Built-in sat nav updates: destination expensive

I’ve used a variety of built-in car satnavs (mainly on rental cars) and without any exceptions, compared to my TomTom, they’re abysmal. Difficult to enter the destination, questionable routing, slow to re-route if you divert, limited flexibility……Whereas with my TomTom using a beanbag mount on the dash top, it’s easy to put out of sight in the boot. With my TT I can add my own points of interest using software such as TYRE which makes it easy, and I subscribe to a web site which enables me to download **accurate** (never had a failure yet!) speed camera locations. This site also offers custom POIs such as hotel/supermarket/tourism etc etc, which I find immensely useful. TT also offer a reasonably-priced upgrade subscription and I think that Garmin do lifetime updates for a one-off up-front fee.

The only way I’d contemplate buying a car with built-in satnav is when (if) the car maker offers a rational business model for the update charge. Are they listening? Probably not…..

Why even bother buying a satnav these days when you can have free systems that you install on your smart phone/tablet. Most Android phones come with navigation software. If you don’t like that there is one application that you can install on iPhone, Android etc. called Waze that is a dynamic social satnav that is free of charge. I have a TomTom Go 740 but never use it any more because of this saftware.

We already had a Garmin 3760 sat nav when i changed my car to a 2010 toyota avensis T4 sat nav fitted, in june last year we drove to the Narbonne area of France then onto Spain based in Tossa de Tmar. because this was my first long journey in the toyota we used both sat navs. Over 2 weeks & 2500miles although the toyota sat never let us down it was slower than the garmin.The garmin also had speed camera locations & the road limits showing live. For a so called premium sat nav the toyota has none of these. If buying a new car i would buy after market sat nav every time

Just asked for a Merc sat nav update disc……… £220!! What an unbelieveable rip off, how can they justify charging that for a .50p CD? A new system costs £3500 if you buy them as an extra when you order your car.

I bought a 2012 Suzuki SX4 X-EC with Bosch Compact Multimedia built in sat nav, it’s a very poor attempt at being a sat nav, I think a trainee software designer has been let loose.
Maps were out of date the day I bought the car,roads missing, incorrect junctions, no speed camera alerts, POI’S have to be installed onto a USB stick and loaded onto the sat nav myself, so for every town that’s visited this would have to be done manually.You can not sit in the car and look at map to show all of the roads within the vacinity to where you are.It will only show the road that you are on.Crossing a junction it will only show either the left or right road not both!! It will not redirect or recalculate a route,you have to get into nav setup and scroll to cancel the route and start again, all of this while trying to drive(sounds like an accident waiting to happen.It has failed 3 times to get me home by either fastest-economy-or direct route.Still in conversation with Suzuki about updates, the Dealership will charge £130 for updates, I can not down load them myself as they are supplied to Suzuki from Navteq direct, what a scam.The only good points are,Bluetooth for handsfree telephone connection and has USB port.

A VERY disgruntled owner of this system

I was very interested in the 2 comments about the Hyundai i40 built in sat nav. I am thinking of purchasing a Hyundai i30 later this year and trying to find out about all the features of the built in sat nav. I contacted Hyundai customer support they emailed me the answers to my questions
1. Does it have both Post Code and address function?
At the moment, it has partial post code entry (4 digit) and full address entry. 7 digit post code entry will be available with the Navteq map update (Autumn) which the you would have to purchase from the dealer.
2. Can you zoom in on the map and then select to navigate to that point, using touchscreen on map
You can zoom in on the map but cannot select to navigate to a point via the touchscreen
3. Does it show the road speed Limits, on his it shows max speed limit of the road
Yes
4. Does it have speed camara warnings
No
5. Does it have TMC, and what are the main functions.
Yes – it will warn you of traffic jams on route and re-direct you (if you agree to be re-directed)
6. How does the software get updated
Annual Navteq map updates are available to purchase through the local dealer
Does anyone have any other information regarding the built in sat nav on the latest i30

thank you

Built-in sat navs are only useful if manufacturers don’t rip you off for updates. I have a Nissan NOTE and now use a TOM TOM since the updates from Nissan are daylight robbery! It would be useful if Which? would compile a list of the charges made by the car companies and shame them into behaving reasonably (i.e. charging the same price at updating stand alone sat navs). It would also let people know that they should discount the salesman’s pitch that the built in sat nav is a valuable feature!

SO COME ON NISSAN (AND OTHERS) DO THE DECENT THING!

I took delivery of a brand new nissan top of the range qashqai in Dec 2012. Within a few months it was clear that the sat nav didn’t register a main road that had been around since 2003! When I spoke to the dealer I was told to up grade my sat nav at a cost of £150. I contacted Nissan customer svc only to be told that as Navteq provided the chip and even if I did up date the chip there was no assurance that the newer version would pick up on some of roads currently missing. What’s the point of having a sat nav built into a car when it is clearly already out of date when the customer takes delivery. Surely this is not legal, especially not ethical? Come on which? do your magic and put these guys right!