I don't often get the chance to drive our long term M3, so when the slot became vacant to a bottom feeder on the chain such as myself, I jumped at the chance.
I was running to a photo shoot last night. I quickly hopped in and got running into East LA. My mind was focused on the traffic and what I want to do with my assignment that night. It wasn't until I got back into the car did I notice how time has flown by. No, not because it was 10pm or that I had multiple missed calls, it was the nav system graphics.
I remember when the nav system was a new technology in the BMW and at the time I thought it was pretty darn cool. As time has progressed, the technology has been refined. Now there are high-resolution touch screens, different voices or accents to choose from and a myriad other technologies available.
Looking at our M3's nav screen it reminds me of the Atari 2600's Adventure. Sure the graphics were very blocky and there were only six colors but we didn't know any better. Back when I was a kid it was the coolest game out there. In the Wii/PS3/Xbox world of today, it's downright primitive.
Our M3 is showing it's age a little more day by day. But am I going to turn down the chance of hearing the engine's growl and snort as I fly down a freeway entrance at night just because the graphics are a little dated? (Enter your Bronx-style expletive response here)
Scott Jacobs, Senior Photographer
compliance says:
11:22 AM, 06/24/08
Reason #1 to not get the factory nav. I'd rather get a handheld or put my own double din nav in. Both options are cheaper and easily upgradable with the times.
m_thrizzle says:
11:30 AM, 06/24/08
If you want updated maps and I think even some slight graphics updates, you can buy the latest DVD from BMW. Or if you are crafty, you can download the ROM and burn it onto a DVD yourself.
I agree w/ the above poster that portable units are cheaper and more easily upgraded. I saw Tom Tom is developing a unit that will snap right into your dash and be removeable. That is a great idea to join the integration with the portability. After all, you usually most need NAV when you are on travel and don't have your own car, so portability is extremely important IMO.
milt721 says:
11:58 AM, 06/24/08
Love the Adventure reference. I used to love that game.
7driver says:
12:04 PM, 06/24/08
I don't care much for factory nav, but I like PND even less. Aftermarket in-dash is my favorite. Why oh why did car makers abandon DIN/double-DIN? Wah!
m_thrizzle, Pioneer already sells a snap-in nav system, the AVIC-F500BT. It's also especially neat in that it uses the newest voice recognition system. Instead of barking orders like a gym coach ("Music! Artist! U2! Play!"), it recognizes natural language as well ("I uhh... feel like listenting to umm... some U2").
jriz says:
12:18 PM, 06/24/08
Because of this, I'd definitely steer clear of buying vehicles with navigation systems or other advanced tech (like iPod integration) from the early Thousands since they're more trouble than being actually useful.
ahightower says:
01:43 PM, 06/24/08
Yup. I wouldn't buy one in a car that I planned to keep many years. Certainly wouldn't buy a used car with one that was already outdated. And I wouldn't pay so damn much to get one in a new car that I didn't plan to keep for more than a couple years. I suppose if you lease it would be nice to have, but I do hope to not have a car payment some day... I also don't care for PND's because I despise clutter, but I'd probably put up with it if I was driving around in unfamiliar areas every day.
crowb says:
02:10 PM, 06/24/08
My Dad's 1972 Renault 5 "Le Car" came with a sextant and astrogation charts. Looking back on it now, its like, WTF Renault?
But at the time....Ohhooohoooo Yeah!
porschecarrera says:
04:13 PM, 06/24/08
I must be staring at my computer screen too long because when I look at the Atari 2600 Adventure screen capture, it looks like the yellow blocks are moving.
anilpunjabi says:
07:31 PM, 06/24/08
expression: Foget about it (Forget about it from goodfellas)
SubyTrojan says:
07:39 PM, 06/24/08
Classic game. "Classic" car. Nice entry, Scott!
dougtheeng says:
05:50 AM, 06/25/08
"My Dad's 1972 Renault 5 "Le Car" came with a sextant and astrogation charts. Looking back on it now, its like, WTF Renault? "
LOL
estreka says:
11:36 AM, 06/25/08
I think the virtual cable or something similar will be the next generation.
http://www.mvs.net/