:
The maps are hopelessly outdated. Our own house, which is located at XXX, is not in the mapping database despite the street having existed for over five years. A more problematic example for your customers is the missing South Fraser Perimeter Road (Hwy 17) in Vancouver. This is a major new highway, cutting travel times to Vancouver Island ferries by 30 minutes. This highway opened at the end of 2013 and it is also missing from the map database.
No practical ability to enter addresses using Voice Commands in Canada. To enter an address by voice, not only do you have to separately enter number, street and town, you actually have to speak the letters of the street and town! This is entirely impractical and unsafe. Worst of all, on US models, you can simply say “Address” then the entire address (e.g. 1-2-3-4 Main Street, Los Angeles, California). Why isn’t this available in Canada?

I note that my inexpensive portable TomTom GPS has the following features:

• Free quarterly map updates
• Our home address has existed in the map database for four years
• The South Fraser Perimeter Road has been in the map database for one year
• I can program address destinations using my voice by saying an entire address anywhere in the world

What is Acura doing to ensure that maps are updated more frequently? When can we expect another map update?

Are annual map updates really $200 in addition to the Acuralink subscription when most portable GPS units are updated quarterly for free?

When or will there be a software update to allow proper voice entry of addresses in Canada?

Our family has always used GPS navigation extensively. We specifically paid extra for the RDX Tech Package for navigation – we have little interest in the other features in the Tech package. We were looking forward to having a built-in GPS, but frankly we are going to have to continue to use our portable units.

Thanks for your help!

dbarnhart

That's a pretty crappy response.

I can tell that the Nav is very important to you, possibly important enough that you may consider switching automobile brands just to get Nav that is satisfactory for you. And if that happens you'll spend the rest of your life telling everyone you sold your Acura and bought XXXX because Acura's nav is useless. And for a mere $200/yr for a couple of years, Acura had the chance to prevent that.

I do not know what Joshua C's title is but it would be interesting to know if he is sufficiently senior in the company to be making decisions that affect customer loyalty.

It is also interesting that it appears that Acura has a different vendor for navigation software and map data in each country.

ceb

The maps will be the same for most any car manufacturer. In the US, maps are provided by NAVTEQ (in Canada apparently by HERE). Each area in NAVTEQ maps are generally updated every 5 years.

Although Garmin may provide quarterly updates, that doesn't mean that your area is updated quarterly. The most common updates are POIs but streets will be updated every several years.

warrenmr

The maps are not "the same for most any car manufacturer". I bought a 2016 VW a month after the RDX, and the Nav system is considerably more modern overall and the maps are much more up-to-date. The two specific issues I mentioned to Acura in my email do not exist in my VW or in my TomTom devices.

GPS maps for standalone GPS units such as Garmin and TomTom are updated several times a year, and not just the POI's. I know this because I have personally witnessed changes in my area from quarter to quarter.

There is no excuse for the poor quality of the Acura maps, and certainly no excuse for charging such an exorbitant amount for updating them.

Bobzmcishl

We just purchased a 2016 RDX and did not explore the navigation thoroughly enough prior to purchase. If we had, I may have looked elsewhere. It is hard to believe that a decade later since navigation was introduced on the 04 TL which we purchased that Acura is so behind the times. We even frustrated our salesman who tried to help us enter some simple commands via voice. We had previously looked at a Jaguar and it was light years better than Acura. Honda should be a leader in this field. The system is far from intuitive. Steve Jobs would have fired the team that designed this interface. The system forces you to go through a very structured approach when it should be free form. The two screen approach is also problematic and makes for unnecessary confusion. Edmunds did comment on this in their review but still gave the RDX an A rating and Consumers recommended the car. I think in retrospect Edmunds and Consumers should have been more critical and forced Acura to step up their game.

Danny Boy

I think the RDX navigation is ok - nothing good or bad comparing to my two Infiniti.

I do like my wife's 2016 Civic navigation better. It is a Garmin based unit. I have been able to use it while the vehicle is in motion which I find very convenient.

dbarnhart

Just to provide a little perspective, here is a quote from a British review of the new 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class:

"Control is via touch-sensitive steering-wheel controls, a central control capstan, a few buttons and dials, and voice controls, which duplicate and triplicate some functions. The graphics are terrific (as you'd expect given Mercedes' huge digital design department) and the major functions are (relatively) simple to get to. You'll spend half an hour at the side of the road, however, failing to access some of the less important functions and might end up sticking a marlin spike through the screen."

BPalladium

Another minor quibble to add to my list of minuses: English female voice speakth with a thlight (and very annoying) lithp

jcross1231

I've used my 2016 Advance for about 3 months now. I'd have to agree the nav system is just "ok". It's nice to have something to put up on that big screen. Operation is fairly simple. By the way, you have to adjust the lady's navigation voice while shes speaking. There seems to be enough volume range to vary from "can't hear her" to "way too loud".

Adding to other comments, items ranging from "nice to have" to "major omissions" are:

(Major omission) you can't access addresses in your phone book for navigation. Even the road test reviewers catch this one. Dumbest thing they did on the entire vehicle, IMO.

Re-windowing to finer resolution as you approach the destination would be preferable to using half the nav display to show that window that displays very generic, cartoonish detail. Garmin may have a patent on this or something. They're the only ones I know of who do it.

Some ability for the passenger to program the system while moving would be great. Maybe there's a cheat code for this?

Over all, I'll be using Google Maps on my smartphone when negotiating urban areas.