Too bad it doesn't show you more trip/car statistics like:
- avg speed (easy)
- cruising distance
- fuel remaining
- fuel consumption
- inside temp (to check how the climate control is doing)
- miles to service (other service info, oil change, etc)

more complex (more expensive):
- brake wear
- washer fluid level
- tire wear (possible?)
- oil temp
- engine diagnostics
- weather conditions
- road conditions
- traffic conditions
- broken signals, other lights
- transmit location for road side assistance
- probably many more...

I know I'm dreaming. But some seem fairly easy to add via a firmware upgrade (force download) in a future version like average speed. But I guess others in the first list would have required additional connections to the car's computer. The second list would require additional sensors and various other components.

Maybe if they gave us so much to play with we would crash more.

 

None of us would pay anything more for all those extra unwanted features.

 

unwanted? i think some seem reasonable to pay for...

but again i just want the navi...at least the navi in canada would be good enough...

 

Yep, unwanted. Those trip computers have been around for almost 20 years and they still aren't standard on cars. Why not?

For example, what good is average speed? The only good it will do is perplex you as to why it shows 38mph and who the hell wrote the program for it and why does it count when you're at a stop light ilding and does it subtract when you go into reverse....

Extra $20 for "miles to service". Umh, never mind give me the $20. Fuel remaining...my tank rarely if ever never goes below 1/4.

I can tell you that I've been in a few cars and SUVs with the trip stuff and that trip computer is so unused and certainly worthless on the trade-in. Use it for the first month and then it's history. Why not keep the cost down and omit it...that's what manufacturer's are doing.

 

unwanted???
i want those... aleast some of them i will use it everyday

 

Seems mixed...

Unwanted and novel features add to the luxury of the car I in some obscure way. Just thought it would be cool to have, and some features would take a few minutes to program by the software developer.

 

If you want all those features, take a look and a test drive in the all new BMW 745i. I was reading in the mag today about it and they say the gizmos in that car makes the space shuttle look like a kite (the mag used wooden ax).

For a car that's our price range, be happy we even have a navi. Obviously we can't have everything in a $30+ package.

 

Actually if you go to Japan the Navigation actually does some of those things you mentioned on the list...I don't know if thats because their satelite or service is better but maybe if you get a Navi from over there you can get all that stuff???

 

What's really sad is that Acura already has the technology in place for the Navi to do most of things you mentioned in the first part of your wish list. I have an MDX and it's Navi has the following features my TL-S doesn't:

- Instant average for MPG
- Average MPG for current tank of fuel
- Elapsed time the ignition has been on since last fill-up
- Miles driven since last fill-up
- Distance remaining on current tank based on fuel level/recent MPG
- History (MPG, miles driven, dates) of last five tanks of gas
- Automatic trip computer reset at fill-up

You wouldn't think it would be that difficult or expensive to add a trip function to the Navi for the rest of the Acura model line.

 

Not to sound like I'm nitpicking or anything but some of the desired features you mentioned would have no correlation to the function of a navi (like brake wear and washer fluid level). Yeah, I know you probably meant that you were looking for some kind of on-board vehicle-monitoring computer like on the BMWs, but I just had to tease you on your list.

Those options would be nice to have though.

Tony

 

Actually, those trip computers (I assume we're talking about the simple analog ones; otherwise, skip the rest of this paragraph) are becoming more and more a standard feature on cars. Perhaps many people feel like there is no need for them but I for one like it because I can figure out stuff like distance to/from work, etc. Also, it really helps if you have a motorcycle that doesn't come with a fuel gauge (the majority of bikes fall under this category).

Same with average speed--saying that you were driving 80 mph the entire trip has more validity if you have a computer that actually tracked it. It's more accurate than saying that you averaged 80 mph even though there were a few stretches where you were going at various speeds much lower than 80, just because the majority of your driving was done at 80 mph based on what the speedo showed.

Why would it matter how average speed is calculated if you go into reverse? What if you turned around and went back the way you came from--should it "subtract" also? Besides, it wouldn't be too difficult to set up average speed based on either total time or just while vehicle is in motion (i.e., clock is not ticking while you're stopped).

Just because some people can't see any use for stuff like trip computers doesn't mean that they totally have no place in a car.

Tony

 

Too bad the implementation of GPS doesn't allow for "Buddy Lists". It'd be nice if the female voice would say something like "so and so is 2 miles away." Just a wish.

 

This is Japan's rule..... Never to export good stuffs out to foreign countries.....Keep good stuff within it's borders...

Japan has the best cell phones... cars... electronics...etc..
get this ...my dad bought me a shaver it's 3 inch in height.. 2 inch wide... and .125 inch in depth.... u don't see that in the US. that thing costs like 100 bucks..

Navigation systems are so advanced in japan..they even got color ones now

city

 

Those i like
thats the only thing I've used on cars with those computers
is the MPG one

The AVG Speed (at least taht I've seen in an 85 Town Car)
was used to calclute remainting Trip time -- U'd put in a ur trip (how many miles)
and that would count down and also use avg. speed to give u a time remaining til u get there

 

Hehe, that's not exactly the reason.

But I can see where one might think that.

BTW, Japan has the best cell phones because they have the best networks for those cell phones. And because American's don't want to pay for the good cellphones. If you don't want to pay for them, you won't get them. It's that simple.

 

Aha! You've hit the nail on the head. There is a cultural difference between Japan and the USA: People in Japan would actually put down a few more dollars for a "cool" feature. Most people in the US put the emphasis on "cheap" rather than "cool".

That's why you don't see a lot of cutting-edge consumer products in the US. Would you buy a $100 electric shaver that's really cool, or stick with that half-pound $35 Braun clunker that works just fine? I know I'd rather have my change.

Strictly "cool" features have a very hard time coming into the US. There's just no economic demand for them.

Oh, and there's another reason that there aren't any average speed or MPG report on the Navi: it prevents people from complaining that their speedometers are miscalibrated, or that they're getting worse-than-advertised MPG figures. It keeps the whiners out of the service bay.

One thing I would like to see are more POI caterogies to display as icons on the map. On the Alpine Navi system I could display Parking Garages on the screen, a feature I miss when I drive downtown!

 

Does anyone know a way to play movies on the navi? I heard it was possible but this was several months ago and I don't see any info. on this forum.

Thanks