How would you rate the sat nav? (RNS510)

[Maverick]

What happens with your $2500 GPS factory system fails outside of warranty? HOw much are the map upgrades compared to a hand held device?

It's covered by the 3/6 year car warranty and replacements are easily available.

Unlike the ridiculous example you gave earlier of a one model portable sat nav the RNS 510 is fitted to Skoda/VW and other VAG brands and is available to fit to multiple different models and years.

You can pick them up second hand on ebay for as little as $1000 and new ones are available out of Europe for $2000.

A factory built in sat nav is going to be a hell of a lot more reliable than some hand held unit with a plug in connector on the car dash.

Your logical is somewhat lacking.

Why because I disagree with your ridiculous ideas? The world is moving towards integration in the car for many reasons one of which is safety. Having little plug in sat nav units, a plug in mp3 player, a separate bluetooth unit and so on may be your idea of "logical" but there are not many people that would agree with you.

For instance that's the path Seat ( a VW make) is taking with the new Ibiza. Integrated (yet changeable) cradles for difference sat nav systems. If I am not mistaken this was also shown in the new Audi A1 and the Vw Bluesport.

What's the relevance? Seat is a budget brand and Volkswagen have been protective of their cheaper brands taking sales from their higher up brands. Volkswagen have done this for years overseas by offering single and double din sat nav units etc. IIRC They don't do this any more with the RNS 510 in full production (there were stock shortages for quite a while after release). Seat do offer then RNS 510 on higher spec models.

To think that people will pay $2500 for something that can't be upgraded when for less than 1/2 (for the Ibiza it 150UKP!) that they can get the same functionality in a sat nav unit they can buy anywhere.

Can't be upgraded??

The RNS 510 has had many software updates since it was introduced and has had MANY new features added at NO cost, Volkswagen are continuining development and will continue to upgrade the head unit in the future.

What Sat Nav unit offers all the features of the RNS 510?

ZERO.

Dont forget all the MPS3/Iphone users that already have GB of storage space in their pockets!

It's illegal to listen to music using headphones when driving and who wants to risk a large fine and points with messing around with a tiny touch screen. You miss the point once more, people don't want to stuff around when they get in the car, the RNS 510 offers them the ability to hook in these devices if they want control it from the RNS 510, the steering wheel or voice controls.

[G-rig]

Thanks for your replies (its great to hear such constructive replies), but how would you rate it against a stand alone gps unit in terms of functionability (map views, lane guidance, avoid traffic routes etc.), map coverage and speed of route calculation.

I think in car GPS features are always behind stand alone units because they don't have the incentive to keep up to date relative to other manufactureres, unlike Tom Tom or Navman which strive to out-do each other.

I hear the new GPS app by Google is coming out which is more intuitive and incorporates their 'street view' maps. This would be handy if you have a andriod phone or an iphone...and its free.

http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/#p=default

I have the RNS510 and it's better than you think. Works like it should and has auto complete once you start typing in suburbs/streets and predicts previous history ones as well which was a pleasant surprise. Means less time typing while driving and is very easy to use in general.

I've tried a few other nav's on my HTC when i had it (Tomtom & iGo 8 ) but with some of them unless you know the suburb/town you can't search by street name. With the RNS you can just hit the town and start navigation if you want which is super quick just to get you going in the right direction.

It's also fully integrated and a decent size screen compared to your iphone or standalone units. Most of all I didn't want stuff mounted on the windscreen with cigarette lighter plugs everywhere & the standalone units attract theives..

If you get it with the car 2500 is a pretty good deal, and wouldn't affect the repayments much, and easier than fitting one later (but that's still an option when you decide you want it like i did).

The RNS510 is also a good media centre for bluetooth and ipod control (if you add the MDI), all integrates well with the steering wheel buttons, MFD on the dash and touch screen.

People should be happy the nav isn't $5,300 like the Audi version! Even after market decks like the Alpine i had are $1,900k without bluetooth & nav (and don't look the part either). I've tried other units and it's not worth the stuffing around.

Some of the Google stuff is pretty cool (like viewing traffic congestion) but can't imagine looking at those street view images for navigation. All the colours are too similar and would be hard to look at for directions/streets quickly. Takes too long to refresh it on the PC as well walking down streets.

[Corey_R]

People should be happy the nav isn't $5,300 like the Audi version! Even after market decks like the Alpine i had are $1,900k without bluetooth & nav (and don't look the part either).

I agree totally. And that's what it boils down to. No other manufacturer offer anything nearly as good at anywhere near the price of the RNS-510. $2500 is an absolute bargain compared to any other manufacturer out there. And yes, even aftermarket units like the Pioneer AVC are about the same after you consider installation etc, yet don't quite have the same integration as the RNS-510.

And the attraction of a dedicated 'portable' GPS like Tom Tom/Navman/Garmin is quickly fading for me, because any decent mobile phone will now have this capability for the very FEW times the average person honestly needs GPS whilst they're "walking around".

[elisiX]

+1 on the above.

If I am out and about, I am more than happy to use my iPhone for any GPS needs.

For the car, I want something integrated and reliable.

[mtaoz3]

There's a whole heap of issues going round in this thread. Firstly, I have TomTom on my PDA phone, and (sadly) I find both the maps and the algorithms (maths functions that work out the best routes) of the TomTom to be superior to the RNS in my Golf. If I was only driving in the country, out in the open on lesser roads to small towns I'd only ever have the TomTom. The maps in the VW product (and those in my previous BMW 320d) are a disappointment as they are certainly an edited version of those supplied by Sensis to TomTom (and likely Garmin et al. as well). Why do car manufacturer's ask for the lesser version? It beats the hell out of me.
However, that's half the story. As has been pushed before, mounting an external GPS involves cables, suction pads and a great deal of care in positioning as under new laws there are strict guidelines on where a GPS can be mounted. It's for certain that for $2500 there are a lot of people who will gladly put up with that.
Tunnels however are where the "stick ons" fall down. Lose your signal and you are lost until you re-appear above ground. A built in system like the RNS is connected to the cars speedo signals, and combined with inbuilt gyros it can work out exactly where you are and what direction you are heading even without any GPS signal. When you have tunnels with off ramps immediately after the tunnel exits, or even in the tunnel (That bugger near Kingsford Smith in Sydney-sorry Sydneyites I can't recall its name), give me a factory integrated system every time. Reception can also be an issue with the hand helds in the CBD unless you have an external aerial, which means more wires.
My main comment is this. All those who post here are VW fans. We pay (or would be prepared to pay) a premium price for our beloved Golfs, Passats and Tiguans. Why not buy a Hyundai i30 which does 99% of what a Golf does at least 95% as well and pocket $6000. Why?...because the Golf IS that little bit better and I will pay for that. The availability of the RNS510 is one of those things that lifts the Golf above the i30, the Focus, the Cruze and the myriad other quite decent family hatches on the market. Is the Golf worth the extra? Yes. Is the RNS510 worth the extra. To me, yes, absolutely.

[Maverick]

There's a whole heap of issues going round in this thread. Firstly, I have TomTom on my PDA phone, and (sadly) I find both the maps and the algorithms (maths functions that work out the best routes) of the TomTom to be superior to the RNS in my Golf. If I was only driving in the country, out in the open on lesser roads to small towns I'd only ever have the TomTom. The maps in the VW product (and those in my previous BMW 320d) are a disappointment as they are certainly an edited version of those supplied by Sensis to TomTom (and likely Garmin et al. as well). Why do car manufacturer's ask for the lesser version? It beats the hell out of me.

Take your tin foil hat off for a minute because that isn't what is occuring.

Sensis provide the same map data to TomTom as they do to Volkswagen. The difference is that TomTom have their own updates they apply to the data plus they take data from other places.

The issue is Sensis (Telstra) who do a pathetic job but there are no real alternatives at this stage. Take a look at the RNS 510 maps for Europe and they are miles ahead, the version 3 maps should be a lot better and will have speed zones etc. The RNS 510 maps for Japan include 3D drawings of the city streets.

All those who post here are VW fans. We pay (or would be prepared to pay) a premium price for our beloved Golfs, Passats and Tiguans. Why not buy a Hyundai i30 which does 99% of what a Golf does at least 95% as well and pocket $6000. Why?...because the Golf IS that little bit better and I will pay for that. The availability of the RNS510 is one of those things that lifts the Golf above the i30, the Focus, the Cruze and the myriad other quite decent family hatches on the market. Is the Golf worth the extra? Yes. Is the RNS510 worth the extra. To me, yes, absolutely.

I wouldn't go as far as even saying 95%, they're completely different cars and IMO the GTI is exceptionally value for money when compared to alternatives. Volkswagen cars are all exceptionally value for money when you compare the features alone to the competition. Owning a Hyundai is like owning a cheap power tool, or cheap appliance and you only do that if you don't care about the work you're doing and this is why so many people buy Hyundai's, because they don't care about driving or any features or anything really.

[mtaoz3]

Great to see Mav, we agree on most things.
We agree that Sensis Maps are rubbish: Out of date, inaccurate or just wrong. It matters not how TomTom get a better map than VW (or BMW, Merc, Lexus etc). Here in Oz, they do. Fact!
We agree that the VW Golf is worth a premium over other similar cars. Of course, how you rate a car depends on what you do with it and what you value. IMO, paying $10k more for a GTI that costs VW less to make than a 118 Comfortline is not good value, but for you and many others reading this, the trim, the wheels, the look and especially the performance are worth it. As you said, in your opinion the GTI is great value and I wouldn't dream of trying to persuade you to change the value you put on those things. Just remember though, value judgements are just that. They are relative and full of emotion and no persons values or emotions are worth less than anyone elses.
As I say, we agree that people will pay a premium for what they perceive is a better package. The VW RNS510 is part of what makes the Golf a better package and to scurup I would say yes, it is certainly worth the extra.

[JasonP]

After using Tom Toms etc since 2003, I decided to order the RNS510 with my new 118TSI, delivered June 09.
I was so impressed with it overall, I also ordered it with my 103TDI 3 months later.

To me, it's a no-brainer, & I'd automatically factor it in with the next purchase.
At some point, unless you're just after basic transportation, then you have to decide on whether certain options are worth the money.
That starts from deciding if you're prepared to pay any premium price over & above the base models from the entry level manufacturers.

At my stage of life, I wanted to specify the car to my own taste, & was prepared to pay the price to do so.

I couldn't be happier!

I don't care whether it will add little if anything to the trade in price. I wanted the functionality the RNS510 provides, & I'm glad I opted for it.

[elisiX]

Take your tin foil hat off for a minute

Now that was fkin funnay

[cme2c]

I have been accused of having a map of Sydney in my head, so I am happy with the "limited" satnav in my smartphone. My wife, however will not have a car without nav since she got used to the Mitsubishi nav in her Accord Euro.
She is very happy with the RNS 510. You do have to read the manual though...
Our RNS 510 was factory, and we have had no problems, such as the F3 dead zone that has been reported here.

The Euro also had Sensis maps and worked in such places as Molong (near Orange) The nav warned that the area wasn't fully digitised, but it was accurate anyway. We haven't had the Golf further out of Sydney than Port Stephens.

The audio in the RNS is good, but is much improved with Dynaudio. another $1000, but worth it IMHO. I have a DVD with 8 days of MP3s so I can listen to my music. My wife's music is on the HDD.

I'm rambling, but bottom line is the RNS 510 is worth the money.