OK I'm about to order my truck and my adult children say not to order Navigation just use your phone. We do not have a smart phone (I know Luddites!) but will be getting one. The salesman seemed to think Navigation was a must. What advantages, if any are there to getting Navigation over just using the phone?
Thanks

 

I have nav, and I'm not sure I would order it again. The maps are out of date. Lots of newish roads here (2 years old) that don't show up. Address search seems to be hit and miss. I have to admit that my phone works much better. But I like having the nav built into the truck. I've also had it go wonky on me in downtown Vancouver when I really needed it. My son saved the day by punching in the address on his phone and we followed that no problem. I know you can use Android Auto to bring up maps, so I think that built in nav is getting outdated really quick. The only thing I don't like about phone nav is that cell phone data is still stupid expensive here in Canada.

 

I agree. Skip the factory nav (always out of date and expensive to update) and use either smart phone map apps or buy a GPS like from Garmin that offers life time maps for free.

 

I have not seen Fords NAV units, but I've bought factory NAV before on other vehicles and some of them now look so primitive compared to a modern phone app or a Garmin unit. The primary advantage of built in NAV is that it's always there, it's usually very well positioned where it's easy to see and they typically have bigger displays then a phone. One disadvantage is that some factory NAV units disable manual input if the vehicle is moving. That's OK for the driver but what about the passenger? Voice commands can still be used but they can be a PIA.

A phone or Garmin unit will need to be mounted where you can easily see it without impeding your view of the road. See if you can find images of ideal phone mounting locations/hardware for the F150.

The other obvious disadvantage is cost.

 

Of course the sales guy thinks it's a must. It raises the price of your truck...

If the new Sync 3 has Android Auto or Apple Air (or whatever it's called) then using the phone for Nav is a no-brainer. Download the Waze app and your golden. Even if you can't replicate your phone's screen on the truck, I'd still wouldn't use the vehicle's nav.

 

I have it and that is only because the truck just happened to spec'd with it. No way I would ever check the box if I was ordering one. That is until they start coming with Google Maps. The couple of times I have used the nav in my truck it always wants to take me a different route than Google Maps and it ends up being slower. I have some toll roads in my area that the Nav has in the system, and even with using toll roads selected in the settings, it refuses to use them.

Overall I am happy with the interface and would use it more, but I have zero confidence in it's ability to actually navigate the best route.

 

If you've gotten by this long without navigation, then I don't see why you would suddenly need it.

Having said that, if you are retiring [or recently retired] and plan to do a lot of road trips, get the factory navigation or a portable unit for the dash. Phones are great, I use mine more often than the truck's navigation. However, if you will be in areas where cell reception is weak, your phone won't be useful (unless you download offline maps ahead of time). Also, it is a pain when using your phone to navigate and you have to take a phone call....because now you can't use the phones navigation while you are talking on it.

The advantage of phone over factory is that the phone always has the newest maps. Also, there are apps like Waze, which are pretty helpful for getting around and avoiding traffic.

 

I agree with what Kingofwylietx has stated... and I would add one more thing.
The thing I like most about having factory Nav is that I can always glance down and see the speed limit of the road I'm currently on.

 

If you're purchasing the truck, don't get it. If you're leasing, you'll probably get a better price with navigation. There's a $500 discount on the navigation and if you lease it gets put right on top of your payments.