SUP. So I have the 2.4l and I need a GPS. Any recommendations? I refuse to go with Tom Tom. I received one as a gift, and it was a total POS. NEVER worked and they refused to honor their warranty. VERY bad experience, I even looked online, and that particular model I found had tons of people complaining about the same issues. So - any other good recommendations? Also please describe why you recommend that particular model. Price range up to a few hundred bucks, but more along the lines of $100-300. Thanks.

 

I use my smartphone (Moto DROID4 on Verizon) with Google Maps Navigation (Maps 6.14.2, with the separate Navigation app; I reverted and disabled updates after Google inexplicably ruined the interface). I have it mounted on the "shelf" to the right of the screen, with a thin-ribbon USB power cable run through the dash.

I should note that I haven't upgraded the DROID4 because the newer smartphones (e.g., DROID MAXX) don't have car mounts. I might get a standalone nav device if I do upgrade the phone.

Two things I like about using the smartphone as opposed to a standalone GPS: (1) it's Internet-connected and so maps are always up to date, and it has live traffic; and (2) I'm never tempted to leave it in the car when and where I probably shouldn't.

 

Yeah man, nothing beats the smart phone now a days. My android is so great I occasionally use it instead of my on board navi. Only reason is when I am already driving and the oem navi requires you to pull over unless you use voice commands.

With android I can stream my music through bluetooth. When I use my phone for navigation it will turn down my music and tell me what turn to take then turn the music back up. This only works when music and the navi is streaming bluetooth audio but it is a great function.

 

I have a galaxy s4... i use google maps sometimes, but i always keep the location functions off. which makes it way less convenient or useful. or maybe I just haven't figured out how to use i that well without that... but really I don't like that someone can know where Im at because of my phone. Or pictures tagged with location and all kinds of stuff like that... invasion of privacy, and makes it easier for stalkers to get to you. I mess with some crazy hoes man... Yeah, I do want a GPS with voice command functions and i never even use bluetooth for music, mostly cuz I just use my Ipod. But its getting old and freezes up every once in while, so i guess i'll load my phone with music and start using my bluetooth too. I get really pissed when I'm stuck in traffic and all of a sudden my Ipod takes a dump..... nOOOOOOOOO... hmm... guess I'm just gonna have to go into best buy and shop around, most people are probably just using their phones I guess...

 

Indeed. Between that and having the perfect mounting spot on that "shelf" in front of the screen, I was OK with the 2.4L not having on-board nav available. The other thing about using the smartphone is that I can find and save my destination on Google Maps on the Internet (home or office PC) and it'll sync to Google Maps on the phone.

The only real downside is that with Navigation running (using data, GPS, Bluetooth, and the screen on full brightness), the phone's battery drains ever-so-slightly faster than the car charger charges it. This is only a problem if you're taking a really long drive.

 

I have a spare battery for my galaxy note2 that sits on a mini charger in my center console so I always have a fully charged battery.

 

The DROID 1 was a terrible device, but at least it had a swappable battery. The DROID 4 has lousy battery life, although that's largely due to my firm's enterprise email client which is a power hog. I think the proprietary Motorola charger charges faster, but I can't thread that coily wire through the dash.