[Closed] STW recommended car navigation app

TBH not much wrong with Google Maps. On long trips we tend to have Waze running too as it's more reactive to developing traffic issues IME, but generally find the chosen routing better on Google Maps.

I have a 2015 Golf with the built in Sat Nav. Not had a single issue with it. Been brilliant and happily rely on it over Google Maps. In fact it is easily as good as any standalone sat nav I have used...

Have used this a lot when driving in the UK and abroad and it's excellent. And it's free.
You can download maps to use offline and save data. If you are online it updates traffic info.
Gives you turn by turn navigation commentary as well.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.maps&hl=EN

Android auto and Google maps 100% in my 2017 Skoda.

Use it all the time, has traffic updates from waze and knows your work, recent map searches, appointments etc.

Plus the voice control is excellent.

I wouldn't buy a car without android auto now.

We've got a Skoda which has the same system as the equivalent vw. It's pretty poor. Quite a few errors with the maps and average routing. We just use Google maps.

GoogleMaps, it just works.

Like @a11y says:
Google maps as default...
...waze is better for alternative routes in heavy traffic.

Google Maps.

Yep Android auto with Google maps.

Having said that, why on earth does it offer you an alternative that's 20 minutes longer?

I had an 18 Plate Audi A6 and the nav was woeful. Wouldn't update to show the Queensferry Crossing etc. I was expecting similar from the new Audi, but I've been pleasantly surprised.
First trip out, it picked up closed road due to an accident that Waze didn't. I keep Waze on Carplay as abackup, but the inbuilt stuff is pretty good.

Unless you need to use something offline then I’ve never found anything that beats Google Maps.

My car sat Navs (both BMWS) are terrible in comparison.

Google has made satnav systems pointless IME.

Having said that, why on earth does it offer you an alternative that’s 20 minutes longer?

Some of its options are a bit weird but it's good to have a few to choose from. Sometimes you'd rather take the scenic route so its good to know what difference it makes. Usually its actually quite interesting if you've already looked at the map. I often think one way is quicker then get corrected by Google.

The only issue I sometimes have with google maps is it has problems with ferry crossings ie Holyhead to Dublin and there’s an internal crossing across the mouth of the Shannon it does compute but my tomtom had no issues. Could use their app but google maps is free.

Google maps or waze, google deals with road closures better.

I use Google Maps even on journeys I know well as it give a heads up on any traffic issues. Google definitely prefers to keep you on main roads even if there is a quicker back road though. I hear Waze is better for this been meaning to try it, I suspect both together would cause time to go in reverse.

My car sat Navs (both BMWS) are terrible in comparison.

No issues whatsoever with my BMW 'experience', and all the better for not been touch screen - what's wrong with yours?

I've used Apple MAps and Waze, but always come back to Google Maps. It is clean, accurate and just works brilliantly.

Google has made satnav systems pointless IME.

Agreed

Another vote for Google Maps, used it all over the Uk and Europe. Might give Waze a shot as I always thought they just used the same info but seems not.

Used Apple maps on the work phone once as my personal one was dead, terrible.

Oh and does google maps warn would be speeders of cameras? Asking for a friend.

I've found the live traffic and alt route planning in Waze is great, so much so it was my go-to nav when I was a taxi driver.

Google maps was my back up.

I'm using Sygic which costs £28 a year currently but re-routes on the fly depending on traffic conditions. Last Saturday "Auntie Liz" had a game fair at Sandringham and there was some nifty routing to avoid the queue for the entrance on the A148.

I find TomTom still the most reactive at avoiding traffic, which is 100% the most important feature of a satnav - without it's just a glorified map.

The TomTo Go app on iOS can be displayed via Carplay, I presume the same is true for Android/Android Auto.

Google bought Waze a few years back, the live traffic info is basically the same now.

Give the VW system a go. I'm sure once you get used to it it will be perfectly adequate. Ultimately what do you want form a sat nav? the in-built nav on our BMW's works perfectly fine. Provides traffic updates, offers you alternative routes if your planned route is congested, and has never failed to get me there and integrates into the rest of the car, so the digital dash brings up the directions so you don't have to keep taking your eyes off the road to look at the screen.

Not quite as good as Google Maps, but way more convenient and fully integrated into the car and at the end of the day does all you want from a sat nav 100% of the time...gets you to the destination no problems...struggling to think what more I need.

If you have android or apple car play then great, but we don't and the BMW system is perfectly adequate.

Had a VW system on the old van so a good few generations of VW system old and again, though not quite the number of features of the BMW system, was perfectly adequate and had all the essential features got me through France, navigating the Paris ring road and through many other French town and cities no problems. The biggest bugbear I had with it was its latency...it was so slow to react and I often missed the turn off from a large roundabout due to the latency and the 'Turn off now' command coming too late. But other than that it worked.

Oh and does google maps warn would be speeders of cameras? Asking for a friend.

In the UK yes. I can say for certain that it doesn't in France because that would be illegal.

Another TomTom Go app user here. I tried waze for a couple of weeks when my renewal was due as a free alternative. Firstly I’m not 5 so having a satnav app that appeals to someone of that age doesn’t appeal to me. Secondly it’s next to useless unless you have internet signal so a few times when leaving places in the Lakes and wanting to get home it would tell me it can’t plot anything! So I coughed up to TomTom again, have used it in both France and Canada and it’s been faultless and when using on a daily basis for work between Stourbridge and Brum it reliably avoided most traffic. Something which thankfully I don’t have to endure any more!!

Google bought Waze a few years back, the live traffic info is basically the same now.

Does it now do the other user generated stuff that Waze does? pothole, vehicle stopped, live police tracking etc

Oh and does google maps warn would be speeders of cameras? Asking for a friend.

In the UK yes. I can say for certain that it doesn’t in France because that would be illegal.

mine doesnt.

Mine does for fixed speed cameras, and also does for mobile vans so long as a few have reported it via waze.

It does the big stuff from waze, but not little things like pot holes/cars stopped on the hard shoulder etc.

I actually like Apple Maps, because I like that it vibrates my watch to tell me when to get off the motorway. But I don't really use it often enough to know if it's as good as Google for route planning (it used to be obviously worse, now it just seems v similar).

Obviously this is no use to the OP unless he wants a new phone and watch!

Waze if required to nav by phone. Use google maps as back up

Sat Nav was an optional £600 on my Toyota, so iPhone on a magnet and Google Maps to navigate. The realtime traffic updates are great. Mrs Scape uses Apple Car Play in preference to the built-in Satnav in her VW.

Google maps was my back up.

A useful back up is Navmii. Unlike a lot of phone map apps it keeps all its mapping data on the phone so you can search and navigate offline.  Waze and Google are more flexible and more searchable, especially if you're  exploring rather than route planning, but you can only do that searching if you're somewhere in signal.  Navmii is a useful tool to fall back on  if you're starting a journey somewhere out of network. I find it useful out in sticks sometimes but quite often I make use of it in city centres where high densities of  traffic and bored office workers all spotiifying and tiktok-ing have sucked up all the bandwidth.

I have a VW Golf Mk 7.5 and find the visual information on the built in maps better than google maps on android auto, the map can be displayed on the digital dash which can be helpful and I have found the cable connection a bit temperamental at times…..
However, 95% of the time it’s on google maps because the real time traffic information is much more effective. As above I wouldn’t be without Android auto or apple car play now given a choice.
You can swap between the two systems (with a small amount of faff) which has been useful at times when said cable issue has arisen

Google maps but I also have osmand as a backup for offline mapping if the signal is bad. Osmap also give me maps for walking cycling etc off line as well so useful for more things

Google maps...because

Traffic updates/alternative routes/timings are spot on
Usually warns of cameras and often obstructions
Takes seconds to navigate compared to a clunky built in sat nav
Works seamlessly with music
Takes seconds to squawk 'bike shop' or 'tescos' mid journey and be able to choose from 5 options based on how much time it will take to divert off route
Warns you if the place you are heading might close before you get there