[mjoshi]

Hi,
I want to know opinion of people who have Pacifica with Navigation. How good is navigation on Pacifica compared to apps like Waze or Google Maps ? I've Navigation in my Acura but most of time I prefer using Waze over what I've in my Acura.
TIA

 

[CentralFla]

Judging from my experience with the NAV, and being unfamiliar with Waze I'd say you'll probably prefer Waze (I've heard good things about it). I'm not a big fan of the NAV system and in hindsight I should have spent $100-$150 for a new Garmin NUVI (LTM & Traffic) to replace my old one that died.

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[Red MC]

The navigation system in the Pacifica is better than average for automotive systems, but there is no automotive system (built-in or add-on) as good as Google Maps or Waze.

Whether the UConnect Nav is good enough or not depends on how often you use it and what you use it for. I live where traffic is usually the biggest factor in route planning and I value truly real-time up-to-date traffic over any other aspect of navigation performance. I love the crowd-sourcing aspect of Waze but let's face it, it's really a data collection and adware platform. If there were a "pro" or "premium" version that you could pay for and avoid the data collection and ads, I would pay for it. I find Google Maps to be less offensive in that respect (or perhaps just more subtle), and it uses crowd-sourced traffic data from Waze, so that is my go-to navigation app.

The built-in UConnect Nav will get you to your destination, but it won't necessarily get you there as quickly and efficiently. The traffic info that it obtains from radio is not as current, time estimates are not as accurate, it sometimes takes you on odd routes or makes you backtrack, it's database will become out of date over time and you'll have to pay to update it. Compared to my phone, the navigation map display is sparser and less informative at an equivalent zoom level, and panning and zooming the map is pretty slow and unresponsive. Voice command recognition is better than most automotive systems I've tried, but it still falls short of Google or Apple or even Samsung.

The only advantages of the built-in navigation system are the ability to show driving directions in the middle of the instrument cluster, which is nice, and you don't need to find a spot for a phone mount.

 

[mjoshi]

The navigation system in the Pacifica is better than average for automotive systems, but there is no automotive system (built-in or add-on) as good as Google Maps or Waze.

Whether the UConnect Nav is good enough or not depends on how often you use it and what you use it for. I live where traffic is usually the biggest factor in route planning and I value truly real-time up-to-date traffic over any other aspect of navigation performance. I love the crowd-sourcing aspect of Waze but let's face it, it's really a data collection and adware platform. If there were a "pro" or "premium" version that you could pay for and avoid the data collection and ads, I would pay for it. I find Google Maps to be less offensive in that respect (or perhaps just more subtle), and it uses crowd-sourced traffic data from Waze, so that is my go-to navigation app.

The built-in UConnect Nav will get you to your destination, but it won't necessarily get you there as quickly and efficiently. The traffic info that it obtains from radio is not as current, time estimates are not as accurate, it sometimes takes you on odd routes or makes you backtrack, it's database will become out of date over time and you'll have to pay to update it. Compared to my phone, the navigation map display is sparser and less informative at an equivalent zoom level, and panning and zooming the map is pretty slow and unresponsive. Voice command recognition is better than most automotive systems I've tried, but it still falls short of Google or Apple or even Samsung.

The only advantages of the built-in navigation system are the ability to show driving directions in the middle of the instrument cluster, which is nice, and you don't need to find a spot for a phone mount.

Thank you, I will save my $695 for something better in that case as that is one of option on Touring L Plus.

 

[dmg2010]

Thank you, I will save my $695 for something better in that case as that is one of option on Touring L Plus.

Does HD radio matter to you? The only way to get the HD radio is to purchase the UConnect 8.4 w/ Nav. Even if you decide to add Nav later you will not get the HD radio.

 

[lynhnn]

Tesla like navi

"The only advantages of the built-in navigation system are the ability to show driving directions in the middle of the instrument cluster, which is nice, and you don't need to find a spot for a phone mount."

I agree to the above. The instruction in the instrument cluster is more like Tesla and very useful when you have a lot of other things may going in (phone call, text, ...) at the same time you want to know if you need to exit the freeway

I love the speed limit warning (and customizable) on every street. Again, this is more driving the Tesla

Maybe one negative point is that the map is not that colorful and the 3D map is no way near 3D rendering...

However, it's still the better navigation than my previous luxury cars (2009, 2013).

FYI, I have a Touring and just paid $595 + tax ($650) to open up the nav myself. I use to have navi in my driving experience so it's worth the money ..

YMMV

 

[Gohawks1224]

I have a touring L plus and didn't really care about getting NAV, but since it came with the HD radio, I felt it was acceptable. PLUS, my wife can use it since she finds it easier to use than Google nav (Im still wrapping my head around that one). There ARE some benefits like having the turn directions displayed on the dash in front of you and having the voice nav come on only on your speaker in front of you. That is a nice touch. Google Nav will only air what the nav is saying if you had it on bluetooth.

 

[mjoshi]

Hmmm never ever thought about HD radio option, so not sure if that is something useful to me or not. Also one more advantage based upon stock number on dealer lot between non-Nav and Nav unit seems to be that unit with NAV is built sometime in April whereas one without NAV is built sometime in March. Not sure if that is too big of a difference.

 

[mjoshi]

Okay one more question for people who already have Navigation, do you need to pay any subscription fees ? As per the spec sheet it says
SiriusXM Traffic / 5-Yr Traffic Subscription
SiriusXM® Travel Link 5-Yr Travel Link Sub

What is this ? Does this means it comes with 5 years of Sirius XM Radio subscription ? I've Sirius XM in my Acura and use it regularly but that is annual subscription.

 

[gory]

The posts so far have covered all the things I would have agreed with. It's better than my old Odyssey nav but still not better than my Garmin nav. The main benefits are the integration with the car, central display and voice over speakers. Definitely more convenient and less clutter than having a phone or external GPS sitting somewhere around your dash. Voice commands are still limited but ok when you can remember the correct commands. I have a PacHy and unfortunately I don't know what you would be gaining or missing out on by not having it. To complicate things even more, I'm in Canada, so I there's probably even more stuff I'm missing out on.

 

[irpilot]

Okay one more question for people who already have Navigation, do you need to pay any subscription fees ? As per the spec sheet it says
SiriusXM Traffic / 5-Yr Traffic Subscription
SiriusXM® Travel Link 5-Yr Travel Link Sub

What is this ? Does this means it comes with 5 years of Sirius XM Radio subscription ? I've Sirius XM in my Acura and use it regularly but that is annual subscription.

Hi. I believe you only get one year of Sirius XM for music purposes. The other ones you mentioned are for traffic updates and I've added a link that gives an in depth description of what travel link entails
.
http://www.driveuconnect.com/features/detail/travel/

 

[Gohawks1224]

Hi. I believe you only get one year of Sirius XM for music purposes. The other ones you mentioned are for traffic updates and I've added a link that gives an in depth description of what travel link entails
.
SiriusXM Travel Link

the travel stuff is limited to a select few major cities. Seattle is not even one of them.

 

[irpilot]

the travel stuff is limited to a select few major cities. Seattle is not even one of them.

That's kind of lame. I get weather alerts in Houston. Don't use it voluntarily though. My phone does a much better job.

 

[tsax6010]

I live in the suburbs of NE Ohio. I use a GPS to reliably get me to locations I have never been before. I do not care about real time traffic updates and quick/efficient routing and re-routing.

With this in mind, I have purchased my last 4 vehicles with OEM provided GPS systems. Each of them have worked great for my needs and I very much prefer the integrated user experience with the rest of the EVIC and infotainment stack.

My only real negative is the legacy profit model that the auto manufacturers seem to be clinging to. Where the rest of the industry has moved to free map updates, being charged hundreds of dollars every 12-24 months just to have current mapping data (which is already outdated when sold) is ridiculous.

 

[Badge56]

I have used in car NAVs, Google maps, Waze, Garmin etc. The in-car NAV is usefull because you use it often. If using your phone you need to touch it and its illegal and not practicle must of the time. Using the Garmin is good but again, you need to pull it out, set it up etc. So, unless on a trip, you don't use it. The onboard one is used much more often.

 

[cyph]

I have used in car NAVs, Google maps, Waze, Garmin etc. The in-car NAV is usefull because you use it often. If using your phone you need to touch it and its illegal and not practicle must of the time. Using the Garmin is good but again, you need to pull it out, set it up etc. So, unless on a trip, you don't use it. The onboard one is used much more often.

Siri on the iPhone is integrated and it's hands free. Siri response is sent through to the car speakers. The speech recognition is far more advanced than the one built into the car. I actually prefer this to CarPlay which I've used in rentals because with Siri eyes free, there is no need to tether the phone to the car every time you sit in the car.

 

[Badge56]

Siri on the iPhone is integrated and it's hands free. Siri response is sent through to the car speakers. The speech recognition is far more advanced than the one built into the car. I actually prefer this to CarPlay which I've used in rentals because with Siri eyes free, there is no need to tether the phone to the car every time you sit in the car.

Ya but its Apple... hate Apple... Android all the way.:wink2:

 

[Gohawks1224]

I have used in car NAVs, Google maps, Waze, Garmin etc. The in-car NAV is usefull because you use it often. If using your phone you need to touch it and its illegal and not practicle must of the time. Using the Garmin is good but again, you need to pull it out, set it up etc. So, unless on a trip, you don't use it. The onboard one is used much more often.

In some states like Washington, you can have your phone mounted on a cell phone mount and then it is legal to touch it. Other than that, OK GOOGLE works pretty good for me. Better than the voice command on the Pacifica that's for sure.

 

[Badge56]

In some states like Washington, you can have your phone mounted on a cell phone mount and then it is legal to touch it. Other than that, OK GOOGLE works pretty good for me. Better than the voice command on the Pacifica that's for sure.

OK Google works good.

 

[Wendygirl]

My Touring-L came with it and HD radio. Another advantage is that you aren't using your phone 's data. I wouldn't pay extra for HD radio, but I like the Navigation. I don't drive in a lot of traffic where the current traffic reports make a big difference. Before my Pacifica, I used Google Maps for everything. I find myself using it still when I'm in a hurry. I haven't fully learned my van's navigation :/