I heard the TSX ones are better...
what's the difference?

 

With the new '06, the TSX has support for Zagat , which provides reviews of restaurants, hotels, etc.

It's possible the TL will get this in the next DVD update.

 

Doesn't the TSX have the "voice" navigation wher eyou can announce a street address and it wil locate it for you, and begin navigation? (Like the 2006 accord?)

 

ehhh.. i thouhgt the TSX ones are much more superior than ours.. nothing really impresses me unless the maps were Real Time Live maps with Weather forecast built into it. LOL which would be so cool

 

Did you hear that from a reliable source, or are you just saying that as a general statement? Kinda like me saying "the next gen TL will be RWD with a 300 hp V6;" although theoretically possible, it's highly unlikely. PLEASE say you heard that from a reliable source!

 

i'm pretty sure the 06 TSX has the upgraded version which is a nicer layout, and better options

only newer version which i have seen is the 06 Civic Navi, which i liked alot more than the TL's

 

Forgive my ignorance here...

But why would the TSX or Civic have a "better" nav system than the TL? Where is the logic behind that? It may have one or two things that are different from the TL, but it is the same freaking system!

My 04 Accord's nav system was identical to my 05 TL; with the exception that the TL has a larger screen (and I would assume a larger screen than the TSX also??)few more "options" available, such as telling you where a police station is, etc. Oh, and that my navigation says Acura now instead of Honda.

I'd actually be pretty pissed if the TSX "had anything" better. I feel like I didn't pay the amount of money I did for the TL to have "less" than a TSX. That's just not right!

 

Umm, if I remember correctly, ALL of Honda's current vehicles that can be had with a navi have the next gen (better?) system EXCEPT for the TL. I agree that it's not right, but I think it's true...

 

That does suck!

That is one of the reasons I have a love/hate relationship with my vehicles. I love technology for one...so I always want to have what is best and up to date. But, what can I do? I sure as hell can't afford to buy a new car every year. LOL.

I give up!

Thanks for the info, though.

 

You can never keep up with technology. If they didn;t make them bigger, better, faster, you'd never be inclined to trade them in.

I just bought a 2006, and found out I have the older generation Navi. I'm kinda bummed too. I think part of the problem with the upgrade is the HFL. I wouldn't be suprised if they update the 2007 with the newer gen Nav.

Perhaps a very expensive retrofit would be possible if they do update in 07.

 

I found out about Zagat on my test drive in December. I then asked the sales lady does the '06 TL have Zagat. She said currently, only the RL and TSX has Zagat. The TL does not have that yet.

I haven't read up on Zagat, but it looks more like a software thing than hardware. I mean you can install it onto mobile phones and PDAs. So, assuming it does not require additional hardware, Acura could easily add into the next DVD update or in the '07. Only problem I can see from the website is the issue of subscription to the service.

So just consider it wishful thinking.

 

No prob supplying the info.

With the heavy integration of computer technology into modern cars, I think it would be wise to give up on the need to have the latest and greatest when it comes to car technology. I actually have the same mentality as you in regards to wanting the best and up to date, but I'm trying to train myself to realize that this is not possible without spending TONS of money by buying a new car every year or so (which I may actually end up doing when I accomplish my financial goals in the next 7 years).

Think about this the next time you get annoyed with the technology in your car; how long does it take for your brand new, shiny, desktop or laptop computer to become outdated? It happens so fast you can actually measure that time in mere weeks (instead of months or even years like other types of products)!

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you!

And in my current job, I regulate waste, including electronics. Our department has two electronics recycling collections per year....so I definitely understand the dilemma. Just like when I bought my "latest and greatest" Dell desktop at home last year - only to see a TV commercial the following week on the "newer" and "better" version.

It is definitely a losing battle, for sure.

 

I see, well I wish along with you then .

I wish that auto makers would make navi units more of a plug 'n play setup. Since computers become outdated so quickly, it only seems reasonable to allow consumers to upgrade the older systems to run the then current navigation software. Think about it, if properly maintained, a car can easily last for 15-20 years. Can you imagine how unbearable it would be to use computer technology that is 15 years old . I can recall the first computer that my parents bought for the family about 7 years ago. That things was impossible to use about 4 years after the purchase!

But realistically speaking, making those systems PNP would likely cause many people to lose the desire to upgrade and buy a new car (which means less money for the car manufacturers). Therefore, we probably will not see this happen. Oh well, I guess it's all part of that "planned obselescence" thing.

 

Depending on what the expected functionality of the Zagat ratings is, it may be very simple. For example, if you only care about seeing what the rating is, it's just additional text along with the other text about the establishment. Worst case, it could mean just changing "Dennys" to "Dennys (*****)" showing it's a five-star establishment. However, if the goal is to be able to search for all Italian restaurants with a three-star or better rating, then you'll need a software upgrade to handle that. Still neither should involve any hardware changes.

I just wish we had real-time traffic and a trip computer along with the current functionality. The first would require a hardware change, but the latter should not.

 

Lots of companies add features to their GPS units after updates - after all, it would only make more people willing to spend money on the upgrade if it has more features. I have heard that the TSX (and all of the other current Honda models) have a more advanced GPS than the 06 TL, but you know, I got it so that it can tell me where I am at and how to get where I am going. If it doesn't give me ratings on the local Denny's, I'm fine with that.

 

well if its strickly software then maybe you could just load the tsx binfile if you have the lateest disc ver. like you can do to get the trip computer in the nav but your most likley going to loose something

 

it's not only software, it's hardware too

all you need is the TSX or Accord drive and disc

they both will plug directly into the TL harnesses

 

So is any part of the processing unit for the navi located behind the dash, or is it all located in the trunk? If it is all in the trunk, that would definitely make it easier to upgrade the system, if one chooses to do so.

However, with a refresh of the TL do soon, I will just wait and see what Acura has planned for the new TL...

 

it's all in the trunk

 

Garmin already has that technology in their marine / aftermarket GPSs. It gets the data off of the XM Satellite weather service actually, we use it on the boats. =p

Shouldn't be long before you start seeing it available in cars but you can have it today if you go with an aftermarket GPS like the Garmin models. You also have to pay an additional monthly XM weather subscription service, in the case of the marine ones you can even overlay wind/wave/radar / etc on top of your GPS, very cool stuff. You can also take a port on your marine Garmins GPS now and feed it off to your stereo system as your XM tuner/device, kinda neat, so you get tunes along with your weather, so when you're running away from those nasty squalls you can be rockin out while doing it!

Personally I really want them to add the traffic overlays to the TL Navi though like the RL has....

 

rbf351, are you saying that new generation navi computer is pin- compatible with an old one?
That would be an easy (but expensive) upgrade!

 

Perhaps the 07 TL will have a NAV DVD drive that does even more than the 06 TSX/RL and it will pin compatible with our 04 - 06 TL's, and will be an affordable swap. Ah .. hope springs eternal!!!

 

yes i am

the harness plugs are identical, the only thing i haven't been able to check yet is the pin outs. those may possibly be different, but i highly doubt it

i've been trying to find an 06 tsx or accord navi drive on ebay, but no luck yet

 

I think its interchangeable with the TL. SOme one on the TSX forum has a 05 TSX and switched his navi with a 06 accord and it worked. Just waiting to see someone do this with their TL. I really want the updated navi the TSX has on my TL...

 

Just how much better is the TSX navi really? The pics I've seen don't look that much different from the TL. Zagat reviews are nice but not worth an extremely expensive swap-out of the entire TL navi unit (assuming that's even possible). Also I don't really need the car to speak the street names. It's nice of course, but far from important. What else does the TSX navi do that the TL doesn't? Does it have a better screen for example?

 

I am bummed but curious...does any body know:

1. When the new Navi version for the TL come out?
2. where can I buy it?
3. What would be the price?