The First Affordable Factory Nav System Now in 2010 Nissan Sentra Plus All The 2010 Changes

i was surprised to see the data for the altima coupe. i cant believe there are college grads whos making like 70k a year combinded (husband/wife)

I know, I thought the same thing. You'd think with two college-educated people's incomes, it'd be at least 100k.

So they still have left the Sentra to wither as a boxy compact that has no appeal when compared to the rest of the lineup. The Altima and Maxima share similar design cues while this car is being torched.

Sorry to say but it is not something I would call eye-catching. And the Nav system looks exactly like what was offered on the 03-08 Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix. Drop in unit, the reason the others are more expensive is that they had all the additional tie ins to climate control, radio, voice activation, blue-tooth, etc. If you just made the car capable of letting your Garmin Nuvi plug-in, then Nav's would cost $100 flat.

Folks who are in the know, know that there are basically two kinds of nav systems: Garmin brand, and those that wish they were. I use GSP a LOT, and there are so many things I take for granted in my Garmin unit that most car buyers don't know about. Things like how current is the map data? How frequently do you get map data updates, and when you do, how far out of date are they when they arrive? What is the update cost? What is the GPS's full feature set (compared to Garmin)? How *well* are those features implemented? How well is the user-interface designed? To what extent can you integrate your car's GPS with your home computer (yes, it is far better to do route-planning and create waypoints on your desktop PC's 24" screen, and then download them to your car's GPS with the tiny screen, and it's also better to get a copy of the waypoint you created in your car GPS and save it on your PC so you can organize sets of waypoints and routes, so you can access them on an as-needed basis, while clearing out unneeded stuff from your car GPS).

The list goes on and on. And for those who keep their car for several years, GPS technology sometimes takes a big step up, like with the introduction of NEXRAD weather radar overlays over your moving map. Get a built-in unit, and GPS feature upgrades don't happen.

After almost 8 years of GPS use and research, the consensus is that buying a good quality portable Garmin GPS is a MUCH better option than getting a factory built-in unit. The only downside, is that it does not look built-in. In all other aspects, you get a much better product, for much less money. As an example, a $500 Garmin GPS by far surpasses the functionality and usability of a typical $2500 factory nav option.

Caveat emptor.

and thats saying very little because the honda nav sucks big time. the graphics come out of the 90s

Navigation on the Honda is close to a $2k option. It SHOULD be better.

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if you are in the market for an econo sedan (why? one might live or work in a smash and grab prone area with tight parking) and don't already have a garmin then one might consider this.

So instead of them smashing and grabbing your pedestal mounted GPS (which you can easily hide away when not in use. They can smash and grab your center consol and cost you a call to your insurance, deductible payouts, rate increases. Much better.

Besides if I commuted to a smash n grab ghetto I would probably drive a 92 Escort or something chinsy with basica collision coverage.

I think most people probably would like to skip on the factory nav, but the problem is key features are bundled into packages that force you to get the NAV. Example - Acura MDX. I know it changes for 2010, but in 2009, if you want a power liftgate (which I assume at least 75% of MDX buyers do), you have to get the Tech or Sport package. Same is true for the Mazda CX-9. Want the power liftgate? You have to get the Nav.

Garmin nav does not mute your stereo, it can get stolen much easier, its tacky looking, does not have integrated steering wheel controls or voice entry. If you are buying an economy car then who cares but on a luxury car then it should just be a standard feature.

Is this a late introduction option? I went through Nissan's configurator for the 10 Sentra and can't find it anywhere. I would say the first low priced nav would be the $1200 package in the Mazda3 that also includes keyless ignition, alarm, and sat radio. I first searched Nissan's configurator to see if other packages are first required before getting the inexpensive nav.

And I have yet to figure out why a touchscreen is the best. Mention of the Accord was made, but a screen high up closer to line of sight is safer, and not being a touchscreen keeps fingerprints off of it. Honda's system is VERY easy to use, and with over 500 voice commands, you don't have to take your hands off the wheel for most things. Rotating the knob while going down the road is much more stable than a shaky finger trying to hit a button on the screen.