I just realized this. I am curious as well.

 

Dynamic Nav is free for three three years. Then it's $169 for two years. The service is map updates over the air, provided by the cellular data modem built into the car. If you don't pay for it, the navigation system continues to work fine, it's just that the map data stops updating. This is an alternative to their older way of doing things by selling a data SD card (or CD, if you go back that far). Each year it cost about $150-$300 to get a new set of map data. With the Dynamic Nav subscription, you get updates without needing to buy a piece of media.

Destination Assist is the ability to call a human being, explain where you're going, and have them program your navigation system to get you there. That's free for one year and then $80/year after that.

 

Thanks, It is a good system if I remember to use it, Been using Apple play maps for a few years. However, IMO it does blow apple play maps out of the water. Would definitely be an asset in wide-open places.

 

Waze is free and much more informative. I have been across the country using it and have never had any problems at all. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

To use Waze in the same manner as you would an onboard GPS or nav system it would cost you an arm and leg for the data. You must be connected to the internet or a wifi to use Waze. That costs money. To use the Dynamic Navigation the fee for two years does cover any updates and after that there is no cost for data or internet connections. I have a 2017 Prius that came with a GPS. After two years and I wanted to update the maps I had to pay almost $100 for that one update. Had to go to the dealer and have them put the microSD card in and wait for it to download. With Dynamic Nav, it is down without having to do all that and whenever an update comes out. NO COMPARISON

 

From youtube car reviews, I think some reviewers are incorrectly implying that it is required to pay for the subscription in order to continue using the in-dash navigation. However, as others have mentioned above, the subscription is for the map updates and traffic updates (probably). This is actually similar to most carmakers nowadays. After X amount of years (usually 3 yrs), you have to pay X amount for the map/traffic updates.

If you don't want to pay for the subscription, the in-dash navigation still works without traffic updates and new map updates.

 

So without map updates you could find the ramp you wanted to take no longer exists.

 

Years ago, I had an Acura that kept its maps on a DVD-ROM in the trunk. I never updated it, and it wasn't until about year 6 or 7 that I started to notice a few significant errors. My plan for now, is to wait until I notice errors, then sign up for another term. I'm assuming that will be at least a few years after the free term expires.

 

This is not the most recent thread about Dynamic Navigation and what it really costs, so I'll throw in some more details.

A big thing to note is that Dynamic Navigation is not updating the base map data stored in the memory of the car. It will display more current data for your immediate surroundings and along your route (if you have programmed one) using the cellular link, but it doesn't keep that new data for any length of time. So it appears that your map data is current the whole time, but the day the subscription ends, you'll start seeing the original map data that was put in when the radio was manufactured.

In order to renew the Dynamic Navigation subscription, you'll also have to pay the dealer a labor fee to update the map data stored on the car. There is no license fee for the data, but you'll have to pay for the hour (or whatever it takes) to update the map data via USB. That's why some of Toyota's marketing materials say "$169 plus labor" for the two-year renewal. This is where the labor portion comes in.

You're entitled to updates of the base map data at any time during your subscription without a license fee, but you still have to pay for the labor. If you wanted to, you could update your base map data every year (that's how often it's published), but the labor cost is on you. So you could pay to have the map data updated just before the end of the three-year trial period to at least get the map up to date at that point.

 

If you have a hybrid the dynamic navigation also adds predictive efficient drive which, in theory, allows better utilization of the battery. It does this by setting up regenerative braking for better power recovery by remembering up to 100 locations where you normally brake. It also plans ahead up to six miles ahead when you are using a programmed destination to take advantage of the terrain to maximize power recovery on downhill grades.

 

And thankfully can be turned off when it doesn't give you the fastest route when you want it.

 

Dynamic navigation is an override of the current hardcopy road information stored in the current software version of the Nav IF, IF, If it exists. No change in road layout for the trip, no change in Dynamic Navigation over the base Nav system guidance provided.

Don't need no stinkin' dynamic Navigation......and no plans for paying for it either ..... All you have to do if lost is touch the "X" or verbally cancel current guidance, follow compass coordinates over new roads encountered in direction of the destination (easy with the Toy compass screen in the central cluster because the red dot indicates heads up cardinal point(s) of destination) and then at the next identifiable intersection verbally key Nav and enter using the recent destination from the current address/intersection for new guidance..

 

All you have to do if lost is

touch the "X" or verbally cancel current guidance, follow compass coordinates over new roads encountered in direction of the destination (easy with the Toy compass screen in the central cluster because the red dot indicates heads up cardinal point(s) of destination) and then at the next identifiable intersection verbally key Nav and enter using the recent destination from the current address/intersection for new guidance..

That's a bit terse for me since I don't use the verbal system or Nav much at all. Is my paraphrase correct:

Touch X to cancel current guidance. (where is that - on the Nav / map screen ?)

Use the compass to go in the general direction of your destination, using the compass display on the central screen. Probably easier if you have it set up so that the orientation of the map has the direction you are going facing upwards on the map screen (instead of always North).

At the next intersection identified on the map screen, turn on Navigation again and

use the Recent Destinations to select your destination (instead of having to enter it all again).

 

Supposedly it does use "the cloud" to assist with routing with Dynamic Navigation, so it would be aware of new roads or changes if you ask it to plan a route while the subscription is active.

You don't even need to cancel the route guidance if you drive into an area where the map doesn't have the data for the road you're on. Just ignore its direction until you get back to a place it recognizes, and then it will automatically calculate a new route.

 

AND if the $8 a month (or $80 a year) really bothers you or your budget, you can easily kill the subscription for months you don't need it and start it again if your going on a trip.

 

Dynamic Nav doesn't have a monthly option like the other services. The only choice is $169 plus labor for two years.

 

You are correct, I was thinking about Destination Assist Connect!

 

This Navigation system in the '21 HL has very detailed maps - to include parking lot lanes for places like shopping centers, college campuses, airports, etc. That's overkill and I find it annoying that the guidance directions include the internals of such places. If you can't find your way out of a parking lot, you probably shouldn't be driving. For those who are geographically talented, this system is annoying and requires frequent ignoring from the driver. This system was made for the person who can't find their way out of a paper bag.

 

This system was made for the person who can't find their way out of a paper bag.

That's a good thing, right?

 

Last week I had to go to a medical office building in a shopping center. I was happy that the car just didn't get me to the area but took me right to the specific building, which was only marked on the back side (which the car guided me to.)

 

Since when is too much information like a including a map of an internal parking lot a bad thing??? Don't like 'em? - Ignore 'em. And as far as showing internal roadways may not be of much use in a Piggly Wiggly lot but where I am with multiple suburban 30 acre+ lots with dozens of internal pathways some of which interconnect with other adjacent malls to avoid going back on main roadways with traffic controls or feeder roads to a numbered State road.

Memory is cheap and Toyota must have a crap load of it jammed into the Nav head.....which is a lot more than stuffed into a chip in an Android or iPhone., even enough to put a pause, fwd and rewind feature into live radio broadcasts.

It is definitely the way to go traveling the US on the Interstate. Graphics depict the actual copies of the next white on green overhead road signs(s) and info signs for next upcoming exit along with the exact number of travel lanes and exit lanes with arrows guiding lane. Right side of screen lists the next three upcoming exits with symbols for all available services on each exit, and map will autozoom as you approach the next turning point, and color graphics of the next turning point along with road names of current and turning streets, a countdown meter in the main screen, the driver cluster and the HUD with a flashing arrow at the next turn. Even chimes and alerts as you cross a State line showing a graphic of a POI. Different voices and volume can be set higher independent of radio/USB input volume so it is clearly heard.

Plus other features I haven't played around with yet. Magellan, Garmin, Tom Tom and AutoAndroid .......I have/had all of them and they're good enough only if that's all you have...... when you lack a spoon you can also eat peas with a fork or knife.....still gets into your gut just not as a pleasurable experience.

 

Since when is too much information like a including a map of an internal parking lot a bad thing??? Don't like 'em? - Ignore 'em. And as far as showing internal roadways may not be of much use in a Piggly Wiggly lot but where I am with multiple suburban 30 acre+ lots with dozens of internal pathways some of which interconnect with other adjacent malls to avoid going back on main roadways with traffic controls or feeder roads to a numbered State road.

Memory is cheap and Toyota must have a crap load of it jammed into the Nav head.....which is a lot more than stuffed into a chip in an Android or iPhone., even enough to put a pause, fwd and rewind feature into live radio broadcasts.

It is definitely the way to go traveling the US on the Interstate. Graphics depict the actual copies of the next white on green overhead road signs(s) and info signs for next upcoming exit along with the exact number of travel lanes and exit lanes with arrows guiding lane. Right side of screen lists the next three upcoming exits with symbols for all available services on each exit, and map will autozoom as you approach the next turning point, and color graphics of the next turning point along with road names of current and turning streets, a countdown meter in the main screen, the driver cluster and the HUD with a flashing arrow at the next turn. Even chimes and alerts as you cross a State line showing a graphic of a POI. Different voices and volume can be set higher independent of radio/USB input volume so it is clearly heard.

Plus other features I haven't played around with yet. Magellan, Garmin, Tom Tom and AutoAndroid .......I have/had all of them and they're good enough only if that's all you have...... when you lack a spoon you can also eat peas with a fork or knife.....still gets into your gut just not as a pleasurable experience.

Do you still feel Dynamic Nav is great? Any updates to your previous post? Really enjoyed reading it...thank you!

 

The maps are provided by HERE WeGo

 

Thank you for that information. I've been looking for the source for several years.

 

The Dynamic Navigation three year trial period begins on the original date of purchase or lease of a new vehicle. After the trial period expires, enrollment in paid subscription is required to access the service.

My 2021 RAV4 Prime XSE (purchased late October 2021) is in the first year of the three-year trial, but I'm puzzled about several details of the trial:

• do the maps get updated during the trial?
• how frequently are maps updated?

When I look at Map Data detail, I see "MAP Version: 05-71-50 [2021-03-0]" which I interpret to mean the map version was released March 2021. There is an "Update Map" button below and when I tap it, a message pops up: "It was not possible to complete the update. Please contact your dealer."

I'm trying to understand Toyota's rationale in forcing customers to pay to get maps updated during the trial? Likewise, how persuasive the marketing is supposed to be when these details seem to be hidden from customers? Or, the value proposition of paying for Dynamic Navigation in October 2024 with maps that haven't been updated for 42 months?

 

If the RAV4 has the same Dynamic Navigation as the 2020-2022 Highlander, then here's how it works...

The base map data stored in the system in your car is not updated as you drive around. Over the course of the three-year trial, the system will display updated data for your location or for a route programmed to a destination. It gets that data over the Internet, through the car's DCM cellular communication module. However, any updated information you see is not stored permanently.

Base map data is released in annual updates. During the three-year trial, you are entitled to have the base map data updated. There is no charge for the data itself, but there would be a labor charge by the dealer to put in a USB stick and update it, which takes 60-90 minutes. (The "update map" button is for this update via USB; you can't download an update over the air.)

Should you decide to pay for the Dynamic Navigation subscription at the end of the three-year trial, then it will cost you about $170 for a new two-year subscription, AND you will have to pay the dealer for the labor to update your base map data to the latest version. They won't extend your subscription without updating the map data stored in your car.

 

then here's how it works...

Should you decide to pay for the Dynamic Navigation subscription at the end of the three-year trial, then it will cost you about $170 for a new two-year subscription, AND you will have to pay the dealer for the labor to update your base map data to the latest version. They won't extend your subscription without updating the map data stored in your car.

Thanks!

Excluding the map updates from the subscription will probably kill the value for me, especially since the performance hasn't been very reliable…

Example: I recently visited a friend's rural lake house. Zero cell reception with AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon, but somehow the RAV4's "Remote Connect" accurately showed battery status when my phone was on my friend's W-Fi -- impressive and unexpected. Yet, when I was leaving the RAV4's Maps wouldn't work, displaying a message about "no connection"…and this was the built-in Maps, not CarPlay-based Apple Maps. In other words, the one time I expected the vehicle's Navigation would be useful, it was useless.

I lan to ask Toyota about this example, but I can't see the rationale when their alternative to Apple/Google Maps doesn't work.

 

Maybe they have changed the process then? It's kind of nuts to pay $169 for the subscription and another $150-$200 in labor.

It still sounds like the part they ship you is a USB stick with the map data update. It would take a long time to download all of that data over a cellular data connection.

 

Maybe they have changed the process then? It's kind of nuts to pay $169 for the subscription and another $150-$200 in labor.
It still sounds like the part they ship you is a USB stick with the map data update. It would take a long time to download all of that data over a cellular data connection.

Welll it does take 45 minutes to complete the update over a cellular connection so if it's not downloading map data what else could take that long? Maybe it's a combination of data both by USB and cellular. Base map on USB and POI and other info by cellular.

My free subscription expires in March 2023 so I'll have to decide whether to renew then. If I do I would try the USB device instead of the dealer but maybe just start using WAZE instead. The only thing that may keep me using the Toyota update is the Predictive Efficient Drive function for my hybrid but I've never seen any data on just how much this actually improves fuel economy.

 

Now I'm not sure if you have to buy the USB update from a dealer and do yourself or pay the dealer to handle the whole process. I checked my toyota account as my dynamic navigation expires next month and it seems I can just extend my current subscription either for $8.00 a month or $80 a year. I doubt this would update your base maps but with updated cloud maps it wouldn't really make any difference.

 

I considered the same decision a couple of weeks ago when I hit the three-year mark. I Googled a little bit and couldn't find any solid information about what would happen if I chose to renew right now. I found some discussion about how Toyota would mail you a USB stick for the map update, but then installing it was still a hassle and that person wound up going to the dealer for help. I also found a lot of other complaints about how hard it was to get a straight answer to this question.

Ultimately I decided it wasn't important enough for me to start paying for it, and I wasn't going to take a chance on something that may require more time or even money if I wound up at the dealer to make it work. I haven't updated the maps on any of my previous cars, so I figured why start now.

If you decide to renew it, certainly please share whatever happens so other people can find the answer.

 

If you decide to renew it, certainly please share whatever happens so other people can find the answer.

I decided to try a renewal and it seems to have worked - it now lists my Dynamic Navigation subscription to renew on March 16th when my free trial expires.

Just noticed that somehow my google ID took over my account name - it has been lloyd123 for years - need to fix this

 

I don't think I lost the saved places but I'll have to look. Haven't noticed anything different yet. I know of one subdivision that's relatively new, so I need to drive by it and see if most of it has disappeared from the map. It has been showing me some of the roads in that area although not all of them.

 

I'm not noticing any places or settings missing. But that new subdivision did in fact disappear from the map, so at least now I can tell that Dynamic Nav was working and is not working any longer.