I grew tired of driving the SX4 on Saturday and decided to swing by the office to pick up "my sister's car" (Thanks Scott). But thanks to the SX4's removable Garmin navigation system, I was still able to find my evening's destination despite driving an 11-year-old roadster. There wasn't exactly a good place to put the thing, but the same could be said for a Thomas guide.
This is a fantastic idea for multi-car households, as I'm sure most folks could make due with only one navigation system split between two cars. It would certainly be a boon for folks who own an older weekend car. Obviously this goes for any store-bought, Garmin-style navi, but the fact the Suzuki's is built-in for a reasonable price (standard on the Sport) is an added advantage.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 8,031 miles
gongal says:
10:32 AM, 07/13/09
"my sister's car" = NA-gen MX-5? I'm a big fan of the 1st and 3rd gen. No need to pretend. If you ask me, it's got some of the best racing cred of any production car (most raced car in the world? Can anyone confirm?).
gongal says:
10:35 AM, 07/13/09
Actually, if it's an automatic, then you can be ashamed and hide your face at any passerby's.
cruiserhead1 says:
10:37 AM, 07/13/09
Totally agree, a removable NAV is a great idea I wish more manufacturers would embrace.
it's less expensive for the manufacturer and consumer,
it's more flexible for multi-car use
it doesn't lock you into an outdated technology
stovt001 says:
10:59 AM, 07/13/09
I simply don't understand why people would pay 2000 for a fixed nav system for each car they own when they can buy a $200 system that can be put in whatever car needs its features. Yet every day on the Camaro5 forums there is someone else lambasting Chevy for not offering them the opportunity to waste thousands on an inferior design.
compliance says:
11:07 AM, 07/13/09
Why do manufacturers have to embrace it? You can put a handheld nav in any car already. The SX4's implementation isn't all that much better than some of the mounting options available for most vehicles. They aren't all comprised of suction cups and dangling cords.
It's more impressive to hear that the Suzuki economy car comes with navigation standard than the actual implementation itself. The Mazda 3's nav strikes a better balance for an economy car.
adavis2493 says:
01:03 PM, 07/13/09
It truly is not worth buying a built in navigation system for cars that do not connect the interface to the rest of the car. For instance, the current Volvo's, excluding the XC60.
frazier500 says:
03:19 PM, 07/13/09
stovt001, its really not that hard of a concept to grasp.
Many people, like me, just don't like the look of add-on things in the interior of the car. Interiors look much more "clean" when the navigation is integrated into the design of the interior. I also feel the same way about radar detectors.
brn says:
03:47 PM, 07/13/09
I'll give Suzuki credit for recognizing that built in NAVs are limited in their practicality.
cruiserhead1 says:
03:47 PM, 07/13/09
Manufacturers should embrace portable NAV's by offering clean looking universal bins or mounting areas for them- like the Suzuki or FJ Cruiser.
As auto makers have embraced the AUX and iPod plugs, they should jump on this feature as well.
My biggest complaint of portable NAV's has nothing to do with the NAV. It's the messy cable and mounting.
If a car had a tidy bin with hidden power access... well it would be a great feature indeed.
Plus, in 2 years (or whatever-most likely 6 months!) when NAV technology jumps, i'm not stuck with a $3000 8-track player in the center console.
jstandefer says:
07:07 PM, 07/13/09
Here was a rundown of our trip up to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from San Diego last year:
-Pack the car; mount portable nav unit; plug in power to cigarette lighter; route cables; plug in power to nav; turn on nav; turn to max volume so that we might be able to hear it over wind roar (2008 Miata); leave house.
-Stop for lunch at Daglas in Canoga Park (best pastrami sandwiches in Southern California); turn off nav; unplug power from nav; unroute cables; unplug power from cigarette lighter, dismount nav; pack all into trunk.
-Leave from lunch; mount portable nav unit; plug in power to cigarette lighter; route cables; plug in power to nav; turn on nav.
-Get really mad because I can't hear or understand what the nav lady is saying from its little 1/2 inch speaker mounted in back of unit.
-Stop to take break six hours into trip and unfold bodies from Miata; turn off nav; unplug power from nav; unroute cables; unplug power from cigarette lighter, dismount nav; pack all into trunk; walk around.
-Get back on the road again; mount portable nav unit; plug in power to cigarette lighter; route cables; plug in power to nav; turn on nav.
I won't bore you with all of the mounting/dismounting, routing cables, fighting with the mount, struggling to hear instructions... and we eventually just gave up and kept the nav unit in the trunk. Portable nav units are a good value, but there is a massive convenience factor to an in-dash unit.
bennetpullen says:
10:40 AM, 07/14/09
I like that color combo on the Z's interior. But man you need to get a CD player for that thing at least!
Do you find the climate control as annoying as I do? At first I thought it was such at cool idea to be able to blend between the settings but it just doesn't work! And the full range of temperature adjustment is only the rightmost tenth of the dial, arghh!
firstwagon says:
04:04 PM, 07/14/09
jstandefer
But do you really need the nav running everytime you are driving?
A quick glance at map covers most trips.
Navs are great for the occasional bit of tricky navigation.