Anybody else think the GM Nav is sub par?

[mike1944]

I'm now about 2,000 miles into my trip to Canada. My 2010 Denali is great. No problems. Very comfortable and easy to drive. Very pleased.

Only thing I don't like is the nav system. It's nice how it is hooked up to OnStar which I'm using daily to find a hotel.

But as a straight nav I think it is really lame in giving directions. They are too often late, confusing, sometimes just wrong. Turn left...what...where? Only been a week and already I have turned too soon or too late and ended up having to go around. Those dings are little help. Doesn't say anything when you do turn wrong, just starts redirecting you. You don't know if you are still following directions or are being redirected.

Yesterday it told me to turn left, then right...which I did and ended up back on the freeway. So it brought me all the way back to the same point and gave me the same directions. Fortunately I had noticed the motel on the second trip around and just ignored the directions.

Today, I wanted to drive a scenic highway and set it up to do so. It let me miss the turn, then just redirected me to the regular highway with no notification.

Plus when you first start it up, it apparently can't do anything until you drive a little ways. So which way should I drive?

I also think the displays are too hard to see and too cluttered. I don't like taking my eyes off the road to glance down there and try to decipher what I'm seeing.

I admit I'm comparing it to my Garmin 760 which is flawless and actually calls out the street names and counts down the distance for you. Hardly ever had any trouble getting lost or missing turns. On the rare occasion you do screw up it tells you ..."hey stupid, recalculating"

Anybody else having the same problem/issues?

 

[tx07tahoe]

It gets pretty annoying sometimes.

 

[mikeumkc]

My main issue with the nav in my '07 tahoe is not being able to input destinations or anything while driving. I understand what GM is trying to do there, but the passenger should be able to input things.

The directions and guidance seems "ok". but definitely not garmin like.

 

[stevek]

If the passenger airbag is "On" because the sensor says so, then it should be unlocked for passenger input.

 

[mikeumkc]

hmmmmm. mine doesnt do that.

 

[THE YETI]

mine doesnt "unlock" it either when the passenger is in the seat. Where'd you hear this from?

 

[KMeloney]

I like the nav. Granted, I never had another nav to compare it to, but I can't say that I don't like it or that I'm disappointed in it.

Maybe I just haven't looked into how to do it [if it can be done], but I wish it were easier to determine exactly how it's sending you to your destination. On the Map app on the iPhone, I can just hit the forward arrow to advance to the next direction, and the dot on the map advances to the next spot. I know you can bring up the turn list on the nav, but to my knowledge your location doesn't update on the map as you move through the turn list. (I need a visual sometimes, especially when I think I know the turns, but when I don't know street names...)

Other than that, between watching the distance bar shrink as you near your turn, and the voice prompt and the ding-ding at the actual turn, I have no problem with making turns at the correct time with this nav. Maybe yours has a problem.

 

[Erebos]

The factory nav can't really be compared to the Garmin 76x series, however, I am surprised that the nav on my 2010 has the lane assist feature. I think this and the integration of the OnStar are two great features on the nav, but other than that there's really nothing to thrill about the factory nav.

By the way, does anyone know what are the light blue (cyan) dots on the map as you drive? I made sure I turned off all of my POI but I still see these cyan dots show up along the path that I am driving. Checked the manual and options but no where can I see any mention of that.

 

[stevek]

hmmmmm. mine doesnt do that.

mine doesnt "unlock" it either when the passenger is in the seat. Where'd you hear this from?

If the passenger airbag is "On" because the sensor says so, then it should be unlocked for passenger input.

That was more of a "GM you are dumb" and a suggestion. Dare to dream that would work...

 

[mike1944]

Other than that, between watching the distance bar shrink as you near your turn, and the voice prompt and the ding-ding at the actual turn, I have no problem with making turns at the correct time with this nav. Maybe yours has a problem.

That's one of my beefs. You have to constantly take your eye off the road to look down and see what the distance bar says...at exactly the time you shouldn't be taking your eyes off the road.

 

[gohawks3]

The thing that gets me is with such a big ride with plenty of dash space, they could have moved it up a bit and given us a 25-30% increase in screen size.

I just traded my 09 Highlander in, and although the Highlander also stunk in the accurate directions category, the screen was HUGE and easy to read.

This one not so much.

 

[mike1944]

The thing that gets me is with such a big ride with plenty of dash space, they could have moved it up a bit and given us a 25-30% increase in screen size.

I just traded my 09 Highlander in, and although the Highlander also stunk in the accurate directions category, the screen was HUGE and easy to read.

This one not so much.

Amen my friend. I was just looking at that today and wondering why they didn't reduce/split the ac louvers and get the screen up near the top of the dash. A bigger screen would be even better but I would settle for closer to eye level.

 

[KMeloney]

That's one of my beefs. You have to constantly take your eye off the road to look down and see what the distance bar says...at exactly the time you shouldn't be taking your eyes off the road.

Hmm... What would you rather it do? TELL you how many feet you have to go constantly? Not me. That'd be annoying as hell.

Again, I've never had nav before this. What's a better way to let you know a turn is coming up?

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

yes

I have an '09 tahoe and the sat nav is crap.

I can't enter addresses while moving, I can't speak an address.

I constantly confuse the MI and MIN on the display because they are 1 letter off and .000001 inches apart.

The directions are often stupid.
I'm not paying MORE for traffic when many GPSs do that FREE.

Entering multiple destinations, you have to go BACKWARDS from how your brain works. You think, ok i need to go here, then here, then here. BUT you are forced to enter your FINAL destination FIRST.. .WTF?!

THEN, when you get to a 'waypoint' it only gets you within 500 or so MILES of the actual place you wanted to go.

You can scroll recent destinations, but NOT the address book.

Basically, it's a system designed by an 80 year old for an 80 year old.

My 15 yr old sister could design a better system.

CHeck out the 'My Ford Touch'. If the Ford Expedition gets it, GM can kiss my a$$ good bye. They are so far behind it looks like an etch-a-sketch.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrLdMi_r7-Q&feature=related

 

[BigRed76]

Anyone????

By the way, does anyone know what are the light blue (cyan) dots on the map as you drive? I made sure I turned off all of my POI but I still see these cyan dots show up along the path that I am driving. Checked the manual and options but no where can I see any mention of that.

 

[Erebos]

Yaron -- you seeing those dots as well? Pheww...ok good, so it's not just me seeing things

 

[baron]

Most factory nav's are kinda crummy compared to stand alone units. I haven't had a chance to use one on the NNBS, but most other cars that I have used with them aren't all that great.

Quick hint, unless you are just being super spontaneous, look at a map (real or on the computer) before you actually take your trip so you know where to go, when to expect turns, etc. Even if you don't print it out, it only takes a few minutes to more or less figure out and remember what you need to do.

 

[BigRed76]

What the hell are the dots?!?!?!?

 

[KMeloney]

What the hell are the dots?!?!?!?

I don't think I know what dots you're talking about. Can you be more specific?

 

[stahlgrau]

To turn off the dots, press the menu button then select the nav tab. Look at the buttom of the screen and turn off the off-road mode. This will make the dots disappear, they are useful when you are on a trail or terrain that has not been mapped. It shows you the path you previously took.