ownersite

Hello All,

I have been lurking on this forum for quite a while now (and run something similar for F150 owners at http://www.f150online.com) and have a question that I would like to get some opinions on...

It is about time to upgrade my Wife's car and the 2002 TL-S seems to be the best mix of vehicle performance, appearance, handling and price to making both her and I happy.

I am torn as to whether to go with the factory Nav system or not. Ultimately, I do want a DVD-based Nav system in the vehicle, but factory or aftermarket is really the question. In looking through all of the Acura literature, I could not find any info on whether or not DVD updates would be included with purchase.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...and if this has already been discussed in detail, please point me to a thread. The search function did not return anything meaningful. Thanks!

davest

No, the DVD updates are not included. You get the initial DVD, of course and you can upgrade to the latest disc each year for about $150 if you want to but it's not required. A new DVD is usually released each Fall.

NBP TL

All i can say is that getting my car without the nav was the BIGGEST mistake and my only regret.

DJ Iceman

DVD updates are not included. The Acura web says you can buy updated discs (usually released every fall) for $150. Still, do you want to mess up the look of your interior with a nav system that hasn't been designed for it? By most accounts, the Acura system is accurate, easy to use, and durable. You'll probably be happy with it!

Moo

Get the Nav. Even though I have not run into any situations where I needed the nav, I do regret not getting it. I have my TLS now for almost 3 months. I think the navigation system looks really cool on the dash. I also here that you can tweak the nav to play dvd movies. I decided not to get the nav, thinking I can save the extra $$$ and spend it somewhere else.

AKRY

Go with NAV!!! You will regret if you don't. For us Canadian, we can't even get NAV...

Go with it, you will be much happier..

Andy Kuo

jmboone

I personally am happy that I did NOT get the nav system. The design is much cleaner without the nav display, and I prefer the ability to manipulate the climate controls without messing with menus and buttons.

I've read reports of it giving goofy directions in big cities, and am NOT convinced on the long-term life of the display. Blue LEDS don't last too long, and I dont want a screen that looks like ass after 4000 hours of life. Maybe you trade cars away earlier than that, but for the long term I'm not chancing it.

Plus $150 for a DVD is insane.

RX-72ATL-S

I like mine. It's been handy on a few occasions when I needed directions to a place. The one complaint I have though is on developing areas. It doesn't contain the info. I was looking for this shop and it couldn't find it. Come to find out it had only been around for two months. I guess you can't be up set about that though. I don't even really need mine because I've lived in DFW since I've been alive. But we'll see if I ever go on vacation. If your a gadget person I'd get it. If not don't worry about it. I would think that the Navi would help resale, but I could be wrong.

BlackShadow

Nav =

No Nav =

daverman

I love my nav. I've put up an Alpine CD-ROM nav in my old Accord and fell in love with it instantly. Imagine my joy when I discovered that Alpine makes the DVD Navi on the TL!

A built-in nav is much better looking than an aftermarket install. Besides, your TL would look silly with the nav screen mounted on a tripod mount (like mine was) when there are TL's with the nav built in... makes it look like you bought a non-nav car and then later regretted it.

I've only had to twiddle the A/C controls once before. Now I leave it in Auto mode and am perfectly content with letting the little computer guy fiddle with the settings. Doesn't bother me.

Goofy directions are indeed possible, since the nav system knows nothing about road quality, traffic density and other unpleasantries on the local routes. However, goofy directions are better than no directions, IMO. You can always turn away from the plotted route and let the nav automatically compute an alternative route.

As far as the display is concerned, the Alpine navis don't use LED backlighting. They use vacuum-fluorescent tubes. As long as these tubes are not subjected to extreme cold for long periods of time during operation, their life expectancy is well in the 8-10+ year range. Plus they can be easily replaced.

By the way, my engineering team recently developed an LED backlighting system. Those white LEDs last forever! They are darn near indestructible short of fires and overcurrents.

$150 for a DVD is high, but you're not buying the DVD, you're buying the information on the DVD. Getting an intelligent map of the entire continental US is worth some money, IMO. Plus you don't have to buy the DVD's each time they come out, only when you feel that the information on your current disc is unacceptably outdated.

So there's my 2 cents. I guess you've figured out which option I'm voting for.

Navi! Navi! Navi!

tdoh

I got the NAV only because I know that sometime down the line I'll regret not getting it, even if I find that I probably wouldn't use it that much--it's a mental hangup type of thing for me.

Tony

cjscott

You absolutely MUST get the nav. I only got it because my wife wanted it, but after living with it for 3 months now, I will never ever again own a car without navi.

JusMan

when all you have to do is punch in some data?

I say, get it.

buenafe

I live in southern Calif. I am SO HAPPY that I spent extra money getting the Nav. I was thinking, "why should I get it since I could always use MapQuest.com....."

When you ever have to sell the car, it is a NICE selling point too.

wv5b

Don't even consider not buying the Nav. System. I have found it so handy when in large cities. Just tell it what kind of food you like and it will list all the restuarants to fit that catagory and directions how to get there. Alpine makes the nav. system for the Acura and it is far better than any other nav. system on the market. you will also get most of your money back when you resale the car. I have bought only 2 or 3 cars that were used and I wouldn't consider a used car that wasn't already loaded to the max. You will find the same to be true with Acura. Why buy a less expensive car unless you have the capacity to appreciate luxury. You can spend far more money for a Lexus and not have nearly as good a Nav system. Just my $2 cents.

Robbdogg

I love my Navi system in my car. I like the style of it, the accuracy, and the resource. But I also love the touch screen....forget about messing with knobs....that is so year 2000!! :p :p :p



Robb

ownersite

Excellent information everyone, thanks!!!

Since it only costs $150 to get an updated DVD, I think it would be a good investment to go with the Nav.

Any others that DON'T have it wish to comment? Whatever vehicle we end up with will have a Nav/GPS system, whether it be factory or aftermarket.

dj5

Didn't get it on my 2000 TL and didn't get it on my 2002 TL-S. No regrets about not getting it. I can see that it would be very useful if you frequent areas that you normally don't drive.

I have played around with the Navi. and it is a great feature. However, it was not something I felt that I needed or wanted to invest $2000 in. When I traded my 2000 TL in for my 2002 TL-S there was only a $400 difference in value for not having a Navi.

I

2001TL4KCdude

Get it.
We were in St. Louis and we craved IHOP one sunday. Well guess what, yep DVD resturant>American>IHOP> sort by distance. There was one 6.5 miles from the Arch. It is sooo cooool!! I will not need to ask for directions ever again.

(to the tune of I want my MTV

I WANT MY D-V-D

ownersite

We've lived in Atlanta for almost five years now and I can honestly say that I am *still* learning the roads. I currently have a Garmin StreetPilot Colormap that is great for finding places, just not for turn-by-turn directions. GPS is a must, I definitely agree!

FTM-1

I have had the TL or should I say the DVD Nav in the TL for 18months. I have the map screen on everytime that Iam in the car. I have enjoyed it very much the update is once a year & you don't have to do it. I did not do it last fall but will do it when the next DVD comes out this fall. If you are going to get the car get the Nav. Someone posted how the changing the menu screens was a pain. That person does not have it in his car. Once you have it you will love it. I don't use it that much in the city but when I travel use it to give me time & distance to location. This is if I know were I am going. The system is very easy to use. If you have the money to spen on the car get the Nav. The Nav I wanted so much it even made me change my color choice on the car. I wanted Firepepper Red/Ebony/Nav that car was on order for 3 months I changed to NighthawkBlack/Ebony Nav it was here in 3 weeks. The screen is located in the correct place in the car not low like some. The manual climate controls you will not adjust that much in the car. If you have to adjust them its very easy to do so.

lonny

I don't know how I ever did w/o the NAV. I would never again have a car w/o one. I use mine all the time. I was the best 2 grand I spent on the car. It never ceases to amaze me. Sure, it has flaws and does not always take the best route, but it has NEVER failed to get me where I asked it to.

rockinTLS

I don't have it and sometimes wish I did. I could probably find a usage for it even around home, seems like the roads are always changing.

After visiting DC last weekend I really wished I had. $2K may seem alot to swallow up front, but in the long run, heck even the short run, I think it is well worth it. I just wish I knew then what I know now. That and the $2K to pay for it at the time. Ha Ha!

$.02

oblio98

Nav is the way to go. I drive with the map on all the time, and I have found "shortcuts" just by looking at the display in areas i have driven for 20+ years! (Ever wonder where "that" road you pass every day goes? Just scroll the NAV)

I turn the voice of, cause it makes my wife crazy, but I like the countdown of time and miles to a distant destination.

It does wacky things once in a while, but it is correct most of the time.

As for the display, I think it makes the dash look better, and I cannot understand why people think it is such a big deal to have the fan controls on the screen. All you do is press one button and then select your speed! No big deal to me.

In 5 years, it will be in MANY cars, and people will come to rely on them.

If you can afford it, get it!

:-jon

tdoh

If only the Acura NAV had some of the functionalities of my Garmin III+, like average speed/time, altitude, and for all you people who like to drive fast--maximum speed.

Don't get me wrong--I love the NAV; it has other redeeming features that the III+ doesn't have but I don't think that it's not too difficult to include the above features I mentioned. Just a wish list of sorts, I guess.

Anyone know why Acura published a DVD that contains detailed map info of only select major metro areas rather than the entire U.S.? They could have at least split the U.S. into regions and let consumers choose whatever region suits them if space was an issue. IMHO I would rather have a DVD that had detailed map info of a particular region (e.g., CA, NV, AZ, OR, WA) than one that has detailed info of major cities but is missing stuff on smaller cities--NAV won't do you much good if you live in or want to visit Stockton, CA for example, since there aren't any detailed street maps of it on the DVD.

Tony

Razer

For the longest time, I kept telling myself that I didn't need the Nav. Well, I ended up getting it only because I got a great price on the car and a much better trade-in value on my old car than I originally though I would. After having the car for not only a week I have already used it several times... if I had known all the things you can do from the beginning, getting the car without it would not even have been an option.

Trust me, its MUCH more than your own private mapquest.. get your dealer to really show you everything you can do with it, and I think it will sell itself.

eztider

...I decided not to spend the two grand on it. First, I'm familiar with the areas I drive in. Second, I don't do much long distance driving. The farthest my last car went was Las Vegas. Third, I owned that car for over ten years. I kept thinking, computer stuff lasts about three years before it's outdated. I didn't want to try to figure out how to compensate for an out of date system six, seven, eight years down the road. Last, if it ever broke and wasn't under warranty I figured it would be a b**ch to repair or replace it. If you're leasing or otherwise going to trade in 3 or 4 years and can spare the two large I'd say go ahead and splurge.

Guest

Of all the automobile features/options I've grown to appreciate, the Acura TL Navi is one of the best! Three separate times (in three months of ownership) I have significantly improved my trip to a previously unknown address over the directions given to me by the client.

Ever more exciting, I use the Navi as a quasi-Yellow-Pages directory for established businesses in the city I live in.

One night after a grueling day at work I was craving pizza on the drive home and punched up Restaurants>Italian>Sort by Distance and called one for takeout! When I arrived, the guy behind the counter asked if I lived in the neighborhood. I said "no, I just thought I get a pizza somewhere close to my route home." He asked how I new that their restaurant was on my drive home and I told him I found them via the navigation in my car. I then proceeded to rattle off the other 3 Italian restaurants nearby. Very cool!

David

ownersite

Thanks for the input everyone. I see a test-drive in our near future!

songoku

Nav =

No Nav =

gohawks63

GET IT!!

As for the inconsistencies, I've only found a few and they're far out weighed by the benefits I've found in the few months I've had it.

Besides, the inconsistencies will most liekely begin to diminish with future updates. When I was shopping, it wasn't a question (I'm a major electronis geek), and I'm not disappointed.

Even if you're not asking for directions and just have the map up. I was in a traffic jam and wanted to cut through a subdivision on my left, but didn't know if it would go through or just take me in circles and bring me back to where I started. I glanced at the NAVI, saw that I could get through and got out of the jam. The only way I would have done it w/o the NAV would have been through trial and error by trying all the possible streets.

GET IT!!

silver-s

I have a question for Nav owners. I want to get the TL-s with nav and I was wondering what all the nav can do. I know about directions, restraunts, ATM's and service centers but what else can it be used for? Either way I'm going to get it I just was curious.

Thanks,
VG

thejavagod

I guess it depends on where you live...in LA it can be a lifesaver. As for the goofy directions it does very well given the complexity of some of the interchanges here... but overall I could not go back to a non-navi car !!

thejavagod

The Acura navi is a 4-channel GPS system so it does give altitude, you can see the altitude when you click on the current position icon at the upper left.

My Lexus DVD system is extremely detailed, it even lists addresses in a small one-horse town that I visited once in Alabama! WOW! After some research I found out that Lexus has merged two databases - GDT and Navtech. Acura just uses the Navtech which has only select regions. The GDT is less accurate since it incorporates only 7 attributes per road. The Navtech has 100+ attributes per road.

A representative from Acura told me that the entire USA will be available in late 2002. I'm not sure if its in the Lexus GDT+Navtech merged format.

daverman

The Acura Navi has an 8-channel GPS receiver.
I think they're waiting for Navtech to provide the coverage. Navtech seems to be under pressure to provide coverage of every street in the continental US; they have to if they still want to compete!

pianoman41

I can't say enough good things about the nav. I'm a gadget weenie anyway so of *course* I had to get the nav. My wife says I could buy an awful lot of Rand McNally's for $2000 (dealer knocked it down to $1800 for me). I first figured it would just be an electronic map, but it's *way* more than that.

I know most of the streets around the area I live and work. But I travel different places and even in the areas I'm sort of familiar with I'm always finding new ways to get places. Then there's the time I was going from Northampton MA to Wethersfield CT to meet a friend. Done the trip dozens of times and know a few shortcuts here and there on the CT end. But wouldn't you know it, I'm going there on a Friday at 4:30pm and I91 south is jammed up. Right before Hartford CT there is a major accident on the highway and traffic is at a 5 mph crawl. I know the interstates through Hartford but not the side streets. So I press "detour" on the nav, it has me get off at the next exit, and proceeds to walk me through, step by step, the downtown streets of Hartford and gets me to my destination perfectly--no mistakes! It saved me probably an hour's worth of time that I would have been waiting in traffic.

Oh, and if you travel a lot and want to do some cool stuff, when you get to a new city check out the tourist attractions or historical landmarks. My wife and I use it as a glorified yellow pages. Pull up restaurants we're going to, get the phone number off the display and call ahead on the cell for seating. Usually we don't know where we're eating until we're already in the car traveling so this saves lots of time waiting for a table at the restaurant if we just showed up.

Better than that: Imagine you're on vacation traveling in a city you're not too familiar with. Your wife/girlfriend/hooker gets stung by a bee and is having an allergic reaction. Anyone with medical training knows this can be real serious real fast. Where's the nearest hospital? In 7 quick button presses (Menu, Plan New Trip, Places, By Category, Emergency, Hospitals, Sort By Distance To Travel), you've just drawn the quickest route to the closest hospital. On the fly....

And if you want to find the nearest drywall contractor--well you can do that too.

Think of it this way: Detailed maps of most of the major metropolitan areas in the US + Yellow Pages for same area + co-pilot asian woman (I imagine her in a hot black sun dress but that's just me ) + emergency trip help + a whole lotta cool.

Best selling point I can give is my wife, who thinks my universal remote is a waste of money because I have 6 perfectly good remotes sitting in the drawer not being used, is constantly thinking of reasons she needs to take my car so she can use the nav. And better still, when she's riding shotgun it keeps her quiet because she's busy playing with the nav. ;D ;D

Get the nav!!!!!!!!!

coffeefingers

Dude,

When I originally went shopping for my TL S-Type, I wanted it in white pearl with parchment leather interior and NO NAVIGATION SYSTEM. Well, all the dealers I called didn't have this particular car, nor could they locate one. Only one dealer had this car in the color scheme I wanted but it had a navigation system. Since I didn't want to wait months to get the non-nav car...I ponied up the extra bucks for the nav-car. Dude...it was TOTALLY WORTH IT! The system is the coolest. Simple to use and accurate within a couple hundred feet. Hey, I'm not launching a cruise missle so a couple hunded feet is close enough for me. It's also loaded with a bunch of cool extra stuff, too.


IT'S WORTH THE EXTRA BUCKS...especially if you live in a large city like I do. All my friends think it's the coolest especially when it starts barking out directions. NEAT!

FTM-1

In response to your question the Nav can give you an estimated miles to &time of arrival to your destination. This is according to your actual speed. I just wish Acura had put in a real trip computer that gives miles to empty & average fuel economy.
This will probaly be in the next car I get from Acura.
Last spring Acura sent out a servey as to what features we would like to see in the next generation Nav Systems.
The voice activatiion was one that I said like on the Q45.
I also said the a trip computer with fuel economy added to the system if not the car itself.