Howdy, folks. Newbie here and newbie to the TSX. Just bought my car less than a month ago after researching for months on what a good used car would be. It's a 2008 in the color I wanted with the sports package I wanted and for a deal several thousand below Blue Book. It also came certified used! So far my expectations have been exceeded.

To my point... This car has the Navi. I wasn't looking for that, (I was actually going to buy a brand new Garmin) but the deal on the car was so good I thought it was just icing on the cake. While the Navi works fine, it's pretty clear that it's already starting to get dated and that Garmin units and new-car Navigation Systems have much newer, better technology in them, as one would logically expect as technology continues to evolve.

It happens I have the original White Navigation disc from the factory. (4.56 I think...) My understanding in reading the forum is that some discs contain firmware updates and some do not. My question is if I were to update to the latest 2012 DVD, (4.A2) would I notice any update to the Navi system other than just the maps, or would the maps (and POIs, Zagat ratings, etc.) be the only thing updated? I guess I'm trying to decide if investing the money is worth it and if I see any added functionality, or if I should just invest in the Garmin unit that gives me lifetime map updates and lifetime traffic for about the same price as the three-year update.

Any insight as to what I can expect to see different from one DVD to the next (Besides the obvious map differences) would be helpful in my decision.

Thanks!

 

There may be firmware updates; but, the overall look and functionality of the navi will look the same with any DVD disk newer than the v4.56. Acura/Honda does not tell you what specific firmware or address changes are updated on the newer disks. You just have to install the disk and hope for the best.

Another downside is the updated disk only come out once a year in the fall (around Oct/Nov). The data on the v4.A2 currently on sale for $149 is already 5-6 months old. I only update my Navi disk every other year. You can purchase last year disk off of eBay for $50-$75 used.

As a back-up, the wife has an iPhone for any addresses not found on the database (happens about 5-10% of the time).

I have XM traffic on my 08 RDX and it is a nice feature; but, it does not change my driving. I don’t have a lot of convenient alternate routes I can take if there is road construction or an accident. I rather sit in traffic on the highway for 30 minutes compare to driving an alternate route on side streets for 45-60 minutes. Sometimes the XM traffic is a little slow, it can take over 30-45 minutes before slow or stopped traffic shows on the screen (by then you are sitting in the middle of it).

The advantages with the Acura navi are:
- Clean look; improves the look of the interior, no power cords, brackets, or suction cups with aftermarket gear. Don’t have to worry about hiding or someone stealing your gear.
- Multi-function screen; A/C, stereo, Calendar and more are intergraded with the Navi screen.
- Voice feedback uses car audio that is loud and clear.
- Screen can adjust to day and night viewing with the headlight switch.
- Always on; easy to input on the go by you or passenger with the touch screen.
- You can press your Acura Icon to know your present location. I use this feature if I happen to find something interesting along the way and want to save it in the navi for later.
- Voice commands; really, really, really come in handy when you are out of town. “Find nearest grocery store”, “Display entire route”, “Register the current location”, “find nearest seafood restaurant” or “Find nearest pharmacy”.
- If your Bluetooth phone is sync to the TSX, addresses will show a phone number and you can call with a voice command (nice for calling a head to put yourself on the waiting list for restaurants).

Acura Navi works for me about 90-95% of the time. Whatever short fall the Acura navi has, the iPhone fills in the gaps nicely.

 

All good points... I do think the in-dash has clear advantages over a separate system, but the fact of the matter is I have a 5-6 year-old system now that is only going to get older. It would seem there are no aftermarket in-dash GPSes that fit in a TSX with Nav, so gutting the system isn't even an option.

Just not sure how to best spend my money. I'm disappointed I can't gut the system... I would just hold off, save my money and then gut it a few years down the road.

It's just kinda like running Windows XP in a Windows 7 world.

 

I haven't found the navi to be much good unless entering a specific address. I did a search for the nearest McDonalds and it said I had to drive 500 miles to Idaho.

I downloaded the latest update I could find from a torrent site and burned a disc, but it's still garbage. I'd never pay to "update" this system unless people confirmed that the updates are significant. The main thing my update did was change to the current daylight savings schedule.

 

This is a great thread. I also purchased an 08 TSX with a navi a little over a year ago and I was a little disappointed with the Navi. I had an 05 Suzuki Forenza before I got the TSX and in 2009, I purchased a Pioneer navi unit (whatever the basic $500 one was, I think a UB-310T) and it had better functionality then the one in my TSX now.

I love pretty much all of the features however, there are alot of drawbacks. it's a terrible interface. It clearly says 2004 on the display. The standard colors (Menu and Window) are ugly and the display sometimes gets all pixelated. The lack of FULLY-INTEGRATED bluetooth blows my mind. Also, USB ipod integration should've been in the car along with the default AUX port. I was spoiled with these features on the Pioneer system, it all worked flawlessly. I'm probably going to be an ipod USB adapter at some point this year just because I like seeing the songs/albums/information on the screen and being able to control it from the screen is great.

Perhaps down the road I'll invest in a better in-dash but it seems like a very hard task to replace it all.

Hey redpoint, where did you download that torrent? I downloaded 4.92 but I think it was for a Honda Odyessy or something because it had a weird splash screen. I couldn't figure out how to replace it so I just reverted to the 2006 edition of the Nav.