What's the deal with the traffic option?

Jo060

Member
:
2015
Am I missing something with the Navigation?
When I select traffic, I'm only given the option to see historical traffic trends.. That's useless. Does the traffic option only work when something out of the ordinary (crash, construction...) happens?
 
as far as I know, there is not live traffic info in the car Nav.
Only additional option is a semi-static traffic map (received by the radio) that is in one of the apps menu options (on 2016-2018) but its not very useful.
Most people use carplay or AA/waze.
 
as far as I know, there is not live traffic info in the car Nav.
Only additional option is a semi-static traffic map (received by the radio) that is in one of the apps menu options (on 2016-2018) but its not very useful.
Most people use carplay or AA/waze.

Thanks for the info

I'm assuming my Mazda doesn't have AA?
It's a 2018 Touring + Preferred Package, but I don't see the white smart phone Icon by any of the USB plugs. .
 
You'll need to get the retrofit installed (new USB & Software) to have AA unfortunately. If nav traffic is a priority it sounds like it'll be worth it for you though.
 
2019 has live traffic courtesy of SiriusXM

as far as I know, there is not live traffic info in the car Nav.
Only additional option is a semi-static traffic map (received by the radio) that is in one of the apps menu options (on 2016-2018) but its not very useful.
Most people use carplay or AA/waze.

It took me a while to figure this out too. What follows is applicable to 2019 models.

For my new 2019 CX-5, live traffic is indeed available and integrated into the nav system. My understanding is that this is a very different system architecture than for previous years. Traffic is provided via satellite over SiriusXM. New vehicles like mine (at least, new CX-5s) come with a 3-year subscription. Re-subscribing is then required but is not terribly costly, something on the order of $50/year, and is separate from their music and other content. In other words, you can subscribe to traffic without subscribing to music etc., and vice versa.

My previous vehicle was a BMW and used local cell networks to receive its data. It also had a free subscription for a few years, then required re-subscription. I don't know how the cost compared. When it worked, it was truly excellent. About one day out of fifty it would not connect for reasons unknown. Beyond that, satellite is kinda iffy for dense urban areas with tall buildings, and this is when you'd need traffic-based routing the most. Outside the big cities, if there's a clear view of the sky, either will work well. Out in the boonies where cell coverage might be spotty, satellite would be preferred. There'd be less need for traffic routing in such places, but road closures and accidents are always an issue.

The 2019 CX-5 has CarPlay, of course, so you have Apple Maps and Waze, and their counterparts in the Android world. CarPlay is well integrated, I'm finding, including guidance unobtrusively folded into the heads-up display. Nice job. Good thing, too, as I've yet to get the voice commands to work with the native nav system.... also it seems impossible to set more than one destination at a time in the native nav, which was something I really appreciated about the BMW.

All in all, the CX-5's infotainment/nav system is serviceable, but BMW's current implementation still whips it-- theirs is the best OEM infotainment and nav I've used, hands down. I hope Mazda offers upgrades to current owners as they climb upmarket, as this is an area where they need work. My general impression is that Mazda wants to be Japan's BMW, and this is within their grasp. There are many subtle details in the feel and implementation of the car that have BMW-like expression, and the driver-centricity of their overall vehicle UI is very beemer-ish. I wish them luck.
 
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