Genesis Tech Nav? Ahead, Current, or Behind the times..

[Driv200]

Not yet an owner. So impressed with everything else the car does, I have not had a chance to explore the 2011 Tech package Nav and audible commands. Read several posts about different things, but would like to know how intuitive the Genesis 4.6 Tech package is in todays hi-tech cars.

At dealer yesterday, the sales guy could not get anything audible commands to work. He could not work the knob. We had no luck. So, I was suddenly left with questions about the last remaining piece of the Genesis story....how good is the NAV and audible commands?

* Can you set climate controls via audible commands?
* Can you dial your iPhone via audible commands?
* Can you control your entertainment via audible commands?
* Learned on forum audible works best for destinations!

I have a Honda with audible ability, but we use the touch screen. Without the touchscreen ability in the 2011 4.6, I was hoping to learn from you savvy techies just how well the overall interface works in 2011 compared to other cars. My Ford and My Lincoln just set the bar very high. You can text via your voice and/or incoming txts can be read aloud to you after confirming to do so. In regards to fairness, here is the My Lincoln link with tutorials on how it all works. Left side of screen chosses topic and clicking right side plays a short 14-30 video on all the functions. http://www.fordvehicles.com/technology/sync/mylincolntouch/
Good thing Ford doesn't make a Genesis yet

 

[homeofstone]

We use voice for phone, Nav, and Radio/CD etc. It works great. Takes a while to learn all the voice commands. We just set the climate on auto and forget it.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

"At dealer yesterday, the sales guy could not get anything audible commands to work. He could not work the knob. We had no luck. So, I was suddenly left with questions about the last remaining piece of the Genesis story....how good is the NAV and audible commands?"

Doesn't this give you some concerns whether this is the right dealer for you? If the salesguy can't demonstrate the key features of the car, or find someone who can, I'd be shopping elsewhere.

Don't know about climate, I too keep it on auto at 72 degrees, but yes to all your other questions. But I find that the DIS knob is intuitive and quick enough for everyday operations so rarely use voice.

Good luck!

 

[2011bh380]

I have not owned any voice command navigation units before the Genesis but a bunch of my friends/co-workers did and still do from different makes. It seems that most if not all have issues with voice command up to a certain point. I don't think it is necessarily the systems error or lack of quality but the person using the system. For example, Acura supposedly has the best voice navigation out there but my co-worker never uses it because he has a really thick southern accent. When he asks for AC on it makes a phone call. When I ask for AC on, it turns the AC on. I think enunciation and "simple/clean" accent is key to having minimal miscommunication with the voice navigation.

As for the Genesis, I have a 2011 with tech package and I haven't had any real issues except for memorizing the commands. It does what it is supposed to do. As mentioned by "HouseofStone" we need to memorize the commands to maximize performance and minimize errors. As for the knob control, it just takes practice and familiarization like anything else new to us. In the beginning it was a little bit confusing but after a day or two of messing around with it, it was easy to use.

As "BacktoHyundaibyChoice" stated, if the salesperson did not know how to use the features of the vehicle then I feel it is the fault of the salesperson and up to a certain degree the fault of the dealership for not properly training the staff. I think that you should see a different salesperson or even a different dealership that has a knowledgable staff.

 

[Driv200]

Hi guys. I agree with your points. And, I already like the Genesis and tech package, but I have not had any indepth time with it. I am researched out and can confirm the 4.6 Genesis passes and beats all the tests I have compared it to. The software however is usually the normal "once over" in review tests and you can't get the reality of the experience until you come to this great forum and hear from people like you.

No doubt, the sales guy at my last dealership was not up to par. I won't knock him to much though, because the car business is tough, long hours, and everyone has a bad day. Sure, Hyundai would be alarmingly upset with this guy b/c he had no clue about the Genesis. Like most of us here on this forum, we know way more about our purchases than the sales people so I often find it easier to not worry about their lack of knowledge. This example however would have been helpful if he could of demonstrated just the basic of the Nav software etc.....

In comparison though, the Volvo/Jag dealer I visted had a very professional sales guy and he was keen on every model and every car. Even got me to drive the 2011 supercharged XJ which is an all new design....but cost $89k Sure, I checked my financial funds b/c I wanted it so bad, but quickly came back to planet earth. At this point, I am not a shopper, but a guy who knows what car I want and trying for that great deal. Just a matter of time.

 

[Ncgo4]

Had my 4.6 for 30 hours now and find both the DIS wheel and voice commands very good. Last car was 2008 G35 Infiniti. After first few weeks I never used the voice commands for it agai . Touch screen worked OK but the reach was so awkward I was afraid I was going to wreck at all times.

The Genesis wheel (DIS) is terrific and the phone system really works well with the iPhone as both phone and music source! The navigation system does not yet seem as intuitive as Infiniti's but these are always the most complicated tech piece.

Car is amazingly comfortable and one thing for sure I would never, read NEVER have a touch screen again!

 

[bufub]

I find nav frustrating. The screen is big, beautiful and bright - best navigation display I've seen, BUT the system has idiosyncracies that are maddening: The system does not provide ETA, are you kidding me? This is a standard navigation metric. It provides Time to Go instead which is much less convenient and requires constant reference and math with the clock. The POI Near Here does not update as you move. I use this feature all the time with any Garmin. At 60mph in a strange place it's nice to know what gas stations you're closing on and which ones are off the path. The Blue Tooth phone system is bell clear but the phonebook import is buggy and only accepts one phone # per record. I've had to manually add numbers where there are mobile, home and work entries. Voice commands for dialing work once I get the inflection right.

 

[cliffbig]

A member of the Ed Voyles Hyundai staff in Marietta said that even he was a bit disappointed in the cumbersome, unwieldy interface for the Genesis nav system; he said the current Sonata system is much better, although I haven't seen it to verify. I feel like the Genesis nav interface is state of the art 2002.

 

[ctrcbob]

I have no problems using the Navi, or anything else in my Genesis Tech, however I am not a "tech" person, and everything I ever want to do works fine. Everything that is offered, I've tried, and it works fine. I don't often use it, but its there. Example: I can use voice commands to enter and call a phone numbers. Why?? The number is probably already in my phone book, and all I have to do is say "Phone X....", and if it is not in my phone book, I just dial the number or name from my Bluetooth phone, and it still comes out in the screen, calling the person I want to call. OK, you may say that I still have to look at my handheld to make that call. True, however you still have to take your eyes off the road when you use the voice command to enter a phone number you are calling, mostly after all the number have been entered, or if a number was not understood by the system. You still have to give it one of the commands listed on the screen.
I just like doing it the easy way, not the "High Tech" way.

My advice, if it is not offered on the Genesis Tech, and you want it, go buy something else. (Per Lee Iococca of Chrysler a few years ago, "if you find a better car, buy it")

 

[Tom Z]

I just picked up the 2011 4.6 Genesis sedan w/Tech. 3 weeks ago. I've used
the Navi GPS and was dissapointed that the turn by turn feature does not name the streets/aves instead it tells you to turn in :x number of feet & pings
when you are at the turn. I went back to the dealer today to see if I programed it wrong & was told the Genesis doesn't say street names, but the Sonota does. WTF? my handheld Garmin Nuvi is better than this system.
Any suggestions?

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[mikec]

Your questions in order:

* Can you set climate controls via audible commands?

nope, there is a dedicated climate control panel for that. Which I personally MUCH prefer.

* Can you dial your iPhone via audible commands?

Basic Bluetooth phone functions include voice dial. The 2009 Genesis Tech package (the one I have) has its own phone book list; it doesn't download whatever you have in your phone... gotta manually enter names+numbers into the car's memory initially. That's it's biggest "oops" in phone mode. You can voice dial from the car's memory by name or number. "Dial number" "Call by name" "Redial" "Store number" are the basic voice phone commands.

* Can you control your entertainment via audible commands?

Yes: selecting source, changing frequencies, cycling through memory stations or directly accessing memory stations, changing disks, changing tracks, etc. No voice commands for volume, balance, fader, bass/midrange/treble.

* Learned on forum audible works best for destinations!

True, for "common" street names. The DIS knob based entry asks for street, then city... so "Main Street" type of destinations end up with a zillion options... especially if you need something like "Main Place" vs. "street" or "N Main St" and don't know the exact spelling. In voice mode, you specify city first... narrowing the potential street possibilities.

I just had a chance to really compare my Genesis to a Garmin... I was in a rental car (Chevy Cobalt - a tin can compared to the Genesis) using my Garmin for a week in Seattle. I have one of the larger hand-held Garmins (1490) yet the screen is nowhere near as useful as the much larger Genesis screen. The Garmin's street name vocalization was nice though the Genesis shows the street name on-screen as the "next turn coming up." Personally, since I find I need to eyeball the screen to get an idea of how many streets are between me and the turn (knowing "it is 1.5 miles" away isn't enough - I like to see if the turn will be a major street or a small one, is it 1, 2, or 3 major intersections away, etc) I end up eyeballing the street name at the same time. The Genesis "split screen" showing the route overview is handy too - letting you know in advance "right turn followed by an immediate left" which the Garmin doesn't do. The Garmin and I almost missed one last week because I could barely cross the Seattle traffic in time.

It may be a matter of what you are used to/learned first. The Genesis was the first street nav system I used; I bought the Garmin later for my other cars. So I find myself wishing the Garmin were different. The Genesis guidance approach is similar to air navigation systems I use in my job so it feels more natural to me. I've never tried using the "nearby POI" stuff bufub mentions so I don't can't comment on how that compares.

I rarely use the voice commands in the Genesis though; it just doesn't understand my SoCal accent. Also, I tend to push the button and speak... forgetting to wait for the "beep" prompt. Net result: repeating the command. Even if I do wait, I find it's often faster to manually enter the commands anyway. The steering wheel controls for the audio system handle the bulk of what I need/use; the DIS control buttons I can "feel" and use without looking at them, etc. It's only entering NAV stuff that requires significant use of the rotary knob and eye concentration. I do that before leaving the garage/parking spot anyway so I'm not "driving distracted." Voice is used mostly to make phone calls... "Call somebody" is probably the #1 voice command used in my Genesis.

mike c.

 

[Genesiswannabee]

How easy is is to navigate using voice commands music menus on an iphone?