BMW To Make NAV Standard Equipment By The End Of The Year

A satellite navigation system will come as standard on every new BMW from September 2015, the manufacturer has announced.

Every new BMW on sale from then will come with a 6.5in multimedia system with iDrive and Traffic Message Channel, along with other standard features such as BMW Emergency Call, DAB radio and Bluetooth.

The 2 Series Convertible and 2 Series Active Tourer will both get the equipment upgrade from July, and once the 1 Series and 2 Series Coupé get upgraded in September, every BMW car in the range will have sat-nav as standard.

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TheSteve - 4/29/2015 2:11:21 PM

+2 Boost

Will it raise the price of the vehicle by $2800? My issues with factory Nav systems are:

(1) UI: Usually, the user interface is rubbish. Garmin has set the standard and is always raising the bar. There are two kinds of GPSes: Garmin, and those who want to be Garmin (I'm sure a lot of non-Garmin owners will be voting this post down)

(2) Data availability and cost: The industry standard, like Garmin, offers free lifetime data updates (updated quarterly) and free lifetime traffic data subscriptions. When I looked into Audi's offering, a map update could set you back $200 plus installation, and there's an annual fee for traffic data that's north of $100/year. I don't know what BMW is offering.

(3) PC integration: Garmin offers outstanding computer/GPS integration. Use your PC and its 24" monitor to create and maintain waypoints, routes, etc., and to transfer them back and forth between PC and GPS. Factory systems have either no integration, or they require you to also have a monthly cellular data plan for your Nav system to allow some integration via the cloud.

(4) Cost: Garmin's flagship GPS, the 2015 NuviCam (with dash-cam!), is $399. It blows away factory Nav systems costing 5+ times more. In 3 years time, if GPS technology makes significant advances, you can get a new Garmin, and still have paid less than 1/2 of the cost of a factory system, while you're still stuck with the built-in factory system.

FWIW, if you have a non-Garmin GPS and you like it, that's brilliant. You made the right decision for you, and I'm not slamming you for it.

atc98092 - 4/29/2015 2:16:51 PM

+1 Boost

I much prefer the large, in-dash screen of a factory unit. That said, I agree with TheSteve in that very few in-car units are worth anything.

I think the upcoming smart-phone integration from Apple and Google is the way to go. Easily updated, can be configured sitting in the house before leaving, and still have the nice in-dash display. I'm 2 1/2 years with my current phone (Nokia 920) and won't be replacing it (unless I have to) until my next car supports one if these options. That will most likely determine what phone I buy next.

TheSteve - 4/30/2015 1:26:49 PM

+1 Boost

For those who like large screens, Garmin's flagship 2015 NuviCam has a 5.4"W x 2.8"H (13.6 x 7.2 cm); 6.1" diag (15.4 cm) touchscreen, voice recognition, millions of Points of Interest (POIs) from FourSquare, etc. It doesn't depend on cellular reception to work.

atc98092 - 4/30/2015 6:22:18 PM

+1 Boost

The problem with this, or any other portable display, is a) where to mount it when in use and b) where to put it when not in use. As the device gets larger, it becomes more cumbersome to hang it on the windshield (plus it's against the law in some states), and you get much lower it loses its usefulness. When not in use, it needs to be completely out is sight, or someone will bust a window to grab it. And you can't just slip it in your pocket.

That's why the Apple and Google interfaces will be so much more interesting. No need to hang it anywhere, and it does slip in your pocket when you park. With the phone screen mirrored to the dash display, you have the best of both.