Becker GPS on Sprinters

[obgraham]

Anybody like the Becker GPS supplied on the MB Sprinters? To me it is a bare bones version of what a GPS should be. Sure, it is easy to hook up the cartridge to the computer, though getting the updated data file required at least 2 stop-start-fail routines. (That seems typical of all the GPS web sources!)

But the display seems not very customizable. No speed indication. No elevation data anywhere I can find.

Gimme back my Garmin! I might even continue to carry the Garmin, in spite of the built-in Becker!

[gerrym51]

i watched this video-maybe this will help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai3N7OcjvOs

[avanti]

There are certainly plusses and minuses, and you are right that this unit takes a minimalist approach. Overall, though it is growing on me.

I do miss having a touch screen--entering text with the little knob is tedious. And the screen could be bigger. On the plus side, though, the routing quality is good, and the voice and visual directions are very clear. I really like the current speed-limit display on the screen and that you can set it to warn you if you exceed the speed limit by a specified amount. I am fond of the navigation summary in the dashboard display. The real-time, adaptive traffic routing with no subscription fee is pretty impressive. The 3-D map display is pretty neat when driving in mountainous terrain. Mountains of West Virginia rendered in 3-D with roads and streams in the proper place is way cool.

There are really aren't very many missing features, it is more that the designers have simplified things (I suspect in the cause of minimizing driver distraction). For example, the "recent places" and "my favorites" features are more or less collapsed into the same mechanism. Not bad, just different. There IS an elevation display (under GPS-INFO or something like that).

Bottom line: Not the best thing since sliced bread, and takes some getting used to, but I think I am going to be OK with it.