Everything you wanted to know about the BMW E46 Navigation MK4 Demystified.
Rated by me: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars
I reviewed and rated it based on key areas that many in car navigation electronics are critiqued on. These are Speed, Integration with other I.C.E components, Precision, Route Guidance, Map clarity
POSITIVES:
-Has a lot of USEFUL and solid features
-Very Quick! Start up & Loading Maps, Also finds GPS Signal Quick
-Seemless integration with other I.C.E Radio functions and Bluetooth
-Map Clarity and Graphics are clear and GPS location mapping is very precise
-Visual and Vocal Directions are also on point
-Navigation Voice Prompt works seemlessly with your music so nothing is paused or disrupted (see video). The voice can also be lowered or raised depending on your tastes.
NEGATIVES:
-Uses DVDs over Hard Drive or SD Cards (not really a full negative since DVDs are really quick to load and easy for updating the maps)
-DVDs are EXPENSIVE! $200 per DVD (1 for East and 1 for West coast)
-Takes a long time to get use to controls and using it. Took me a full week to learn some of the main functions on GPS where as a Tom Tom Go is easy to use and fully understand minutes out of the box.
-A lot of the cool features are buried deep in the menu and takes a while to find and learn to use.
-Entering addresses on the Input Screen on the fly is not advised. The slection text is tiny and it hard to input a destination whiles driving or at a red light. Bigger text on the input screen and a touch screen would make this easier. Not really a full negative since it is against the law and dangerous to be entering information on handheld devices whiles driving.
-Retrofit kits may need coding for some cars and cost around $80 to $200 depending on which dealership you go to.
- The instruction manual that comes with the retrofit kit can be much better at explaining some of the features
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