[Pvillerob]

Am I the only one who thinks it sucks that the infotainment system doesn't have its own nav system unless you have (and pay for) On Star? In today's world where everyone has a cell phone, in my view, On Star is an anachronism. I've got a cell phone and AAA! I don't need frickin On Star. Why couldn't Chevy just have made a deal with Garmin? Stupid stupid stupid.

 

[MDBolt]

Am I the only one who thinks it sucks that the infotainment system doesn't have its own nav system unless you have (and pay for) On Star? In today's world where everyone has a cell phone, in my view, On Star is an anachronism. I've got a cell phone and AAA! I don't need frickin On Star. Why couldn't Chevy just have made a deal with Garmin? Stupid stupid stupid.

CarPlay with Apple Maps does the job for me for now, navigation-wise. I agree, the OnStar navigation is not an optimal solution, and I've never really used it. Quite excited to receive the iOS 12 update once Apple rolls it out. "Upgrading" to Google Maps for the Bolt's navigation can't come soon enough.

 

[Pvillerob]

"Upgrading" to Google Maps for the Bolt's navigation can't come soon enough.

Amen to that! At least give us the option!!

 

[PhilR]

Am I the only one who thinks spending $1000 or more for an onboard nav system is ridiculous? I've been using Google Maps on my phone to navigate for years and now with Android Auto it projects onto the "big screen" of my Bolt! Any minor inconvenience of this set up is far outweighed by the price savings.

 

[bro1999]

Am I the only one who thinks it sucks that the infotainment system doesn't have its own nav system unless you have (and pay for) On Star? In today's world where everyone has a cell phone, in my view, On Star is an anachronism. I've got a cell phone and AAA! I don't need frickin On Star. Why couldn't Chevy just have made a deal with Garmin? Stupid stupid stupid.

Google Maps/Waze via Android Auto FTW. So glad I can use Google Maps versus some crappy in car NAV.

 

[Dyefrog]

Am I the only one who thinks it sucks that the infotainment system doesn't have its own nav system unless you have (and pay for) On Star? In today's world where everyone has a cell phone, in my view, On Star is an anachronism. I've got a cell phone and AAA! I don't need frickin On Star. Why couldn't Chevy just have made a deal with Garmin? Stupid stupid stupid.

Some might say, "in today's world where everyone has a cell phone, why would you need a built-in nav system?
also, some built-in nav systems use google maps.

 

[martinknutson]

Google Maps/Waze via Android Auto FTW. So glad I can use Google Maps versus some crappy in car NAV.

Exactly. Now that Google maps has caching that supports routing, there is no reason for an old school nav. system that requires expensive map updates every n years.

 

[MDBolt]

Some might say, "in today's world where everyone has a cell phone, why would you need a built-in nav system?
also, some built-in nav systems use google maps.

You're on to something here. As soon as I plugged in my phone to use CarPlay (1st time using it, ever - our last vehicle was a very "dumb" ICE), I was like - yup, I'm set. I didn't even bother with the salesman's walkthrough for OnStar. GM was probably thinking the same thing - very high probability that Bolt buyers would have either an Apple or Android device, so no need to have a dedicated nav system built in. Along the same lines, that's also probably why wireless charging was an option.

 

[CallMeBoltDriver]

My wife's truck has a navigation system that l never use because I prefer waze. I agree that it sucks that I'm forced to use Apple maps in my bolt, but this fall that will be rectified as Apple adds waze to carplay.

Of the dozen or so things I'd like to see improved, adding a navigation system isn't one of them.

 

[Usain]

Andriod Auto and Waze is the waze to go! Beats any built in navigation system I've ever seen.


But you do probably need an unlimited data plan from your cell carrier or through Bolt's hotspot. I have the latter and love it because I never have to worry about downloading maps in advance.

 

[NY-Rob]

Phone based nav is great until you drive through an area with no cell coverage.. like many parts of upstate NY

Don't throw out your old Garmin just yet.... keep it in the glovebox along with it's 12v plug just in-case.

 

[GregBrew]

My understanding is that the vehicle *does* have a sat-nav system onboard. You just need an active On-Star account to access it.


Please correct me if I'm wrong, but if this is correct, my inability to access an onboard system (that I certainly paid for) because a subscription business model is in play sucks big time.

 

[silverone]

Phone based nav is great until you drive through an area with no cell coverage.. like many parts of upstate NY

Don't throw out your old Garmin just yet.... keep it in the glovebox along with it's 12v plug just in-case.

At least with Google Maps you can download areas for offline use and they will update on some frequency every few months. I need to do that in rural areas of OH as well. Unfortunately there is no good way to use Apple Maps offline, and that's what us poor iPhone users are forced to use with CarPlay -- at least until IOS 12 comes out this fall!

Either are light years ahead of the Onstar Navigation turn-by-turn that I used a time or two in my Volt or the out of date factory nav systems in other cars that look old the year they're released.

 

[Ampera e]

Stupid stupid stupid.

Who is? >

With about every car I have owned that had built-in satnav, fellow owners and myself have been bitching about the quality of the built-in satnav, and how a smartphone with some free app outperformed it. With the Bolt (Ampera E in my case), for the first time I did not have to pay for built-in satnav that I wasn't going to use anyway. And now this. I am lost.

Ah well, I guess people just need something to ***** at.

 

[-1-]

I would like for GPS makers, especially Garmin to make their GPS with a "video out" so we could mirror the image on our Bolt infotainment screen.

 

[Ampera e]

I would like for GPS makers, especially Garmin to make their GPS with a "video out" so we could mirror the image on our Bolt infotainment screen.

Video out is not going to let you operate it via the touch screen. This is what Apple Carplay and Android Auto are for.

 

[GlenandhisBolt1!]

I'm glad the Bolt doesn't have a built-in navigation system. I have a very capable Garmin Nuvi that I can use. The Big Problem with built-in navigation systems is obsolescence. Within a few years, they are out of date. Everyone is better off simply using their phone or a standalone GPS.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Video out is not going to let you operate it via the touch screen. This is what Apple Carplay and Android Auto are for.

Yeah, "Video Out" isn't a viable option, but there's no reason why the GPS makers couldn't come out with a headless Android Auto compatible unit.

I actually love the concept of delivering GPS functionality through AA or CarPlay. It gives a lot more functionality than just GPS ("OK Google - text Leslie") and it means that the technology is going to be updated throughout the life of the car. I can't even guess what my Bolt will be able to do with AA 5 years from now.

 

[Pvillerob]

Yeah, I guess you guys are right...people like to have their choices. Some like Google maps, some like Waze. And if the car can be its own hotspot, you have the choice. I was just thinking that since the car is a hotspot, having a Garmin based app on the infotainment system would be an easy do.

 

[martinknutson]

My understanding is that the vehicle *does* have a sat-nav system onboard. You just need an active On-Star account to access it.


Please correct me if I'm wrong, but if this is correct, my inability to access an onboard system (that I certainly paid for) because a subscription business model is in play sucks big time.

This may seem like splitting semantic hairs, but I don't think you do have a satnav system onboard. You have a screen, the radios to talk with onstar, and a GPS receiver to determine your location, but the maps and the routing software are in the cloud, and you pay onstar for access to that service.


If you want to be mad, check out how BMW is charging an annual fee for access to AA or CarPlay in their vehicles. I'm pretty sure that in that case, all the hardware is on board, you're just paying to turn it on.