GPS 2006 Avalon problems

[acoldstarnolds7]

My NAV GPS system on my 2006 Avalon leaves a lot to be desired.
I live in Houston and have set my home address in the memory. Recently while downtown I programmed it to take me home. This is a 20 mile trip on loop 610 and then highway 290. Basically a straight shot with no exits from the freeway. This goofy system has me exit at every 290 exit ramp, go south, then north on the next road, then back under the freeway and back on at the next entrance ramp. Then immediately get off at the next exit ramp and repeat the process. I have noticed it also does not have many roads in my area on it that were built or extended over three years ago. Those should be on the current software.

Was recently on a vacation the western US. On the trip back I set it to take me home. I asked it for the quickest and the shortest route. It told me both were the same route. This was a 1600 mile trip from Salt Lake to Houston. I make the trip I was on yearly so knew what it was telling me was not quickest or shortest. There was no way to change it.
The route it wanted me to take was over 200 miles out of the way. It did refigure every time I varied from the route it calculated but as far as being an efficient gps worth 2000 dollars it is not.

I would suggest that if you are buying a new Avalon you forego the gps system that is an option. Buy something aftermarket that works.

I read a column detailing the electronics on the Avalon and specifically the gps problems at www.gadgetguru.com. It is dead on to what I have experienced.

[carloi]

With the optional GPS crap, were you able to check which ones actually work well?

[05Limited]

Was this freeway area under major reconstruction a few years ago? I ask because there are optional settings that direct the NAV directions to steer you around known detours and construction areas. Of course that info is usually pretty old.

[jag_man653]

We have been using it for about 3 months now, after having used a Garmin Street Pilot for a couple years in our previous car. In some ways the Garmin is better For example, it announces street names at upcoming turns, whereas the Toyota NAV does not. However, the on the issue you mentioned they are about the same. I remember with the Garmin it would always take us past an interchange, down to the surface streets for a couple miles, then up onto the other freeway. Obviously, it was still operating on maps from when that interchange was being reconstructed. The NAV gets that one right but screws up elsewhere. Only thing to do is wait for an upgraded DVD from Toyota.

On your long trip problem, let me tell you of a better experience. We often spend the summer at a house in Berkeley, CA so have driven there from our home in SoCal many times. We punched in the address in Berkeley and headed out. It took us the route we usually take right up to an intersection about 1 mile from the house in Berkeley, and asked us to turn right. We "kenw that was wrong," so ignored the good lady in the sky. When she did it again and again ofer the next month or so I finally did it her way. Guess what. It was a far better route. She took us up one short block to a far better street and we got there in less time.

The thing that REALLY irratates, though, is being locked out of so much stuff while the car is in motion. My navigator cannot do anything like keying in "Starbucks" as we are rolling along. And, it refuses to show text messages like titles of music on FM. That's too much. Some day someone here will find the secret code for disabling that "feature," and I'll be happy.

BTW, the reason we got NAV instead of continuing to use Street Pilot was so I could install a backup camera. I have now done that, with the help of inov8 here. Works great.

Would I go back to the Street Pilot? Probably not. It's SO NICE not to have to conenct and disconnect the thing and stow it every time we go into a restaurant etc.

Ed
2006 Avalon XLS