[Reinhard]

I voted for Google Maps because I use it here in India and it works wonder. I think the best one to use in India for sure. I have used TomTom elsewhere in the EU and found it quite good. Not once did I get lost or confused - and I have driven quite a bit across the EU.

Also - TomTom doesn't leech personal data as much as Google I think. But then - Google is leeching it anyway, whether we use the maps or not. So in India I at least use maps to get some value for my data being picked up by them.

[whitewing]

Originally Posted by mvadg

Another issue, on the BETL flyover, which has no exits, it tells me to take a right.

Did you try it ? If yes, please share pic of your batmobile

[raghu.t.k]

I use the Google maps extensively on my drives, to the extent that I switch off common sense at times and get into trouble!! Below are a few instance where following Google got me into trouble:
1. While driving to Tirumala from Chennai, it showed a right turn when I could clearly see a main road about 50 feet in front, followed the instructions and later found it was an alleyway best suited for 2 wheedlers and not for cars. Got the 1st scratch on my new polo.
2. Was Driving from Chennai to Kuttipuram crossing Palakkad after sunset due to a stomach bug. All that I realized was that there has to be a better way than the one I drove since it was potholes ever 5 feet. Even if I had gone to Trichur and the taken the Kunnumkulam - Calicut route, it would have been faster while sparing my car and body of the torture.
3. Had booked a hotel on the Salem- Bangalore road and was driving from Coimbatore, and at some point it said take left. This took me in front of Salem railway station, and then some unknown areas/ villages where there was no roads and only a trail, and finally brought me back to the highway. Had I driven straight without taking the left, I would have reached without covering so many KMs and much faster.
4. Somewhere during the last decade had driven down to a temple in Thanjavur in an SX4. While going it gave perfect directions, though there were diversion on the ground due some bridge being re-constructed, was the best route. But on my return from there it took me to the middle of a field was really lucky that no bikes or cycles came on the opposite side, since I was driving on a path which hardly had a feet of space on either side.
5.And quite recently while trying to reach the shell petrol bunk in Coimbatore, it was literally taking me in circles. And during the same journey, while returning from Isha it asked me to take a couple of rights where there were no roads. This time just a look into that direction told me that its for pedestrians/cyclists and not for cars !!

But otherwise it has been very helpful during my drives in the four southern states, especially into unknown areas while being solo driver or sometimes driving with my family.

I still use it on a daily basis to check the best route to my office and back at a given time !! A distance of 16 kms from my house, but could take up to an hour or sometimes more if I choose the wrong route

[haisaikat]

According to a recent news article, HERE has been rated as the best navigation platform.

Link to the News

While I myself was a HERE Maps fan before switching to Gmaps, yet want to take this with a pinch of salt since as a ordinary "free" user I do not see any tangible benefits up until this time. Of course as the article says it may more for businesses that rely on HERE for monetizing.

Has anyone recently used the Here We Go navigation app?

App Download Link in Google Play Store

App Download Link in Apple App Store

[Sutripta]

Nokia bought Navteq, (for 8 bn, IIRC!) morphed into Here.
Nokia goes bust, Here is bought by the German Automajors. One cog in their selfdriving cars programme.
Here right from the beginning worked with offline maps. Its main advantage over Google. Even now Google allows you to download a very very limited area, and for a short period of time only.

Here/ Navteq not that good in India. On the other hand, if you have been misdirected by Google, you would want a backup.

Regards
Sutripta

[ButterRider 7]

Voted for Google maps.

Google Maps has revolutionised the way we navigate in the unknown territories. The application is a lot more than a digital map that helps you search for places or find the best possible route to your destination. With the help of reviews, pictures, and queries, Google Maps lets users explore things in an area without actually going there.

[vinu_h]

Man nearly marries wrong woman after Google Map leads him to wrong address

If it's not bad enough that he almost ruined the lives of 2 women, his relatives & he ate up all the refreshments meant for the REAL groom

Here's the link to the news article

[nandrive]

Sygic has added android auto support. I tried the beta version and also the release version. Release version works and looks well. If someone is not comfortable using Gmaps, it's a good replacement.

[Totoro11]

Any thoughts/experience with using the TomTom navigation offered by MG in india? Things you like & dislike about it?

[jatinkhanduja]

Hi All,

I have a rather small but very relevant problems with reference to the navigation systems. Let me give you a brief overview.

My wife purchased a Honda Amaze SMT Petrol in 2013 and got an aftermarket mapmyindia 2din 5 inch navigation system installed by the dealership. At that time the steering controls did not work with the new system either because of wiring or may be the system itself was not compatible with the new navigation console but the matter was not pursued further and the map my india console was used. Things continued to be kind of workable for the next few years. After our marriage in 2018 my wife upgraded to a WRV and the Amaze came to me .

With this I have been facing a new problem. As a matter of driving style I am highly dependent on rear camera for reverse movement of car. For folks who are familiar with the old amaze it was never a suitable candidate for a navigation system especially at a place provided by the company. Now I am facing two issues:

First: Due to reflection the visibility is very poor during the day which makes any rear movement difficult. The visibility is very good during night time when there is no sunlight.

Second: I find it rather surprising that there are virtually no sunshades for navigation consoles. All I could find is one 5inch sunshade for navigation on paytm costing onwards of Rs 3400/-

Now this complicates the issue as with this cost I would rather go for a new music system which again complicates the issue as 5 inch navigation system as very few if at all available.

I look forward to the expert advise from BHPians to how to resolve this small but rather common and important issue.

Thanks
Jatin

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by Totoro11

Any thoughts/experience with using the TomTom navigation offered by MG in india? Things you like & dislike about it?

I looked up about Tom Tom IQ Maps in MG Cars and one good thing I see is they update OTA which is a big plus and leaves the hassles of offline update provided there is connection with the Tom Tom Live services which I believe is not a problem with MG. However not sure how accurate the live traffic updates are. Google Map ETA is dead accurate but MG Tom Tom claims that they are also applying historical data and driving style data projections combined for accurate projection of ETA. Lastly GMap allows for downloading routes offline at the time of starting a journey, hope this one does too, especially with the updates. Some real world usage feedbacks from MG owners required.

Related Link: https://www.carandbike.com/news/tomt...hector-2017045

Originally Posted by nandrive

Sygic has added android auto support. I tried the beta version and also the release version. Release version works and looks well. If someone is not comfortable using Gmaps, it's a good replacement.

Good decision on Sygic part, are they giving traffic updates too? Their automaic zooming in on road junctions to show which exit to take is realy intuitive something which no other provided seem to provide.

Originally Posted by jatinkhanduja

First: Due to reflection the visibility is very poor during the day which makes any rear movement difficult. The visibility is very good during night time when there is no sunlight.

Second: I find it rather surprising that there are virtually no sunshades for navigation consoles. All I could find is one 5inch sunshade for navigation on paytm costing onwards of Rs 3400/-

Now this complicates the issue as with this cost I would rather go for a new music system which again complicates the issue as 5 inch navigation system as very few if at all available.

Is there an option to increase the brightness of the screen for daylight?


If not here is a cheaper sun shade on amazon, see which size fits you best as there are 5 inch and 7 inch options and not sure if a 7 inch visor should be ideal fit for 5 inch screen as there are physical controls on the side.

https://www.amazon.in/Generic-Access...113422&sr=8-52

But before you spend 1500+ INR on a product I would suggest you to try this DIY option to check if the sun shade at least solves your problem in the first place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ4A4mXdiUI

2 DIN is a standard size so modern cheap Chinese music systems are available for cheap on Amazon with 7 inch screen (essentially using the full real estate on the front face stripping off the physical controls). At a little more budget you can get a proper Android HU.

https://www.amazon.in/DULCET-Univers...0112235&sr=8-4

[nandrive]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Good decision on Sygic part, are they giving traffic updates too? Their automaic zooming in on road junctions to show which exit to take is realy intuitive something which no other provided seem to provide.

They provide live traffic updates, exists have lane guidelines, and few junctions have images which mimic real world, that is very useful. The only issue I find is pinch zoom and drag of map is not enabled yet. I hope they provide this feature as well. Lifetime android auto license will cost 49USD, since my car has OEM maps and also I have already purchased lifetime Sygic for mobile, I am not sure will I be purchasing android auto license or not. But overall it's a welcome development.

[luvDriving]

I used google maps exclusively. This is due to their good coverage, availability and ease of use. Although the google maps lady may sound impatient at times and become a nuisance, we can turn the voice off and remain calm.

Google maps has of course led me astray many times when it thought that maybe I had switched to driving a tank seeing all the rash driving around or that one time when it thought I had a submersible car and showed me a path right into the Arabian sea !!

But on the whole, google maps is as good as it gets to get the overhead picture. Next best thing is of course to ask around once you reach the general area.

[nandrive]

Mapfactor https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ctor.navigator has released a beta version for android auto. I tried it and works well. The advantage of this application is that it's a free navigation app with offline maps available throughout the world even in China(open street org maps). Maps occupy very less space on the phone compared to other similar apps. Over dependency on GMaps can be easily avoidable.

[alpha1]

Here has stopped offline maps?
I could not see the option in their latest app.


Is there anything else which is comparable and offline?