SD Sat Nav, Opinions please by those that have it

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Hi, I'm looking at adding it to the order but wanted some first hand knowledge, so what is it like on a day to day use
Cheers
 
I have used it constantly yesterday and today ( I only got my car on Saturday) I have been using a garmin for the last few years and a built in Honda sat nav before that. I definitely prefer a built in option and the one in the A3 is great. Clear instructions, easy to mute the spoken directions if needed. Next 3 moves clearly outlined. I need the sat nav for work and would highly recommend this one.
 
As a long time Tom Tom user I find the audi sat nav very good! it's a shame that we haven't got speed camera's though
 
frazzeld said:
As a long time Tom Tom user I find the audi sat nav very good! it's a shame that we haven't got speed camera's though
Click to expand...

I also like it a lot, and would definitely give it a thumbsup.

It does tell you the speed limit at the bottom right of the screen though, which it gets from the map data.
 
frazzeld said:
As a long time Tom Tom user I find the audi sat nav very good! it's a shame that we haven't got speed camera's though
Click to expand...


agree with this post.

I've used a TomTom GO 730 for years and was half expecting the Audi SatNav to be a bit crap, but really have been pleasantly delighted with it so far.

Lack of speed camera info is something I've been thinking of but considering I got the SatNav for free c/o of early A3 SB order I might check out speed camera options for my iPhone or another option.


To add my wife has been really impressed with the Audi SD Card SatNav. Thinks it's better than the TomTom so must be decent cos she couldn't see past her beloved TomTom.
 
Audi do tend to put a fair bit of care and attention into their satnav systems. I'm not up with the absolute latest stand-alone units but the vast majority I've seen look and feel very clunky compared to Audi's built-in systems, IMO at least. Plus you have the benefits of always being "just there" when you need it, no wires or suckers, larger screen and better integration with the car.
 
My only gripe is that the maps are about 18 months out of date and would like free upgrades
 
Latest which is 2012/2013.

I have complained to Audi about this but no response as yet . I travel the A3 most days and go through the Hindhead tunnel up to the M25. The Hindhead tunnel opened in August 2011 but it is not even on the Satnav version that shipped with new A3 SB !

Whilst I appreciate maps are always going to be out of date somewhat I think this is taking the P
 
Maps out of date are always a problem but most of the time it doesn't get in the way to much. My Honda Civic satnav is 4 years old and still gets me to most places. For those occations where it fails I use WAZE on my iPhone. I'm glad it seems to be a good system tho as I will end up buying it after the car is delivered.
 
Does anyone know when (during the year) that updated SD cards become available, and how much are they ?

Mine is Version 2013, but in the fine print it says that the GB data is from Ordnance Survey and Royal Mail from 2010.
 
I have the SD version and have been really pleased with it, worked really well the times I have used it. A few nice features, when you hit reserve fuel it asks if you would like directions to the nearest petrol station. Also, I have an iPhone 4S, the Nav integrates really well in that I can select 'Navigate to' any address stored within a 'Contacts' information (rather than have to re-enter as a destination). It also looks very smart on the the pop up MMI screen.
 
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mjc said:
I have the SD version and have been really pleased with it, worked really well the times I have used it. A few nice features, when you hit reserve fuel it asks if you would like directions to the nearest petrol station. Also, I have an iPhone 4S, the Nav integrates really well in that I can select 'Navigate to' any address stored within a 'Contacts' information (rather than have to re-enter as a destination). It also looks very smart on the the pop up MMI screen.
Click to expand...

i noticed the integration with my iPhone today, great feature. Didn't know about the reserve fuel feature but I have only filled up the once :)
 
I've the SD navigation and I've used it every day since I got the car a week or so ago. It's the first time I've had an in built navigation system and to be honest I wasn't expecting much.

Cons: I miss the speed camera bongs I used to get on CoPilot and for some reason it doesn't let me input GL postcodes. A minor irritation is that at certain motorway junctions it'll tell me to continue driving straight on when it's pretty obvious that was the intended route, but then the voice can be turned off.

Pros: Live traffic updates, instant re-routing in heavy traffic, next few turns/actions clearly marked, gives advance notice of toll roads upon set up, notifies where nearest service station is and now for the first time ever, I know I live 230 feet above sea level.

So far I'm really happy with it. Is it worth the £12 a month I could have saved from my monthly company car allowance if I'd not had it? Economically no, but it's lovely to have got rid of wires and being worried the car's going to get broken into.
 
I think it's great, really impressed. Granted the resolution isn't the best but well worth £495. I was fortunate enough to get it for free as I pre-ordered.
 
Interesting to read experiences of those who've had integrated nav for the first time.

Personally I've had the Audi nav in three cars now going back seven years and couldn't live without it :)
 
I currently have no experiences of the SD nav, but have ordered it as an option to my soon to be delivered first ever Audi. Thanks for setting up the thread and for all the responses, I'm finding it very informative to features that I never knew existed! I currently use a Tom Tom, and reading this thread am pleased I have order the SD nav.
 
I have used it for a week now, I let the fuel run low yesterday so I could see it offering to route me to the nearest fuel station. My favourite at the end of a long day pressing the voice command button and asking it to navigate home. I visit a lot of hospitals during the week and so far they have all been in the system. I also like how easy it is to mute from the steering wheel. It does make me smile when it asks me to take a half left/ right. Better than my hubby's VW which tells him to carry on for a "very long time"
 
Agree with most of the above.

I had it free as I pre-ordered my Sportback. If I was ordering today, I wouldn't spec it but purely as I only use nav once or twice a month. If I was a heavier user, it would definitely be on my list.
 
OK, Got the demo car for the week and already done 250 miles in it today. Sat Nav is very good but I have the mousepad feature on the dial How do I know if this is the SD card version? Also the album art streams through from my iPhone, if that helps.
 
Check to see if there is a SD card in one of the SD slots in the glove compartment.
 
Yeah, didn't see one to be honest so how different do they look? Any chance someone could post a few pictures of the SD version for comparison? Cheers.
 
OK, Mainly as it says it is navigation PLUS as the screen boots up, D'uh! Can anyone tell what the differences are in real life and are the 2D graphics the same on the SD system too?
 
In about 4 weeks time I should be able to provide a full side by side comparison as my friend is taking delivery of his a3 with SD Nav vs my tech pack system. If no one else answers in the mean time I will let you know the difference.
 
I am having a bit of a wobble, I have ordered the Tech Pack, but not sure if the additional premium £1000 is worth it. Apart from the larger screen, DVD player what else am I getting. If you already have the tech. Pack given the option would you order it again.
 
Tech pack gives you larger screen with higher resolution, touch input, inbuilt HDD for storing music and video, 3D Nav (not sure what the difference is between this and the SD nav at the moment), DVD drive, better quality radio tuner, and frees up both SD slots.

I got this for £1k as it was discounted by Audi last year for pre-orders. If I was ordering again I personally wouldn't value it at £1,500 and would be unlikely to add it. If you have chosen B&O then there is added benefit in the better quality amp and surround sound in combination with the tech pack.
 
Other than a slightly larger and higher resolution screen I really can't see the benefit. If you're right handed the touch pad will be a pain to use, music and video can be stored on a 64gb SD card etc etc.

I'd save £1000 and just go for the SD nav. Spend the difference on B&O and something else.
 
Not a major feature but for the sake of completeness: if you have the tech pack and lane assist you get a speed limit display.
 
Oh and the tech pack gives you better voice recognition.
 
This is also my thinking, you say better quality radio tuner, with the new DAB upgrade this must make the tripple tuner radio redundent.

Do people actually use the touch pad, or is it just a gimmick. Also on the non tech pack configuration does the MMI wheel light up when dark.
 
I think the touchpad isn't only for writing but can also be used to scroll around maps etc can't it? That would be easy enough to use left handed even if the handwriting recognition isn't (though I don't think it'll present a major problem personally)
 
RossR said:
Not a major feature but for the sake of completeness: if you have the tech pack and lane assist you get a speed limit display.
Click to expand...
what do you mean by speed limit display? the sd version gives you the speed limit for the road you are travelling.. isnt that the same?
 
frazzeld said:
what do you mean by speed limit display? the sd version gives you the speed limit for the road you are travelling.. isnt that the same?
Click to expand...

It means it uses the lane assist camera to read the roadsigns so it can handle temporary limits as well
 
The triple tuner may still be of benefit in that it may enable reception of digital stations in locations where the regular tuner would drop out.
 
Since my last post on this thread, thanks for the useful comments. After week 22 the DAB option is standard and as above even 32Gb is over 100 albums and you can still use the AMI as well... I'd love the better screen but not worth £1000 as I'm looking at the road anyway. Hand writing input is really a gimmick but does work well as is the DVD player and lane monitoring. Random thought: are the maps upgradable as the years go by? I input a new road that's less than a year old and it was there so lets hope the SD version is as up to date
 
Ha, people here will be horrified at the number of options I'm planning to put on mine!
 
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