"New" Sat Nav?

[RoyMacDonald]

Vodaphone with a roaming agreement I think.

Car manufacturers who fit integrated TomTom units. Renault Lexus Mazda Toyota Fiat Jeep Lancia Alfa Romeo BMW

They moved to a new map making platform last December.

The Bosch automated driving system is going to use a refined version of TomTom maps.

[AB-UK]

Okay - does anyone have the new XC90 sat-nav, and can they confirm whether it is an improvement over the previous "crap-nav" as I described in the original post?

For a start, at a roundabout, does it give you the name or number of the road you must take, or the direction "towards", after telling you which number exit to use?

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by AB-UK

Okay - does anyone have the new XC90 sat-nav, and can they confirm whether it is an improvement over the previous "crap-nav" as I described in the original post?

For a start, at a roundabout, does it give you the name or number of the road you must take, or the direction "towards", after telling you which number exit to use?

OK, so I am no real fan of sat-nav but I put it on this morning to see how it works and can offer the following feedback:

- The satnav directions projected into the head up display are excellent.
- Entering destinations via the touch screen is easy.
- The display on the 12" panel between the dials is also really good.
- It does tell you the road number when exiting a roundabout, but not everytime, I couldn't work out why it said the number on some occasions and not on others.
- Irritatingly, when you pass a motorway exit, where there isn't a lane drop, it tells you to keep right from 1 mile away. I thought it was just to do with the works on the M1, as it did it at J31 and this will be a lane drop soon, but isn't now. However, it then did it on M18 J1 and M180 J1 and J2. These are normal junctions where lanes 1,2 and 3 continue through the junction.

Overall it is alright as far as a manufacturer sat-nav goes, but I am only likely to use it occasionally as:

a. I like to navigate myself in my head.
b. When I do need a sat-nav I tend to use Google as it has live traffic info.

Hope this helps.

[AB-UK]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

It does tell you the road number when exiting a roundabout, but not everytime, I couldn't work out why it said the number on some occasions and not on others.

Thanks for the response.

Exactly - so it still isn't consistent which doesn't help if you aren't sure which exit to take off the roundabout.

[yeoman]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

OK, so I am no real fan of sat-nav but I put it on this morning to see how it works and can offer the following feedback:

- The satnav directions projected into the head up display are excellent.
- Entering destinations via the touch screen is easy.
- The display on the 12" panel between the dials is also really good.
- It does tell you the road number when exiting a roundabout, but not everytime, I couldn't work out why it said the number on some occasions and not on others.
- Irritatingly, when you pass a motorway exit, where there isn't a lane drop, it tells you to keep right from 1 mile away. I thought it was just to do with the works on the M1, as it did it at J31 and this will be a lane drop soon, but isn't now. However, it then did it on M18 J1 and M180 J1 and J2. These are normal junctions where lanes 1,2 and 3 continue through the junction.

Overall it is alright as far as a manufacturer sat-nav goes, but I am only likely to use it occasionally as:

a. I like to navigate myself in my head.
b. When I do need a sat-nav I tend to use Google as it has live traffic info.

Hope this helps.

No sat nav system( I have used a lot since my first one in 2001 way before they became common)is perfect.

Ironically one of the best for navigation( and definitely the most logical) I ever used was a Siemens from back in the day.
In my previous 3 Volvos, I have found the systems to be rather weird.

Tomtom is very good but I hate plug in / windscreen mounted sat-navs.

My current BMW system is passable apart from the periodic epileptic fit.

The Volvo systems are still superior to the ones in Land Rovers that very often take you to an approximate distance to your destination, give or take 1/2 of mile.

[graym]

Originally Posted by AB-UK

Okay - does anyone have the new XC90 sat-nav, and can they confirm whether it is an improvement over the previous "crap-nav" as I described in the original post?

For a start, at a roundabout, does it give you the name or number of the road you must take, or the direction "towards", after telling you which number exit to use?

The new XC90 sat nav is crap in my opinion. Looks nice and will get you where you want to go - as long as you don't mind heading into traffic jams and finding the slowest way possible. Traffic doesn't work at all. I had hoped that by connecting the internet on my phone or adding a data SIM in the boot, it would mean traffic re-routing would finally work, but nope, it makes no difference to the route. It will even show you the traffic as red lines on the map and then head straight into it.
I find the Waze app to be by far the best nav system for navigating around London. The ETAs are pretty much bang on, and it will show all hold-ups, police, closed roads and roadworks. Also as it's community based, you get updates along the way from other users.
If anyone knows how to get traffic working on the Volvo - please share!!!

[AB-UK]

Yesterday whilst driving near Cambridge, an area I'm not familiar with, the crapnav told me when approaching Junction 39 of the A14 to "Keep left and keep left", which I dutifully did.
Unfortunately this meant I joined the lane for the M11, and had to suffer a 10 mile detour before the crapnav brought me back to the A14.

Why oh why didn't the crapnav simply say "continue on the A14" ?

It also told me at a roundabout near Cambridge to "take the third exit" without saying where that road leads to. I entered a retail park which I didn't want to visit.

On leaving the retail park the crapnav told me to now "take the fourth exit" - again without saying where to, and ignoring the fact that the roundabout ONLY HAS 3 EXITS!!!!!!!

I know this is just a moan, but seriously, if the satnav in the new XC90 isn't a major improvement it will ruin an expensive and otherwise luxury car.