Audi - Sat Nav Plus - Worth the £2000?

Graeme2812

I'm looking to buy a new A5 in the next couple of months (won't be taking delivery until March due to a massive lead time on orders though!) and was considering their Navigation package, 'Satellite Navigation Plus'. It's a DVD based TMC enabled system. At the moment, thats about all I know about it.

Does anyone have any experences with it or any of the Audi Navigation Plus packages and could offer any advice?

My current solution is a go 730.

Thanks,
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MaFt · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:25 am Post subject:

i would take a guess that it won't accept custom POIs (ie speed camera database) and it would be literally for navigation only. maybe integrated with the cd player.

will it be worth 2k? probably not! Laughing Out Loud

. you could get 22.5 garmin nuvi 200's for that price!

how much will map updates be? probably a few hundred on top of that...

MaFt

PaulB2005 · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:31 am Post subject:

Oh and don't fall for the "It'll help with the resale value" argument either because if you sell in 3-4 years the buyer will argue that the "DVD will be out of date."

Just buy the 22.5 Nuvi 200s MaFt suggest and spread them DennisN style across the dashboard.

Graeme2812 · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:20 pm Post subject:

I should hopefully see a working demonstration in the next few days, although from what I've read so far it appears to be just a basic A to B, with favorites, recent locations lookup, POI's (as bundled with the disc only no doubt) type of system.
No mention of being able to add your own POI's etc as I don't think it has any sort of hard drive unlike the Peugeot systems. As for updating the maps, I believe Honda will swap you a new disc for around £120, so Audi no doubt with not be far from that price. This obviously significantly more than Tom tom charge at the moment.

As for the resale value PaulB2005, you make a perfectly valid point. When it comes to re-sale, nobody is interested in the added extras and Glass's Guide, which most dealerships work from, don't take into concideration add-ons, just flat rate good/ok/poor condition prices which in 3/5 years could be less than the change in my pocket at this rate!
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kartracer · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:32 pm Post subject:

Only you can decide how much it is worth to you but, after some hesitation, I decided to order the RNS510 DVD Satnav option at £1450 when I ordered a new Golf GTI earlier this year and am now really glad that I did. I don't know what system is fitted to the Audi but I imagine it would be similar to or even better than the one fitted to VWs. Having it integrated with the car's audio, rolling and steering systems is great. The spoken navigation instructions are always loud and clear whatever speed you are going at, the traffic alert system is superb and accurate and shows traffic build-up on the display even before it reaches a level at which the Satnav decides to offer a diversion, and of course having sensors for the road and steering wheels means that it knows exactly where it is and in which direction the car is facing immediately it is switched on even if no satellites are in view. You enter a destination and the very first instruction is correct without you first having to drive a few yards possibly in the wrong direction.

I also appreciate some of the non-navigation features included such as the SD card reader and 30GB hard drive which allow me to carry a decent sized music collection. Oh, and my wife likes looking at the rolling map which gives a much better overview of the surrounding country than any of the PDA/phone/PND systems I have used before.

The only real downsides are that it is very difficult to add your own POIs and it can't really be used for camera site warnings. This is not a problem for me as I prefer to use a Pogo Alert.
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Graeme2812 · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 4:40 pm Post subject:

Had a brief play around with the A5's satnav yesterday and have to say for the cost, I'm not that impressed. Positives firstly then;

Factory Fitted - No suction mounts, or power cables as with aftermarket systems etc. Looks very tidy, and fix's are very quick and accurate.
Bright colorful display - plenty of POI's pre-loaded, nice large clear map, all be it only 2D option from what I could gather. (Colour scheme was the same as TT's default)
RDS-TMC - updated frequently and as accurate as I've seen an RDS-TMC system. Well layed out in the TMC menu and on screen.
Clear spoken instructions - as expected, and through the car's internal audio system.

Negatives
Factory Fitted - Doesn't have the ability to add POI's, Speed cameras etc from file. They can be added manually by Lat/Long, postcode etc, but not in the way they are loaded into TT etc.
Expensive updates - Disc (DVDs) are issued every 6 months, and cost around £130 to update.
RDS-TMC - Becoming outdated and soon to be replaced by HD Traffic type systems.

The jury's still out!
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gilesme · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject:

I had a (previous model) A4 onhire the other day.

I thought the built-in satnav was limited in that it did not do full postcode search - only down to e.g. "PR1 8", then you had to revert to street name.

Amused me though that when I put in the part postcode of my hotel, it offered me local hotels.... however not the "premier inn".

So, snobbery even exists in the POI files !

(Wonder if the Skoda version has Premier Inns !?)

I used by Garmin 250 for Nav / speedcameras.

Graeme2812 · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:16 pm Post subject:

I've read that there is a new version of Audi's MMI (Multi Media Interface) due out on the 2010 A5 model (so this time next year roughly) and seems a fair upgrade from their current system.

Info: http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/21/audi-unveils-enviable-mmi-for-upcoming-a8-sedan/
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andyoc · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 3

I have been having the same debate on a new A6.

I noticed that all Audi's seem to come with a Heat Reflective Windscreen. Is this likely to cause a problem with a aftermarket Navigation unit - does anyone have any experience of TomTom (probably a 940) in Audi.

Also - would anyone know if it is possible to get a direct feed to the TomTom from the electrics rather than use the Cigarette Lighter Socket and would the Audi dealer be happy to do this?

Thanks for any help...

Skippy · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:40 am Post subject:

andygarmin · Lifetime Member Joined: Dec 04, 2003 Posts: 4

I have a 58 plate Audi TT and had the same debate about the satnav system myself when ordering. Decided not to spend the extra and stick with the standard stereo system and my trusty TomTom 720. The Audi system is quite limited; basic postcode and address needed. Cannot add your own POI's. Maps expensive (even from Ebay sellers).

Whereas the TomTom works perfectly, is easy to update, full postcode address and all the POI's you could ever need.

lola · Lifetime Member Joined: Aug 31, 2006 Posts: 146

Negatives - Cant take built-in unit out of car to plan a route or take with you in wife's car etc.

Positives - Sorry .

Confused

Damian · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 29, 2004 Posts: 30

I bought an A4 with this unit built in, and I can say I love it.

I agree it doesn't have the functionality of my tomtom, no 7 digit postcode, no adding POIs etc.

But

The unit is built into the car, it looks good, you get the directions in the little display next to the speedo so you can have the unit on another function, it dims the radio volume when it is speaking and the GPS lock is almost instant, whereas tomtom took a little while to get a fix

Cheers

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