Buy Navigation card or Garmin (other brand) dash navigation?

C

cglupker

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2016 Mazda CX-5 Touring

• Nov 9, 2015

• #1

Searched but everything seemed dated.

I have 2016 Touring. I want navigation. I was thinking of just doing a Garmin but the closet power source is in glove box (unless I'm missing one). That's a long way to string a cord.

I know OEM navigation systems can be weak, but is the SD card (on ebay) worth it over a Garmin (or other brand).

Thanks.

 

C

CX-5um

:

13' CX-5 and 16' Mazda6 both Touring w/Tech/Bose

• Nov 9, 2015

• #2

I'm waiting on the prices to go down to around $100 for the 2016 oem navigation card.

 

F

fdew

:

CX-5

• Nov 9, 2015

• #3

I chose to add a Garmin up on the dash right against the A pillar I ran the door down the side of the dash (only visible with the door open) and into the fuse area by the drivers foot. I installed a power socket in there that has power with ignition, so my Garmin comes on and off with the ignition.

Someone else posted a picture
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...power-off-fuse-box&highlight=fdew+Garmin+fuse

I like the Garmin because the location is perfect, Almost heads up. Also with competition from phones the GPS companies are going out of there way to offer friendly useful features. I will probably upgrade the GPS every few years. I can't afford to do that with the car.

 

R

Ride92

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2016 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech & i-Activesense

• Nov 9, 2015

• #4

I would always prefer to have the sd card and the built in nav. It's a cleaner look without extra wires and units to mount and worry about. Plus I've always heard that the aftermarket gps units should never be left visible when the car is parked as they attract would be theives. I really like the built in nave and its served me well so far

 

C

cglupker

:

2016 Mazda CX-5 Touring

• Nov 10, 2015

• #5

Ride92 said:

I would always prefer to have the sd card and the built in nav. It's a cleaner look without extra wires and units to mount and worry about. Plus I've always heard that the aftermarket gps units should never be left visible when the car is parked as they attract would be theives. I really like the built in nave and its served me well so far

Click to expand...

My OCD tendencies are why I'm leaning toward the SD card. More research is showing that it's pretty easy to hardwire but still need a cable running down. Maybe one of those solar power chargers would work.

 

B

Buzzer777

Member

:

Mazda,CX-5, AWD,2015 Grand Touring, Meteor Gray Mica

• Nov 10, 2015

• #6

Only one answer for OCD...

Only one answer for OCD...Get em both!(boom04)

 

F

fdew

:

CX-5

• Nov 10, 2015

• #7

The cable is easy to hide behind the drivers door weatherstrip and into the fuse box.

 

L

LnL

Member

:

2016 CX-5 Touring

• Nov 10, 2015

• #8

There are some cards on eBay right now for under $100. Does anyone know if they are worth buying?

 

J

JbCalg

Member

:

2016 CX-5 GS AWD - Lux pkg, white

• Nov 10, 2015

• #9

looks like those are tom-tom cards, would only work on the 2015 and older vehicles

navteq is the map system for 2016 forward

the correct ebay ones (~ $235) are about $100 cheaper than at the dealer

cx-5 audio forum (or on site search) has tons more info and opinions

 

A

ALafya

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Former CX-5 Own

• Nov 10, 2015

• #10

With our Mazda 3, which has the same unit, we got the SD card. It is much more sleek, better integrated, with a large screen and we never need to unplug it/hide/take it with us when we leave the car. The only downside I see is 'only' 3 years of free map updates, so we will potentially be stuck with the same maps for 3~4 years.
On our CX-5, with the old infotainment, I chose to use my even older Garmin. It has a smaller screen and I do take it off everytime I leave the car, even in the garage, because the attachment falls off every week or so.

Ideally, I'd like to see Android Auto support come to Mazda. In another car in our household Google Maps and/or Waze is used with a Phone mount and it is superior to anything Mazda (or any other car manufacturer) can come up with.

 

K

Kedis82ZE8

'15 CX-5 AWD GT w/Tech Pkg

Contributor

• Nov 10, 2015

• #11

I use both... the Garmin with Topo maps gets put on the dash when I head off-road.

 

V

V8toilet

Member

:

2014 CX-5 FWD Touring auto and 2012 Mazda 5 Sport

• Nov 11, 2015

• #12

I use the maps app on my iPhone. This GPS on my phone is superior to any standalone or car based GPS system that I have ever used.

 

K

Kedis82ZE8

'15 CX-5 AWD GT w/Tech Pkg

Contributor

• Nov 11, 2015

• #13

V8toilet said:

I use the maps app on my iPhone. This GPS on my phone is superior to any standalone or car based GPS system that I have ever used.

Click to expand...

Agreed..but where I go you'd be lucky to hit a 1x Verizon signal or even a 800Mhz Nextel iDEN signal in the days of yesteryear. iDEN let me send text messages in the day on peaks from snowmobiles that I thought weren't possible without a satellite phone.

 

F

fdew

:

CX-5

• Nov 11, 2015

• #14

I don't know if the phone apps do this or not but the newer Garmin has a great voice command. I can speak an address as a sentence "257 west main street overshoe NewYork" and it will figure it out. The other feature I like is I can ask it for restaurants that are not just nearby but on my route ahead of me. What I like best is it is always right there near my line of sight. Comes on with the ignition and tells me speed and speed limit plus a nice big map.