Hello,

I am looking at getting an '06 HCH II and was wondering if I could get any input on weather or not the Navi is worth the extra money? I read that the Navi also includes the ability to talk to the car to get directions, change stations, etc. Is this true? Also, can you get the digital climate control without Navi or does it come with it?

Thanks so much for any input you can provide!

Brandon

I think alot of it depends on how you use your car.

For example in my case its primary function is a commuter car.
I don't see any need for Navi in cases like mine.

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT

Thats what I do... just commuting... But I do some trips that it would be nice to have navi for... Like business trips and personal trips. But then again, there is always MapQuest. Plus that screen is so much more beautiful than that blue strip... LoL Sorry.

For me it's just a toy....for the most part I know where I'm going, but I'm sure I'll be able to use it every now and then.

Retired: 2/11/06

I love the fact that I can change stations through voice commands. Not that I do that a lot but I do switch between my iPod and NPR a lot. If you have to ask, you probably won't find it worth it.

P.S. All hybrids come with the automatic climate control.

Support the Troops - Drive a Hybrid!

We went through the same thing while sitting at the dealership. I really wanted to get the nav, just because it's an awesome toy. I didn't have the option for my STi, and I always wanted the lcd touch/nav. I already have a good bluetooth gps and a car mount for my dell axim, that works very well and can take from my car to her hch. We were going to get the nav, but then the dealer was screwing us around and saying he couldn't find a car w/ it (when he told us they had one that wasn't spoken for yet, but somehow they didn't know that there was a deposit put down on it a few days prior). So we decided that 1600 is a lot just for nav, expecially when you can get a top of the line TomTom w/ bluetooth phone integration for 8-900 and it is portable.

I'd say skip the nav, and if you find you want it in the future get a portable unit like the tomtom or garmin.

06 HCH Mag. Pearl w/o Nav
05 wrx STi

Brandon,
I agree with many of the other comments. I was leaning towards the Navi, BUT my wife didn't want to spend the $$. By chance, I saw an article in PC World about Microsoft's Streets & Trips 2006 with GPS. I looked into it, called Office Max, and picked one up for $130.00. I had recently purchased a Laptop with a DVD Player. My 14 year old son likes to watch movies on trips. I also bought the car power converter.

This product works great. It has voice commands, several options on the display, a database of stores, gas stations, restaurants etc. I went with a friend to a new place 60 miles from me. I typed in the name, city, & state - and it brought up the map, street address and phone number of the place. Then I put in my friend's address, and the destination address. It made a map from my house to the 2 destinations. When I went a back road to my friend's house - the program said "Off Course". When I rejoined the main route - it said "Back on Course". You can reprogram your trip from a new location, if you go a different way. It shows you: your location on the map, your speed (very accurate), altitude, direction, Lat & Long, side roads, and mileage/time to your destination. I use it only for trips and really enjoy playing with it - I let my wife drive, and enjoy the 15.4" screen in color. As you can see I think it's way cool !! The only downside I see is - if you have an auto accident, AND the airbag deploys, either the front passenger or the laptop could be at risk . For the few times I use it - I think it is worth the risk. It may help to prevent an accident. It also tells you how far ahead your next exit will be at about 2 miles, and again at .2 miles. I hope this helps.
Regards,

Don
Best tank 67.5 mpg (555.5 mi.)
Best trip 91.5 mpg (42.2 mi.)

I have a laptop and my father owns a copy of M$ Streets and Trips and I can always steal the GPS from him... But the problem I saw when I used it was that I was constantly taking my eyes off the road too much to try to figure out what was around... which became a pain. I might just get it because it has a nice screen and is easier to read than the non-navi screen. But I have to see one IRL before I make any decisions... Thanks for your input!

Brandon,
You do have to be careful. The nice thing is you can listen to the voice commands. If you get off course, then pull over and check it closer.
Good luck !

Don
Best tank 67.5 mpg (555.5 mi.)
Best trip 91.5 mpg (42.2 mi.)

In addition to Navigation you get voice command of the Nav as well as Audio and Climate Control System. Also you get the PC Card Reader which for WMA files and with a 4 GB Card gives you the equivalent of 100 CD's fully controlled by the NAV Screen and Voice with full display of folder/artist/track name (you don't even get that with the expensive honda iPod option) . Considering every one has a computer (if your posting) you have everything you need with a CF card and adapter to get great integration of digital audio. I paid $500 on my BMW to get much inferior iPod integration and the AUX input isn't integrated into the NAV or audio controls so using that works but isn't a good solution. When you combine all these things plus the fact it makes the interior look *a lot better IMHO* its a good deal if you can afford it. And oh yeah...the NAV is pretty cool as well .

Here's some photo's of the PC Card at work

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/p_oh/a...r=1815&.src=ph