Well said! Just another reason to get the NAV. One of the things that stresses me out is thinking I missed a turn. The NAV will solve that. I hate asking directions, sometimes you are led on a wild goose chase. Nothing worse than being in a place like SF and can see the bridge you want to get to, and end up making 5 wrong turns because you missed a crappy little sign while you were paying attention to traffic in a city you are not familiar with. I don't like hand held stuff, leave it out by mistake and someone wants to break in and relieve you of it. Also reading maps when you are driving is not such a good thing. I was in Japan about 5-6 years ago and you couldn't hardly buy a car without a full blown NAV in it. Even the aftermarket over there had really nice units for permanent mounting. I was actually able to select English and find my way to Ueno and back. At the time they had another transmitter to bring the accuracy down to a few feet.

 

I have a NAV system in my 2004 GMC Denali Its ok.
My handheld unit gave much more information, and I hate the fact you cant do much of anything while the car is moving (anyone know a hack for this?) which really limits its usefulness.
The fact that the corvette model will display info in the HUD is cool.
But this is still a very entry level model in terms of GPS units

 

You can't do much of anything while the car is moving? I'm curious as to what you mean by this and how GM's nav systems differ from those from Acura.

In our Acura we can change destinations, zoom in and out, change the orientation of the screen, brightness, volume of the narration, change how the routing is calculated, etc., all while the car is moving. What is it that you cannot do with your GMC Denali Nav system when moving?

Just curious...

 

Anyone used the Garmin products? Specifically the 2620 or 2610. Was it easy to use? Is the remote of any use? I don't want the stock Corvette option in place of the 6 CD in-dash changer but I would like a NAV of some kind.

 

NAV systems are really great if you learn how to use them the right way. Have one in my Escalade EXT and ordered one for my new C6

 

I have the 2610 and it's the best buy I've ever did. Since I travel so much it's used every day. The remote is great and lets you keep sight of the road. One thing about the Garmin it's a third the cost of the builtins and when it becomes obsolete just replace it. As far as upgrades, just with Map Source alone there have been nearly 700 up grades on algorithms alone not counting the 200 or so upgrades to the firmware since January. Not sure how one would handle the car builtin because the portable unit is upgraded via home pc. Also as far as obsolescence one mentioned that wouldn't be a problem do to tapes still work and they are becoming obsolete. Well within 4 years the Garmins went from the streetpilot to pilot III to the 2610 now the 2620. Long story short one can't give the first streetpilot away.

 

Microsoft "Streets and Trips" + printer.

 

Most names & addresses that you lookup on the internet will display a map for you if you use the right lookup web site.

 

Only problem with that approach is try reading that map at 70mph in Seattle.

 

In case you hadn't noticed, I quoted the "Microsoft Streets and Trips + Printer" posting. Obviously, neither of us was expecting you to use it at 70 MPH on the road. Some folks like to look up where they're going before they leave home.

Of course, that's also what printers are for. If you print that map before you leave home, you can look at it any time you get ready, as long as you're not near me in traffic.

 

Of course it's printed but I picked Seattle because to try and read a printed map with all the bridges and curves and exits is next to impossible, been there done that. Also the printed map usually doesn't have enough detail to get you back on course when you miss and you will miss. The GPS is invaluable to get you back on course.

 

Don't really need it in Hawaii. Just keep the water on the left to go clockwise and on the right to go counter clockwise!

Wish I had that problem.

 

Crash Probe Focuses on Gas Tank

By Jerry Markon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 22, 2004; Page B01


The investigation into a fiery crash on Interstate 66 in Fairfax County on Tuesday that killed a 2-year-old boy, critically injured his pregnant mother and killed her fetus focused yesterday on why the gas tank in the family's Geo Metro exploded when rear-ended, a statistically rare occurrence.

Released JULY 21, 2004

The four-vehicle chain-reaction crash killed George Zak Marchman, 2, of Fairfax County. His mother, Elizabeth Ann Marchman, 33, remained in critical condition yesterday in the intensive care unit of Washington Hospital Center.

Marchman was driving the Geo Metro when it was rear-ended by a Chevy pickup driven by Matthew R. Cable, 21, about 9:45 a.m. on I-66 just west of Route 123, police said. The Geo then struck a Buick, which hit a Toyota, closing the westbound lanes of I-66 for two hours and snarling secondary roads. Five other people were injured, including two retired Fairfax firefighters who tried to rescue the Marchman family from the burning vehicle.

Cable, of Hagerstown, Md., was cited for reckless driving. Police said he was distracted while trying to read a map.

When Cable's pickup truck struck the Geo Metro, the car's gas tank ruptured and the gasoline ignited, fire investigators said. But it will take weeks, and perhaps months, of painstaking investigation to determine why.

"You don't hear of such a thing very often," said Renee Stilwell, a Fairfax County Fire Department spokeswoman. "Cars are made so the tanks don't explode."

A neighbor who answered the phone at the Marchman home said family members declined to comment.

Statistics compiled by the federal government and industry groups show how unusual the explosion was. In 2002, only 102 of the 32,480 vehicle occupants who died in crashes nationwide were killed by a rear-end impact that resulted in a fire, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an Arlington-based research group funded by insurance companies.


© 2004 The Washington Post Company

 

I have navigation in my XLR...I'm sure the C6 will be the same. I can't imagine being without it...I now have a new woman after 27 years giving me directions....When I get tired of them both, I plug in a DVD movie..Not that I watch while driving..But I can follow along with the dialogue.

 

While the C6 DVD Navigation system uses DVD-ROM data, it cannot be used to play DVD video or audio material. However, that's a software restriction, and given that the aftermarket has figured out a way to get around other Chevy restrictions and providing us with new options(including the infamous "I'll just click this little fob and my speedo will look like it's been broken and maybe the officer will buy THAT excuse"), who knows what may be possible in the future.

 

It doesn't boot off of the DVD. Eject the DVD and cycle ignition and you will see for yourself. Update can be made but it depends if GM will supply them. I'm sure if the US develops a system like Japan's 'VICS' then GM will update their navigation systems.

 

My FREE State Farm Rand McNally Road Atlas is worth every penny I paid for it.

 

Great technology! Have you explored the "refold" feature yet?

 

Go punch in "Outback Steakhouse" and see if that road atlas will take your there. Or a car wash, italian restaurant, gas station, etc. Better yet, punch in the phone # of a business and see if it guides you there, turn by turn. Yet another C5 owner hanging on desperately to Pop-up headlight technology.