At least that is my opinion. I did. There are some advantages of having a built in model. But I also own a portable Garmin 660 that I use when I rent cars. It is in some ways superior. The Toyota model is perennially saying a given house number does not exist, even if it is years old. I have never had that problem with the Garmin. On the other hand, the Toyota model is a little easier to suspend temporarily than the Garmin and there is no suction cup to come loose from the windshield. To me, the Toytoa model is not worth the extra money, especially given the portability of the Garmin. Just my two bits.

 

yeah, the prius gps is awful. Thats the only regret my dad has about buying the prius. But I am more than happy with the alpine gps in the HCHII

 

I think the problem is with the mapping data and not Toyota's GPS. I have the OEM GPS in my Prius and am not happy with the lack of features compared to aftermarket units. I have an old Garmin Emap that has an approaching cross street option. It shows the name of the next upcoming cross street. This is a very handy feature in a GPS and I was shocked to find the newer factory Toyota GPS did not have it. Many say I could just zoom in to read the street names but I prefer a zoomed out look on my GPS and the ability to show me the name of the next cross street is a must. Seems like every GPS unit should have this feature.

 

Another thing. If you want to update your GPS maps it will cost you $250 for the DVD. I now use my trusty Garmin 750.

vmg 2005 Prius

 

I've got the OEM GPS in my '08 Prius. Since it is my first GPS, I don't really have anything to compare it to, so I'm pretty much OK with it. I did feel that the learning curve was a little long. Don't know if it was just me or what, but some of the interface elements just didn't seem very well thought out. It took me a couple of thousand miles of using it before I found that ability to suspend guidance. And, it nearly drove me crazy trying to get the darn thing to route me the way I wanted to go. Adding waypoints to a destination that is over a thousand miles away does the trick, but it is a real PITA. I found that it was absolutely no substitute for an atlas, but more of a live updating adjutant to one.

The routes it picked for long treks were stunningly inefficient. For example, routing from Detroit Downriver to Pikeville, KY using fastest route had me going through Dayton, Cincinnati and Lexington which was so out of the way as to add over 60 miles to a 400 mile trip. Sure it was more interstate, but some densely populated and very busy interstate at that. And using shortest route was not at all predictable, and seldom the shortest.

I found out the hard way that you had better trace the suggested route carefully before striking out. Coming back from Arkansas, I simply set my destination and drove the route I wanted, which meant waiting for close to a hundred miles for the device to choose the same route I was driving. I was coming from the Fort Smith/Van Buren area with Pikeville, KY set as the destination. It initially routed me through Memphis on I-40 and then north on I-65 at Nashville for a trek across the mountains from Bowling Green toward Pikeville on the parkway. It wasn't a bad route, except that it included N. Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville and Bowling Green. After studying the Atlas, I chose to leave interstate at Conway, AR on 64 east to join (Interstate?) 67/167 heading NE through Bald ****. My aim was to cross the Mississippi River on I-155 and ease into Kentucky on its west end just above Union City, TN. That puts me on the Kentucky Blue Grass Parkway all the way into Lexington, then on the Mountain Parkway until pretty close to Pikeville. I could skip N. Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville and Bowling Green and only pick up Lexington. As a trade off, I had a bit of state highway in central and east Arkansas.

Everything was going fine, because I ignored the devices pleading to get back on I-40 through most of east Arkansas before it finally got the idea that I-155 was the closest route across the Mississippi. It looked like it had the right idea and I started trusting it too much. It turns out, way too much, because when it got me to Elizabethtown, KY it took me off the Parkway and onto I-65 N into Louisville and then on to Lexington on I-64. This was a complete dog leg out of the way on some of the most crowded interstate in Kentucky. What amazed me is that it took me off of the best route which was going straight into Lexington. The Blue Grass Parkway that runs EW through Kentucky is nearly all scenic byway with nothing but small towns until you get to Lexington. And, there is very little truck traffic. Even the car traffic is light.

But I have to say that using the GPS has helped me find some hitherto undiscovered short cuts, even if only for a few miles in some cases. And in one case, the thing helped me locate a Best Western in a driving rain that I probably would have missed otherwise.

 

Hi Bull,

My experience on my 2006 Prius is essentially the same as yours. I find the Garmin to be a superior unit. That said, it is nice to have a unit that is available on demand (as opposed to pulling the Garmin out of the glove compartment). The Prius is the handiest when I am in a part of town I am unfamiliar with. But you cannot trust it blindly. I too have been taken way out of the way on occassion.


Diver

 

When I purchased my 2006 if you wanted leather, you had to get the GPS. I wanted leather so I ended up with the Nav system even though I would have probably passed on it if I had a choice. I don't use it much but find it adequate but it is the first Nav system I have ever used so I have nothing to compare it to.

 

Tho I still get address does not exist (sometimes because I've moved from one map zone to another), I reduced that by first plugging in the street name, which will result in a selection of five cities. Hopefully, the one your looking for is in the selection. After picking the right one, the range of addresses (400-4000) will be displayed.

I have a Garmin 705 which I use for cycling. I made the mistake of asking it to take me to a lake in Ks. It would do that, but not on my preferred route. It too told me to turn where I knew I didn't want to.

But, it is best to have a good map available for the Prius.

 

The GPS of Prius is quite fine with me. I just don't like it when it gives some datas inefficiently. I currently own a portable Navigator.
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I liked the NAV unit in my 04 Prius -- until my recent acquisition of an "almost new" 09 Camry Hybrid that has everything, except NAV. I used my accumulated AMEX bonus points, and got a nice little Magellan unit -- free! I thought I'd have to make do, but I was very wrong. The only drawbacks with the Magellan is the relatively small size, and the annoying suction cup. OTOH, having the thing positioned further up in my field of vision largely makes up for size. As to the rest, the maps are way better, the directions work better and faster, and the 3D view is much more intuitive. Want an update? For the firmware, it's a free download (the Magellan connects to a PC via USB). Map updates that cost hundreds of dollars from Toyota are $65 from Magellan (via CD/DVD). It's also very cool to be able to bring the unit in and plan a trip from the comfort of your living room. I've become an instant portable convert. No more in-dash units for me.

Oh, one other small regret, in the TCH, if you go no-nav, you lose the Prius-like energy screens, and have to work with a little playing card sized watered down version that sits inside the speedo (the speedo needle runs out from beneath it). Not as fun as the colored arrows, but it works well enough.