Navigation Level of Detail

[Skotty]

Okay -- I have a new suggestion. I've been using the nav on my Volt a lot lately, and one thing about it really bugs me. I'm guessing it is fine the way it is in big cities, but out in the boonies where I drive, the nav map shows little information regardless of zoom level. There are roads, but they are not major roads, so you have to zoom in really far to see them, at which point you are zoomed in too far to see much, so you still don't hardly see anything. There are stretches of Interstate 70 where *nothing* but the interstate is shown, even though there are roads and exits within the map area. Add some kind of level of detail function, be it automatic or manual control, that
allows you to show more roads when out in the country or in small towns, and fewer roads in a crowded city.

I've attached an example. It's not the best one I could come up with, but it gives the idea.

[slickbrave]

I've noticed that, too. I've said it before, but I'd much rather have paid $100 for MyLink and streamed Nav from my smartphone than paid $2000 for the GM Nav...especially if they're gonna want $200 for a map upgrade.

[DallasVolt]

It's not unique to GM or the Volt. I've have the same complaint about the Nav in my wife's Lexus.

[Bob_Livonia]

If you really wanted to be routed onto these secondary roads, you could go to the turn list and where it has I-70, select "avoid" and you will be re-routed, assuming you have a destination entered. If you select "shortest", it will likely select these secondary roads.

The display would be hopelessly cluttered if it showed every little road at a zoom level over 0.5 to 1.0 miles.

[Voripteth]

I can understand dropping off detail of small side roads but the Volt navigation will drop off roads I'm currently on! Unless I leave the scale at 700' the Volt is regularly shown driving across a field. Very sloppy design.

On the plus side, I love that restaurant icons show the type of food using a nation flag or company logo. Big thumbs up for that feature!

[panzer948]

Yep, not uncommon for other Navs either. I actually think the Volt system is a little better than some I've seen. But yea, I think it would be a great option to turn detail on and off at a certain zoom level of your choosing. I live in a large city but even here I sometimes wish I could see all the roads at a smaller map scale.

[Fulgerite]

Zoom In. The map will show more detail.

[slickbrave]

If you really wanted to be routed onto these secondary roads, you could go to the turn list and where it has I-70, select "avoid" and you will be re-routed, assuming you have a destination entered. If you select "shortest", it will likely select these secondary roads.

The display would be hopelessly cluttered if it showed every little road at a zoom level over 0.5 to 1.0 miles.

With respect, Bob, it doesn't seem cluttered at all on a smaller Garmin screen or on the Google app on my phone. I experienced what Skotty mentioned earlier this week. I was looking for a road I knew existed but wasn't sure exactly where it was, and the Volt Nav only showed the next major highway. When I changed the scale, it would show the roads, but not the names of the roads. I don't know how the car manufacturers (and I agree it's not unique to GM) sell NAV when there are better options out there for much less money, both in the short run and the long run.

[Bob_Livonia]

With respect, Bob, it doesn't seem cluttered at all on a smaller Garmin screen or on the Google app on my phone. I experienced what Skotty mentioned earlier this week. I was looking for a road I knew existed but wasn't sure exactly where it was, and the Volt Nav only showed the next major highway. When I changed the scale, it would show the roads, but not the names of the roads. I don't know how the car manufacturers (and I agree it's not unique to GM) sell NAV when there are better options out there for much less money, both in the short run and the long run.

I don't doubt Garmin and others do that on a small screen, but can you quickly and safely follow the spider webs of small roads while driving? I doubt most people over 45 with bi-focals could - it's different when you have your phone in your hand in front of your nose. Maybe your eyesight is better than that, I won't argue.

As far as showing the road you are on, it will do that if you set a destination. If you don't, how does it know which of the upcoming road choices you will take?

I suppose if you are out in the boonies with only a few dirt roads, showing all of them while zoomed out would work quite well. But I would want to turn that off. So that's how it is right now - if you don't have a destination set, it is turned off, and if you add a destination, it shows the small roads on your route. So if you know where you are going, you don't need the nav anyway, and if you need it, then the secondary roads on your route will show.

[CTrider]

I like my Nav system better than my old TomTom, but I can't believe that they still don't adjust the clock when you drive through a time zone change. Onstar knows the time from the cell towers - Nav knows what time zone you are in, and it gets stratum 1 time from the GPS. But nobody changes the clock except the stupid human.