Just got back from a nice long road trip from NYC to North Carolina and back with a stopover in DC on the way back.

The trip down of over 560 miles went by in about 8 hours with quick stops only for gas, the rest room and once for a bite to eat. I drove the whole way down and was quite comfortable the entire trip, but of course I loved getting out and stretching my legs for a bit.

I was mainly doing around 82 mph but there were several stints of speeds higher than that in the triple digits . Over all with those speeds, two suitcases in the trunk and my copilot and me in the car we still averaged about 29mpg which is not bad at all. Probably would have cracked the 30's if I wasnt so heavy footed on the gas at times.

The Navi is incredible; I will NEVER get a car without it. It gave us every step from my doorstep to the hotel, and it even had small roads in North Carolina that I never thought it would. It was invaluable. I cant even count the number of times my friend and even I must have said "The Navigation Kicks A$$" on a daily basis. Back and forth to Restaurants, Duke, UNC, and NCS, back and forth between al different places and the Hotel.

In D.C. we used the Tourist attractions category under the subheading of community and didnt even have to input the addresses of places we wanted to go; the Arlington Cemetery with the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, JFK's gravesite etc, and the Washington Monument, etc, etc, etc were all just listed there. Despite the complex traffic circles they have down there, the Navi never skipped a beat, and was the perfect guide. Instead of my copilot and I messing with maps after our multiple daily trips that were several miles from the hotels and stressing out, we both just sat back, relaxed and followed the Navi.

I had never been to our Nations Capitol before, and its something I had always wanetd to do; especially after 9/11. This car with its power, comfort, features, and the Navi made the trip many many times more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise.

You only see the negatives on a board like this. After all who is going to post that they are having no problems, the car is running fine, etc, etc. Well let me just say that I am one happy guy. A trip like this just made me love this car that much more, and I cant wait for the next long road trip.

 

NOW this is what im talking about... good to hear Sandeep, my navi works great also, but would be nice have that navi-video mod to watch dvds on long trips (for the passenger of course )

You better give your baby a nice wash now for being a good girl!

 

She's getting a nice pampering wash if the weather allows tomorrow; just got some new microfibers in the mail right before leaving on the trip. Before that though she needs an oil and tranny fluid change. I'll hit the dealer for some more ATF in the morning. My Mobil 1 and filter were waiting since before trip. I was prepared!!!


P.S. My car with a Vin of 1800 was one of the first. Built 2/01, delivered 3/01. I have had ZERO major probs to date with over 13k on the clock. IN fact my only problems have been a cracked wheel well liner and a piece of window trim which bubbled up. Both were tacken care of hastle free at the dealer at the same time.

 

I fully agree with your assessment of the Navi. I too will never purchase another vehicle without one if I can help it. You are right people will only complain about the minor things but overall, it's 1000 times better than any map[quest].

You'll remember my Navi took me from Kansas to NYC and all points in between. I know how valuable it is. Too bad the people who continuous say they don't need it or that its a tool for real estate people or it's a $2000 map don't really get a chance to see what it's really all about first hand. They surely would change their minds.

I've been to DC about 5 times and each and everytime is a better experience. You picked a good time of the year (I think you missed the cherry blossoms) as summer is terribly hot there. The National Cemetary is a must see and the Mall is pretty nice, too. Think I want to go back there soon, too.

 

I need to go on a long road trip My 10 min drives every morning isn't enough. Just when I'm enjoying my ride, I'm at my destination. This car is definitelty fun.

 

i reallyl reallly reallllYY wish i had a navi

good to hear nice comments!

 

Sometimes like to night, the NAVI loses the north and for good 15 miles the NAVI was like a dog chasing its tail, turning turning and turning.. The only way to correcet this is to pull over shut it off and restart the CLS... Problem corrected.

 

What happened Sandeep? Your navi didn't tell you how to get to my house to pick me up for the road trip.

I agree with everything you said. The navi is a must have even if you don't drive far because you never know when you need one. Like I said before, my next car has to have HIDs and a navi!

 

Mr Hyde you were down here in D.C. & did not drop by & see me shame on you. It takes me about 15 mins to get to the downtown to the Washington Monument in normal traffic.
Yes our little traffic circles can be a pain sometimes.

 

The Navi is just great. I went to Cape Cod last summer without a single map with me.