As a person who tends to frequent restaurants more than her own kitchen, I can appreciate the Zagat function of our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour's nav.
Kudos that it can still be accessed even when the car is in motion so the passenger can play concierge while the driver is busy.
Props should also be given for its easy instructions:
1) Choose "Places" category in the nav.
2) Click on "Zagat 2009."
3) Pick a metro area.
4) Next a neighborhood.
5) Type of food.
6) Choose a sorting method.
7) And select a place.
If you click the knob over to the right you can access the review of the place.
After you select a place, you can have the nav guide you over there. Nifty, huh?
The only thing that would make this feature extra cool is if, along with the neighborhoods, it gave you the option to search for Zagat-rated restaurants in the immediate area, you know like in the iPhone app for Yelp. That way those who aren't familiar with their surroundings won't have to figure out which neighborhoods are closest.
As it is, those iPhone apps like Yelp and Google Maps are more convenient than this Zagat feature, but at least it's a start. Can't wait to see how they'll update it.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
desmolicious says:
03:29 PM, 01/19/11
So, is Akasha any good?
clarkma5 says:
03:47 PM, 01/19/11
Yeah, nav systems should have "search nearby area" as one of the top options for sure, and sort by radius. The lack of a radius sorting method in this is a severe oversight.
caroscuro says:
04:01 PM, 01/19/11
Desmo,
If you like organic food, you'll love Akasha. I like it a lot. Really tasty.
clarkma5,
Agreed. Wonder why they left off that option.
prndlol says:
04:29 PM, 01/19/11
The instant I saw Zagat I thought of this:
http://www.funtop20.com/play.php?id=272&category='Humour'
church123 says:
04:36 PM, 01/19/11
One of things I hate about my Infiniti (and many other marques apparently) is how they lock out so much of the Navi system when underway. Honda deserves major props for continuing to allow users to make their own decisions.
That said, Honda really needs to improve the look/resolution of their in car displays. 5-6 years ago they looked nice, but they're really outdated now.
travelingman79 says:
08:45 AM, 01/20/11
Such a low res nav screen in 2010. I would love for IL to do a comparo between nav systems in its long-term lineup. The 528i's graphics quality would put this to shame. Plus google interaction and satellite views. You do get what you pay for. Ease of use, well that's a rather subjective criterion.
hoosiergrandad says:
09:12 AM, 01/20/11
"That said, Honda really needs to improve the look/resolution of their in car displays. 5-6 years ago they looked nice, but they're really outdated now."
Fashionnable?.........I think my EYES have gotten somewhat outdated in the last 5-6 years. I think the screen needs to be expanded to 12 inches.....7 used to be OK.
vvk says:
10:35 AM, 01/20/11
> If you like organic food, you'll love Akasha. I like it a lot. Really tasty.
As opposed to inorganic food? Yum :-)))
funyuns101 says:
11:06 AM, 01/20/11
supposedly newer acuras are to get a slightly updated sat-nav system. i hope that the tsx wagon will get it... my car does have "nearby restaurants" feature but like caroline said, it doesn't work for zagat.
oh and akasha does have good onion rings~
legacygt says:
12:32 PM, 01/20/11
Problem: The relatively new 2010 car has 2009 Zagats information and it's now 2011. May not be a big deal for most but many people who will chose a restaurant because it has a Food score of 22 rather than 21, the fact that the information is 2 years old does make a difference. Until in-dash systems start relying on real time updated data, they will never be as useful as even the clumsiest of smartphones.