V70: Stereo/SatNav/Phone Sensus satnav predicted journey times

[jwilson]

Having now had the update to V1100 software which allows me to download up to date maps to my 2012 V70, I have found the predicted journey times to be truly weird.

A 200 mile approx drive that I do regularly (several different routes depending on traffic and day/time) is typically about 4.5 hours, unless you hit a major incident or it's a Friday evening. Midweek lunchtime the Sensus satnav showed 5.75 hours with no obvious traffic warnings. It stuck above 5.5 hours for about 30 miles, then over a five mile/five minute period dropped to under 4 hours, which was probably about right. However about 20 miles from home, when I knew that it would take at least 35 minutes, it was showing 18 minutes, which would have meant doing about 70 mph non-stop, through two towns and villages, lots of 30mph limits, and 4 sets of traffic lights. I think it was assuming that as I'd spent the previous 80 miles on a fast dual carriageway I'd be carrying on at that speed.

It has done similar things since. The ETA is totally unreliable, and when going out to a job 200 miles away I always set off with about an hour to spare, and if the ETA is early stop for coffee/lunch, and if held up use it to phone the client to say I may be late. On my prevous Garmin and Tomtom portables ETA was usually pretty reliable - with Sensus it's impossible.

[apersson850]

I've experienced something similar when my car was brand new, in 2011. But with later software and map updates, it's been reasonable in ETA accuracy.

But I'm in Sweden. I see you're in Truro, and assuming there aren't two of them, then I know that the roads in Cornwall aren't inviting to high average speeds. I was there again last year, but since it was for a holiday visit, I didn't pay too much attention to the ETA, so I can't really comment on if I experienced it to be way off or not.

Garmin navigators learn how you drive on eight different types of roads, from jungle track to Autobahn, and then use this speed experience to calculate the ETA in the future. I don't know if Nippon Denso (Volvo's subcontractor) does the same.

[daithevet]

Mine is doing the same after the upgrade, completely unrealistic journey times. The last one was 5 miles of city driving it predicted 6 minutes but actually took 25. It leaves me wondering how it can choose the correct route when it doesn't know how long each option will actually take. It's a bit of a kick after being charged £120 for the upgrade..

[krzemien]

I don't know about sensus satnav but my Garmin nuvicam (second one, previously 3590) is doing sterling job and ETAs are in line with both expectations (I do homework prior to any longer trip though & plan in advance accordingly) and ongoing conditions on the road (traffic jams, accidents, road closures etc.)

[Voltan]

Originally Posted by jwilson

Having now had the update to V1100 software which allows me to download up to date maps to my 2012 V70, I have found the predicted journey times to be truly weird.

A 200 mile approx drive that I do regularly (several different routes depending on traffic and day/time) is typically about 4.5 hours, unless you hit a major incident or it's a Friday evening. Midweek lunchtime the Sensus satnav showed 5.75 hours with no obvious traffic warnings. It stuck above 5.5 hours for about 30 miles, then over a five mile/five minute period dropped to under 4 hours, which was probably about right. However about 20 miles from home, when I knew that it would take at least 35 minutes, it was showing 18 minutes, which would have meant doing about 70 mph non-stop, through two towns and villages, lots of 30mph limits, and 4 sets of traffic lights. I think it was assuming that as I'd spent the previous 80 miles on a fast dual carriageway I'd be carrying on at that speed.

It has done similar things since. The ETA is totally unreliable, and when going out to a job 200 miles away I always set off with about an hour to spare, and if the ETA is early stop for coffee/lunch, and if held up use it to phone the client to say I may be late. On my prevous Garmin and Tomtom portables ETA was usually pretty reliable - with Sensus it's impossible.

To add to the woes, European map updates for the upgraded Sensus navigation will not be available till mid 2018. I think it is entirely possible that when the 2018 update is published it will not have the new Queensferry crossing for example. This has already appeared on my free Nav app on my iPhone but I do hope that Volvo is committed to supporting its system for a few years yet.

[jwilson]

Originally Posted by daithevet

Mine is doing the same after the upgrade, completely unrealistic journey times. The last one was 5 miles of city driving it predicted 6 minutes but actually took 25. It leaves me wondering how it can choose the correct route when it doesn't know how long each option will actually take. It's a bit of a kick after being charged £120 for the upgrade..

Yes - having now got the update to new maps, I've bought a phone holder that fits into the CD slot and puts my Iphone with Waze maps and nav partly in front of the Sensus screen. Sensus is still giving truly silly ETA times. Waze (and my older Tomtom and Garmin satnavs) were also pretty accurate unless a major accident screwed up the timings, which is of course impossible to predict.

And if you do set a destnation on Sensus, then turn off the directions voice, it STILL mutes the radio or CD when it is giving (silent) directions. I asked a the Volvo service manager about this and he said "... almost everyone complains about this".

[apersson850]

It seems to work better in Sweden, then. Two days ago I drove 154 km. The car predicted arrival at 18:30. I noticed that I actually arrived at 18:29.
I've never tried turning off the voice directions, though. Have to test that.

[apersson850]

Originally Posted by jwilson

And if you do set a destination on Sensus, then turn off the directions voice, it STILL mutes the radio or CD when it is giving (silent) directions.

Now I've tried. This is one they've fixed. When I turn off voice guidance, it doesn't mute the radio/media when it otherwise would have spoken. Not until I turn voice guidance back on.

[jwilson]

Originally Posted by daithevet

Mine is doing the same after the upgrade, completely unrealistic journey times. The last one was 5 miles of city driving it predicted 6 minutes but actually took 25. It leaves me wondering how it can choose the correct route when it doesn't know how long each option will actually take. It's a bit of a kick after being charged £120 for the upgrade..

After another six months of using the Sensus in parallel with Waze on phone, I have come to the conclusion that the utterly stupid Volvo system works out the mileage and divides it by your current speed. If you start a journey slowly and whilst driving slowly voice in a destination it guesses you'll go slow all the way, and gives a ludicrously long ETA. Then when mid-journey you hit dual carriageway or motorway and do 70 it very quickly winds back the ETA, but doesn't seem to know that the last 10 miles will also be slow and predicts you'll do the last 10 miles in 30/40 speed limits at 70.

I've used three different makes of add-on satnavs plus Google and Waze on phone: all those worked pretty well. The Volvo system is so far the worst it's as if they'd fitted trafficators and vacuum-powered wipers.

[apersson850]

But your conclusion can't be the whole answer. If I ask for directions to work, when I leave my home, the prediction is within a minute or two of the actual time, for a 30 km long travel.
This in spite of that during the calculation, I'm doing 30-40 km/h in the residential area, but after a few km, then 25 km of the remaining part of the trip is a 110 km/h highway.

If your conclusion was correct, then the prediction would be like if I used a bicycle for work. But it isn't.

Haha, trafficators... They typically had the problem that during winter time here in Sweden, they were frozen solid. No indication until in March or so!