Navigation vs. Google

[name you wish]

Do you rely on the tesla nav app to get around or do you have to continually second-guess it since it generates questionable routes?

----- Example:
Picked up my Model S and drove back from Birmingham to south of Rugby.
Google maps on my phone recommended the M6, car decided A45.

Fine, I'll go A45. However, as I get near Coventry it decides that it's quicker to go via the centre of Coventry rather stay on the A45. Passenger checked on google maps and, unsurprisingly, it said to stay on the A45.

Continued through - no traffic problems on the A45, so arrived 15 minutes earlier than the Tesla nav said because I ignored the instructions.

I know that route, but wondering when going to places I don't know how good (or bad) the inbuilt nav is going to be...

 

[DJP31]

Check whether you have traffic based routing on, and if so turn it off and see it makes a difference. It seems to be a common theme.

It's in settings/apps/maps & navigation. There's an option for it to kick in only if it's going to save more than X minutes but personally I'd just turn it off.

 

[Richgoogol]

I always check google map to compare with the route Tesla nav has suggested and here's what I have discovered so far being an owner for roughly 7 months:
The shorter the distance, the bigger the difference, and it's especially true when it's rush hours. Google map will save you a ton of time. The longer the distance, the similar the route selection, it's almost 99% the same when comparing. But as you reach closer to the destination, google map might change its route according to the traffic where as Tesla's nav most likely sticks to its original suggestion.
So here's my recommendation: If it's less than 20 minutes away, only use google map. If anything longer, you can use Tesla's nav to start off, but when it's less 20 minutes away, or whenever you encounter a traffic jam on the way, double check google map to see if it has a better suggestion.
Disclaimer: This is coming from a guy who's obsessed about getting from A to B in the quickest time possible.

 

[Cornish85D]

I'd say use the Waze app on your phone. I'm afraid my 18 month experience would suggest that the tesla sat nav is not very reliable for the best routes.

 

[name you wish]

Thanks all, my hopes to not need to get my phone plumbed in are dashed.

 

[JHWJR]

My set up (But I drive a lot):

1. I use the NAV on the Model X to route me to my destination and to identify the likely Superchargers, charging times, etc., when necessary. Given the lack of "via capability" but the size of the screen and Supercharger identification ability, it's a superb when used as an overview navigation device.

2. I have my Garmin GPS stuck to the ceiling/windshield. It has all of the maps on board -- rather than fed through a phone signal -- so they load faster and regardless of where I am. (Tesla Maps are unavailable a lot in mediocre cell areas.) The Garmin has a much more powerful search capability and can find a city, then a Marriott in that city, then a Starbucks near my route, and rest stops along the way, while avoiding toll roads, and put those all in at once, for example. It can calculate the total distance to get back home after going to three different places, and ensure that the total trip is within the current range of the car. I can also search for things on the Garmin, like a Wendy's or a rest area or how close I'm getting to a city, while the car's GPS keeps navigating the big picture. And I double check the car's big picture with the Garmin and choose between them when they differ. Also, the Garmin saves and categorizes and allows easy recall of hundreds of favorite places I may want to go (Relatives; Hiking Trailheads; restaurants I frequent; my voting location; beaches, etc.).

3. I have WAZE running on my phone to look for accidents, deer on the road, obstacles and, frankly, to tell me where the police may be.

Elaborate, but no one device is getting it done for me.

 

[PeterHG]

Tesla nav is garbage (and I'm on the edge of being a fanboy). The reason that another poster said it was close to identical on long trips is (of course) that long trips rely on interstates for the vast majority of the drive.

I use Tesla nav only to identify superchargers. I like Waze. Google is good too.

 

[WannabeOwner]

I have SatNav on but muted, to get a decent sized map. Very handy to zoom in, plus optionally use Satellite view, when doing the final few hundred yards in unfamiliar places.

I use Waze for routing and voice instructions. It picks much better routes, IME adjusts them appropriately for traffic conditions, and has an accurate ETA estimate ...

... but I can't easily see my phone down on the console, and I don't want to bolt it, or anything else, to the dash/screen - but that's just me of course.

Beware that a Waze route might well be significantly longer than the Tesla one (perhaps I should select "shortest" or somesuch), and on occasions that has meant some juggling of charging plans.

One option I see a lot of people mention is using Tesla Browser to show Waze Incidents split-screen and using that to decide on holdups / police / etc. but I've tried it and decided I preferred Waze telling me about such things, and routing around them.

Infotainment on Tesla is poor, has had little love (except a major styling refresh, but all that did was cause 50% of the people to say "wonderful" and the other 50% [me included] to sat "Much preferred the old one"). I can't think it would take a lot of effort / $$$ to improve the software, and as such I'm really surprised that Tesla haven't done it - as a knock-out blow to other marques.