Next time you buy a car - will you care if it has Sat Nav?

[AGTDenton]

My next car will definitely want to have satnav. Currently eyeing up an i30 N but I don't know if I'm keen on the "iPad glued to the top of the dashboard".

I have an i30N and the InBuilt SatNav is awful. But it does have AndroidAuto, and having Waze on the screen has been a god send.
You get used to the tablet like screen sticking up, I didnt like it at first from an asthetic point of view but its within easy arm reach and the screen is clear and responsive, more than can be said for the Type R, which is like using an old Speak & Spell...

What I am surprised not to have seen become more common place is accident cameras as options. So many people buy dash cams now, seems sensible to have an integrated option.

Agreed. Most cars are designed to have a front and rear camera for parking, they could make use of those as well as a camera inbuilt to the rear view mirror for a more driver perspective

[Saracen999]

I have an i30N and the InBuilt SatNav is awful. But it does have AndroidAuto, and having Waze on the screen has been a god send.
You get used to the tablet like screen sticking up, I didnt like it at first from an asthetic point of view but its within easy arm reach and the screen is clear and responsive, more than can be said for the Type R, which is like using an old Speak & Spell...

And that, for me, is a convincing argument for after-market devices - you can pick what you like. Just like I don't want a car ICE as standard .... though it should be an option for those that do. But me? I'm a bit fussy about my ICE, and I want the amos, speakers, etc that suit my ears and tastes.

[AGTDenton]

And that, for me, is a convincing argument for after-market devices - you can pick what you like. Just like I don't want a car ICE as standard .... though it should be an option for those that do. But me? I'm a bit fussy about my ICE, and I want the amos, speakers, etc that suit my ears and tastes.

Add to that the Speakers are poor in the i30N, though this is more of a problem if it is your daily driver. But if you have access to another car/van as your daily then it wouldnt be a problem, as you'd only be wanting to hear the engine :-)

[Saracen999]

Add to that the Speakers are poor in the i30N, though this is more of a problem if it is your daily driver. But if you have access to another car/van as your daily then it wouldnt be a problem, as you'd only be wanting to hear the engine :-)

There may be exceptions, but my experience of builr-in systems (perhaps excluding some very high-end vehicles) is that they nearly always are relatively poor. And expensive. Or, often both.

[kalniel]

Add to that the Speakers are poor in the i30N, though this is more of a problem if it is your daily driver. But if you have access to another car/van as your daily then it wouldnt be a problem, as you'd only be wanting to hear the engine :-)

Sound quality is super important to me, and it's harder and harder to fit aftermarket solutions, both from a technical perspective and insurance. Is there any kind of dealer upgrade option for the i30N?

[Saracen999]

Sound quality is super important to me ....

Me too, though not as much as it used to be. I used to spend fsr more time listening to music in my car than at home. Now, that's probably reversed but still, if I'm going to listen I want to do it via the best setup I can get (and afford) given that a car is a pretty hifi-unfriendly environment in the first place.

Also, with aftermarket, I can pick components that suit my ears, whereas a manufacturer can only ever try to suit the mass market .... if they give that any thought at all.

It's similar, though not to the same extent, with SatNav. I have my favourite brand. I've been using various models for many years, like it, am comfortable with it and don't want change for change's sake.

One other thing.

With an aftermarket system, I can use one device in several different cars, in the wife's car, in pool cars, in hire cars and take it with me when I travel. If it's built-in to the car, though ....

[DanceswithUnix]

I'm finding this all a bit surreal.

The processing power to store a map and calculate routes, in a modern car already crammed with CPUs and displays, having satnav is probably more about the cost of map data than anything else. Now that the car can pull navigation from a smartphone, having nav in a car must be so cheap I expect it will become a standard feature.

When I started driving features like intermittent wipers were a luxury feature. But these days, if my car can't do basic Nav then it probably can't do bluetooth hands free or play music off a USB stick either, and that would make me sad.

https://uk.banggood.com/7033B-7-Inch...r_warehouse=CN

[Hoonigan]

I hear the next golf has gone all touch screen based which is a terrible decision for climate control etc.

That would ruin the entire appeal for me. Being able to adjust the climate control without taking my eyes off the road is great. Touch screens are all well and good but they only make sense in certain scenarios, such as an Apple CarPlay or a SatNav. Climate Control really needs its own buttons.

the 68 plate Octavia is all touch screen... utter crap. Smeared screen even with the cleanest of fingers, light reflecting off it from every angle. Hated it

The Piano Black that the VAG group use looks fantastic when it's new but it is an utter nightmare to keep clean. As are the very glossy touchscreens that inevitably end up smeared to the high heavens.

I have an i30N and the InBuilt SatNav is awful. But it does have AndroidAuto, and having Waze on the screen has been a god send.
You get used to the tablet like screen sticking up, I didnt like it at first from an asthetic point of view but its within easy arm reach and the screen is clear and responsive.

I test drove one a few months back and was massively, hugely, incredibly impressed by the power delivery of the engine and the feel from the steering, particularly in N-Mode with all the pops and bangs, rev-matching on downshifts, reactive suspension etc but the screen on the dash, after having driven the Golf for 18 months now, just seemed like an after-thought. However, I don't think it's put me off wanting one.
If you told me 5 years ago that I'd one day be lusting over a Hyundai, I'd have laughed you out the front door but that car just does something for me. It's beautiful from the outside, and that triangular brake light in the rear wing. Lovely!

What colour did you choose? If I find it affordable, I'm going to try and get a red but they seem quite rare and hard to get hold of.

[AGTDenton]

Sound quality is super important to me, and it's harder and harder to fit aftermarket solutions, both from a technical perspective and insurance. Is there any kind of dealer upgrade option for the i30N?

Stupidly Hyundai Germany have the uprated sound system (400W) but the UK dont. Typical.
But I've found the official Hyundai parts dealer and they sell it & ship to UK for £400 (if my memory serves me correctly).
My dealer was meant to get back to me as to whether they would fit it to keep the Warrantee. However, I'm going to hold out for the face lift before modding mine to see if I'll get the facelift when my finance is due or keep my current one.

Another thought was to make a trip to the Nurburgring and swing by Hyundai in Germany and get them to fit the upgrade, thus keeping the warrantee.

I test drove one a few months back and was massively, hugely, incredibly impressed by the power delivery of the engine and the feel from the steering, particularly in N-Mode with all the pops and bangs, rev-matching on downshifts, reactive suspension etc but the screen on the dash, after having driven the Golf for 18 months now, just seemed like an after-thought. However, I don't think it's put me off wanting one.
If you told me 5 years ago that I'd one day be lusting over a Hyundai, I'd have laughed you out the front door but that car just does something for me. It's beautiful from the outside, and that triangular brake light in the rear wing. Lovely!

What colour did you choose? If I find it affordable, I'm going to try and get a red but they seem quite rare and hard to get hold of.

Yes it has BMW DNA and you can really feel it. A good move by Hyundai.
I've been loving mine every day. The i30N community is great!!

I went with Black, I was torn between dark grey, white and black.
The red is fantastic, didnt appreciate it 'til I saw one and yes very rare.

There may be exceptions, but my experience of builr-in systems (perhaps excluding some very high-end vehicles) is that they nearly always are relatively poor. And expensive. Or, often both.

I was exceptionally lucky with my old Skoda Octavia '13, brilliant speakers! Didn't need a sub or anything.
The i30N is flat, and on motorway drives is unable to project the sound.

[Smudger]

The best standard-fit ICE I've had was in my old 2000 406 Exec. Clarion head unit, complete with tape, backed up by JBL amp and speakers and 6-disk autochanger.

Everything since then has been a bit not right, including 'high-end' systems from Meridien and Bose

[Zak33]

The best standard-fit ICE I've had was in my old 2000 406 Exec. Clarion head unit, complete with tape, backed up by JBL amp and speakers and 6-disk autochanger.

i bet that rocked 406 had great speaker positioning

the best factory audio upgrade that I have used was the Saab 9-3 audio upgrade from Harmon Kardon. Was a HUGE improvement... those days are gone though.

[Smudger]

i bet that rocked 406 had great speaker positioning

It did, but not in an overly-bassy way, was more about detail. And yes, it could go massively loud if you wanted it to, without distortion. Even all the way up to 11*.


*Actually went to something like 24, but that doesn't fit the joke.

[AGTDenton]

The best standard-fit ICE I've had was in my old 2000 406 Exec. Clarion head unit, complete with tape, backed up by JBL amp and speakers and 6-disk autochanger.

Everything since then has been a bit not right, including 'high-end' systems from Meridien and Bose

I've found BOSE to be very overrated in the home/car market. The only time I've been impressed by BOSE was a huge bass tube in Thorpe Park for one of their rides. But as ever the last time I went it was out of action, the usual run down state all our attractions suffer with.

[Smudger]

We've got a Mazda with a Bose system in at the mo, it's meh.

[Ttaskmaster]

That would ruin the entire appeal for me. Being able to adjust the climate control without taking my eyes off the road is great.

Does it matter on a Golf?
The whole point of Climatronic VAG systems is that you set and forget them. Shouldn't need to adjust them while driving at all.












The fact that I do is beside the point.....

[Hoonigan]

Does it matter on a Golf?
The whole point of Climatronic VAG systems is that you set and forget them. Shouldn't need to adjust them while driving at all.

Do you mean with the Auto setting in the middle? My girlfriend uses that all the time but I'm not a fan. I like to set mine to 17 or 18 and then fiddle with it from there until I'm comfortable. Usually just a click or two either way.