As you've probably noticed yourself, pressing the compass icon on the top left of the day switches between a fixed map, where north is always up, to a relative map, where your car is always pointed up.

I started with the former, but have been using the latter for the last couple days.

I'm curious which setting the rest of you nav owners are using, and if you've got rhyme behind the reason.

I don't have the TCH with navi as of yet but I will soon. However I do use navigation programs and I prefer the rotating map instead of the fixed map. I find it easier to follow directions when I'm using it to guide me to a destination. It's easier for me to see the left or right turn I have to make when the make is rotating with my change of direction. That's just me though...

Me too.

I much prefer to have mine set to "Heading-up" as Toyota refers to it.

I prefer the car up map. The north up map takes too much attention away from driving. The car up maps have visual and audible cues for which direction to turn, so I settled in rather quickly to the car up map. I prefer the same orientation of the map to the world out my windshield.

"When you get to the fork in the road, take it." --Yogi Berra

I'm confused. Do you prefer north up, where the map moves, or car up, where it doesn't? "Heading up" sounds like you prefer the fixed map, whereas the poster you quoted prefers the north up rotating map.

EDIT: I was doubly confused. North up is a fixed map, and "heading up" rotates. Thanks for straightening me out, Sooty!

"When you get to the fork in the road, take it." --Yogi Berra

I switch between both when I am in a new area, mostly to decide if there is a different more direct route that could be taken. It give you a better idea of "as the bird flies" routing than having the map constantly swing around. When I am normally driving though, it is in car heading up mode.

Also when entering a destination by location on the map, I use north up since I can find locations faster that way.

"Car-up".

The manual refers to the choices as Heading-up and North-up.

I prefer "Heading-up".

From page 17 of the Navigation manual:

"North−up symbol
Regardless of the direction of vehicle travel,
North is always up.

Heading−up symbol
The direction of vehicle travel is always up.
A red arrow indicates North."

Gotcha. Then I'm with you, and prefer heading up.

"When you get to the fork in the road, take it." --Yogi Berra

I'm a boater, so north is always up when using a marine chart. Therefore, when I am on a long trip, I use north up (fixed gps map).

When I am following local directions to a destination, and I am not familiar with the small area I am in, and the north direction is not important to me, I then us the rotating map.

Most of the time, I use the fixed map - (north up) so I can have a sense of direction.

Well my TCH arives next week but when it does I'll use heading-up. This is similar to the choice you get on PC battle games such as Battlefield II. The map can have North up or heading-up. I find it easier to use the heading-up and assume I will on the car too. Now if the THC only had a gun turret....