browellm

Iceman, can you ask your buddies at BMW another question about the Nav?

In previous cars with Nav, I have always been able to set driving speeds for the different types of roads e.g. Motorway, 'A' roads (trunk roads), city roads etc.

This obviously has an effect on the route that is calculated for you by the Nav computer. The E60 has no such setting available. Now I presume this is by design, but I wonder why.

I'd be interested to get your thoughts on this too (not that I needed to add that, Oh Verbose One..... )

Iceman

I will ask them, but I've never seen an option like that... (therefore you are right ).
From my understanding, and observations on longer road trips, the nav allready calculates the ETA and therefore the roads used are taken into consideration as well as the current speed.
I'm pretty sure the nav is calculating with an average speed at the beginning and then corrects the ETA as soon as you start driving, because then your speed can be taken into consideration.
However, I will try to find out how it works and if there will be an update what lets you programm your avg driving speeds on the different roads.

browellm

Thanks Iceman,

The recalculation of the ETA is fine, but if for instance, I was able choose an average motorway (autobahn) cruising speed of 90mph and an average 'A' Road speed of 40mph, then Nav would clearly choose more motorways in the route (assuming I select "Fastest Route").

But, if for example I say my average speed on the motorway is 70mph and on 'A' roads 60mph, Nav would give more routes that include 'A' road sections.

It is useful to have this user configurability, because it can iron out some of the bizarre routes that Nav occasionally throws up.

Am I making any sense at all?

Iceman

Yes it does make sense... a bit...

I think they allready have speeds set for the different type of roads in the nav software. The problem is just that we are all driving different speeds, so the nav has average speeds set. So it DOES make sense to have the option of telling the nav yourself, what your specific average driving speed on road type A and B, etc. is.
Oh, well - I will ask and find out...

jksanford

Browllem,

This makes complete sense to me. The Lexus GS 300 that I just traded in required you to set your avg speed for three different things, Highway, City Streets and something else. Usually set at around 85, 50, and 30 respectively.

Just my 'non-scientific' observation, but the BMW system seems to be alot more accurate (again, I haven't done any _real_ tests, and I can't because I just returned the lexus to the leasing company).

James

Iceman

OK...

I just got off the phone.

I called my salesperson and after that BMW.

First of all:
The nav system has average speeds for it's calculation - these are
Autobahn (Highway): 130 Km/h (should be 80 mph)
Landstrasse (other roads outside of citylimits): 80 Km/h (should be 60 mph)
Innerorts (in the city): 50 Km/h (should be 30 mph).

Currently it is not available and not planned, that the driver can set his average for those type of roads himself and the system is not "learning" the average speed of the driver for future calculations. It does calculate, while active, your actual speed/average and takes that into consideration on the ETA.

I now will request this function (the manual setup of average speeds for the different road types by the driver) via email.
BMW is allways interested in inputs like that, espacially when it's available on other cars/systems, because they are very interested in making the cars better and they want to satisfy their customers. This specific request would make the system better (for those who want to use it). Those who don't want to use it could just leave it on the factory setting, what would be as mentioned above. So this would mean a serious improvement and another selling argument, so they will think about making this possible.
But as we all know, the software and the computer in the car has limits (the memory).
So all we can do now is wait and see if this functions somewhen show up after a software update...
That's it for now, I'll post an update if/when BMW answers my request !

browellm

Iceman, you are a star

I assume all those hardcoded speed limits are country specific as 70mph is the motorway limit in the UK <_<

Iceman

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they are country specific, but because I'm here in Germany I can only talk with the BMW guys about the settings over here. I'm sure they are different in other countrys. That's why I said "should" on the mph, because I just did the convertion myself...

BTW, the email is sent allready and I put a lot of good points "for" this feature in there. It would really be an improvement, and whoever doesn't want to use it can just leave the factory settings in there. I also added, that having those settings in the keymemory would even make it perfect, since the most cars are driven by at least two different drivers (and I really don't want to go with my wife's settings... ).
It's allways amazing when you talk to ppl at BMW Munich and you find out that you know more about the car than they do...
The person I first talked to just asked me if I am a BMW employee, because I know so many internal things, etc...

NickP

The US NavTeq datasets also within the road layers will have a freeway/highway category... This is used by the nav computer to help with initial ETA calculation. Normally though this will be over-ridden as soon as an actual speed on the road is read over a certain distance (e.g. traffic , or speeding way over), etc.

Iceman

That's exactly the point.
And the system would be better if you would be able to put your own settings in there, what you can't right now. You can only say, take the shortest, or fastest route, dynamic route, use highways, avoid highways, etc... But for this calculation the computer takes the settings the factory put in there, and those are the ones we are talking about to enter and change to our own "real" averages...