I'm looking to get a Mazda3, and I see the Navi is like that in the 8.
Anyway, is the Navi fast, or does it take time to find desired location? Does it take time to load, or is that dependant of other variables?

And for those who got it for the "cool factor:" Do you forget what life was like without it? Has it come in handy? Or are you one who has rendered it useless?

 

I love the navigation system... Worth every penny... SOMETIMES, and its very rare, it locks up... like a computer with too many programs running... but for the most part it takes a very short time to load a route. Recalculation of routes is pretty fast too....

Its not a 3-D system, but its fully functional even when moving....some nav systems dont have that ability.

Overall its a great thing...and has gotten me out of a few pinches =)

 

is the navi like run on a map thats on a cd? or is it that satellite (however you spell it) crap.

 

both...maps are stored on the DVD-Rom while your position is established via GPS...when there are the GPS is blocked, the nav uses dead reckoning via gyro

and yes, it has frozen on me 1 time...i had to basically had to have a passenger eject the DVD and reinsert and it started working again

 

only thing about my nav is that sometimes it doesnt give me the best routes. I like to use it even when I know where I am going to see where it tells me to go. A couple times it makes me go through some real odd detours. Also depending on how new the area is, it may not be 100% up to date or accurate. Other than that, I like, works fast enough. I just hope hey update the DVD in the future, so I can make sure I have accurate map info.