Best Navigation for Civic 2016 EX

[SCOPESYS]

*off topic*
Sh$# man you profile pic never fails to crack me up. Your name reminds me of mr bean driving behind the wheel, which I envision you doing lol

LOL .. I don't know why the name does .. maybe you now just associate the name with the Mr Bean Profile Pic.

What can I say -- I am a fan of Mr Bean. My 1st car was an "Austin" Mini , way before Mr Bean. So I picked Mr Bean as opposed to yet another Civic Car Profile pic.

BTW. I look nothing like Mr Bean -

Sponsored

 

[BriteBlue]

Well, that is not 100% the case :-

You can still use your cell phone , but turn Data off, after you have downloaded the maps for your area when you are on a WiFi connection (maybe from Home)

That way, no Data charges, but you can still use apps on your Smartphone (like Google maps), with Android Auto.

It's an OPTION that you might not have considered ??

Everything I've read says Android Auto needs a smartphone with Android vers 5.0 or higher. My phone has 4.4.2 and there are no updates. Bummer.

 

[PhilF]

I have an economy phone plan, only $30 a month w/unlimited talk & text, but only 1gig of data, which fits my needs. I've been using a Garmin Nuvi2257LMT for about 4 years now, free map updates about 4-5 times a year and traffic alerts. Used it all over the Northeast and out to Ohio, always got me where I wanted to go. The Garmin Navi in my 19 Touring is pretty much the same. I'll probably sell the 2257 now because both my Civic and my wife's Fit have the same system. I've actually used Google maps in a friend's car, prefer the Garmin, probably because I'm more familiar with it. A decent Garmin dash-top unit is under $200, worked well for me until I got the Honda version, no complaints. YMMV

 

[BriteBlue]

Well, that is not 100% the case :-

You can still use your cell phone , but turn Data off, after you have downloaded the maps for your area when you are on a WiFi connection (maybe from Home)

That way, no Data charges, but you can still use apps on your Smartphone (like Google maps), with Android Auto.

It's an OPTION that you might not have considered ??

Thanks again for the suggestion.

I have a new smartphone that supports Android Auto, however do not have unlimited data. I'm able to download a map using WiFi at home and the system works quite well in my local trial runs.

But I can't download a map large enough to cover an area needed when taking even a one day trip. For example from Illinois to Ohio. I could download two maps, but how would I "stitch" them together? It seems I would need to know a destination point on the first map in order to use it as a starting point on the second map. That may not work if taking a side trip off the Interstate Hwy.

Is there any way to save a 1,000 mile trip?

 

[frontlinegeek]

Is there any way to save a 1,000 mile trip?

Frustratingly, no.

I have a great data plan and reasonable roaming rate coverage into the US but I occasionally go to Bermuda and Google has never had a good offline maps and POI data option.

On point to the OP, I would say that Google Maps or Waze (Google) is indeed superior to anything from Garmin. Is it a massive gulf? No. But I used Garmins for a long time until using your phone as a GPS was more realistic and Google Maps has become the best overall solution. Waze gives you speed limit info but that is also being rolled over to Google Maps now too.

For those that don't want to bleed data or pay for a lot of data for their smartphone, take a look at TING.COM. They are a pay for what you use MVNO in the US. You can then go in and restrict all apps except for your maps apps and then boom. Very little data usage and yet you now have an always up to date navigation tool that you can now use with your screen in the car.

 

[BriteBlue]

So it appears I'll still need my stand alone GPS for trips. And I don't need Android Auto for local driving because I've lived here for years & know my way around. Kind of bummed out that AA won't work.

 

[racer]

Buy an old school paper map. Leave it in your car. It doesn't use data

 

[BriteBlue]

Buy an old school paper map. Leave it in your car. It doesn't use data

A GPS doesn't use data either!!

 

[racer]

A GPS doesn't use data either!!

True, but which seems much more romantic/nostalgic.. pulling off to the side of the road and pulling a map out on your hood and just picking a destination or entering an address and having someone else map the trip for you, isolating you from the travel experience? Guess it depends on the goal. I like both. Waze for my commute or times I simply need to get to "x" as soon as possible.. and pulling out a map to find the byways and scenic roads for leisurely trips.

 

[BriteBlue]

True, but which seems much more romantic/nostalgic.. pulling off to the side of the road and pulling a map out on your hood and just picking a destination or entering an address and having someone else map the trip for you, isolating you from the travel experience? Guess it depends on the goal. I like both. Waze for my commute or times I simply need to get to "x" as soon as possible.. and pulling out a map to find the byways and scenic roads for leisurely trips.

I actually do take along a Rand McNally Road Atlas. It helps visualize distances, for example if you want to make a side trip. Is it worth it, can I fit it in, how far out of the way is it, maybe it's better to stop on the way back?

Sponsored