Hi, I'm the NEW guy. Just got my MDX a few weeks ago. LOVE IT!! But it doesn't have the NAVIGATION.
Should I get an OEM system or a JVC double din DVD/NAVI? I have heard the factory navigation isn't very good. I was told I'd be better off w/ GARMIN GPS.
Thanks....Newbie.

 

If you wanted factory NAV, you should of bought one with it. For the price, a portable NAV system is the best bang for the buck.

 

I'd disagree that the factory nav isn't very good but it's definitely not worth the cost of retrofitting it. I'd go with an aftermarket system in your situation.

 

I think the Navigation on my MDX (09) absolutely sucks, except for the convenience of always having it available.

Why ? When looking for e.g., "Home Depot", I get presented with a bunch of categories, e.g. "Home renovation", "Building supplies", "Plumbing supplies", "Lumber", etc. There can be lots of categories, even though any Home Depot fits into all of the categories.

How do you find the nearest Home Depot ? A: You don't, poke through every single category until you find one close enough, since the first category might find list the closest Home Depot 500 miles away. I've pretty much given up on using it to find places by name, and resort to locating addresses on my Blackberry and then entering into the car's GPS. It's far less aggravating even if it is more tedious.

On my $150 Garmin GPS, I enter "Home Depot" and it finds the closest one. No mucking about categories. If I had to take a long road trip I'd probably carry it along with the car GPS.

 

This.

 

One of the reasons I opted for an 2010 MDX Base without the Navi is the fact that it does not have a touch screen. using a GPS without touchscreen feels like using a PC without a mouse or touchpad (remember DOS). I ended up buying a new Garmin 1350 with traffic and i am extremely happy with my decision so far ...

 

I do find my Garmin Nuvi to be better than the factory navi on my 09 X. Probably because I've had Garmin longer and had more time spent on it. Factory navi is nice that it has large screen and can potentially converted to view DVD (not that I would). We'll driving to California in June and I will be bringing Garmin just in case. I don't find non-touch screen of factory navi a negative. I would hate to clean fingerprint off the screen often.

 

OK, here's a question where I can offer a lot of value, since I am an expert on mobile devices including GPS.

I have used/tried dozens of navigation solutions since 1997. Here's what I think:

The Acura Nav system absolutely sucks. It is the worst device I have used since the PC-connected by serial cable to external GPS solutions from Sony and Microsoft in the 90s.

TMark, above, nailed it, so instead of repeating what he said, I'll just note that it's all true. In fact, when I want to make fun of bad User Interfaces when I work with my clients, I show a video of me using my Acura Nav. I get laughs from the audience.

I mean, how brain dead is a device that, under normal usage, will suggest to you to drive 2000 miles to McDonald's, Kinko's, Starbuck's, etc. The lack of touch screen is bad, and the XM traffic data is poor and stale compared to the free data from Google maps.

If you know the address you are seeking, the Nav system does OK. But for POI (Point of Interest, aka yellow pages) searches, you are better off using your PC at home or your smartphone, then entering the address into the nav.

How about this: the "Favorite places" function is linked to the driver key. So my wife enters a bunch of favorites, but I CAN'T see them or use them. I can't access them and copy them to my account. It turns out she and I go to mainly the same places, so we have to enter our favorites twice, one for each ignition key.

Voice recognition: It's OK. My Android phone is much better.

Maps don't auto zoom during a route. Garmin has a beautiful function that zooms out when you are on a 100 mile leg of your trip on an Interstate, but zooms in as you do more urban frequent turns. The Acura Nav has me always twisting the zoom dial. So even with a bigger screen, I don't get as good a picture.

Traffic is only available at certain zoom levels. Not sure why.

No touch screen. What is this, 2004? Dials and buttons are a much slower way to enter addresses on a keyboard...which is the only way this Nav is useful.

Now, as to what you should do, here you go. I've had Magellan, Tom Tom, and Garmin recently. Garmin is consistently superior with respect to map accuracy, point of interest database, and most importantly, user interface. Get a Nuvi that suits your needs, and never look back.

No, I have NO relationship with Garmin at all - other than buying lots of their devices for me, my staff, and my family.

 

 

Does anyone have any picture of the double din in there 04 mdx?