Hello all,

I just test drove one the other day and I must say I was quite impressed, especially with the NAV system. Out of curiousity what is everyones take on the system. Is it worth the extra 3 grand for it, especially when I really don't feel like throwing money around? I am just afraid I am going to kick myself for not getting it when I had the chance, cause it is pretty awesome

 

First of all, you oughta know -- it's "only" an extra 2 grand, not 3.

(Does that settle it??)

 

It's one of the best systems in the market but I think your dealer is ripping you off if they're charging you $3K

 

Here we go again. There are ten million threads on this topic. Try the button.

My personal opinion is to definately get it. I was somewhat in the same scenario as you. I ended up getting it and I don't regret it one single bit. The Navi in the TSX is just so awesome and advanced. I love the large screen too!

 

Trouble with that is, what keyword do you use? I can't think of anything. If you do "Navi" or "Navigation" etc., you'll get a list of basically every thread that we have.

But I think he can do well just by looking down the list of threads on Car Talk. The most relevant threads will be obvious.

 

Get the NAV !!! two grand more :whocares: :whocares:

 

dont get it, its useless unless you travel alot, plus it messes up the radio and a/c controls making them harder to use.

 

you hit the a/c button and then your messing with the a/c controls, you hit the cd button and your messing with the radio controls. i dont see how this is any harder you use, i actually think they are easier than the normal ac and radio. i thnk that the nav is definitley worth it and thats why i ordered it with mine. in the 2 months ive been waiting for my car ive probably had 15 "if i only had my nav" situations. if you dont get it, youll end up regreting it

 

That's completely false.

While it helps when you are traveling, it is also a very handy thing to have no matter where you are. It has a database of about 7 million places and gives you the address, phone number, and directions to each of them. I use the built in calendar for my appointments.

As far as making the radio and ac control harder to use, that's also not true. I think it makes it easier. VOICE RECOGNITION!!!! All I have to do is press a button on the wheel and say "set temperature 72 degrees" or "play cd" or "radio preset 4" and everything is done for me. While the voice recognition isn't perfect, it understands me 9 out of 10 times.

Not to mention that in the near almost every car will have navi. So you might as well get used to it now.

I am so glad I got mine. I think the 2k was money well spent.

Don't even consider an aftermarket navi. Not only are they no where near as good, they also RUIN the appearance of the interior of the car.

 

 

It replaces some audio and air-conditioning controls with harder-to-use menus on a touch-sensitive screen. Changing the radio station, for example, would take three steps instead of a single punch of a preset button. (from the business week review)

 

I don't have mine yet, but I have friends with them. The detour function alone is worth the cost of the nav system with crazy boston traffic and construction!

 

Dont listen to CrazyDude. Its pretty clear that business week review was horrible. My advice is get the navi!! i dont travel alot and i use it all the time. It is invaluable. Here is the perfect analogy. When cell phones first came out nobody thought you would actually need one, it was just a luxury. The nav is the same thing. In 5 years it will probably be standard.

Not to mention being able to play DVDs, mp3s...etc on the screen. I currently have my PS2 under my seat for long drives,

Once you go navi, you will never own a car without a nav system. Its the truth.

 

I chose not to order the Navi. It's fun and fine for some, no doubt, but do not see a need for it. I keep a map book in my trunk. If I don't have a map of the area, I look up the location on mapquest or yahoo. I'm capable of manually setting an air conditioning or heater.

I also keep my car a long time. Let's fast-forward ten years. Which is more likely to fail: switches and knobs that's on the regular dashboard or the Navi display with all the related electronic components that on the Navi-equipped car?

The Navi isn't worth 2 grand to me. In the past 13 years I have owned my current car, I've never needed 2 grand worth of directions.

If you are an on-the-road sales or service person, then the Navi would be very practical.

 

Keep in mind, the navi isn't only for directions exactly. Last night me and my girlfriend didn't know where to eat. We just went to the category "Chinese food" and my car told me the nearest 100 or so places. Can't do that with an ordinary map. You can also type in a phone number of a business if thats all you have, and it will usually find the address and map it for you. Again, something you can't do with an ordinary map. It also has a calendar and better trip info than the non navi (mpg, average speed, amount of time the car's ignition has been turned on, etc.). A map is definately not a substitue for the navigation system.

Whether it is worth the two grand is a personal choice, but let me say as someone who doesn't travel often, I use it all the time.

 

As someone who has Nav, uses it all the time and loves it, I agree with those who say its not that big a deal.
For example, to me it's not nearly as important as the choice of car.

If I had a choice between a different car (you name it, any one you want to say) with Nav --
and a TSX without Nav -- there's no question. I'd take the car that I want.

 

That's correct. However you left out that at the touch of a botton you can say a command to operate any of those controls. So it still requires only pressing one botton. Have you ever even tried the navi? It seems to me you just read articles about it. But I'm not even sure if you did that. If you did read about it you would know that the acura navigation system is either the best or one of the best navigation systems on the market.

 

Larch is right, pick the car you like best first.

If that turns out to be a TSX, I say get the navigation. Out of curiosity, is there anyone out there who has gotten the navigation system and regretted it?

 

Good point/question. I think on the old site there was one person who said he regretted it, but I'm not sure.

But I'm pretty sure it hasn't been any more than that, which is quite a statement.

 

I paid 2k more for the voice commands option. Nav is just a bonus. TSX w/o nav is a great car. TSX w/ nav is a damn great car.

 

I drive about 9k miles per year. Not enough for me to warrant spending another $2 grand, or 7% of the price on Nav.

It's neat, but for 2 grand I can get a good start on and HD TV which will be really neat

 

You're going to listen to Business Week? You're Crazy, Dude!

1. Audio. Sure there are no preset buttons to push, but there are three ways to change the station in the nav system: voice, steering wheel, or Audio screen (push audio and the nav screen becomes a control center for the radio...everything is there at the touch of one button, one step).

2. A/C. There are three ways to control the A/C: voice, the temperature button (all you really need), and the A/C screen (push A/C and the nav screen becomes a control center for the HVAC...everything is there at the touch of one button).

FYI, I never use the A/C screen or the Audio screen. There just isn't any reason to do it. If you want to tune you can use the knob. If you want to go from the radio to a CD, just hit the button on the dash or 'mode' on the steering wheel. Volume is easily controlled. Everything is easily controlled.

This whole notion of the nav system taking away simple functions is a lie, propagated by the uninformed press who is lazy and unwilling to learn the controls of the car that any owner would know and understand. In short, BUY THE NAV!

 

I passed on the NAV for pretty much the same reasons; I can think of a dozen or so better (to me) uses for $2000.

From where I stand, the HONDA navigation unit is basically a single-purpose computer that serves as a front-end to a fairly generic database of maping, routing, and landmark info that is available from a dozen or so sources for significant lower costs.
Yes, it integrates into the radio and climate controls, but it does not integrate or enhance the usability of the CD Changer, or the MP3 Player or any other system.

Is it cool to look at and play with?
Very.
Is it a must-have feature?
No.
The car will run just as well without it as with it.
(Check around for comments on the accuracy of the data, the frequency of updates, and the price of those updates before committing to the NAVI...)

A few other nuggets of data that you may or not find relevant:

1- MAPQUEST and its competitors do well by me. So does Pocket Streets.
2- For $800 I can get a name-brand P4 laptop with 15 inch screen, DVD drive, and 30 gb hd. For another $300 I can get a GPS card and the matching software that gets updated yearly for modest costs. (<$50)
3- For $200 I can get a DELL POCKET PC instead of a laptop and get GPS guidance on foot.
4- For $30 I can get STREETS AND TRIPS or DELORME mapping software that features all the landmarks and supports *all* of North America.

As Larchmont said, it is the car that is the jewel; the NAVI (much like the car's stereo) is decent enough but hardly a compelling reason to buy the car in the first place. And for a lot of us out here, it is most definitely not worth $2000.

Of course, that doesn't mean that it is so for everybody; for lots of other folks, maybe even you, the equation adds up differently.
(Me, I used the money I saved on the NAVI to get the Tablet PC I'm using to post this and I put the rest aside to wait for thr HDTV numbers to add up to my taste.)
<shrug>
As they say: "You milleage may differ..."

Good luck and do make sure you enjoy the car you get, regardless of its configuration...

 

Great post!
For those of us without navi, we're getting along pretty well without it. Its all a matter of choice if you want to spend the extra 2K for it.

 

Doesn't it make it kind of hard to steer when you've got the gamepad in your hand?

Seriously, what did it cost to get you the extra functionality (and did you fit it yourself or pay someone)? Also does that cost include the DVD player.

I could justify NAV if I can make it a DVD player fairly cheaply, otherwise not.

C.

 

Not to mention that it's also a great tool when you drive in heavy fog and you can't see the damn exit signs. Or when you're in a National Park or something and there's no sign, the NAV can leave "bread crumbs" so you can find your way back. Embrace technology, it won't bite

And unlike your wife, the system will actually do what you tell it to...well most of the time anyway.

 

How is the voice recognition on the car?

Is it accurate, and do most of you people use it?

I just want everyones opinions..

Also I am waiting for the 2004TL, my main purpose for the 8 in. Wide Screen (16:9) Navi Screen is to watch local TV, Play DVD's, Play MP3's thru the DVD Player and read the ID3 TAGS.. Its only about $500 or so to do all that in addition to the $2k, also if you add another hundred, you can add a rearview camera.. Theres many things the Navi is good for..

 

Yeah, you can mark whatever spots you want ("Save Location"). I don't remember anybody mentioning that, though I might well have missed some stuff. A lot of people might not realize you can do this.

 

I was going to comment on that as well. I suppose that he has rigged his car with steering-wheel mounted PS2 controls?

BTW, thanks for the warning, Roger. I'll be sure to stay out of Bucks County when you're on the road! :P

 

Why don't you leave the Navigation comments to those who actually own TSX's with Navigation systems? You are doing nothing but spreading misinformation.

 

This is my first car with Navi and I can honestly say that I will NEVER buy another car without Navi. It's definately not a necessity but it definately something that you'll regret not getting. It's so awesome!

 

I decided to skip the Navi on my incoming TSX. However, I think that the while the Nav would certainly be useful to have, it just isn't worth the extra $2k. And I have a feeling that it's one of those things you don't miss until you've had one....

 

get it...you'll regret it if you don't.

it is very fun to play with. another fun distraction for myself...

helps me reinforce the stereo type that asian women are bad drivers.

 

I don't think that anyone here can answer the question of whether the navi is "worth it" or not for you. The worth of the navigation system is solely dependent on your valuation of it. For some here, paper maps/mapquest/aftermarket navs are preferable, while for others, the integration, screen, and voice-recognition features of the Acura system make the $2k easily justifiable.

Is it really worth it to pay an extra $1k for "premium" leather on an A4 3.0? If you had a fender bender and had a small but obvious dent on the front of your new car, would you pay $1500 to repair it (assuming the damage solely affected the cosmetics of the car)? Do different rims on the Accord coupe justify a 1k+ price premium?

Everyone answers these questions differently, and so it is up to you to determine if the features of the navi are worth it to you. Take the TSX for another test drive, and spend more time focusing on the navi. For me (and this is only my opinion), it is easily worth the $2k premium, and in all truth, I feel that price is a value, considering most other car companies charge similar amounts for their navis, and these systems don't do nearly as much as the Honda/Acura one does.

 

go for it... you'll regret it later if you don't...

 

I think the only valid opinions about the Nav will be the people who regret going either way. The people who have the nav will try to justify the 2k and use it more often. The ones who did not will not know, and can only imagine how useful it can be.

However if someone doesn't have the nav and regrets not getting one or somewho who has one and regrets getting it can only clearly give a good unbiased opinion i think... I however will be getting the nav =P