RAP

What is the advantage or disadvantage of getting the OEM navigation system verses a portable like the Garmin 2620. Other than the portability factor, is one unit better than the other? I read that the OEM was DVD based while the 2620 is not. I do like the idea of not needing DVD even though I would be mostly in one region. The price between the two is a very big factor since the 2620 can be had for under $1000 while the OEM is over $2000.

bige320

The benefit of a portable unit is being able to use in different cars and outside of the car. However, you would probably need to take the unit out of the car for security reasons. BTW, a portable one that's really good is the Magellan Roadmate 700 with a built-in 10GB harddrive with voice prompts. It holds the entire US map and I believe Canada as well. Costco sells it for $1100 before a $50 mail-in rebate.

The factory unit would give probably the cleanest and most integrated look and functionality. The factory unit can interact with the audio system of the car, reducing the music volume when the voice guidance prompts. The other plus with the Lexus navi is the backup camera.

The biggest factor would be the prerequisites of other options or packages before navigation system is available.

rxdriver

For the RX330, the only option you absolutely must have to get Nav is the Premium Plus package. Depending on your region of the country and how the stock units are being manufactured for that region, you may find that Nav is coming bundled with the Mark Levinson audio upgrade.

The DVD that powers the Nav for the RX is a double-layer disc (8+ GB of data), and one disc covers all of the continental U.S. plus a little bit of Canada. The DVD reader is buried under the rear cargo area; you don't need to get at it unless you buy an updated disc. You select a region in the software only for the purpose of making address or point-of-interest searches manageable.

I would agree that the advantage of a portable unit is the ability to move it from car to car. There's also a price advantage, but you're giving up screen size for the lower price. The factory Nav screen is 6" W x 4" H, which is about 4 times the screen area of the 2620 (3.3" W x 1.7" H).

I've had factory Nav for a while, and I think the software interface is generally easy to use and well done. The Japanese navigation systems consistently rate higher than their European or American counterparts. With the nav built-in, you never have to mess with the antenna or the cigarette lighter cord, and it's always there whenever you start the car. You don't need to dig the unit out of the glovebox because you couldn't leave it lying around in plain sight in a parking lot. Factory nav is definitely a lot more convenient.

LexFather

Factory NAv without a doubt. Bigger screen, it was built for the RX, you can update it easily, you can turn it into a DVD player etc. And it increases re-sale value.

LexFather

Oh and welcome to Clublexus RAP. Lexus NAVs are considered the best or tied with the best in the industry.

RAP

Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the great information, it’s very helpful. I do like the advantages of the factory system, the larger screen alone is worth a lot when you’re driving. With the testimonials here, I’m leaning solidly in the factory nav camp.

I’ve learned from experience that car salesmen can’t always be relied on to know the intricacies of every part of the cars. Is there any way to find out the features of the factory installed system? Some features I think will be important to me will be multiple destinations and the ability to adjust different road categories. Waypoints, hotels, restaurants and gas stations are important.

rxdriver

The Nav system includes its own instruction manual and a computer CD-ROM "how-to" interactive demo.

If you call 800-25-LEXUS, you might be able to coax them into sending you one or both, or maybe at least the manual in PDF format.

It can handle multiple destinations (waypoints) with no problem. Not sure of the limit, but it's a fair number. It's got a screen to let you list the destinations you've set so far, and you can re-order them or delete one of them.

The features related to road types are OK in my opinion; something like MS Streets and Trips has a little more flexibility. You can tell it not to use freeways, tollways, ferries, or restricted roads. (Restricted roads are roads that may be closed during winter months. I've never encountered such a thing in Illinois.) In order to estimate travel time, you can set average speeds for residential roads, main roads, and freeways. Its estimates are sometimes too optimistic!

It also has "area to avoid" capability. You can program specific places that you would like to avoid when it calculates a route.

The point-of-interest database is good; the latest and greatest DVD has 5+ million of them. It covers a lot of things, including restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. Be careful - the latest and greatest DVD does not necessarily come with the new car. It came out around September, 2003. If I were to buy a new car today, I wouldn't drive one off the lot without the latest DVD. You can pull up the version # from the DVD through the touch screen. Press "Menu", and then the "DVD" button that appears in the upper right-hand corner. My version is 02.1, which came with the car last summer. Maybe someone can post what the latest version # is (2.2?)

LexFather

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=125436

Check this review by 04RX330. Great write-up.