I'm getting ready to purchase a FIT and wonder if the stock NAV/Audio unit is worth the extra $2,000? I of course have an Ipod and when I looked at the car recently it appeared that the audio unit did not control the ipod, which it seems that any decent unit now a days would. I do like the voice control feature...I do like having the controls on the steering wheel. I know you can get a good Aftermarket one for $1200-$1500, but then having it as slick as the stock one with steering wheel controls might be an issue...

 

how did you hook it up? if you used the aux jack, no, it wont display on the headunit.

if you hooked it up via the usb in the dash above the glovebox, it will display properly and charge.

 

Oh, I didn't know there was a hook up in the glove box... apparently neither did Gil the salesman.

How is the interface? I have an Alpine in my truck which controls the pod, and it's a little clunky. Maybe I'll take mine to the dealer to try...

 

If you don't care about the stability control, and can live without the steering wheel controls... I think you'd be better off with an aftermarket nav system.

Having lived with one for a couple months, here's what I see as the major weaknesses, compared to what you could probably get installed for around $1200:
1) interface is dated (looks like GPS units from the 90s)
2) no bluetooth
3) no backup camera (not that a tiny car like the fit needs one... but you could probably have one installed easily with an aftermarket nav)
4) navigation interface is noticeably laggy (sometimes it can't keep up with my typing)
5) mediocre ipod/usb interface

So let me explain my ipod comment --
The unit can control the ipod -- I just hookup my ipod to the USB connector in the glovebox and leave it there. You can select songs and playlists from the touchscreen on the nav. It displays the song title and artist on the headunit. However, it 1) doesn't support podcasts for some strange reason, and 2) trying to find a song is utterly impossible. It presents a list of 10 songs at a time, and you have to scroll a screen at a time -- this becomes unwieldy if you have to go through a list of more than 50 songs or so (and the scrolling is sloooow). I don't mind too much since I just use playlists...

The steering wheel audio controls are nice... the voice recognition seems mostly gimmicky to me (you can't control the USB/ipod input with it, by the way).

It's a decent unit, don't get me wrong, it's just that, for the price, I think you could do better... (I bought it mainly for the VSA.)

 

I don't have the Navigation in my Fit Sport, but did notice that if you change the order of icons on your iPod (I have a touch, so I don't know about other iPods) to be All songs, playlists, artist, and podcasts, then the Podcast option is there on the head unit.

 

any nav that comes with a car is already 2 years old or older in maps. also if and when any new technology comes out, no luck. an aftermarket is inexpensive, portable from car to car to bike to walk, and can be updated

 

I'd say aftermarket, so you can at least get a manual.. and etc

 

wow, no manual with the fits nav??

 

Here's the thing about NAV. I've had external GPS units of one kind or another for over five years. I had a Garmin GPS V for quite some time:



I've used that one to navigate from coast to coast.



My wife and I now use one of these much of the time, though more and more I just use my smartphone, and get the GoogleMaps traffic updates.

You can pick up a TomTom for $150. Put it on the dash with a weighted sandbag mount, and toss it in the glovebox or a shelf in the coat closet when you're not using it. Pack it in a carryon and toss it in your rental car when you're traveling on business. It's the best, most flexible option. Own a motorcycle? Get a motorcycle mount, and you can toss it on there. Get one that doubles as a handheld unit, and you can use it for hiking, boating, geocaching, etc.

Here's the secret of SatNav: You will rarely use it. Mine rarely gets released from the glovebox. When is the last time you consulted a map to drive around your town? Even if you have to look up a location (Where is that UPS store?), you typically see the address and say, "Oh, it's at the corner of 7th and Main. OK. Good to go."

You will likely only use it on long highway trips, or when visiting unfamiliar places, and even then, more to measure distance to your next stop and plan your estimated time of arrival.

So, if it's $150 for a TomTom, why pay the equivalent of 10 TomToms for the Nav system?

 

OR, you could get an Android phone, and run Google's free GPS app. Garmin and TomTom stock prices fell off a cliff the day this was announced. I suspect that Google's GPS app will appear on the iPhone store if Apple and Google can come to an agreement. Official Google Blog: Announcing Google Maps Navigation for Android 2.0

 

The cool part about that solution is maps and points of interest are always up to date.

 

And the bad part is that you're paying for wireless data charges, but if, as a previous post suggested, a GPS is useful primarily when you are in unknown territory, not for every day, that seems a fair tradeoff.

 

I'm running iGo8's NavNGo on my windows mobile Phone and also have access to Google Maps and Bing (all of which locate me via SatGPS in my phone) I'll use Bing to locate specific things in the area and the NavNGo is handy for 3D visualization while driving. The down-side is that it kills battery life and takes a little longer than a dedicated Navigation system to get a lock. You do also pay for a Data Plan with Cell Phone service but I find tons of uses. (Primarily work e-mail & calendar)

~SB

 

Well, I have a data plan anyway. Once you have the internet always accessible in your pocket, it's addictive.

Unless you are delivering for Dominoes, or can't find your way to and from the office, chances are you won't be using it every day. And if you're delivering for Dominoes, you'll have bigger financial fish to fry than "should I buy the car with the GPS in the dash?"

(Not that I haven't seen guys drive up delivering Dominoes in cars with rims and systems!)

 

I've seen Dominos delivered in an STI... (maybe their cooking process was slow and they needed "FAST" delivery to get it there in 30 minutes)

Data plan is NICE... I gotta say I didn't want it at first but now.... I don't know how I'd live without it. to be honest... I practically never browse the web but the added applications and features of the phone/capabilities because of the data plan is what's really nice.

~SB

 

Read the beginning of snowcrash by Neal Stephenson. Very cool. Amazon.com: Snow Crash (Bantam Spectra Book) (9780553380958): Neal Stephenson: Books