Has the sat nav been outmuscled by protein powder?

The area where I’d like to see big improvements is built-in sat-navs. It’s great having the sat-nav linked to the car’s wheels (in addition to GPS) when driving through tunnels with multiple underground junctions. This is particularly advantageous in places like Monaco for example.

However, car manufacturers are behind the times. They force you to use their choice of map data provider and then charge hundreds of pounds for map updates which are released only several times per year, unlike Google which provides continuous updates for free. Built-in sat-navs also lack the ability to superimpose real-time traffic speeds on maps, unlike Google Maps. Car manufacturers need to stop seeing sat-nav as a revenue earner on top of the price of a car and instead keep up to speed with the free map and traffic data provided by smartphones.

Of course, there’s the issue of Google maps requiring a mobile data connection, but a car’s sat-nav could cache map data for a large area in the same way that Android phones can, so that map data doesn’t need to be constantly loaded via mobile data.

Unlike other GPS-enabled devices, my BMW doesn’t even obtain the time from GPS. On a GPS-enabled device, it is necessary only to choose one’s time zone and not the time itself. This results in a clock that is constantly wrong, even though a free time source is constantly available from the car’s hardware. This goes to show how little effort car manufacturers put into the design of their built-in sat-navs, despite charging thousands of pounds for them as optional extras.

I use both the built in satnav and Waze. Each has advantages.

Waze is maintained by its user base – more a hard core of enthusiasts than the wider ‘community’ they like to make out – and is pretty up to date when it comes to road closures and map changes. It routes based on real-time data from other users as well as historical data so you do get a chance of avoiding snarl-ups. That does mean it likes to send you down narrow residential streets or make you turn right across busy roads to save a couple of minutes; you might not desire the increase in stress levels. It doesn’t know to avoid certain schools morning and afternoon. I used it for a couple of years commuting into central London and found it immensely useful, and developed much expertise in suburban rat runs. You can take its ETAs with the same pinch of salt you do with your car satnav in the London rush hour, but it’s pretty accurate on long runs. With either you do have to fall back on your own knowledge or, heaven forbid, a proper map sometimes.

Waze’s drawbacks include needing a mobile data connection, which as well as meaning a cost for some depending on tariff (and watch out if you’re abroad) means that it stops working altogether if you lose the signal, something that happens surprisingly often, and not just in rural areas – a lot of high buildings will do it. No signal means you can’t plot a route or lose the one you’re on. And you’ll typically get a weaker GPS signal than the car satnav with its better aerial. Again a lot of high buildings can cause problems.

Finally, Waze belongs to Google. As well as that in itself being an issue for some it is beginning to show adverts on the map or as pop-ups which can be annoying.

Using a map to pre-plan a journey helps to anticipate what the sat nav is going to do next, when driving, and also allows the driver to question any given route change. I am disappointed with my latest in-built sat nav which doesn’t give me much time to anticipate the next move using its audio instructions and has a supposedly up-to-date map which does not include a road opened in Easter 2014 and has missed numerous mini roundabouts and junctions on minor roads. Its three dimension function is a complete waste of time. However I would not enjoy the argument that might ensue if I were to use an additional, portable, sat nav to supplement this in-car one. Does a sat nav have an inventory of expletives at its command?
It seems I am stuck with what the car provides, but welcome the lack of trailing leads and rubber suckers which I have found to be insecure in the past. My map updates -for what they are worth, are free, but one needs a degree in computing to get them into the car.

My satnav is several years old but still works well enough for me. Unlike mobile phones, satnavs have never really been fashion items. Hence, if market saturation has been achieved, they are now unlikely to sell in vast quantities.

I still also use paper maps for route planning. My main use of my satnav is for showing where I am but I do also find its directions useful for guidance on longer journeys.

My experience has shown that some of my satnav’s options – like the “shortest route” option must be used with extreme care – because the satnav will literally come up with the shortest route, as opposed to the shortest sensible route.

Having given up on the various ways of attaching a satnav – the suckers that fall off the windscreen, the beanbag/stand on the dashboard type that are fiddly, difficult to hide and can fall off, the vent holder that broke a fin etc, my Tomtom now sits in between the 2 front seats or my passenger has control of it. I can hear it but not see the screen.

Journeys are planned beforehand, any awkward junctions are made easier by goggle-walking them and there is always a map in the car.

The unknown cost of “live” services and now mobile apps put me off using them.

My needs are different than most and I use a sat nav. I love to visit empty places.

In densely populated areas such as Europe or the eastern US a phone is fine. Google maps is frequently updated and for most, free with the phone they already own. If I drove mostly in or around cities that’s what I’d rely upon.

When in less populate areas such as Canada they can lose signal when driving in forested or mountainous areas. Stand alone sat navs are much more reliable and accurate in such circumstances. Newer vehicles have multiple charging ports and cables are inexpensive, so I don’t consider the relatively short battery life a disadvantage. Map updates are free.

Built in units are much more expensive, both in auto purchase price and map updates. I could buy and discard a new sat nav every couple of years and still save money. Built ins are also less feature rich and can lose signal in the Canadian Rockies and the Northwest Territories, Alaska, too for that matter.

I sometimes want to put a location in my sat nav so that I can find it again or let a friend know where I am so that they can find me. For years I have wanted to know how to find the postcode of where I am.

Here is a website that I have used on my phone, tablet and laptop to discover your postcode area: http://gb7dl.co.uk/getpostcode/

I feel strongly that mobile phones should not even be in the drivers’ area (or even the actual cabin) – too much of a distraction and possible attraction. Mobiles should be connected to a power source in the boot or glove box and have some form of connectivity to a heads-up or similar screen. The ‘mock-up’ on page 37 of May 2016 Which issue can surely only be that – it shows Messages as an option! The car is an extremely dangerous machine and manufacturers and UK law makers have a moral duty to reduce the number of distractions in our cars. Give it a few years and we will be video streaming to the dashboard!