I have a 2011 G37, was debating whether or not to update the Navigation. I noticed the 2014 Maps are out on the Navteq website for $179 currently. And since they are DVDs for my model, theres no additional cost to have the dealer install it.

So my question is how often do you update the maps?

 

I don't know yet -- I just bought my 2010 in September (it still had the default 2010 maps) and updated it to the 2014 maps about a month ago. I probably won't update the maps again for a few years, though.

 

It really depends on how much you use/rely on GPS. If you do a lot of traveling you might want to update, but if you don't use it often, then save yourself the money.

I recently updated from the 09 maps on my 09 xCoupe to the latest 2013 maps and didn't notice much difference. If you subscribe to Sirius/XM traffic, it might make a bit of difference if you need to re-route due to a traffic delay.

David

 

I understand the importance of maps having been in the military and having the correct routes, streets, etc could actually mean life and death.

With that said and being stateside, I'm horrible I haven't updated my maps once and the car will be four years old lol.

 

Can that dvd update be resold?

 

Pretty sure that is not possible, haven't read about it anywhere on here before.

 

With Smartphones evolving to the point where their Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chips can generate positioning data from five satellite constellations simultaneously (Broadcom just announced support for GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, SBAS and BeiDou on the BCM47531), it seems that old school in-car Nav is going the way of the travel agent and that the industry should try to do more to keep customers, like lowering the prices of their highly controlled updates. In fact, the BeiDou constellation vastly enhances proposed navigation accuracy almost 2x, particularly in urban settings where buildings and obstructions can affect performance. Yes, some of these systems are regional today, but the handset industry moves quickly. My thinking is that within a couple of years, most Nav units will be replaced by small screens in the car which GPS info and maps can be projected. We are already seeing this in higher end cars today.

 

Interesting. Do some cars actually have the ability to plug a separate nav input into their display screens now? Which ones?

To the original question I haven't updated at all yet and I have 08 map software. I rode in a car with 11 software and the things that are wrong in mine were still wrong 3 years later. Fail.

 

I updated my ’08 three years ago with the ‘11 version and noticed some of my early ’08 voice commands were gone, but the maps all seemed the same. So I don’t intend to update again.

 

I have an 07 Honda Pilot and have never updated the GPS; I have lived in Dallas, the Bay Area and San Diego with this car. I've never had an issue to think of and when I ask my wife if she wants an upgrade, she nixes the idea and says it's not worth it...

They list the changes online and I was always surprised have few of them actually affect me where I live.

 

If you live in a densely populated area, I don't see any reason to update map software. I live in Westchester, just outside NYC. There's almost no room to live let alone change or create streets. I would say the biggest, and probably only change, would be the businesses in the area.

I'm surprised that Google Maps hasn't become the default application for vehicles. It's far superior and can update on a daily basis for free. With Waze integration, you would have traffic reporting as well.

 

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I never did the ones in any of my cars. for what they want on updates you can buy a Garmin that works better. Plus like has been stated one of the best NAV units I have is my phone. I spend a lot of time in areas without phone service though and that is why I keep Garmins around.

 

Waze+Google Maps pushed from your handset to a display integrated into the center stack is ideal and very doable (the automotive industry industry is working on a dedicated protocol for this as we speak), even for lower end cars. Technically you could also include capacitive touch controls for the HVAC, Stereo, etc. and eliminate alot of the cost associated with the manual controls today (which I actually prefer).

 

Update...

I think another thing to consider in the map updates are POI's (Points of Interest). I had traveled to Nashville shortly before I updated my maps and used my G's navigation to try to find a place to eat. 9 of the 10 were closed. Since updating the maps, the POI's are now more up to date and accurate.

However, google maps and other smart phone mapping software seems to be consistently the most up to date and accurate... and in most cases, free.

David

 

But it’s the old story. By not using the factory in nav system you’re forced to add an additional trinket on your dash, clutter subject to theft lest you remove it every time you park in public. Additionally you are denied the built in features like MPG data and maintenance intervals. I’m not too sure it’s worth it.