So, how is the navigation?

[MmmHamSandwich]

EDIT: This thread has kinda drifted into yet another FRS vs BRZ thread which I am partly to blame for. I tried to provide context to why I was putting so much emphasis on the quality of the nav unit but I think that pushed people toward arguing why one car is better than the other. Please understand I am mostly just looking for user experiences and opinions with the nav unit. Thanks!

There was a video posted a few months back where someone explored the options under the audio portion of the BRZ's head unit, however I've found no videos that show the navigation function, furthermore I've done some searches on the forum and the only thread I've found is concerning the loss of satellite signal.


I'll leave the forum open for any likes and dislikes you have. I'll probably head over to my Subaru dealer at some point and test drive another model that has the same unit as another member suggested, but I wanted to get some opinions from people who have used it for some time.

Seeing as the FR-S is $1300 cheaper, and you can get bolt in HID's for $300, to me the navigation needs to be comparable to a $1000 aftermarket unit to justify the cost. Seems like a tall order given what I've heard so far.

[ngabdala]

I love the NAV unit and how I don't need to take my eyes off the road to tell it where to go. Is it worth $1000 ? No.

There are plenty of reasons to get the BRZ over FR-S excluding the NAV system. Plus you get legit HIDs none of that crappy wannabe HID kits that aren't true HID quality. The seats are much better and the interior and headunit don't look ghetto like the fr-s.

I am coming from a 2011 Civic Si and the FR-S interior is a huge downgrade IMO.

[MmmHamSandwich]

Originally Posted by ngabdala

I love the NAV unit and how I don't need to take my eyes off the road to tell it where to go. Is it worth $1000 ? No.

There are plenty of reasons to get the BRZ over FR-S excluding the NAV system. Plus you get legit HIDs none of that crappy wannabe HID kits that aren't true HID quality. The seats are much better and the interior and headunit don't look ghetto like the fr-s.

I am coming from a 2011 Civic Si and the FR-S interior is a huge downgrade IMO.

Not trying to argue your overall point as I hate PnP kits with a passion, but the TRS Morimoto Retro-Quik kit is far from a crappy wannabe setup.

I will say I thought the BRZ Premium seat material seemed nicer than the FR-S, but it wasn't that big of a difference to me. Not sure what you mean as far as the FR-S' interior looking ghetto, they are damn near the same. No matter which one I got that dash trim is getting plastidipped flat black. As far as its head unit, if I got an FR-S the idea would be to buy a new one.

If the BRZ nav is pretty nice overall, then it may just be worth spending the extra coin and not having to mess with a retrofit or installing a new HU. I just hope Subaru nails down the reception issues.

[Dake]

I think his complaint is more about the center console lay out. The Limited BRZ has the nice toggles vs the afterthought-looking plastic panel and Yaris dials of the FR-S and Premium BRZ.

[reeves]

The stock BRZ navigation unit & HID lights will be better for re-sell value, so you can recoup that difference in price over the FR-S if you ever sell it. Not to mention the LED daytime running lights just make the BRZ look more "upscale" IMO.. I personally like the BRZ bumper more too.

[DBacon1052]

Bespoke nav blows!!! Definitely needs an update!

[MmmHamSandwich]

Seems like this discussion is sliding towards an FRS vs. BRZ thread, which is my fault really. There are tons of those threads but few focused on the actual features and use of the BRZ Nav.

Feel free to post your first hand experience and critique of the BRZ navigation.

[whiteradam]

Used it on a 4 day, 2100 mile road trip, and it was not bad.

Never had a in-dash navigation before, so this was my first experience. Always just used my phones.

There are some annoyances with it like the voice prompts. There are three levels of "talkativeness" that it can be set to, one is too chatty, one is a little too close to the turn before it says something, and the other I have not used yet.

Another thing that has take some getting use to was the entering in of addresses. I did not find it intuitive at all. I was struggling with it and my sister knocked my hand out of the way and said "let me do it" and she seemed to understand it like she had make the thing. Once you get how it works, it was not bad.

It is surprisingly configurable, but they seem to hide options in the strangest places. Also being locked out of setting while the car is moving is annoying, but I understand why they do it. They should give an option to get to the options if it detects that there is a passenger in the car, and you click agree on another nag screen.

I have not had many satellite lock issues like others have had. It has lost signal a couple of times, but gained it back within a minute. I do see where the headunit thinks it is going faster than the car really is when you are looking in the diag screens. But I figure they will fix this, as they are working on some of the issues of the unit.

I do like the trip logging and the ability to export the .gpx files.

Again, never having a car with built-in navigation before, I don't have much to compare it to, but I like it overall. Is it as good as an Android phone with ICS or JB on it? No, but tech advances at different speeds per industry.

adam

[JWA]

Not specific to the nav, but the BRZ also includes Sirius, which is a hassle and $ to add to an FR-S. Was another point in favor of the Subie for me.

[Laika]

If you think $300 HID's are comparable to the BRZ stock HID's you're gonna be in for a treat. The bad kind. Like getting raisins on Halloween.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by reeves

The stock BRZ navigation unit & HID lights will be better for re-sell value, so you can recoup that difference in price over the FR-S if you ever sell it. Not to mention the LED daytime running lights just make the BRZ look more "upscale" IMO.. I personally like the BRZ bumper more too.

thats entirely speculative. when i was shopping for the lexus ls430 there are over 13000 in possible upgrades and that is nowhere near reflected in the used market pricing.

[DSPographer]

I agree with Adam's comments on the Nav user interface: it is quirky at best and takes some getting used to. My satellite reception was really poor until the fix I just had installed. Since the fix the reception seems very good so far.

I don't think it is fair to count all of the difference in price between the FR-S and BRZ to the Nav. As others have pointed out, the DRL and HID lights and a nicer looking interior with the toggle switches should also count for the BRZ.

[ngabdala]

Yeah I don't think people really know that stuff. Proper HID is crisp, precise, whereas HID kits are not. The light leaks out every where. I wish people would look this up for themselves. Philips used to make a nice kit but that's gone now

Originally Posted by Laika

If you think $300 HID's are comparable to the BRZ stock HID's you're gonna be in for a treat. The bad kind. Like getting raisins on Halloween.

[ngabdala]

Please tell me about this fix? I never heard about it.

My NAV works great but my radio reception is lacking.

Originally Posted by DSPographer

My satellite reception was really poor until the fix I just had installed. Since the fix the reception seems very good so far.