I think Toyota has the absolute worst navigation system....not that I've tried any of the others, mind you.

I needed to go from Downtown Long Beach to Glendale, last week. Silly me, I figured the system would give me the least traffic-ed way. Not only does it direct me a route with the most traffic, but routes me clear around where I needed to go.

It's also a complete nuisance if you've got the radio on.

It's my own fault. I grew up in Southern California and know these streets blindfolded. I just wanted to see what it could do. Never again! Self reliance is best.

Clearly, opinions on auto manufacturer-offered factory nav systems can be a bit subjective; I have the Generation 5 Toyota/Lexus touchscreen navigation system in my '07 ES 350 and I have to say it's the best one I've used so far--I can't say I've used them all but I have used one in an '02 Acura and an '04 GMC, and have messed w/ one in my bro's '04 MB...all have their pros and cons, but I will say that the one thing the Acura nav had that trumped all of the other ones I've used is that it doesn't disable some of the nav features while the vehicle is in motion. Now, I'm not gonna get into a discussion as to whether it's safe for a driver to mess around w/ the nav while driving, but quite frankly I don't need someone else to make that decision for me.

Also keep in mind that I've yet to either hear of or use a consumer nav system (in-vehicle or portable) that's 100% perfect when it comes to calculating a (the) best route to a particular destination. Part of that is of course dependent upon how up-to-date the map database (both the map itself, and the information the database may contain regarding stuff like stoplights, speed limit of the roads, etc.), but even then, sometimes the routing logic can get a bit faulty at times.

In your particular case, I don't know which generation nav system is in your Toyota (if it's before 2006, it's probably a Gen-4 unit), so I can't really comment as to how good or bad it is compared to the one in my Lexus. If you want to believe anecdotal evidence based on other folks' opinions, then the general consensus seems to be that the MB and BMW ones are really crappy, compared to the current nav systems offered in Toyota and Honda vehicles...with the Toyota one given the slight edge, Big-Brother nav restriction notwithstanding.

I recommend not getting the GPS option on your car and instead get a 3rd party portable GPS unit. Garmin and Magellan are two popular brands. The Garmin Nuvi line of automobile GPS units are awesome. It's easy to update the map database for these units, whereas some built-in GPS units can't be updated at all.

I recommend not getting the GPS option on your car and instead get a 3rd party portable GPS unit. Garmin and Magellan are two popular brands.
Totally agreed. I have a Garmin and I do not travel without it. It is well-featured and I love how I can take it from car to car. It lead us from Chicago to WDW with no probs what so ever. Made the trip easy.

It's easy to update the map database for these units, whereas some built-in GPS units can't be updated at all.
From a friends experience, the main thing is to check with your dealer to make sure as to if it is possible and how much the updates cost. Sometimes, that will be a deal breaker.

But even with updates, some GPS units are just not all that accurate or take you down the best path. It seems like every one of them varies in one way or another.

It is well-featured and I love how I can take it from car to car.

This is a great thing, especially on business trips when you have a rental car and you're unfamiliar with the roads. And most auto GPS units will allow you to find establishments (i.e. gas stations, restaurants, stores etc.) that are close to you and/or close to your driving route. Need a Starbucks or McDonald's while on a road trip? No problemo!

Now I'm not saying that a built-in automotive GPS solution is the best way to go, but such units do offer some advantages over their portable bretheren:

1) The majority of built-in automotive GPS units include screens that are larger than that offered in almost all of the portable units; there are a few portable units whose screen size rivals that of built-in units, but those units cost quite a bit more than those w/ much smaller (e.g., 4" or smaller) screens;

2) Unlike the majority of portable units, built-in ones will typically have better warranty coverage (if vehicle was bought brand new at dealership)--at least 3 years/36K miles. How many portable units come w/ standard 3 year warranty?

3) The majority of portable units will not track your location as well when GPS signal reception is less than ideal (the few units that can require that you wire it into your vehicle's speed sensor, among other things--not an easy task); OTOH--many built-in automotive GPS units are wired so that they can track your location on the map even when GPS signals are weak and/or non-existent. Sure, for most folks this isn't that big of a deal but still...

I can't speak for all built-in automobile GPS units, but it is possible to find map updates for some units for cheap on Ebay; I just bought the latest ("latest", as in "recently released"...not necessarily as in "contains 2007 map data") map update for the factory GPS in my Denali for less than $90--list price goes for near-double, and probably even more if bought at the dealership...and no, it wasn't a burned copy or anything like that--it was brand-new and unopened.

Now don't get me wrong--I don't have anything against portable GPS units; I own a Garmin GPS III+ (which I bought way before portable/automotive GPS units became popular) and a Garmin iQue 3600, which I still use every once in a while in my Denali since it does offer one or two features that are not available in the Denali.

For the price, I like Verizon's Navigator.

Has anyone used teh GPS Nav system for Palm Treo or other PDA/Phone like iPhone? How do they fare?

Has anyone used teh GPS Nav system for Palm Treo or other PDA/Phone like iPhone? How do they fare?

I use the TomTom software and a Bluetooth GPS receiver with my Treo 700p and it generally works well. The interface and feature set is pretty much the same as one of the lower-end TomTom stand-alone units.


There is no GPS capability (either included or add-on) currently available for the iPhone, by the way. That is one of the many ways that it currently falls quite a bit short of most smartphones when it comes to the feature set.

-Jeff