[SoCalGuy]

Has anyone with 6.14.2 used the navigation in the Karma? Curious if most of the tempermentality of the system has been eliminated.

 

[brian]

I've used it quite a bit and here are my thoughts:

1. The map routing is quite good - the Tom Tom data that is has is excellent, so once you get it to work it works well.

2. You can't hear the Nav Lady at all since the volume is screwed up.

3. The F**king thing makes you press that ? icon every frikkin' time for everything and it's soooo annoying. You tap the button for say "Austin", but then you have to confirm with the check button. You enter a street address and tap the name of the road to select it, but still have to confirm with the check button. It's RIDICULOUS!!! And pressing that tiny check button in a moving car is a feat for an acrobat! Even after selecting your destination you still have to press the check button several more times to keep confirming things which should just do what you want without a confirmation.

4. Accessing anything else is virtually impossible due to the inexplicably awful API. WORST API OF ANY NAV SYSTEM IN THE HISTORY OF NAV SYSTEMS.

-Brian

 

[Michael]

i hope they will replace it with a tom tom. My 100 dollar ipad tom tom app is lightyears in front of the navi in karma

 

[LonePalmBJ]

4. Accessing anything else is virtually impossible due to the inexplicably awful API. WORST API OF ANY NAV SYSTEM IN THE HISTORY OF NAV SYSTEMS.

I think you meant UI.

I *wish* there was an API that would allow third parties to develop thier own presentation layer that didn't suck.

My current solution: I use the otherwise unutilized Window to Nowhere to mount the suction cup for my Garmin. Admittedly, I also do this because my Garmin is the host of my audiobook reader, but the UI and usability experience is night and day.

The Karma nav is the biggest miss of the whole experience as far as I'm concerned (not counting the obvious SW bugs that Fisker is looking to exterminate). That someone thought that this was an adequate solution, especially in light of the no-compromises luxury ethos, boggles the mind.

Question for current users: How accurate has the GPS location information been for you? I was sitting in my driveway last night and the nav thought I was about a mile away. Admittedly I wasn't driving and didn't have the car on for long. As far as I can tell, there's no way to see satelite signal status or error/accuracy information.

Brent

 

[SoCalGuy]

My gps has shown me facing the wrong direction (eg going sideways down a street)

 

[brian]

Yeah, the Nav system apparently does not have a compass. It uses motion to determine direction which causes the car to be aiming the wrong way a lot of the time. Plus, when you make a turn, it doesn't reflect that on the map until you've driven another 500 feet or so.

Also, often it says "Turn Left Now" *after* I've already passed the intersection. This has caused me to miss many turns.

-Brian

 

[Karma31]

I agree with most of the above. I used to think the NAVs in my BMW and Porsche were awful but now have seen the light. I mount my Garmin suction cup on the Displays of those vehicles but on the Karma I also found the battery cover glass ideal

 

[SoCalGuy]

Yeah, the Nav system apparently does not have a compass. It uses motion to determine direction which causes the car to be aiming the wrong way a lot of the time. Plus, when you make a turn, it doesn't reflect that on the map until you've driven another 500 feet or so.

Also, often it says "Turn Left Now" *after* I've already passed the intersection. This has caused me to miss many turns.

-Brian

How does it not have compass????

 

[Michael]

the last cars i have always had navi so that was a dealbreaker for me to choose the sport
and not the standard. now after have used the navi it is not, now its the canyon tritone

thank god they dont have the navi as a 1300dollar option, i would be very disappoiting if payed for that. Really hope they will offer a better navi... if i buy one i will also have the portable navicon as a backup

 

[Fabulist]

I have used the navigation system around San Francisco, and it is perfectly functional. I agree with @Brian that the UI culd be a lot better. But once you get the destination in, it gets you there, but compared to the Nav system in our Benz M-Class, the display is not exactly spectacular. I would also like to have the option of having the turn-by-turn directions displayed on the speedo so that I don't have to look at the display on to see the directions. The range display, for example, could do double duty as the directions display for the nav system to minimize distraction.

--Fab.

 

[svp6]

Even better if they offered in future models a head-up display. Seems that all premium brands are going that way. Love the Nav feature on HUD on my car.

 

[SoCalGuy]

I heard that they're working on a new TomTom-designed NAV which is still "1-2 months away" so let's hope that is wayyy better than what we currently have. But to Brian's point, I'd find it very odd if the car didn't have a compass built in - seems like a very clear miss if that were true.

 

[brian]

There may be a compass in there, but if so its not currently enabled.

 

[Michael]

1-2 months away..sounds good. Do you think the first cars will be able to use it?Annoying if you buy one now and not be able to update to the new one

 

[LonePalmBJ]

So I managed to get lost today. I was driving around a part of town I wasn't familiar with and missed a turn (no doubt playing with the command center ) so I had a change to actually USE the nav in more than just a test mode.

All in all, it worked pretty well for getting me where I needed to go. The destination entry process is odd, and having to press the checkmark button every 5 seconds is annoying, but the actual nav perfromance was good. The nav lady even told be to "TURN NOW" right before I got to the intersection instead of after. This doesn't forgive the abysmal UI, or the decision to intentionally underutilize the screen, but it's nice to know it can get me to where I'm going when it needs to.

Getting lost drove home another interesting point: I'm really glad I have a range extender. If I was all electric and near the limits of my range getting lost would be very nerve wracking, or even render my trip uncompletable. As it is, while I don't *want* to use gas if I don't have to, it's nice to know I can if I need it

Brent

 

[Sparky168]

Getting lost drove home another interesting point: I'm really glad I have a range extender. If I was all electric and near the limits of my range getting lost would be very nerve wracking, or even render my trip uncompletable. As it is, while I don't *want* to use gas if I don't have to, it's nice to know I can if I need it

Brent

Your point is precisely why I think Fisker has the fundamental right. I question Tesla's fundamental premise on a pure EV. GM Volt doesn't have a powerful enough battery to do a pure electric drive, ICE will come in without choice at different time. Karma is the ONLY car in the market that is a pure EV yet without range anxiety. It has the whole market segment to itself, if people want a pure EV without compromise, no range anxiety and have $100K, Karma is the car.

Now, if Fisker can clean up the software issue, I am sure it can sell it like hotcakes around the world.

 

[Deep Ocean]

I think the NAVI compass and the AM radio antenna were in the same package as the microfibre cloth that was supposed to be used to clean the car. Still love the car of course!

 

[scottf200]

I heard that they're working on a new TomTom-designed NAV which is still "1-2 months away" so let's hope that is wayyy better than what we currently have. But to Brian's point, I'd find it very odd if the car didn't have a compass built in - seems like a very clear miss if that were true.

Did they get a new NAV system. It has been like 4 months since this thread was active and the above says 1-2 months. Threads likes this are very discouraging for possible future buyers.

 

[dennis]

Did they get a new NAV system. It has been like 4 months since this thread was active and the above says 1-2 months. Threads likes this are very discouraging for possible future buyers.

I find the current NAV system completely adequate. Once you get used to having to hit the check mark to confirm each action when selecting a destination, the actual navigation works quite well.

 

[EVer1]

I use the Nav system all the time, with no problems.