Handy Navigation Information - 2014 Mazda Mazda3 S Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited November 2014 in Mazda
imageHandy Navigation Information - 2014 Mazda Mazda3 S Long-Term Road Test

When on the highway, the 2014 Mazda 3's navigation system displays off-ramp lane information and the present speed limit.

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Comments

  • ebeaudoinebeaudoin Member Posts: 509
    Very nice. My Dad just got a 2015 i Touring 6MT w/o Tech Package. I like that Mazda allows dealerships to install Navigation later on if the customer wishes. Looks like they've got a nice setup there.
  • mercedesfanmercedesfan Member Posts: 365
    @ebeaudoin,

    That is a big part of the reason so many manufacturers are replacing nicely integrated, shrouded displays with these tablet-like appendages. There is just so much more flexibility if the screen can easily be swapped out. I just hope over time automakers get better at integrating these stand-alone displays.
  • miata52miata52 Member Posts: 114
    And the speed limit sign turns red if you exceed said speed.
  • greg128greg128 Member Posts: 546
    edited November 2014
    Why does that look like an android phone velcroed to the dashboard? Not something I would like.
  • socaldrvrsocaldrvr Member Posts: 4
    Oops! I could have sworn the speed limit on the 10 west was 70. Am I wrong??
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580

    @ebeaudoin,

    That is a big part of the reason so many manufacturers are replacing nicely integrated, shrouded displays with these tablet-like appendages. There is just so much more flexibility if the screen can easily be swapped out. I just hope over time automakers get better at integrating these stand-alone displays.

    I don't think they can actually swap out the screen. On the 6 and CX5 it is a module that goes elsewhere in the car to add navigation. On the 2015 Mazda3 it shows it as "Available on all Mazda3s with color touch-screen display." so it would have to use the current screen and couldn't be added to lower trim models.
  • dgcamerodgcamero Member Posts: 148
    greg128 said:

    Why does that look like an android phone velcroed to the dashboard? Not something I would like.

    Unfortunately, I don't see a back button anywhere on that screen. It's obviously not an Android device! :-P
  • bc1960bc1960 Member Posts: 171
    Some of us actually prefer free-standing, floating screens to "nicely integrated" pustules on the dash. As far as the navigation, I would be more impressed if I had never used another system, or if the marginal price ($800 for 2014, $395 for 2015) weren't multiple times as much as more capable aftermarket units, even with similarly large screens, which also may come with term-of-ownership updates instead of just 3 years. Minor annoyances are things like there is only one choice of voice for directions, and it's female while I prefer male. Or that yes, the speed turns red if you exceed the limit, but it doesn't display your GPS speed, nor can you set a grace interval so it only turns red when you're more than you desire over the limit, so you have to look between the speedometer and nav to know if you want to slow down. Major annoyances are things like many addresses I try to enter are not accepted because the street number is unrecognized (i. e., the predictive keyboard won't allow you enter the next digit)--yeah, you can navigate to the street and find where you're going, but there is no good reason for the data base to be 5 or ten years behind on how the streets are numbered. The thing which most irritates me is that it doesn't use a standard map color scheme; with a few exceptions, most roads are slightly differing shades of grey on a grey background--the streets in the photo look white but are actually light grey. I repeatedly adjusted the brightness and contrast, especially with the nighttime view, to be able to tell the difference between some of the roads and the background. What's wrong with using colors for different capacity roads against a buff or cream background, or why bother to have a color screen? You will most likely get to your destination, but it's a poor value for the price.
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