Forcing maps/nav system to use one of two alt. routes

No.

You can't tell the map to use it, but you can mute the annoying sound and drive on your preferred route. Eventually it will get the idea and route you correctly.

Just wait for V6

I have not yet taken delivery, so i am not familiar with the system. Is it possible to set a "way point" or interim destination along the desired route? Would that be a work-around to select the second choice?

The current navigation software in the Model S is very basic - no waypoints, no alternate routes, no integration with real-time traffic, no ability to point at a location on the map and setting that as a destination, limited favorites support, ... plus the system is using very old maps (could be at least 3 years old).

The promised (and hopefully soon-to-be-released) version 6 software should have significant improvements to the navigation features.

However, even with the limitations, the current software is useful and pretty easy to use.

A major benefit of the Model S is Tesla's commitment to provide upgrades to the on-board software, and it's not unreasonable to expect that Tesla will continue to add new functionality to the navigation and other software applications over the car's lifetime.

The best I've found is to set an intermediate waypoint as your final destination then, as you get close, enter your final destination.

And the Google maps on the main display is always up to date. Actually, I've never seen a car system that wasn't out of date. The mapping companies just don't have the resources that Google does. In addition, most of them emphasize points of interest (e.g. businesses that pay to be listed) rather than streets and roads). I've found the Tesla system to be the most useful in-car system I've used. It does need some enhancements like Bob says: waypoints, avoid toll road, avoid highways, bigger fonts, etc. I expect them to come with time. It's already better than it was when I first got the car.

My only real annoyance with the current product is that it is very reluctant to interpret a "wrong" turn as the driver's desire to take a different route. It persists in demanding U turns and plotting paths back to the original route for quite a long time before giving up and recalculating. I hope that improves in v6, if only with a dialog asking if that is the intent, so one can terminate the recovery algorithm.

jerry33 said:

And the Google maps on the main display is always up to date. Actually, I've never seen a car system that wasn't out of date. The mapping companies just don't have the resources that Google does.

Click to expand...

Well almost. There's a highway about 30 mins from me that's been there for at least a year that confuses both the Google and Navigon systems in the car... I just drove it again last week and as far as the car was concerned I was off-roading cross-country.

scaesare said:

Well almost. There's a highway about 30 mins from me that's been there for at least a year that confuses both the Google and Navigon systems in the car... I just drove it again last week and as far as the car was concerned I was off-roading cross-country.

Click to expand...

Hehe, I once drove over a new bridge to an island and my Roadster nav thought I was doing the James Bond thing. Nav eventually froze completely and I had to reboot it back on the mainland.

scaesare said:

Well almost. There's a highway about 30 mins from me that's been there for at least a year that confuses both the Google and Navigon systems in the car... I just drove it again last week and as far as the car was concerned I was off-roading cross-country.

Click to expand...

With Google, there is a way to tell them about this. I haven't used it myself, but others have said it often gets corrected within a few days.

bob_p said:

The current navigation software in the Model S is very basic - no waypoints, no alternate routes, no integration with real-time traffic, no ability to point at a location on the map and setting that as a destination, limited favorites support, ... plus the system is using very old maps (could be at least 3 years old).

Click to expand...

I beg to differ ... our GPS does have on screen traffic.

I was actually surprised that the center console internet-based Google maps didn't have it right... whereas I wasn't so much so the Navigon based dash display.

Perhaps the map updates in the upcoming v6.0 firmware will help.

I actually just looked at the route on Google maps via my desktop, and it appears to have the new route (although it's hard to tell form memory, as it's an elevated roadway that closely mirrors the previous road). I've not seen too many disparities between what Google maps decides to display in-car vs. via the web, although I'll often see differing routs suggested for the same start and end points.

If scaesare means the ICC in MD, I have had the same issue, and it has been there for 2 years! Google maps at least shows me traffic, but won't route me on it, the dash shows me racing over fields. Do we know that V6 will fix this? If so, I would be happy to gamma test (since I don't rate a beta)

Oh, actually I've never driven that... but that's about the right distance too.

I'm talking about the new route 9 byway in WV on the way to Charles Town...

GreenT said:

I beg to differ ... our GPS does have on screen traffic.

Click to expand...

He said "integration" with real-time traffic.

Yesterday the Nav tried to send me along a road that no longer exists (the Bus97 / Hwy 97 interchange in Bend, OR). Google maps had it right and showed Bus97 ending there, but the blue line happily went through the gap...