Nav System

Squalo

Active member
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Location
Fairfax, VA
TDI
2012 Golf TDI--gone but not forgotten!
Is the nav system in the mk VII an upgrade over the mark VI? The mk 6 has the RNS-315, larger VWs have the RNS-510, which is better. What's does the mk 7 have. Anyone know?
 
Last edited:

redbarron55

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Location
Navarre, FL.
TDI
2012 Touareg TDI Executive
The RNS 31X seems faster, but as I understand it the map does not zoom in or out like the 510.
Neither are very fast, but my wife would not be without her 510 I moved the one in her 2013 from our older 2009 JSW.
I am interested in looking into one of the Android look alikes that are considerably cheaper for the old car.
I think I might want one to be able to run Waze on the dash unit.
 

njiska

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2014
Location
Waterloo, Ontario
TDI
2015 MkVII Golf
The MkVII has the discover media system that's been in the Euro cars for a few years. It's vastly different from the RNS Nav system of the MkVI.
 

pillboxhat

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 25, 2004
Location
Massachusetts
TDI
15' Golf (Formerly owned 240D, 00 Beetle, 06 Jetta
I don't know which model # is in the MK VII. But it's awful. I have an SEL. I've complained about it on the board here a lot. I LOVE the car. Every aspect is just great. The NAV is just bad. Clunky. Incorrect. Voice recognition. Interface. Slow. Bad. I think aesthetically it's an improvement over the VI in terms of screen and stuff. But as far as functioning. Nope.
 

Borsig

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Location
va
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2015 GSW SEL (buyback), 2011 JSW (sold)
Its not THAT bad - I used it on the way home, yesterday.

Is google maps on an andriod or waze better? Yes, it is. Yes its somewhat outdated, and if you are buying the SEL for the nav, youre doing it wrong.

But BMW's I drive in my 330i was WAY worse. The previous nav in the MKVI was WAY worse. I could care less if it was in the car or not, but it isnt so horrible you cant use it.
 

Borsig

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Location
va
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2015 GSW SEL (buyback), 2011 JSW (sold)
Yes Waze is great, but I dont think ANY of us are buying the SEL for the Nav.

Id gather 75% of people whom buy the SEL, buy it for the seats. I wanted the seats. rest of the fluff just maide it nicer.
 

scottcane

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2015
Location
VA
TDI
Passat & Touareg
I use Waze regularly and find it pretty helpful. I am always cautious that if I do not see any Waze users ahead of me to post reports, there might be police stationed.
 

Random_Vibration

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2014
Location
Florida
TDI
2015 Golf SEL TDI (6MT, LP, Driver Assist)
I had the RNS-315 in a 2013 Jetta and currently have it in a 2012 Tiguan. I also have the nav in my Golf. The Discovery with navigation seems to me to be better in finding points of interest and appears to be less laggy than the RNS -315. Both are slow.

I have no interest in phone based systems because:
1. I don't keep my phone on me 24/7/365.
2. I have unlimited data but don't rely on its 100% availability.
3. I don't like fiddling with a phone in the car. The phone is placed inside the center console cubby when driving. No touching because driving is the task at hand not attending to a phone. Don't need carplay/android auto. If I stream, I set it up before I start moving.

I use the GPS for navigation and either with do the job adequately. I will sometimes use the phone to find specific venues because the database is larger. I run a Garmin on long trips as a secondary unit or in rentals.

I don't know how one can report incidents in waze in a non-distracted state while driving. You could become an incident if you're not careful.
 
Last edited:

No More Buffalo

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2012
Location
Greenville, NC
TDI
Current: 2015 Golf SEL 6m Sold: 2012 Golf 2dr DSG
Main thing I dislike about the nav is that I haven't found a good way to find something other than by address.

That said, I really like having a built in system, since it means -- no worries about theft, no power cords dangling, no mount either blocking the windshield or an air vent, etc.

Now if only they'd just license the Garmin software it'd be awesome.
 

Bikebits

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 7, 2015
Location
Southwestern Ontario
TDI
TDI Sportwagen 6MT
Main thing I dislike about the nav is that I haven't found a good way to find something other than by address.

That said, I really like having a built in system, since it means -- no worries about theft, no power cords dangling, no mount either blocking the windshield or an air vent, etc.

Now if only they'd just license the Garmin software it'd be awesome.
You can search by categories of waypoints, as well as waypoints added from your own collection transferred from an SD card. There are a few tutorials on the web how to do it. .gpx files are supposed to work, I'm just waiting for my car to arrive so I can get at it!

Since VW has gone to Apple/Android for the new infotainment system, we can always hope they go to Garmin for the nav. It would be great to manage routes on the computer and download them to the car, or upload tracks and look at them on Google Earth.
 

quattrothatcould

Active member
Joined
Mar 14, 2015
Location
Wynnewood, PA
TDI
MkVII Golf TDI
Having had both (MkVI GTI and the MkVII TDI), the VII's system seems much slower and clunkier. It frequently takes 5+ minutes to calculate a route, is really slow to respond to commands, and genuinely feels like its overwhelmed. Nice things - the screen is bigger than the VI's, and the near-field touch sensing thing that triggers the menu to pop up is kind of trick.
 

Mike_04GolfTDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 19, 2003
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
TDI
Mine: 2019 Golf R DSG, Wife's: 2015 Golf Comfortline TDI
I've never understood why my $95 Garmin that I bought seven years ago with a lifetime map subscription for another $89 is STILL superior to anything I've ever seen built into a vehicle. It just works. Speed is pretty good (never found myself annoyed with the speed), directions are accurate.

How come, in 2015, they can't put something as good as that in a car, considering it's usually part of a multi-thousand dollar package? (To get nav on the Mk7 Golf here in Canada was part of a $2300 package).

In fact, my Garmin probably sells for about $15 on eBay now, and it's better than built in nav. Shameful.
 
Top