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Navigation Guidance Capabilities in 2012 F10

4K views 39 replies 21 participants last post by  MSgtMel 
#1 · (Edited)
Haven't yet had chance to take new 5er on a long trip with multiple freeway/highway junctions, so I am curious about the nav guidance capabilities. For example, on the Acura TL I traded in, as you came to a freeway junction, it would show you on the split screen a visual of which lane you should be in to be on the proper freeway/highway. Also, when a freeway exit was coming up it would also have a visual with an arrow letting you know where to exit.

Does the BMW nav guidance have that same capability, or just the nav voice and the guidance routing text? And I have done a lot of searches on here and didn't find anything that directly addressed my question.

Thanks
 
#4 ·
BMW NAV has no steet name pronounciation, just trurn right turn left etc. It is also known to give wrong directions. I would recommend that you preview the trip directions to make sure that thery are logical.
PS I always carry a Garmin GPS as a back-up. Sorry I bought the tech package, huge waste of money. BMW should be ashamed of themselves
 
#6 ·
I figured out how to get it to do what I wanted. When in guidance mode, with the screen set to map, enable split screen, and then for split screen display option use "arrow". Plus have exit ramp view enabled. I will say that the BMW system is generally a little more difficult to use than was my Acura TL, but the capabilities are there.
 
#15 ·
This is most interesting. My Ford F350 has great Nav and I use a garmin for my current car as when I bought it I thought...I don't need Nav, I've lived in this area all my life. I ended up moving 6 months later. Based on this, my next car was going to have nav no matter what. I guess I will need to evaluate it.

Reminds me of somthing my wife said when I said I was going to get nav no matter what. She said "What if it only has one voice, and its the voice of Fran Drescher"
 
#17 · (Edited)
Based on this, my next car was going to have nav no matter what. I guess I will need to evaluate it.
Although the BMW Nav has its faults, it is still worth it when spending this much on a car like this. It is integral to other display features of the car and for most, it does provide directions in a contemporary display using standard maps. It also will probably increase resell and has the possibility of being upgraded over time. This is a tough group here.

Do not let the heavy downer opinions here deter you from trying it out yourself before buying a car like this without it. I have seen worse and better and although it has had a few routings that leave me shaking my head, it is nice to have. Would all the negative posters have ordered it without the nav as "bad" as it is if they had to do it over - I doubt it.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Ok, since this thread is recent, had to post this that just happened. Apparently, the car thinks a U Turn is an acceptable maneuver. WTF!!!!!

Edit, this car seems to think that making U Turns is BETTER than taking an exit ramp which causes you to pass a road and then loop around. This can be seen in my other posts elsewhere.

 
#24 ·
It's the coolest feature I have seen in modern cars. :thumbup:
 
#23 ·
NAV Stuff

The NAV is worth getting but compared to the outstanding other traits of the car, it is relatively weak. My $100 Tom Tom gives much more efficient directions and adjusts for traffic much more effectively. For instance, I live in NY and it has an affinity of guiding me through times square without taking traffic into account. Major disappointment is that it does not tell you current speed limit of current road and doesn't give street names on turn directions. I inquired about speed feature and was told it would be available in an upcoming HUD release but not on screen. It works well as a helper in a bind but I still put my Tom Tom on when I do a longer trip or want more reliable instruction. Not trying to be a hater but the Tom Tom does work much better.
 
#30 ·
I used mine today for the first time. I actually used it to go a route I know very well. First off, learning to find the point of interest 30 miles away was not very intuitive to do. I've owned eight vehicles with factory navs, and I'm going to say that this one is significantly harder to figure out how to use than any of the others.

Beyond that, twice it tried to take me a a route that made no sense. Not a long way out of the way, but still enough to make me wonder what it was thnking. I even checked the settings to be sure it was on "fastest time". It was not at first, it was in the "eco" mode. But the route it wanted to take me on didn't make sense for that mode either.
 
#32 ·
I used mine today for the first time. I actually used it to go a route I know very well.
This is it.

If you know where you are going it provides (not so cheap) entertainment.

If you don't know where you are going .... any road will take you there .....
 
#31 ·
For some strange reason the NAV's in Canada do not allow for the entry of Canadian postal codes. Could not do this on my '08 X5 and still cannot on my '12 535.

Both cars allowed me to enter US zip codes.

This is a weird limitation in that the 535 iDrive now allows for full alphanumeric data entry (and Canadian postal codes contain alphabets and numbers).

Still, having the NAV there provides the "appropraite" level of completeness to a luxury car and for that reason alone is a must have.
 
#33 ·
The Nav shows several routes (fast, shortest, econ) superimposed on the map. I use this feature to pick the route that makes sense the most. This helps me avoid routes that make no sense.
 
#34 ·
Per the post above yours - how do you know if it makes sense or not if you've never been there? And if you have been there it's all just for fun and games anyway.
 
#35 ·
Because I can read a map.

The map shows highways, arterial roads, streets etc. and just by looking at the map you can choose a route that is logical. Sometimes, based on what I see on the map I may choose a shortcut that is not indicated as a route but is more direct or avoids unnecessary detours onto smaller streets.

I do this occasionally, as the Nav has worked pretty well for me in South Florida, but looking at the map and picking a route myself has served me well on those ocassions.
 
#36 ·
Because I can read a map.

The map shows highways, arterial roads, streets etc. and just by looking at the map you can choose a route that is logical. Sometimes, based on what I see on the map I may choose a shortcut that is not indicated as a route but is more direct or avoids unnecessary detours onto smaller streets.

I do this occasionally, as the Nav has worked pretty well for me in South Florida, but looking at the map and picking a route myself has served me well on those ocassions.
And that is why AAA is not going out of business anytime soon. :D
 
#37 ·
Is there a way to get a list of all the roads along the route? Even my crappy iPhone GPS has this.

Does the Nav give your heading anywhere or do you have to look at the little "N" arrow on the map to determine your heading? Surprised the "position" screen doesn't show heading info. I wish I had a compass in my mirror but I don't.

Thanks.
 
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