Poor routing, out of date data

[NYRngrs24]

nav is to get you from a - b, and b being a place you don't know where/ how to get there. Its not to get you to a local 7-11. Do nav takes the easiest way. may not be the best. but if your going to "b" you don't know what the best or the worse is. nav is supposed to take u easy and direct way. all the navs Ive seen are the same way. in some manuals they even state that.

[edrock200]

[quote name="HeavenSoldier"]Anybody else having these problems with the routing? I don't plan on getting it until the end of this fall, but the main reason I'm buying it is for navigation and traveling and don't won't to be lost, or be going on a bad route and not be aware of it.[/quote]

I bought a Magellan Roadmate 860T yesterday for my other vehicle. I plan on setting the same routes on both units to see if they differ and if the difference is significant, I'll report back.

[HeavenSoldier]

[quote name="edrock200"] [quote name="HeavenSoldier"]Anybody else having these problems with the routing? I don't plan on getting it until the end of this fall, but the main reason I'm buying it is for navigation and traveling and don't won't to be lost, or be going on a bad route and not be aware of it.[/quote]

I bought a Magellan Roadmate 860T yesterday for my other vehicle. I plan on setting the same routes on both units to see if they differ and if the difference is significant, I'll report back.[/quote]

Yeah that will be interesting. Let us know. God Bless.

[HeavenSoldier]

Any updates?

[BearGator56]

I really want to love this unit. I do-to a point. I have in installed in my work truck, which happens to be a Volvo semi truck. I pull 53 foot trailers delivering to Wal Marts. The XM works perfect. I like the NavTraffic a lot. Having a DVD player I can watch when I have down time is very nice. The navigation? Not so much.

The way the Z1 routes me at times can be really bad. I know it's more geared for passenger cars, but that's not really the problem. Today, for instance, I routed from my last stop to home. The unit had me turn right, and then take a left, and began to tell me I need to make a U-turn. It was sending me through neighborhood roads that I shouldn't have been on-for no reason. I pulled out my backup unit (a Garmin iQue3600), and it got me back on track. If I had been told to take a left out of the store instead of a right, I would have been perfect. One left turn onto a main road instead of turning right on said road, and then left off of it, and then told to U-turn. :(

I have had this happen several times. The unit will tell me to make a U-turn, or a turn-even when the highlited line continues straight :?

It can be very aggravating when you depend on this unit as a tool. A wrong turn can put me in a spot that I might not be able to get out of.

I also have the issue that the estimated times are usually incorrect. My iQue3600 is usually within 2 or 3 minutes of actual. The Z1 can be off by as much as 30 minutes. I have played with the speed settings to get this to even out, but it hasn't yet. Hoping that it will "learn" my driving habits.

I guess my biggest issue is why a $400 hand held outperforms the Z1 that I paid almost 2g for. It doesn't make sense that I have to use both to make sure the Z1 isn't sending me the wrong way.

Also, the information is over a year old. We need an update!

[Monirul79]

I agree, the nav info is not up to date. i had the same issue and I live in Brooklyn NY. Paying 2g's for this thing for looks is not worth it, I hope they make an update asap because its ridiculous that a $300 gps system can out perform this $2k system hands down in terms of navigation.

[edrock200]

[quote name="Monirul79"]I agree, the nav info is not up to date. i had the same issue and I live in Brooklyn NY. Paying 2g's for this thing for looks is not worth it, I hope they make an update asap because its ridiculous that a $300 gps system can out perform this $2k system hands down in terms of navigation.[/quote]

Lets compare apples to apples however....does the $400 unit play DVD's? MP3's? CDs? Accept voice commands? You aren't paying $2G's just for nav. That said, it is alarming that so many are having problems with the NAV. I recently picked up a roadmate 860t for my other vehicle and I've been testing it against my z1. So far I've noticed the 860t is more accurate on time estimates and occasionally the z1 and the 860t will route slightly different but nothing significant, normally just different side roads. I haven't found anything so far however to show the z1 being way off or poor routing. I'm beginning to wonder if it just has the DC area mapped out extremely well as is poor in other areas....though my trip to canada, and trips within canada were seemless, I'm not familiar with canada so far all I know it may not have been the best routes.

So far it seems to be a 50/50 split of users that are happy against users who aren't. Perhaps we should post a poll. I am still very pleased with my z1's routing.

[Navyguy]

I agree it is more than a nav system. Like edrock mentioned does the other ones play DVD, MP3, CDs, XM or Siruis Radio, back-up camera, bluetooth, a harddrive, and all of the bells and whistles that the Z1 has? I too have been lead a stray with some of the Z1s directions, but you do not see me pulling it out of my dash and saying I want a refund. Come on guys we all bought this unit and love it for one reason or another..

[Guest guest]

I believe Magellan uses TeleAtlas maps too, so the maps technically should be the same as the Avic-Z1 (difference should only be in POI). If it gives you different route, it is the routing software. Also, people should know that TeleAtlas US maps are not as accurate/current as NavTeq US maps.

[BearGator56]

I am happy with the Z1. I just want the navigation bugs fixed. It is well worth the money for all the bells and whistles. For the average trip in a passenger car, you should be pretty happy with the navigation.

[edrock200]

[quote name="guest"]I believe Magellan uses TeleAtlas maps too, so the maps technically should be the same as the Avic-Z1 (difference should only be in POI). If it gives you different route, it is the routing software. Also, people should know that TeleAtlas US maps are not as accurate/current as NavTeq US maps.[/quote]

Thats just it though, most people who complain about the Z1 complain about how it routes you, not a lack of map data. Therefore it shouldn't matter if the sources are the same as the routing engine is what is in question.

[johnpsc]

That's my view of the Z1, Ed. Maps are very comparable to my Garmin 2160 but no comparison with the routing logic, although neither are perfect. I have had both units try to take me down a dirt road. What disappoints is the fact that even the multiple routes don't include my choice.

[Guest guest]

Magellan and Pioneer both use TeleAtlas maps so the difference would mostly be in routing software. But Garmin uses Navteq maps which has much current/accurate US maps so the differences are maps as well as routing software.

[Guest guest]

Okay, this is for those that think gps and routing is a perfect science, I plotted a route from my house in the San Francisco peninsula to UCSD.

Yahoo Maps 496.1 miles 6 hours 53 min
Mapquest 497.49 miles 7 hours 38 min
Mapblast 488.4 miles 7 hours 9 min
Streets & Trips 505.6 miles 8 hours 9 min
Pocketmap 499.6 miles 7 hours 2 min
AVIC-Z1 (30/45/65) 496 miles 9 hours 8 min
AVIC-Z1 (35/45/70) 496 miles 8 hours 30 min

The AVIC reports the most time, they all take a little different route in the LA area so the difference in time. I suspect the AVIC maps database does not account for a large section of interstate 5 has speed limit of 75 mph, thus the time is longer.

[Guest guest]

Correcting myself, maps data should have speed limit, so the big difference is that other routing software probably calculate time weighted by speed limit of roads, while the AVIC may simply based on the average speed set in the setting and not influenced as much by the actual speed limit factor with the maps.