I'm considering waiting for an Anthracite/Ebony 6MT HPT Navi, even though a non-Navi version is available right now.

I'f you know the roads that you usually travel, what is the argument for Navi besides resale value?

Also, I'm not a fan of gadgets that I won't use.

 

with NAVI you get...

- Easy reroute in case of traffic jams
- you get voice operated commands
- Your AC will work better by detecting where the sun is
- Calendar
- Calculator built-in - Converts Pounds-Kg, Degrees C vs F.
- Appointment reminder on screen

 

OK, I'm almost convinced, but what about resale value?

 

With the exception of the first two things, none of those are compelling reasons for me to buy Navi. However, I do like having control over the stereo via the navigation screen and the ability to quickly locate a client site (or any other business) without worrying about printing out a yahoo map.

To me, the value is in its mapping ability. I don't plan on selling my TL anytime soon [when I get it!] so resale value isn't really a consideration.

 

For me, it was all the reasons listed above PLUS ....

PLUS, I just thought it looked better!!!!!

Seemed to me that the dashboard was designed around the NAVI console, and it looked kind of plain / forced without it. I spent the extra $$$ and have been very satisfied with it so far.

 

I agree that the Navi looks better. I traded in an MDX with Navi, and purposely ordered a TL without Navi. I don't miss it and prefer having a display that I can see on a sunny day while wearing sunglasses. The top three complaints I had with the MDX Navi were:

1. Can't see display in direct sunlight when wearing sunglasses
2. Must manually compensate LCD brightness when using headlights during dusk or cloudy day driving.
3. Eliminated HVAC buttons found on non-Navi models.

At least they addressed number three with the TL design. I have to admit that the Navi display is much better in the sun than any laptop I've ever seen. They also added a lot of new features in the TL Navi. One feature, voice control, I would never use since I listen to the stereo most of the time.

 

Just curious, is there a trip computer or perhaps odometer of some sort in the TL navi?

I've seen screen shots of the XM tuning, as well as the radio fader, balance screens.

In one of the posts around here someone was uploading Honda Accord Navi into their TL. There were some shots of trip computers, etc. while the TL was running the Honda Navi.

 

I looked at both navi and non-navi and as others have mentioned here, the navi looks so much better. I couldn't buy the TL without the navi, because the display they put in its place in the non-navi looks cheesy (to me) and more of an afterthought than an integral part of the cabin interior.

Oh yeah, the extra toys it gives you are nice too... :-)

 

It looks like they left room for a larger one piece LCD, then decided to use two separate LCDs. Somebody, who has absolutely no design talent what so ever, then thought a black piece of plastic would be an OK "fix". In other words, I'm sure the designers of the interior were not consulted when the black insert was speced in. It looks awful and it's the wrong color. Someday I'm going to rip off the dash and paint it gray.

 

Fortunately, Acura realizes that most people listen to the stereo while driving (especially the TL stereo). The system (temporarily) mutes the stereo when you use the voice control feature.

A good example of how useful the voice control can be is to try the following:

Manually switch to CD #3, track 23. This means doing the folowing: First, switch to CD #3 by pressing the "Disc 3" button. Then, wait for it to load the disc. Then, press the "next track" button 23 times (either counting or occassionally looking at the current track number on the display). Now, imagine doing this at high speed and/or in heavy traffic (and bad weather) ...many drivers would prefer to have their eyes on the road.

Or, with voice control, just say "CD disc 3, track 23" and you're done and you never took your eyes off the road.
-Scorpio
.

 

I tried this on a test drive the other day -- the lady kept asking me "Pardon?" hehehe

 

The residual value with navi is actually lower than without navi.

I was disappointed in the screen resolution of the navi. If you are familiar with the roads you travel and are not a fan of gadgets then why spend an extra $2000? I do agree it does look better but not $2000 better. If you know the roads then you already know the easiest route during a traffic jam.

 

Make sure the first word you say is "CD". If you did, then I guess you might be out of luck on the voice recognition (it's not going to work for 100% of the voices out there I guess...works great for me tho :)

You don't really use the Navi for your daily commute and traffic jams--it's really the 2% of the time that you get some oddball address (to visit a friend, biz meeting, etc) that you've never been to that the Navi really shines. Most people don't know every single address/area that they may potentially need to drive too.

However, I agree that the price of the Nav is something that makes it different for everyone in terms of getting it or not (obviously, I'm in the camp that loves it :)
-Scorpio
.

 

IMHO, this is shortsighted thinking but then It IS just my opinion. I've lived around here all 55 years of my life but I use my dash-mounted GPS for a lot of trips that are in my area. Many times, I find a new route. Many times, I'm going somewhere I've not been before. The GPS helps in both occasions. Of course, it's great for any trip where you're not sure where you're going. Personally, I would no longer be without one.

But, then again, it IS just my opinion.

 

I think it's shortsighted for anyone to think we all live in LA, New York, etc., and all have the same needs when it comes to Navi. What city do you live in? (It would be beneficial when someone recommends navi to tell us what city they live in.)

IMO it's a much easier decision to purchase navi if you live in a larger city, like gadgets, or travel often. For all the millions that live in smaller towns and rural areas it's much less of a necessity.

To everyone that has navi please tell us what city you live in.

Thanks.

 

I live in Hilton, NY -- just outside of Rochester, NY. Not a huge place (either Rochester or Hilton). However, I do like useful technology. I travel a bit. I find a GPS to be a very useful bit of technology.

 

In my opinion the entire dash of the TL was designed around the navi screen and by not getting it you are getting a makeshift substitute. For that reason alone I would get the navi. Plus the navi is a neat toy if you really don't need it and a real necessity if you do. My attitude is don't cheap it. 33 or 35K really what is the difference over 4 yrs--500 a yr or $41 a month. If $41 a mo really makes a difference you probably should not be spending over 30K for a car. Ask yourself one question-if it were free would I take it? of course you would- so the issue becomes one of the 40 bucks a month.

 

I dont think the entire dash of the TL was designed around the navi screen because they estimated way more TLs would be built without NAVI.

 

I've seen this statement bandied about before, but I'm not sure what it's supposed to mean. Are you trying to tell me that a TL with NAV that sold for $35,195 on the same day as an identical non-NAV sold for $33,195 is going to be worth less money, e.g. the NAV TL will be worth $25,000 and the non-NAV will be worth $26,000?

I would find that extremely hard to believe.

I went to the Kelley Blue Book site, and compared the trade-in value of a 2003 TL with NAV to an identical one without. The NAV's trade-in value is $23,600, while the non-NAV's is $25,050. I can't imagine that the situation would be any different for the '04 TLs...

 

The answer is to make the Navigation system standard. This will end all of this discussion.

I too think the dash looks better with Navi, but I chose a non-Navi because I don't think it's worth an extra 2k. Although, I wouldn't mind at all if the base price was increased by $1200-1500 and included the Navi. It's only a matter of time before it comes standard, IMO. In the mean time, I know where I am going without a Navi plus I have an extra 2k in the bank.

 

fuque,
The option has depreciated much more than the car, so from a percentage standpoint, the non-navi retains a larger percentage of it's original value. I think this is the message that is being conveyed.

 

But that's not what happens according to current, average trade-in values according to Kelly.

 

lflorack,
What I've seen is a $600-$700 price difference between the 2, if this is a $2k option new, then it has depreciated over 60% in one year. I just did this on a 2003 3.2Tl on kelly's site. Therefore you take a big hit on the navi option. This means the non-navi retains a larger percentage of it's original value. Not only this but in the case of the 04TL, there is less of a discount in most cases on the navi version, possibly further increasing the delta between the 2 versions for the next gen.

On another note, I like the Navi and although will only use it on occasion, I like the usefullness, novelty, and look of it in the car. My goal is to get a Navi TL for $33k and I believe it is feasible, if not now, in the near future.

 

Let me know if and when and where you are able to get an '04 Navi TL for $33K. For that price I'll get one too.

TL-Rocket

 

Will do! I'll expect you to do the same though! Believe me, I'm in no rush to get one and will wait for that deal.

 

Another use of Navi even in familiar routes is the ETA feature. Often when I'm running late to work, I will call the office and say I'm 12 minutes out, and only 3 miles away, whether I'm coming from a familiar place or not. And I also agree that on my commute, I don't know all the side streets along the interstate if I needed to detour due to accidents or traffic. Especially let's say, coming back from lunch or a client site.

And plenty people keep forgetting it's more than a MAP! If I know the name of the store my wife told me to stop by, just program the name, address OR phone number and I'm there! Leaving a friend's house on the other side of town and need to find an ATM? A French restaurant? Mall? This system has millions of points-of-interest. Know the name of your favorite chinese restaurant but not the phone number? Enter the name and call them from the car to place your order!
When I have a list of honey-do's, I enter the places I have to stop, and the car guides me from the hardware store, to her newly found antique store, to the barber, in whatever order I want. If there's an emergency while we're taking a daytrip around Texas, the car will guide us to the nearest police station hospital.
You guys, even in smaller cities, can't tell me you know ALL the streets in ALL your local neighborhoods, and that you ALWAYS have access to wait and print out a Yahoo map. I keep hearing that one. When I'm leaving the office or home even, I don't always want to hop on the Internet. These devices are going to become even more commonplace in cars, and when you trade your car, it will be more attractive to a potential buyer. To me, the '00 TL was only a decent car w/o the Nav system. With the Nav it's a different car. The same with the TL. I wouldn't spend $33K then cheap out at the last $2k. The car will me much more enjoyable with the Nav, as well as being prepped to add DVD/TV Tuner in dash.

 

I'm still not convinced that it's worth 2k for me. And I live in a larger-than-average metro area (Chicago).

Find an ATM? Look for a Walgreens or Dominicks. They are everywhere around here, and I know the ones I end up near. Walgreens even works when I'm out of town.

Need to call my favorite Chinese restaurant? 411 on the cell phone, they even connect for me. I get three free per month, lots more than I use.

Honey-do errands? The piece of paper I wrote it on anyway is enough. It's low-tech, but it works. The most important thing there is the list of things, not the list of stores anyway. I sure don't need to program my car to tell me how to get to the stores!

Need emergency service? 911 on the cell phone.

Navi just isn't worth $2k to me. And this is the second vehicle I've passed on it. I did spring for the Rear Seat Entertainment System for the Odyssey, though. Now that's a useful LCD screen for one of my cars!

Need to get around an unfamiliar town? Guess what, I probably flew there, and I couldn't carry my TL on.

Mike

 

If you have a need for it buy it. If not spend the 2k in go fast parts.

 

First off, if you don't like the Navi don't buy it. I (like others on the board) feel that the dash looks like crap without it. I would just go for it and get the Navi as it really makes the car. Even if you don't use it everyday, think of weekend trips where it may come in handy. The voice recognition alone is worth the price of admission for me.

As a side note to whomever stated that the residual value is lower with Navi, where did you get your data?

Here is an example from Kelly Blue Book on a 2003 TL (they didn't have 2004 available yet) with and without navi

With Navi value = $25,810
http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.u...0TL&2;AC;TS&&&

Without Navi = $25,170
http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.u...0TL&2;AC;TS&&&

You may want to double check your facts.....
:wow:

 

Navi - worth it - You can't imagine how much women love this feature.

 

I suspect that many of us don't know the streets in our city as well as we think we do. With Navi I just put in the address and stop worrying about missing a cut off or trying to head up a one way street the wrong way. I find it real helpful when I am going from one place I know to another I know but don't have a good idea of the best route between the two places is because I have never travelled between the two points.

I don't want to be reading a Mapquest map in the car.

I travel on business out of town a couple of days a month and I love the Navi for those trips.

Since I got the TL I haven't taken hell from my wife because I won't ask for directions. I don't need to.

Finally, given the size of the glove box I wouldn't have room for the maps I would need if I didn't have Navi.

 

Navi is really personal preference. I believe it looks and works great with voice recognition, but for me, I will always drive TL with my family since it's a family vehicle. I won't risk their safety on playing around with Navi while I am driving. Again, with or without Navi, it does not reduce any fun of driving TL.

 

The Navi is definitely worth the extra 2k. I was driving back and the empty light came on. i wasn't familiar with the area i was in. i said "Find Nearest Gas Station". Bam! it located the nearest one and directed me to it. I live in NYC and there are about a million and one ATM machines around. but i want to find the ATM for my bank and not pay the $1.50 in surcharge. addresses for places are just as easy as a rotissere grill "set it and forget it". I have the 6MT and i am flying through the gears up and down, i can change from radio-->XM-->CD without letting go the stick. i want to change the temperature from 70-80 degrees its done in one quick command rather than pressing red up button 10 times. i dunno how the display is for XM on the non-nav TL's but the navi screen displays the song title and artist. was driving home from work yesterday and saw major traffic jam ahead. hopped off the highway using an exit i have no clue. said "go home" and choose to reroute using a detour. got home using a the local routes that i am not familiar with. you can setup reminders on the calendar on your TL. need to bring presentation for your early morning meeting? set it in the calendar and it will remind you. i find all these features as value added options and cannot imagine not getting it. i know if i did not get it i would regret it so much next time i see one with it. if you are spending 30K+ what is 2K in comparison to that. on my last car i got all this junk installed aftermarket cause i wanted an lcd screen and dvd player and ps2. but what i really should have gotten was the nav. its one of the most usefull tools in a car.

 

WHY NOT NAVI??

 

Over the course of my 36 month lease, the NAVI is going to save me over $2k in 411 information calls to Verizon. It's like having a built in Yellow Pages with all the restaurants, shops, etc etc all built in. I only wish that "locate car wash" was a valid voice prompt

I've got a Camel interior, and the majority of the daytime nav's view shows land masses in a matching beige color (anal, but true) which makes the dash even more integrated than intended.

It has the highest 'wow' factor of any toy in any car made today. Not a single person that's ever sat in my TL has ever had a nav or has ever understood its purpose. People just sit there amazed at how accurate it is. Say "find chinese restaurant" and see them wet their pants (might ruin the leather seats, unfortunately).

Even if you don't use the nav as originally intended, it's a must have as the non-navi dash is an abortion.

 

 

Consider this fact:

The demand for 6MT Navi is so high you would be hard pressed to find one on a dealer’s lot. If you wanted one you're going to have to wait for it.

Demand for a non Navi TL is such that you're chances are quite good that you will find one on the lot of a dealer in your area.

Given the above I don't think that the resale value of the car will play out quite like it is being conveyed here.

 

when detouring, another thing I love about the NAVI is that it lets me drive through new neighborhoods just by looking at the map, and I NEVER go into a dead-end street!

As a computer consultant, I bill by the hour, & I used to loose sooo many hours trying to find the customer's office, that I decided I will never buy a car without NAVI anymore. I did the numbers and It helps me produce at least an extra $25.000 per year on extra billable time (that I actually work!).

that alone, makes depreciation figures a laughing matter.
I would even pay $5k more for it (don't tell Acura)...

... you can even deliver pizza using the NAVI and pay for it in no time, then you can use it for FREE. <joking>

 

It's just a different situation for everyone. Like many of you navi owners, I thought the dash looked 10x better with the navi, but a little bit of styling wasn't enough for me. Here are some of the reasons I personally didn't get it:

--I've been living in the same area for 15 years and already know where everything is. Not to mention it's the 'burbs where roads are clearly marked and lanes are wide.
--I don't use the car for business or take many road trips.
--I have a good sense of direction anyway.
--Would have cost an extra $2500-$3000. I can think of LOTS of other stuff I could spend that money on that would have more value to me.

I think you'll find the reasons are pretty similar for some of the other people who didn't choose to get the navi.

 

I am a real estate agent and find the Navi incredibly useful. Before I had it, I would tour clients around looking at houses and they would either be in the car with me or following behind. I would always be checking the maps trying to figure out the best way to get to the next house.

Often I would miss a turn and have to pull a u-turn or pull into a driveway to turn around which was always embarrasing. Not anymore!

Now I just program in all of our destinations and off we go!

(Confessions of an agent from Wilmington, Delaware)