I have to pick one...

[pchapman]

I appreciate everyone taking the time to give me input. I am buying the car. I find I am happy enough with the nav on my phone and with OnStar's nav, I think I'll pass. It wasn't a feature I ever wanted, so having to buy it just to get the Bose rubs me the wrong way. I think I'll likely do what a few people suggested and put in something later if needed. Who knows I may not even hear the difference on account of some minor hearing loss suffered at a Slayer concert in the mid 90s. Oh well, it was worth it.

[Cord]

The real question to ask is how many people who GOT the nav system -now wish they had NOT. **
Plus are you the ONLY driver.

**( I am sure glad I keep jumping and finally got those grapes-they were very tasty)

[ronk]

Which ever one you get, you should have got the other one. LOL You will be happy with either one

[pchapman]

Cord,
Yep. I'll be the only one driving it. I have two kids so, when we go someplace as a family, we'll likely take another car.

Ronk,
LOL, the grass is always greener.

[drbruns]

The Nav has a couple cool features - you can send destinations to it from your phone or the web (including google maps,) which it pulls down through OnStar the next time you start the car. It also has a window for the DIC part of the instrument cluster, showing the next turn and distance to it. It isn't a bad system. Worth $2k? I dunno; you'll have to decide.

You can also send maps on non nav systems as Walter indicated.

[Dan & Nan]

The real question to ask is how many people who GOT the nav system -now wish they had NOT. **
Plus are you the ONLY driver.

**( I am sure glad I keep jumping and finally got those grapes-they were very tasty)

That's a great question. Our SUV has it and the disk is somewhat out dated but I'm still glad it has it.

Congrats on the new Volt Patrick!

[Joules]

I was one of the majority that used to say "Why pay 2K when you can get a portable GPS for under $200!!!"

I got a great deal on a showroom special and of course it had the built in nav. Our other car does not and thus we use the portable GPS when we need it.

Here is what I like about the Volt Nav system.

More intuitive than my Garmin and you can use vocal commands to change map settings and display info.

Nobody has brought up the XM traffic info that works seamlessly with the Volt nav system. I love my local congested freeways being lit up in colors to show me routes to avoid. It has been pretty accurate. My Garmin supposedly does that but it only shows major accidents and projected travel times.

Peace of mind when exiting the car and not worrying about leaving a portable GPS on the dash making the car a bullseye for a quick score.

I also like not having a portable GPS stuck to the windshield and occasionally falling off in extreme conditions. The factory Nav is also as easily accessible to the front passenger.

So I will not pay a premium for factory nav in future cars but if my ideal car in terms of color and options has it, it is not a deal killer.

[BillD]

I agree. No doubt about it, the Nav is a high profit margin option that makes dealers and GM happy. But when I'm driving in unfamiliar territory I'm happier having the Nav, with its larger screen and override of the radio.

I traded in a 2007 Acura RDX which also had the Nav. The Volt has a much better Nav display, as the one in the Acura was dim and washed out in bright light. I would rate the Acura's audio as better than the Volt Bose system, but I still enjoy good music in the Volt. :-)

[pchapman]

FWIW, I skipped the Nav and Bose. I've been fine without nav for this long, so I have no idea what I am missing out on. My Android phone is fine too for turn by turn directions. Audio will play over the speakers. I listened to the audio on both systems and while I could hear a difference, it wasn't a $2K difference in my opinion.

So I've had my Volt now for a couple days. It's pretty much amazing. Next to my house, its pretty much the best thing I have ever purchased.

[Sphyrna]

Glad you're happy with your Volt! The extra $2K for Nav can be hard to swallow. I'm not sure if I would have went with it. I ordered it on my 2013 b/c the price dropped to $895. Still way more than a Garmin but much more reasonable.