We are considering purchasing a Fit with Navigation option. Those with Honda Navigation what do you like or dislike about it? We have a Portable Garman GPS already but would like to have the Fit with Traction control which comes only with the Navigation. Are there any comparisons between Honda Navigation and Garman GPS?

 

the stability management is the only reason i would get the Navi, i feel paying over a grand for GPS is dumb, i go a magellin for 78 bucks... they all do the same thing

 

I like that the NAV has voice recognition. That is a huge safety feature. Plus audio controls on the steering wheel. VSC and TCS are also very nice to have!

I wish I had gotten the NAV!

 

The navigation is adequate. I used it on a trip to New Orleans recently and it worked pretty good. What I like about the unit is that on the USB input you can easily scroll through the folders and tracks with the touchscreen.

 

i think only the infiniti nav is the one that wow's. but even so, it's just a nav
at the end. i rarely use my bb's TeleNav for navigation so i've yet to buy one
dedicated to my cars.

 

From what I've been reading, the most common complaints is that there is no Bluetooth capability, or DVD functions (Honda supposedly disabled those features).

Some people are experiencing spots where the info is not in the Nav (ie. street names, etc), but the Nav will still guide you.


As mentioned the Navi package includes VSA, and volume controls on the steering wheel, I really think I bought this for the volume controls
I barely use Navi as it is. But the Sport Navi MT wait is loooong, I'm still waiting for mine to arrive.

 

I got a Garmin instead. Does the job.

 

aftermarket is much better than the honda program
i had the OEM navi in my tsx and compared to a garmin. the garmin would own it.

get a garmin that has bluetooth and voice recognition and real time traffic. u'lll be happy with that plus u'll be able to put it in any car.

 

If you convert the DVD into MP3 or WMA I think it should play.

 

In the CD player? And you'll be able to watch it on the Nav screen?
I dunno bout that, if that worked some one would have posted that already but you never know. If I had my car I'd try it out.


I'm still hoping for some one to hack the Navi and free up the "blocked" features.

 

Traction control is the least of your gains with a VSA-Navi car. The stability control is the key. I attended a track event at Road Atlanta once and had the opportunity to drive in various adverse conditions with and without stability control engaged. One of the most educational two days I have spent in a car. Even the professional drivers at the course admitted that although they initially poo-pooed stability control, that in the real world, it probably is better than 99% of the drivers on the road 99% of the time in a serious accident avoidance situation. This was borne out by my actual experience in those couple days on the track and skidpad. I got a Navi fit solely for the VSA. I'm not going to ante up for a brand new car and put my wife behind the wheel without stability control. In my opinion, it is that good and that significant. There were people who though seat belts were a stupid idea years ago, too, and I think that today they are in the distinct minority. Do yourself a favor, and get VSA or the like on whatever you buy. You won't thank yourself, because you won't know about the accidents it either keeps you out of or minimizes, they just won't happen in large part.

Do some searching on the web, there are lots of videos, some on YouTube, on how stability works. Pretty fascinating. It's hard to sell this kind of thing to customers, because it is a nebulous idea that perhaps more important than how your car reacts IN an accident is how your car keeps you OUT of an accident in the first place. The best safety is active, not passive, in some regards. This winter, find a car with stability control and an big, open parking lot, and practice some manuevers with it on and off. Then imagine that instead of practicing where you know what you are doing, that these manuevers were coming at you unexpectedly, no notice, and that you have virtually no reaction time. You'll be happy to have VSA in those circumstances.

As for the nav, it's OK. My Garmin NUVI gets me around just as well, if not easier. It was $200. Return on investment for the factory nav is marginal for the cost, but to get VSA, I'll eat the navi cost.

Just my 2c.

 

Good point, and the first valid reason I see for getting the nav aside from VSA. Yes, having played with the factory nav for a couple of days now, and having owned a couple Garmin and TomTom units, I can say that having the steering wheel button and voice command is somewhat of a safety enhancer versus trying to find tiny buttons on a screen and pressing them while driving and watching for menu options. Whether that is worth $1000 or so, well, probably not.

I look at built-in electronics like this. Would you build a VCR into the wall of your house permanently? No, because then the technology changes a couple years later, you are stuck with a VCR when DVD comes out. Technology on things like nav units changes so fast that things become obsolete quickly. The more portable your tech, the easier it is to upgrade when something better comes along, which it will in short order. I'm also a believer in general in spending as little as you can, because technology items like nav units, ipods, tv sets, etc depreciate really fast since it is soon obsolete. The less you spend, the less you lose, and the sooner you can afford to upgrade again since you have money left. There is a point of diminishing returns money-wise. At a certain point, you are spending twice as much money to get say a 10% gain in performance. Might as well spend half as much and get the item that is 10% less functional, because in a year, the cheaper and more expensive items are both going to be surpassed by a third item that is faster, better, AND cheaper.

 

I'm also considering the VSA option and find the discussions here very helpful. - thanks to all. Based on some of these comments, the safety aspect of both the VSA and the voice controlled Nav is way too important not to consider. I too worry about my wife driving with kids in the back with a Fit that doesn't have these capabilities. Yes, you can certainly calculate the savings if you don't get them, but I would be kicking myself should an accident occur.

 

A year and 22,000 cross-country miles later I don't think about the cost anymore. I'm glad we have the navi (bought mainly for the VSA). It is nicely integrated and we use it all the time. Easy iPod integration, too. It was most helpful in Boston last summer—it gives very clear verbal directions for the traffic roundabouts. In large parking garages with no GPS signal it can still dead reckon its way to the road I need.

I'm glad we spent the money to get the navi. It's probably not the best system out there, but it's the one I have and it works great with the rest of the car.

Cheers.

 

If you want to see a cool hack on the Honda navi system, check it out all here. Not only I was able to add a carpc and use the navi screen, but I was also able to use the factory buttons to interface with the PC.

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/show-off-your-project/143899-2007-honda-odyssey-factory-navigation.html

DominicanJB

 

standalone navs have traffic. for instance some tomtom and garmin offer lifetime traffic subscription