Factory Jeep JK Navigation

[lwg]

Been curious if the factory Jeep JK navigation in the 2012's is of any real use offroad? I can't seem to find any real useful information in this regards.

[McZippie]

FWIW... Don't know if the 2012 is the same as our 2010, if so then it's of little value, because even though many 4WD trails are displayed, the interface to zoom in/out and planning all suk.

[mhiscox]

If it's the same as the 07-10 JK's RER MYGIG navigation head end, I'd give it a 4 or a 5 out of 10. Not totally useless and, as pointed out, there are some trails in it, though the logic of what gets shown and what's empty white space defies analysis, or at least my analysis. And there is a semi-cool "bread crumb" feature that's handy, especially when you're in one of those white areas. And it has fast boot up, and the audio part has some nice features. You might decide (I did) to spend even more money for the Lockpick add-on so you can add features, like backup camera capability, that Mopar should have built in.

It is, on the other hand, a pretty clunky, inelegant unit. The user interface and the not-very-high resolution graphics strike me as sort of turn-of-the-century, and the maps never seem to have enough detail or be at the optimum zoom. All in all, there are lots of prettier units.


photo: jeep.com

But it works, and everything (radio, nav, hard drive, USB, aux in, sat radio, bluetooth, etc.) is integrated into the system, which counts for quite a bit in my book. But running a separate off-road nav program is probably way better if you have an ongoing need for serious off-road direction finding.

[Repo503]

Theres 2 available for 2012s, neither are all that useful offroad...not bad as a media player/onroad nav though

[McZippie]

Theres 2 available for 2012s, neither are all that useful offroad...not bad as a media player/onroad nav though

Agree, even though it's not very good for 4WD/back-roads, I would still buy it for all the other outstanding features.

[LSWEENEY]

I agree with all. Some dirt roads in Anza Borrego and up near Barstow are shown on the nav system, but then dozens of side roads, some large, are missing. It seems like a wasted opportunity for a really useful package, one that I would have paid extra for! It would be great if the system was open source where someone could create a program that could upload map files or read them off of a DVD.

[JIMBO]

YUP, meto, I just use Delorme and Google maps, along with my TomTom--



JIMBO

[lwg]

I once had a similar setup with a CarPC and mapping software and such but am starting to not like all the gadgets around the driving space. I really like the integrated stock look of things whenever possible and was hoping there was some offroad usefullness with the factory nav...

[mhiscox]

I really like the integrated stock look of things whenever possible and was hoping there was some offroad usefullness with the factory nav...

If you figure that you're supposed to have a useful printed map with you regardless, you can (I believe) do OK with the factory nav. It shows you some trails, but it also ALWAYS knows the directions and your heading, and the Jeep also has the bread crumb mode to track where you've been. It can let you know whether you're getting closer or father away from where you want to be, and when you come to a fork in the road, even when it's just white space on the map, the information that is shown on the factory nav is generally enough to let you make the right choice. And you can always have your exact latitude and longitude to look up your exact position on a paper map or a handheld backup GPS.

Anyway, I did the car computer thing, too, and gave it up as too much to fiddle with and, in the vehicles I had, too hard to see any reasonably-priced display in the sunlight. It's just my opinion, but with the Jeep nav system and the appropriate paper map would probably keep all but the most clueless from getting seriously lost.

[lwg]

If you figure that you're supposed to have a useful printed map with you regardless, you can (I believe) do OK with the factory nav. It shows you some trails, but it also ALWAYS knows the directions and your heading, and the Jeep also has the bread crumb mode to track where you've been. It can let you know whether you're getting closer or father away from where you want to be, and when you come to a fork in the road, even when it's just white space on the map, the information that is shown on the factory nav is generally enough to let you make the right choice. And you can always have your exact latitude and longitude to look up your exact position on a paper map or a handheld backup GPS.

Anyway, I did the car computer thing, too, and gave it up as too much to fiddle with and, in the vehicles I had, too hard to see any reasonably-priced display in the sunlight. It's just my opinion, but with the Jeep nav system and the appropriate paper map would probably keep all but the most clueless from getting seriously lost.

Good point. I usually try to have maps of the area I'm in but find "exploring" is always a little more fun than knowing exactly where I'm at. As long as I can find my way home I'm good to go.