...How do the German iconic marques get away with putting in such appallingly bad nav systems?

This POS nav system looks like it was pulled off a 1998 Yugo. Impossible to figure out the icons, what each button or control did and the screen resolution looked like a 13" B&W TV from the '50's compared to the gorgeous screens to be had in an up to date car like the 4G TL.

How do they get away with this and why don't they improve the crap they're putting in their cars. It would seem like it's simple enough to do. Just contract out with Garmin or someone and they'd supply up to date, first rate units that they could then install.

I just don't get it.

 

I have an 08 M3- horrible nav
Wife has an 07 Tahoe- ok nav
I have a pioneer avic in my DD. it's ok but buggy, graphics are good.
My 06 TL had the all around best nav.

 

They get away with it because people don't give a fuck as long as there's that nice blue and white hood ornament on the car.

 

And the price they want for the behind the times, bland vehicles is unreal!!!

 

Um. They did.

http://www.bmwblog.com/2008/07/04/up...d-information/

Acura navi is still better though.

 

Audi navi isn't so bad...

 

Agreed. The Nav in my 08 M3 is pretty terrible. I had a M35 rental car this past weekend when I was in LA and it was lightyears better.

 

Interesting. In all my test driving of BMWs and MBs, I've never tested the functionality of the Navi systems in either make....other than just noting the general appearance of the screen when compared with that of my Accord's.

From a clarity point of view, Lexus has the best screens I've ever observed of the makes I've driven, with my Accord (Honda in general I guess) coming in a distant second. Nissan/Infiniti IMHO is in the same ballpark as Honda.

But with secstac, BMW buyers seem to be less compelled by the navi as they are with just having a BMW....although I am seeing more current gen BMWs with Navi nowadays.

 

I agree with F23A4. Lexus has awesome screens that don't wash out as much in daylight. This was a minor flaw of the RL, which still had an overall better nav system than Lexus, MB, or Infiniti. The only navi IMHO that can come close to the Acura/Honda units is Audi, which does awesome interiors in general.

 

IIRC the Acura/Honda Nav system is generally accepted as the best in the business by various automotive journalists. Bob hows the one in the new caddy, it looks pretty good.

 

BMW has always had terrible navi


try 7 series. It took me 1 week to figure out how to cancel route.


I am sorry but Navi + Idrive = Fail

 

My X5's nav with real time traffic is good. It's the iDrive system that gets some getting used to.

 

Hmm... I've been in several new BMW's and I thought the appearance was fine. I really like how they have that 3D view that shows the horizon.

 

I agree....

My friend has a 2006 Lexus GX 470 and a 2006 RL. The Nav system in the RL was much better compared to the Lexus. Except for the screen (as you mentioned) and the voice commands which was virtually useless in the RL as it rarely recognized anything compared to the Lexus.

I am not sure about Audi but by looking at their new MMI which has just been released, Its definately going to be tough to compete with.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/29/a...tails-new-mmi/

 

I find it amusing to read your garbage.

You do realize that BMW's i-drive screen actually has one of the highest resolution among car manufacturer.

The 10.2" is made by LGD with 1280x480 IPS panel.

Which easily beat out TN (with LTPS) based display which your beloved TL uses. Your TL has a 8" 640x480 LCD.

Please get your bias straightened out.

Gorgeous???? Don't think so.

While the BMW menu is a little spartan. The menu structure of the I-drive is not that hard to use after getting used to it.

While the Honda/Acura navi is easier to use. But I do not like the search function on the honda/acura navi, because unless you picked the right category you will not find the closest store that you want to go.

Lexus and Toyota still makes the best factory navi. Menu structure and POI search are the easiest and gives much better result.

4G-TL has good screen??? Sorry. Got to laugh at that one. 640x480 is antique in small medium size display. Not to mention TN cell structure.

 

i saw the new one in the 3 series... the updated one... seems better than the orig idrive but still, theyre just not motivated to bring this as a highpoint in their cars a guess

 

You know resolution is not everything. I used to sell televisions and have seen plenty of 720P and 1080i screens that looked better then 1080P screens. There are more factors then just screen resolution that determine picture quality.

 

i said lexus got the best nav i ever use, i have a 08 LS460, the screen is crystal clear, they are the LCD screen, even under the sunlight still very visible, and very easy to use, i know a guy had a Audi A8 his like 60ish, he trade it in his A8 for a LS460 just because he still can figure out how to use the system in his A8, he say all the button way too busy around the dash, and takes him like 20 minutes just to figure out how to turn the bass down.

 

I have Navigation in my M3 and it's crap compared to comparable units from Infiniti, Lexus and Acura. Resolution doesn't mean much when the navigation doesn't have required say the street names, has missing locations, street names aren't always visible, even fully zoomed in, is very slow to scroll, and has a terrible user interface through iDrive. For example,. it's a pain to get back to the map once you change screens, etc..

I saw the 09 navigation with the new iDrive and it's a huge improvement.

 

I totally agree with this, except it's me saying it to you.

Spouting off a bunch of technical BS (and yes, I understood every word and acronym) that's barely related to the thread doesn't make you sound smart, it makes you sound like a pompous ass. This is especially true when your sentences and "paragraphs" (I use that word loosely here) are structured so poorly it makes my head hurt.

Didn't BMW just update their nav system late last year, giving you those nice fancy specs to quote? Most likely this post is referring to the old system unless the OP just brought home a brand new BMW.

 

The nav on my car is terrible. Hideous load times/search times, can't search by point of interest (wtf?), terrible icons.

The new BMW nav is ok, still not as good as Japanese Navs (Acura, Infiniti). I'd just skip it and get an aftermarket unit. Why aren't they better in BMWs? I have no idea, my guess is the people buying BMWs dont really care that much whether they are just buying for the badge or for the drive. For me the nav sucking is a pretty minor concern.

 

x2,

 

FAIL!!! It took me 5 minutes to figure out Idrive and only 10 minutes to cancel the route! Use common sense when dealing with I-drive!

 

Yeah, but by comparison, it took about 1 minute to learn the Acura TL Navi and about 10 seconds to cancel a route!

 

that's true though, the acura navi system is pretty straight-forward and idiot proof for the most part.

 

I do this for living. I know a good panel when I see one.

You want to talk color gamma, NTSC, refresh rate, brightness. Let's start.

I can tell you the BMW screen is far superior than your garden variety TL LCD.

While, I don't think BMW menu graphics takes full advantage of the panel's capability.

But the screen itself is better than TL's screen.

As far as honda/acura navi being easier to use.

That also depends on function. Ever try to search for closest borders with your acura navi? Tell me, how many category you need to find it? I doubt you will find the closest one on the 1st two tries.

I-drive has higher learning curve. But once you learn it. It is actually not too bad.

Let's compare

Cancel-route
BMW- you simply move the i-drive button to the Left.
Click on the arrow icon. The route is cancelled. Wow- same screen and two click.

Honda (based on my 07 odyssey)
- I believe you have to hit the menu button while in navi-screen (this button happen to be on the passenger side of the screen). Difficult to reach and i need to take my eyes off the road.
- It takes you to another menu (couple second). Then you have to choose either back to current route or cancel it. Again you have take your eyes off road.

it takes the same two click stroke. But on i-drive, I really do not have take my eye off the road. But on the honda i do.

So tell me which one is easier.

 

Acura has always been ahead of the times with their user interface on their nav units. Ford with the Microsoft Sync is awesome as well.

 

3G TL is easier than the Honda as described- Push button for "menu," then touch "cancel" (lower left side of screen closest to driver),
OR say "menu," "cancel" using voice controls.

 

The same voice command exist for i-drive.

The point i am trying to make is that people slams i-drive because of limited exposure.

The simple truth is that i-drive is not as bad as people make it out to be. It has its problems. But Honda/acura has other problem as well.

The only navi that i like with only minor gripe is toyota's new system. Once you know how to make hybrid disc, it is easier to use (at least from my point of view).

My i-drive is slow to load at times. Very frustrating when you want to enter complicate long address. I can't tolerate twisting knob to enter letters. I would have preferred a mini-key board with joystick to move around.

This is where I-drive is a fail for me.

Each factory navi has its issues. I can't stand honda's category and name search. It's just a bad design.

 

Most of us who are car enthusiasts or not tech-resistant will be able to use most Navi interfaces decently after a couple of hours.

However, the Honda/Acura (Alpine DVD) Navis are simple to understand and use for a novice or person who does have limited exposure and is unfamiliar with navi systems or pre-2009 iDrives-- think of some schlub renting a car with Navi from Hertz.

Oh, and search problems with my TL Navi arise from the coding and entry of locations by the data entry people (i.e. "Starbucks" comes up about 20 different ways, or the Borders v. Borders Books v. Border's, etc.)-- it's not a sucky interface hardware issue like the of Mercedes Comand system or earlier iDrives.

 

I love the nav in the RL. I find Audi's to be simply okay. I used it in an area of Portland I knew very well and it took the most circuitous route to cross a bridge that had an entrance ramp right there.

I briefly got to check out the nav in the Hyundai Genesis. Very clear graphics and easy MMI-style knob. I didn't get to use it on a drive so I'll hold off on final judgement until that happens.