Sat Nav

[Wozy68]

Well. I can't seem to fight the urge any longer. ......
I'm well on the road to buying myself a coupe or roadster Z4M.
Still dunno which one to get but I'm at least actively looking, but to be honest I'm erring on the coupe.

The car will only be mainly used on trips to mainland Europe, mostly Spain a couple of times a year thrashing around the Pyrenees with my biker mates.

A few questions however. Not having owned a BMW (let alone an M series)before, it seems that the Pro Sat Nav seems better than the business one. However I am also being offered a few Z4Ms without sat nav at all.

So the questions are:

1, Is the Sat Nav any good or just a pain to use especially with direction imfo ?
2, Does it cover Europe and if so East/West or both?
3, Would you insist on having the Sat Nav (guess question 1 might answer this one)
4, Can you update the maps and possibly add speed camera database.
5, After never owning a car that has had inbuilt Sat Nav, how would you rate it against an aftermarket Garmin, Navman Snooper etc.

Thanks in advance

[playalistic]

You can update the satnav firmware and maps to allow speed camera alerts. The nav display isn't brilliant in terms of up-to-date user interface but it works. The routing functions well in comparison to aftermarket navs. One handy feature is the live traffic information it pulls down when you're not using the radio (as this is where it sources from). It will figure out where you might be held up by current traffic along your route and warn you and even re-route you if you tell it.

I reckon the main plus side of having the nav is the rest of the integration it affords. If the car has bluetooth you can pair your phone and have your contacts displayed and searchable/callable from the car controls and steering wheel. You can also get an Intravee device (third party widget) and hook up your iPod or iPhone to play your tunes through the car's sound system. You can also navigate through your albums and artists etc in a fully integrated manner via the multifunction wheel and nav display. Obviously this only applies to you if you really care about playing music and having this level of integration in your car.

It's worth a look over on the www.z4-forum.com if you're searching for a car for some more specialised advice (if you haven't already)

Edit: Yes it covers Europe.

[M5 Mark]

A lot depends on if it is DVD based satnav or not. I can tell you the satnav in UK is not the best because it does not aloow for a full post code, you just need to be sure in SOME cases you have a road name for a destination also! It works perfectly in europe however! Not sure about the Zs but the satnav on the heads up display in the M5 is awsome and a great help. Also the voice commands work well for the satnav and the interface with iDrive I find very usable compared to other systems. The live traffic info and re route is also useful BUT does run around 10-15mins behind the radio stations info that provides the info to the system

[Raify]

Based on the Pro sat nav in a 2006 Z4:

1. It's not particularly great, especially compared to Tom Tom etc rivals. Some good points are traffic jam warnings (although new tom-tom type thins do this now) and integration with the audio
2. Does definitely cover West Europe, used it in France + Germany
3. No
4. You can update the maps by getting a new dvd from BMW for approx £120. As far as I know, the only way of putting cameras on is by using cracked dvd's from fleabay
5. Not worth it versus aftermarket ones. The post code is only the first 3 digits, without a street it will take you close but not to the final destination. The only advantage I see is the neat integration with Intravee ipod interface. I would rather have a tom-tom shaped dock in the dashboard like the new Renault's have.

[flimper]

Better off without it imo, looks very dated. Good not to have wires trailing round the car though.

[playalistic]

M5 Mark said:

A lot depends on if it is DVD based satnav or not. I can tell you the satnav in UK is not the best because it does not aloow for a full post code, you just need to be sure in SOME cases you have a road name for a destination also! It works perfectly in europe however! Not sure about the Zs but the satnav on the heads up display in the M5 is awsome and a great help. Also the voice commands work well for the satnav and the interface with iDrive I find very usable compared to other systems. The live traffic info and re route is also useful BUT does run around 10-15mins behind the radio stations info that provides the info to the system

It is DVD based i.e. MKIV and you can get full postcode lookup by installing one of the modified versions that float around.

[izz4mc]

z4m sat nav is imo an ugly plastic box that rises out of the dash which will only look more dated the older the car gets. If you plan to keep the car for some time then I would recommend not getting it.

[Wozy68]

izz4mc said:

z4m sat nav is imo an ugly plastic box that rises out of the dash which will only look more dated the older the car gets. If you plan to keep the car for some time then I would recommend not getting it.

That is my worry, like all things electronic these days they all start to look dated very quickly and thinking back to early 996 911s the systems become defunct.

Thanks for all the previous posts.

One last question. If I do not have the Nav, can I still connect an Ipod Nano etc somehow to the cars ICE?

[playalistic]

Yep, most of them will already have a boggo aux input, if it doesn't you can fit it pretty easily via an OEM part for around £40.