Factory Nav vs Google Maps

[Highlander]

I don't have data, and have a phone plan that is 22 years old. For me the phone is for emergency use only. I have a dash full of paper maps. I like the factory nav. The thing I would prefer, is being better able to change the selected route, like on Google Maps. But if you know enough about the area to do that, then you just drive, and the route guidance will catch-up. I know it's not for everyone, but that's the great thing about freedom of choice.

Frank

Sponsored

 

[Todd Chapin]

Personally only had Android Auto with Google Maps. It was alright as long as you had reception. As for Factory Nav you can get the option of traffic conditions if you have Sirius XM. I have seen it used before and it's not too shabby.

This! That and the convienace. I think the factory Nav is good. Perhaps not great but bundled with tech package is worth getting.

 

[Wisertyou]

My Ranger does not have factory nav so I bought the Motorola wireless android auto adapter. Works very well and fairly seamless. Sync 3 and android auto don't really mesh well with different audio sources, but maps hasn't caused me ant issues.

 

[mtbikernate]

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.

With the phone-based nav options, there are a couple things that affect updates. First one is update frequency from the top. And you readily admit here that Waze/Google are much more frequent. The other side of this is related to who updates those maps to begin with. On the Sync side, whoever that is is whatever company Ford/Sync buys the maps from. That company makes those updates. On the Waze/Google side, there's definitely an element of crowdsourcing of map updates and refinements. Probably more people do it with Waze than directly with Google (I think you have to use a PC to submit updates to Google Maps, but you can submit to Waze through the app). So this is dependent on having a community of people who care and take the steps to submit data to the relevant map services. OSM (Gaia uses OSM data) is HEAVILY reliant on this, so data quality is very dependent on the population of users active with submitting edits for a given area.

BITD I had a Garmin car nav (a Nuvi series one, IIRC). It was in the pre-lifetime map update days. If I wanted to update the maps, I had to pay for updates every single time. Ugh. Garmin's maps were BAD back then (I remember one that Garmin showed going out into the middle of Lake Michigan), and they only released updates quarterly, at best. I have no idea when/if Garmin ever fixed that particular road, even though it was so obvious it never should have made a map release.

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.

I dunno about the satellite based traffic service(s). Modern life definitely comes with "subscription fatigue" so for me, deciding which services to pay for to get advanced functionality depends heavily on the level of usefulness I get out of them. App-based systems offer a lot of functionality so this is one of those things I have a hard time justifying paying another subscription for.

I do see SiriusXM offers a level of its traffic package that includes weather updates. Something like that would have been super handy the last time I did a big cross-country drive with my camper. Of course, I did that trip with a vehicle that didn't even have AA capability. But for day-to-day local stuff, meh. And given SiriusXM's subscription hassles and how they hound the hell out of you I'm still not interested in giving them money for it (even temporarily) if I could use that service in the first place.

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.

Kindof a bummer that the Ford with Alexa thing works instead of AA, rather than with it. It does offer some nice features, especially since I use Alexa at home already. But since my truck doesn't even have factory nav for me to choose from, it's not even a choice if I want maps. I experimented with it for a very short time, until I realized that with Ford + Alexa running, I had no maps. I might consider it instead of AA if it had its own maps service, though.

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.

No arguments from me about AA not integrating well with Sync (honestly, it doesn't "integrate" at all. It's just sits on top of it and ignores Sync entirely). I do think AA looks better than Sync, but that's one of those personal things.

 

[Dgc333]

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.

Maybe in your area but certainly not in my area, it takes up to a year and a 1/2 for a road to show up. If you are living in an area with a lot of new construction & roads could be that Google is more on top of changes, that is certainly not the case where I live where new new roads are few and far between.

In any case I can only think of three incidences since I got my first GPS nav system around 2000 that where I wanted to go wasn't in the nav app. The two recent ones where a buddy of mine and my sister bought houses in new developments neither of which showed up in my Mustang Sync nav or Google Maps. Both of the gave the address of a house right near their streets to get you close. Both were in their houses for over a year before they showed in Google Maps.

 

[canyonslicker]

Factory navigation works great for me when coupled with SiriusXM traffic. It will reroute me to avoid traffic and I was quite surprised!!!

 

[canyonslicker]

Factory navigation works great for me when coupled with SiriusXM traffic. It will reroute me to avoid traffic and I was quite surprised!!!

And I live in a high traffic area of LA/OC California. The rerouting sometimes is counterintuitive but works out well. Again quite surprising..

 

[moorejl57]

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.

My niece lives in Avon and has a dog grooming business there.

 

[Gazmic]

I use Android Auto 99% of the time for many of the reasons stated above but I like the factory nav when I drive the forest service roads. No need for a cell signal and the breadcrumbs option is awesome, although I'm not sure all trim levels have it.

 

[ylwjacket]

I use Android Auto 99% of the time for many of the reasons stated above but I like the factory nav when I drive the forest service roads. No need for a cell signal and the breadcrumbs option is awesome, although I'm not sure all trim levels have it.

This is actually one ofbthe applications I was most interested in.

The USFS has a really good trail app, but right now, it's not letting android download offline maps.

 

[9zero1790]

im not a fan of big tech but have to admit google maps is pretty darn good. one thing i have found nice is even if you have lost signal google maps app pre loads data around you so when you are in no where places and no signal the map still has a very close approximation of your location and can get you back to pavement or roads with names. factory nav will not. when signal is gone its useless.

 

[canyonslicker]

im not a fan of big tech but have to admit google maps is pretty darn good. one thing i have found nice is even if you have lost signal google maps app pre loads data around you so when you are in no where places and no signal the map still has a very close approximation of your location and can get you back to pavement or roads with names. factory nav will not. when signal is gone its useless.

I disagree unless you’re underground it works fine for me because it’s true GPS. If you really want a real discussion about GPS you’re welcome to ask me. I was part of the original design team…

 

[mtbikernate]

I disagree unless you’re underground it works fine for me because it’s true GPS. If you really want a real discussion about GPS you’re welcome to ask me. I was part of the original design team…

are you saying that phones don't have true GPS?

what he's saying is that Google will approximate your "last known" location when it's got nothing. same situations when the factory nav wouldn't be able to determine your current location. has nothing to do with how it determines your location in the first place. it's a software thing, just remembering where you were last.

 

[9zero1790]

I disagree unless you’re underground it works fine for me because it’s true GPS. If you really want a real discussion about GPS you’re welcome to ask me. I was part of the original design team…

umm ok not sure what your getting at or the reason for tone but good for you and your design team. i dont "really want a real discussion" with you or anyone else about gps. the original post was looking for peoples input between the two choices based on users opinions. thats what i gave.

 

[9zero1790]

This is actually one ofbthe applications I was most interested in.

The USFS has a really good trail app, but right now, it's not letting android download offline maps.

a free app avenza maps is supposedly great for forest service roads but i have not tried it yet. but at the price of free i might give it a shot at some point.

Sponsored