Factory Nav vs Google Maps

[moorejl57]

I like the NAV on my truck because the GPS on my phone is iffy and keeps dropping off at the worst times. When I visited my sister in Ohio this summer, I did run into an issue with outdated maps. She lives next to a high school and their team is the North Ridgeville Rangers. So there was a new street next to the school named Ranger Way. My ranger couldn't find it lol.

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[AzScorpion]

There's so much building going on here that the factory Nav is always outdated. When I first got the truck I was going to a customers house for an estimate and it said "you're destination is ahead on the left". There was nothing there but desert. ?‍

I can just get on iMap or Google which updates all the time and not have to wait to download the newest factory updated maps. I used the iMap throughout our whole 5,000 mile trip through 5 states and never got lost once.

 

[jblc]

I do use factory nav -- on occasion it's useful, as it always has signal, and highways don't change as frequently.

But it's often very frustrating as well, like when it's super laggy.
An example is "in 1/2 mile, turn right," and then IMMEDIATELY afterwards within 2 seconds it says "turn right now" by which time I'm long passed; so the initial warning was about 30 seconds delayed.
Or, the "Turn right now" is also very delayed, so everything is 30 seconds behind and useless.

 

[ylwjacket]

thanks folks. think I'll save that money and use it elsewhere. Android Auto annoys me, but seems like the best option at the moment.

 

[Bob902]

thanks folks. think I'll save that money and use it elsewhere. Android Auto annoys me, but seems like the best option at the moment.

I'm sure you can find better places to spend money than changing out the radio. If you need any ideas on spending money, I'll be glad to help?

 

[DHMag]

Contrary to popular opinion on this thread, I like the Sync Nav for around urban areas. It does give me traffic conditions and I don't have to mess with AA.

When I take the Jeep out into the boonies, I use a Garmin Montana GPS. I purchased topo maps to use with the Montana and with the Garmin program "BaseCamp". The Montana saves "breadcrumbs" and I download them to the BaseCamp to provide a record of my travels.

The factory Nav has breadcrumbs ability also.

 

[Langwilliams]

I like the NAV on my truck because the GPS on my phone is iffy and keeps dropping off at the worst times. When I visited my sister in Ohio this summer, I did run into an issue with outdated maps. She lives next to a high school and their team is the North Ridgeville Rangers. So there was a new street next to the school named Ranger Way. My ranger couldn't find it lol.

They are constantly adding streets to North Ridgeville. The population has doubled there in no time. Same with Avon just north of NR. When I delivered mail sometimes they'd send me to a side of town I never do an I'd try to google it an it wouldn't show up on maps.

 

[LaBalbe]

I've found the factory nav to be "good enough", and have had my share of issues with the phone-based apps, not to mention it using up my data plan. Sure, once in a while, I might use the phone-based systems, but by-and-large, fac nav is good enough, and to paraphrase Tom Clancy (I believe that it's from "Without Remorse", but I'd have to double-check) "good enough is good enough, and perfect is often a PITA and not worth the effort."

 

[Radioman]

The factory Nav has breadcrumbs ability also.

It does but can't be downloaded into my topo maps on my computers

 

[RANGER_MARC]

How is the Ford factory nav? I am considering doing an APIM swap to add factory Nav, but was wondering how those of you with it like it. In my Jeep, I always used phone based Google Maps because the maps in the Jeep were old, and the directions always seemed off. Didn't consider traffic either like the phone does.

How do you find its directions, accuracy, and ease of use?

The factory NAV is OK for local traveling to repeated destinations such as HOME, WORK, and so on. But I prefer Google Maps for longer trips or finding less well-known destinations, not to mention that its graphics are much better.

 

[CO2Ranger]

Factory navs only redeeming quality is the breadcrumbs, especially when out on a trail since you can find your way back if necessary.

For me, the voice commands on the phone are 10000X better. I tell Google to find top-tier gas on my route and I have choices for exactly that in seconds. The factory voice commands are way too strict and are wrong very often.

 

[Dgc333]

I will take the factory nav over Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps any day.

The biggest argument for phone based nav is "they are always up to date". That is a fallacy, while they may be updated on a regular schedule it still takes up to a one and a half years for a new road to show up. That has been the case with the new roads that have gone in in the past 5 years in my area.

The biggest advantage of the factory nav over the phone based nav is it is integrated with Sirus XM Travel Link. Travel Link is much much better providing traffic conditions, construction and recommending alternate routes. And for an area with a couple of million people within 40 miles of my house Waze is useless because know one uses it.

The biggest disadvantage to the factory nav compared to phone based apps is the Sync voice recognition is weak compared to Google or Apple. But that is mostly negated if you install Ford with Alexa on your phone and use the Alexa voice recognition, it integrates directly with the factory nav.

Personally I don't like using Android Auto, it doesn't integrate well with Sync (it is much better with uConnect in my wife's Jeep). Plus the general appearance is not as nice as Sync.

 

[Motorpsychology]

I don't have the factory nav in the Ranger. I usually use Apple Maps or Google Maps locally; I have the phone plugged in anyway for iTunes Music. For boonie driving or cross timezone trips, I have a Garmin Zumo XT GPS and mount installed in the truck. This is a motorcycle oriented unit, having faster time, shorter distance and "Adventurous Routing." It has several other features that phone or factory GPS don't, and I can take it with me and mount it in the Mariner or on the bike. Free & frequent updates, the ability to keep separate trip logs for the vehicles, and works anywhere. And it was $200 cheaper than the factory nav.

 

[AzScorpion]

I will take the factory nav over Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps any day.

The biggest argument for phone based nav is "they are always up to date". That is a fallacy, while they may be updated on a regular schedule it still takes up to a one and a half years for a new road to show up. That has been the case with the new roads that have gone in in the past 5 years in my area.

The biggest advantage of the factory nav over the phone based nav is it is integrated with Sirus XM Travel Link. Travel Link is much much better providing traffic conditions, construction and recommending alternate routes. And for an area with a couple of million people within 40 miles of my house Waze is useless because know one uses it.

The biggest disadvantage to the factory nav compared to phone based apps is the Sync voice recognition is weak compared to Google or Apple. But that is mostly negated if you install Ford with Alexa on your phone and use the Alexa voice recognition, it integrates directly with the factory nav.

Personally I don't like using Android Auto, it doesn't integrate well with Sync (it is much better with uConnect in my wife's Jeep). Plus the general appearance is not as nice as Sync.

Not rue at all. We have new developments going up here by the dozens weekly. I work all over the west valley and can get directions to a new house that was just built on my phones Nav. In the 8 years I've been here my city has doubled and no way the factory Nav will keep up with it. It's sent me to more dead ends and desert locations where the phone Nav had ALWAYS brought me to my destination. The house I'm working on right now was built within the last 6 months and just closed about a week ago and my phones Nav brought me right to it. Now way it takes 1-1.5 years for it to update.

Also out here they build large communities (200+ houses) in about 1 year unlike back there where it takes years to build them out.

 

[Trigganometry]

Waze at one time was completely crowd sourced. That’s way in the beginning though about 10 years ago. My son and I were some of the mappers on it back then. Then Google came along and bought it up. So in essence Google maps is in by large part Waze. Waze still uses crowd sourced changes and reporting so Google happily incorporates the changes into their maps. So most up to date is definitely Waze for traffic info and accuracy

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