Dr. StrangeNav: Or how I learned to stop hating and love the nav system
I'm the kind of driver who felt the encroachment of electronics was destroying the driving
experience. I feared the day that every car will have a navigation screen cluttering up the center stack. Until. There
is almost always an until. This weekend I drove the
2005 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum test truck to a
party in an area of New Jersey I was unfamiliar with, which was a great opportunity to use GM's new navigation
system.
The drive there was easy, it was still light out. The navigation system passed the I dont need no stinkin users manual test, allowing me to enter the destination and start the voice directions. It was the ride home that was a killer.
Believe it or not, there are still areas of New Jersey that are rural narrow roads, no
streetlights and wild animals. Oh, and the occasional drunk driver. Things started to fall together like a bad movie. I
set the navigation system to make the return trip and let the map tell me where to go instead of struggling
with my usual Maps.com printout.
Behind me, an early 80s Ford pickup closed up quickly on the rear of the Escalade. He swerved in the opposite lane, almost appearing like he was going to pass me. Then he swerved back, and then forth. There were no shoulders on these small roads, so I was waiting for the next side street to turn down so the impaired driver could pass.
As Im concentrating on all the distractions, the Caddys bright headlights shine on four deer crossing the street. Praying the guy behind me will be conscious enough to see my brake lights, I hit the brakes in time to let Bambi live and Drinky McDrunk woed his truck before hitting me. If the nav screen voice could, she would have said something I cant print here.
What did I learn? I truly believe if I were struggling with a regular map, worrying about the erratic driver behind me and trying to read street signs on an unlit rural road, the Escalade would be wearing a new fur coat. My wife was sold on the merit of a navigational system and so am I. It kept us safe this weekend. Now about those heated and cooled cup holders
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chris S 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
I felt the same way about nav systems until I got one on my Acura TL-S a few years ago. It's not something you use every day, but when you need it, its nice to have. I don't have a nav in my car now, and I sure do miss it sometimes.
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Meek 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
I'd love to have a Navi system. Great tool and toy.
Also, I'd love to see who is writing the items on the front page. Especially when the item starts with "I'm the kind of driver who felt . . ."
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Joel 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
We, too, thought of the NAV as a toy until we started using it. It's a definite MUST HAVE for my future vehicles.
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Alex 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
The nav system in our 04 Solora is great. Hasnt let us down in TX. Its nice and easy to use, voice guidence is nice.
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Conan the Grammarian 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
The nav system only provides a safety benefit if you are negligent enough to have let yourself be distracted by a map in the first place. For a good driver, it's just a convenience.
The REAL eye-opener here is not that the nav system saved your lives, but that you had put them at risk with your poor driving, and that you still don't seem to realize that.
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geigs 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
Of course Jersey has rural areas. I grew up in northwest Jersey and it still has everything you describe. School would be canceled if the superintendents cows could not cross the road during inclement weather. You think Tony Soprano's house has views of the Turnpike? Forgetaboutit! We almost got a navi in our new Odyssey, but I was worried that it would not be able to decipher a Jersey jughandle (to make a left hand turn, you need to got right). Actually, you need to update navs with new software every so often and I checked the Honda site and looked at pricing to update older units and it was a little pricey. What happens if they discontinue the model or software? Additionally, Edmunds.coms research shows that they only add about $400 to resale. In the end, I could not justify the extra $1,500 when you can buy a top of the line portable one for less.
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RR 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
The Navi system in the Honda Odyssey is great. I love the voice control and its very easy to use. It was one more reason to buy a Honda over any other cars.
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Lee Gibson 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
Yeah, RR, because the only place you can get a voice-controlled nav system is in a Honda. A Honda minivan.
Wow, that's about as far from "fun to drive" as I can imagine...
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Mick 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
For those so inclined, in Japan technobuffs can find toilets that will wash and dry their derriere, too. Ah, the march of progress.
Anyway, as the old Maharishi used to say, "Use it or lose it." Losing our cave-man ability to read a map and having to rely on a HAL-like talking machine is going to put folks in the say category as the kids I once saw working at an ice cream stand when their electronic cash register broke. Ever seen 3 high school kids try to figure out sales tax using paper and pencil? It was a sight to behold. Wait till they try re-folding a map.
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Steven Gill 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
Our rental car in Germany had nav. I was suprised how easy it was to figure out (albeit I am a tech generation kid, so you old folks may have a few issues =P) and that thing sure saved us. One occupant didn't think it was as good as her map skills, but she got showed up plenty of times until she gave in. It's one of those tools thats perfect for driving the romantic road in germany, through little towns in foreign languages.
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Me 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
5. Conan
What made him a bad driver? Point out his bad driving.
He was unfamiliar with the roads, which means he needed the map/nav-system, and was also keeping an eye on a drunk driver behind him (which is good driving to keep an eye out for potential risky drivers). Plus, he was able to notice the deer in front of him. Deer crossing the road doesn't make him a bad driver. He did everything he needed to do.
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t 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
you know i felt the same way about all these electronics until i bought a car with the GPS b/c i knew it would be useful for my wife. I figured i would never use it until one day i was trying to save time by taking side streets b/c of some accident on the freeway. For such a some incident like that, its amazing how it opened my views a bit about electronics.
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Joel A 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
Here's a lowdown on NAV systems among the car manufacturers:
http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0505/24/0auto-188213.htm
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Mick 10:32PM (12/18/2005)
Well, t, I'm sure nav aids and such are useful at times, but I'm the guy who's still pining the loss of wing windows. Just imagine, getting cool air into the car - even directly onto the driver's face - without rolling down the windows or using the air conditioner, sun roof, fan, etc.
Even discounting my Luddism, it's absolutely preposterous that one can even double the price of a basic car by loading it with more gizmos than the average Radio Shack: radio and TV recievers for broadcasts beamed down to you from outer, freaking space; beverage-cooling and heating cup holders(!); Bluetooth devices of all kinds; multi-disc CD players; DVD players; automatically dimming rear-view mirrors; heads-up displays (HUD) in the windshields; satellite navigation receivers and GPS units. Where these people plan to go - Tierra del bloody Fuego?! Unless the average buyer is now a multi-millionaire this is just plain lunacy. Richard Branson probably doesn't own this much junk.
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