Danbury

Just a question about the new nav. Do you have to have the map in view at all times or can you opt for the arrow directions like my older touch screen TL nav had?
I find the map distracting. I like to glance at what street I'm on (bottom of the screen) and where I will make my next turn (top of screen).

ddrn

I'm not familiar with the TL touch screen that you're referring to but I think the nav screen is limited to few options with all of them utilizing the map as some feature. It sounds like what you're referring to is much simpler in design but I don't find it difficult to use the current system esp with the voice commands on. To be honest though, I haven't spent that much time checking it out - I guess it hasn't really ever bothered me enough. The one thing I would like is if the voice commands would tell you what street you're turning onto rather than just saying right/left. I think that would be very helpful!

chyllintsx

i had a tsx touch screen navi.. and i have no idea wat ur talkin about

if ur talking bout when u have a set destination, and the screen that pops up on the right half of the screen that tells u when to turn or whatnot... u have the option for a single screen or split screen... or if u hit map twice, something will change

dennarda

I am not looking at the buttons right now, but I belive you push the map/guide button at the top left of the screen to switch to that view.

creativeguy

The thing that is taking a while to get used to is that the nav always says "take the second left turn". Coming from a portable Garmin, this is confusing since the Garmin just says "Turn left" when you get close. I get confused for a second looking for the "second" turn.

rdxsteverino

Do you mean the Direction List option on the TL where the screen provides a row-by-row listing of each upcoming street with right/left arrows for directions and distance to be travelled on each street?

crazymjb

Does this new generation of navigation(have an 05 TL, getting MDX, but same system), the one in the RDX, dictate street names? That is the one thing I like about the roadmate in my truck.

Mike

Danbury

Well I have used that Direction List on occasion; but what I really like about the older touch screen, Steve, is the option to switch from the map to just the yellow line and distance indicator to the next turn.
The touch screen also seems easier to use than the center knob to put in an address. I could be wrong once you get used to it.

rdxsteverino

What year TL are you referring to? My only experience is the '05 and I don't recall the "yellow line".

I also liked the TL touch screen but after a few weeks with the RDX knob I have gotten used to it and kinda like it. I suspect one of the reasons Acura did not go with the touch screen in the RDX is that you have to reach a bit too far to touch the screen.

Danbury

I have a second generation TL (2001).... so it is probably a more antiquated nav system than yours but I like it. It is so easy to use.
Any other positive or negative comments on the RDX nav system?

rdxsteverino

This may sound minor but the RDX nav system comes up quicker than the '05 TL after starting up. RDX still takes too long, particularly when I start the car, shift to reverse to back up and have to wait for the rear view camera to engage. But I'm the impatient type.

mickie

funny you should ask, but i think the answer is actually yes. I found this out the hard way when I was on my way to unfamiliar territory. while screwing with the map features, it changed to a single arrow on a single road when I was about 6 miles away. I didn't want that to happen, and couldn't change it back till I shut the car off. It got me to my destination though, but I was at the mercy of the nav screen arrow and voice, as I couldn't see where I was going... Now, ask me again how I got it to switch?

sasair

I believe you just hit the jog wheel while you have a course plotted and you select DIRECTIONS, and it give you a list of directions with no map.

mickie

See page 55 of the nav book. I guess the map/guide button allows you to view either the map, or just the guidance screen. I think that's the button I pushed to get there. Now go to page 99 of the nav book. it tells you that while in "guidance" mode, you can split the screen. I think the single screen in guidence mode is what you're looking for...I think.

flar

In the setup screens (hit the setup button) there is an option for a full map screen or a split map screen. I believe the split screen has the arrows on the right and the map on the left.

I've also noticed that I normally see the map full screen, but when there is a turn to be made I get the arrows on the right. Unlike my Audi's arrow-only Nav, the arrows show a very high quality and detailed graphic of the intersection so it is very easy to know what it means when it says "bear left then right". At the same time, the map is still shown so you have the "best of both worlds", but only when in the vicinity of a turn.

Also, the arrow inset has two different modes - if you are making an exit turn off of a highway then it is a perspectively stylized picture of the road with an arrow, a countdown, and nothing more. If you are making a turn on a side street then it is an overhead orthogonal view with all streets drawn as if you had zoomed in a click or two past the maximum zoom level and it draws the little car symbol driving towards the intersection in real time so you can see how close you are to it. I find that much more useful than a distance countdown as I've never been good at estimating distances.

flar

OK, I mapped out all of the possibilities. First, there is an option in the setup that lets you choose between two general ways of dealing with the system - in both modes you can get to several screens, but they give you different information. To change modes you go to:
In both modes the screen will always show a full-screen map with no overlay when you have no destination programmed. The Nav/Guide button will not change anything without a destination programmed.

In both modes you can press the jog dial and select "Directions" if a destination is programmed and you will get a list of the streets, turns, and distances. You can scroll through this list, but the information for each entry is rather sparse (just what I said and no pictures).

Split Screen Mode
Single Screen Mode
A note about the "distance to corner with pictogram" inset - unlike the Nav units that only show turn arrows that I've seen, this one comes with a real-time moving icon of your car on it when you are on side streets (for highway exits it is just a static picture of the exit configuration with no car icon).

Since in both modes it automatically takes you to a half map with "distance to next turn" overlay when you are close to a turn, they both have the advantage of giving you an idea of when to turn in the same way. The choice then, is mostly if you want to always know the distance to the next turn even when it is 100 miles away or just when it gets close. With the Single Screen Mode you can always hit the Nav/Guide button and switch to a display that shows you the next turn no matter how far away it is, so my gut feeling is that the Single Screen Mode is more useful overall, but YMMV...

One reason to like the larger map is that it gives you more map area visible to see if the traffic is going to be bad soon or if there is a "traffic incident" in the area. Since traffic information is only shown in a small range of map zooms, it's not like you can always zoom the smaller split screen map back further and see a larger range of traffic - you get the same traffic-enabled zoom ranges, but a smaller area of coverage to see. Also, if you are scouting for "the nearest gas station" then it also provides more area for that as well. You could always cancel your destination temporarily in Split Screen Mode to get back to the full-screen map and then reenable your destination when you are done scouting, though...

jbinnyc

flar, a related question. i have been searching for a pdf copy of the rdx nav manual. i know the general manual is within owner link, but no nav manual. do you know if one is available online somewhere?

flar

I'd love to get my hands on a PDF of the Nav manual as well!

catnippants

I've been wondering about this for a while. I *suspect* that it has to do with copyright issues with Alpine since they own the nav system. That in itself confuses me. Apparently Panasonic makes the head unit, but Alpine makes the nav - and firmware updates for both the nav and audio system are applied via the nav DVD....which is provided by Alpine. So is this system a Panasonic/Alpine joint venture?

Mike

Nabbs

You mean split-screen. The split-screen option appears when you are close to a turn, however I believe you can increase and decrease the distance prior to a turn it appears.

Did you get your RDX yet?

-N

Danbury

flar, Thanks for such a detailed reply. This answers a lot of questions. With Mickie telling me to go to page 99 of the Nav. Guide, I thought I'd be reading all night just to figure it out! How many pages are there? My touch screen TL brochure was only 78 pages with nice easy diagrams.

Danbury

Not yet Nabbs. Do you think I'm an impulse buyer like the guy who went in to get his "RL with 10K" serviced and walked out with a new RDX? But you will be the first to know when I do!