Are Fiat Sat-Navs good? (1 Viewer)

[thidwick]

We collected our brand new Fiat-based Hobby Optima a week or so ago from the dealership which is based about half-way between Kendal and Bowness-on-Windermere in Cumbria. We spent a night on systems-testing at a site near the dealers, reported back to the dealers the next day, and then set off for home.
Just “playing with the toys”, I set the installed Blaupunkt sat nav for our home address even though I knew fine well how to get back home from there.
Our home is on the Cumbrian west coast. If you were to draw a straight “as the crow flies” line between the dealers and our home, then it would be about 25 miles (guess). But because of the mountains in the way, the sensible route,and the fastest route, is round the north (A66), or round the south (A595). Both about 65 miles.
After driving a few miles I realised that the sat-nav was trying to send me over the mountains via hardknott and wrynose passes. Even if I’d been in the car (VW golf), I’d have had to be feeling adventurous, and have had all day, to have gone over the passes. The motorhome would have been far too big and heavy to clear the narrow roads, the 1 in 3 hills, and to get past the tourist traffic. (Not to mention the likelihood of ice on the high, un-gritted, passes.
So, a motorhome sat nav was quite willing to send me on an impossible route.

I’m going back to the Garmin from the old Rapido. That lady (we called her Beverley) had more sense!
...... does everyone attribute their sat-navs with personalities, and give them names?

 

[Derbyshire wanderer]

I think most sat navs are designed to ensure that you learn how to read a map as they are so dumb lol.
Seriously though they generally can be set to avoid motorways or tolls but not B roads or unclassified roads which is why they can soon get the unwary into bother.
The truck and caravan type can make some improvements but I am yet to find any that could be programmed with a destination and follow the route without prechecking it for potential problems

 

[Jands]

Hardknott in a MH sounds "fun" seen cars failing at that.
A lot of the roads in Cumbria would be challenging.
Out of interest where do you live as going that way must be ravenglass, seascale, egremont. I have a place in Gosforth.

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[thidwick]

Out of interest where do you live as going that way must be ravenglass, seascale, egremont.

....... near Egremont.

 

[Southdowners]

Have you checked the settings to ensure the dimensions and weight of your MH are entered correctly. Also, most of the sat navs i’ve had give three route options for each trip... again, it may be worth checking the settings.

 

[tinkerbell]

We called ours. NORA As she drove us batty, but have found it was better than the AVIC we have now as can’t update it as it can only be done using Windows and has now past that date so will cost us a lot of money even if we could update it, don’t bother buying one unless you have a windows computer. waste of money.

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[LesW]

Wouldn't even consider a 'fitted' satnav, not as versatile as a free standing item, and let's not talk about updates or downloading your own custom routes...

 

[tinkerbell]

Would not have fitted one next time, If there is a next time, could have kept old one as can now get free updates for it.

 

[grumps147]

I can’t remember the name of the radio/sat combination name in our Fiat, it’s not Blaupunkt though.

It is, despite it being a large vehicle, a car sat nav and, like yours, no way of inputting width, height and weight.

We run with a Garmin camping/trucking sat nav, where we can input those three main items. To be fair, it’s only really let us down once, in Honfleur in France. However, we always check the last ten miles or so on strange roads using old fashioned maps, truckers road atlases (in UK), and the generally brilliant google maps street view (especially on the continent).

If you do a search there are loads of threads on here about motorhome/truckers sat navs and people’s recommendations. Be warned, it will take you a while.

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[tinkerbell]

I just want to update mine without it costing me an arm and a leg, already cost the other arm and leg buying it in December. Also use google maps and old fashioned map books.

 

[Reallyretired]

I wouldnt pay for a built in sat nav in any vehicle. I have one in my landrover and it is primitive compared to a standalone or a phone app.

 

[Pia]

Wouldn't even consider a 'fitted' satnav, not as versatile as a free standing item, and let's not talk about updates or downloading your own custom routes...

Definitely agree with this...we have an integral one in our Skoda but always use our freestanding Garmin if we go on a distance drive in the car (which is rare as we usually take the MH on distance drives)....we have all our 'favourite' stuff in 'Millie' the Garmin... she is so versatile ('Millie' as she helps us clocking up the miles)

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