Prefer Onboard Navigation to My Phone's - 2015 Acura TLX SH-AWD Long-Term Road Test

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Prefer Onboard Navigation to My Phone's - 2015 Acura TLX SH-AWD Long-Term Road Test

I like the onboard navigation system in the 2015 Acura TLX more than my smartphone nav apps.

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kirkhilles1

Sorry, but I have a lack of trust with those systems after getting burned by Apple Maps. Maybe they are as good as Google, but I'm not going to risk it.

ebeaudoin

I work at a Honda dealer. Lately, Honda has switched from DVD-based nav to a Garmin system (in the Pilot, Accord and Civic) and it's a really slick system. I don't imagine the software/hardware costs too much (typically commands a $1,000 premium in selling price) but it makes so much sense to me.

In my opinion the navigation should be standard in cars with leather (EX-L trim). That's what they did with the new HR-V: LX, EX and EX-L Navigation. No EX-L w/o Navigation trim. Makes the lineup much more simple and shows shoppers that the HR-V comes with navigation standard when they pay the $2,625 upcharge for leather.

7driver

It's hard to determine the up-cost of adding nav since most all manufacturers bury it in a package nowadays.

yellowbal

With a phone, you have the choices in apps and voices. Waze tells you where police are and has re-direction.

carboy21

I prefer iPhone nav and my phone is not chatty.

And it is always upto date

wheelmccoy

I've experienced chattiness from Google Nav, along with some humorous mis-pronunciations. I still prefer the phone to built-in Nav. I have read somewhere, however, that Acura Nav used to include a database of "fun" roads to take to your destination.

allthingshonda

The biggest problem with on board navigation is that it relies on the data provided by the SD card or DVD. Your phone (Google maps for me) gets information from the cloud so it always provides directions with the latest information; traffic, road closures, newly opened roads etc.

schen72

allthingshonda said:

The biggest problem with on board navigation is that it relies on the data provided by the SD card or DVD. Your phone (Google maps for me) gets information from the cloud so it always provides directions with the latest information; traffic, road closures, newly opened roads etc.

All of this is true, of course, but using the on board navi hasn't been a problem for me. Even in my ancient 1999 Acura TL, the navi works well enough that I use it regularly. I live in a metro suburban area that's pretty much built out so there are no new highways appearing every few years.