4 ms·

Agreed. I got the cheaper model of my car when I custom ordered it to not have the NAV addon because I knew I'd use my phone and didn't want to pay $2500 USD ex

Agreed. I got the cheaper model of my car when I custom ordered it to not have the NAV addon because I knew I'd use my phone and didn't want to pay $2500 USD extra for my car.

imglorp 10y ago
My car needed the nav feature in order to get the backup camera, which is essential in cars with a poor rear view.
- tracker1 10y ago
  As someone who had a 2012 Challenger, and recently went to a 2016 Challenger, have to agree... the backup camera, and moreso the blind spot indicators have been great improvements.
- sangnoir 10y ago
  What is it about American cars[1] and tiny rear view windows? I once got a Ford Fusion rental in the US; I was surprised how little I could see of what was behind me. I have never had the same issue with European/Japanese vehicles. 1. My sample size is small, I could have been unlucky. Anti-glare coating on rear view mirrors on American cars makess night-time driving awesome though, I wish the European/Japanese vehicles would copy that
  - lucaspiller 10y ago
    > Anti-glare coating on rear view mirrors The technical term is an 'electrochromatic auto-dimming rear-view mirror'. It's been an option on higher end cars/trims for the last ~5 years, even in Europe. On eBay there are DIY kits too.
    - sib 10y ago
      My 2003 Mini Cooper (not very high end!) has this, as does my 2015 Subaru - it makes it incredibly hard to drive any other car that doesn't.
    - lagadu 10y ago
      Not high-end at all, my Fiesta has it as standard. It's a fantastic feature, it just annoys me that the sensor gets hit by the car ceiling lights when they're on, so if the light is on you get a completely dark mirror. I call it a quirk because it sounds better than "terrible design".
  - u801e 10y ago
    > Anti-glare coating on rear view mirrors on American cars makess night-time driving awesome though, I wish the European/Japanese vehicles would copy that In Europe and Japan (and most of the rest of the world), automotive headlamps conform to the relevant ECE standard which allows for less glare compared to the US standard (defined in FMVSS 108). So, at least in those markets, the anti-glare coating isn't as necessary.
    - sangnoir 10y ago
      > So, at least in those markets, the anti-glare coating isn't as necessary. Unfortunately, there are inconsiderate idiots engaging high-beams everywhere in the world.
  - ygra 10y ago
    Anecdotally, having recently driven a rental Mercedes C200, rear visibility was abysmal there too. Luckily it had a camera. I guess it's less a European/American thing but rather depends on the car (type).
- pkaye 10y ago
  My Toyota Camry had the same limitation but I later found even the lower end models have a video in jack on the display module to connect a third party camera. Got one installed for $150 including labor.
- foobarian 10y ago
  Even with good rear view, I find the backup camera super useful. In fact on my car I wish there was a way to have it running no matter the shifter position; I have a Ford Escape and the car must be going in reverse for the camera to activate. The most useful feature are the guide lines overlaid on the video that bend according to steering wheel position, and crosshairs that let me position my hitch to within half an inch of a trailer coupling. Luckily the NHTSA is requiring backup cameras on 100% new cars by mid-2018.

Agreed. I got the cheaper model of my car when I custom ordered it to not have the NAV addon because I knew I'd use my phone and didn't want to pay $2500 USD extra for my car.

imglorp 10y ago

My car needed the nav feature in order to get the backup camera, which is essential in cars with a poor rear view.

tracker1 10y ago
As someone who had a 2012 Challenger, and recently went to a 2016 Challenger, have to agree... the backup camera, and moreso the blind spot indicators have been great improvements.
sangnoir 10y ago
What is it about American cars[1] and tiny rear view windows? I once got a Ford Fusion rental in the US; I was surprised how little I could see of what was behind me. I have never had the same issue with European/Japanese vehicles. 1. My sample size is small, I could have been unlucky. Anti-glare coating on rear view mirrors on American cars makess night-time driving awesome though, I wish the European/Japanese vehicles would copy that
- lucaspiller 10y ago
  > Anti-glare coating on rear view mirrors The technical term is an 'electrochromatic auto-dimming rear-view mirror'. It's been an option on higher end cars/trims for the last ~5 years, even in Europe. On eBay there are DIY kits too.
  - sib 10y ago
    My 2003 Mini Cooper (not very high end!) has this, as does my 2015 Subaru - it makes it incredibly hard to drive any other car that doesn't.
  - lagadu 10y ago
    Not high-end at all, my Fiesta has it as standard. It's a fantastic feature, it just annoys me that the sensor gets hit by the car ceiling lights when they're on, so if the light is on you get a completely dark mirror. I call it a quirk because it sounds better than "terrible design".
- u801e 10y ago
  > Anti-glare coating on rear view mirrors on American cars makess night-time driving awesome though, I wish the European/Japanese vehicles would copy that In Europe and Japan (and most of the rest of the world), automotive headlamps conform to the relevant ECE standard which allows for less glare compared to the US standard (defined in FMVSS 108). So, at least in those markets, the anti-glare coating isn't as necessary.
  - sangnoir 10y ago
    > So, at least in those markets, the anti-glare coating isn't as necessary. Unfortunately, there are inconsiderate idiots engaging high-beams everywhere in the world.
- ygra 10y ago
  Anecdotally, having recently driven a rental Mercedes C200, rear visibility was abysmal there too. Luckily it had a camera. I guess it's less a European/American thing but rather depends on the car (type).
pkaye 10y ago
My Toyota Camry had the same limitation but I later found even the lower end models have a video in jack on the display module to connect a third party camera. Got one installed for $150 including labor.
foobarian 10y ago
Even with good rear view, I find the backup camera super useful. In fact on my car I wish there was a way to have it running no matter the shifter position; I have a Ford Escape and the car must be going in reverse for the camera to activate. The most useful feature are the guide lines overlaid on the video that bend according to steering wheel position, and crosshairs that let me position my hitch to within half an inch of a trailer coupling. Luckily the NHTSA is requiring backup cameras on 100% new cars by mid-2018.