Dear Kia, your navigation system sucks

W

WNJeffers

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Location
Hillsboro, WV, 2023 Sportage EX HEV
Living in the mountains, I am accustomed to GPS routing being suspect. But the navigation system on my 2023 Kia reaches a new low, even in flat open country.

I recently visited my sister in Lancaster, Ohio. On the return trip, I had the Kia navigate to Home, which is in Hillsboro, WV, a fairly direct 4.5 hour drive over mostly divided highways except for the last 1.25 hours of 2-lane WV state roads. Somehow, the Kia navigation system wanted to take me to Columbus, exactly the wrong direction, then east on I-70 and I am not sure where else. But it was turning the 4.5 hour drive into just short of 7 hours. Fortunately, I know the route and was not relying on it for guidance.

This is an extreme example but not out of the ordinary.

I have also had several instances in which the navigation system could not respond and told me to try again later.

Also, lately when I try to use voice commands, it tells me I must activate Kia Connect. I hit the Activate button but it does nothing useful. I have been using voice commands before and I am not sure what has changed. It still seems to respond (after a fashion) if I type in the place I want to go, but of course I need to park the car to do that. Lame.

I have a Garmin GPS that I have now put in the Kia for those times when I need to find the way to where I am going and feel confident in the guidance I receive.

I like the Kia overall but you need to do better on the navigation system. (And the automatic wipers. They are often pretty clueless as to how much it is raining.)

Wayne
 
gotta agree on the wipers, drive me crazy waiting for them to come on, guess I'll throw my Garmin in the car until I have confidence in the on-board system, dealership can't help?
 
WNJeffers said:
Living in the mountains, I am accustomed to GPS routing being suspect. But the navigation system on my 2023 Kia reaches a new low, even in flat open country.

I recently visited my sister in Lancaster, Ohio. On the return trip, I had the Kia navigate to Home, which is in Hillsboro, WV, a fairly direct 4.5 hour drive over mostly divided highways except for the last 1.25 hours of 2-lane WV state roads. Somehow, the Kia navigation system wanted to take me to Columbus, exactly the wrong direction, then east on I-70 and I am not sure where else. But it was turning the 4.5 hour drive into just short of 7 hours. Fortunately, I know the route and was not relying on it for guidance.

This is an extreme example but not out of the ordinary.

I have also had several instances in which the navigation system could not respond and told me to try again later.

Also, lately when I try to use voice commands, it tells me I must activate Kia Connect. I hit the Activate button but it does nothing useful. I have been using voice commands before and I am not sure what has changed. It still seems to respond (after a fashion) if I type in the place I want to go, but of course I need to park the car to do that. Lame.

I have a Garmin GPS that I have now put in the Kia for those times when I need to find the way to where I am going and feel confident in the guidance I receive.

I like the Kia overall but you need to do better on the navigation system. (And the automatic wipers. They are often pretty clueless as to how much it is raining.)

Wayne
Click to expand...
Have you tried updating the maps?:
https://update.kia.com/US/EN/Main

Voice commands worked because Kia Connect was free for a year, but costs extra now:
https://owners.kia.com/content/owners/en/uvo-compare-packages.html

If you have an iPhone (CarPlay) or Android (Auto) phone, you can get most of this same functionality just by plugging your phone in and for "free"! I use an iPhone and the Waze or Google Maps app. You can talk to it through the Sportage system to set destinations and it even shows/tells you where the current cops/speed traps are...Barely ever use the Kia Nav unless Waze can't find an address or no cell service, which does happen, so nice to have the Kia Nav as a backup.
 
The Garmin voice recognition works and I have never experienced a demand for a subscription fee.

I got an email about a week ago about Kia Connect being “updated” from Ultimate to LITE. I figured the voice recognition issue might be part of that. I guess Kia is taking a page out of the airlines business practices. I wonder what other functionality I will lose after 4 years of complimentary LITE when I refuse to be extorted. Maybe I should look into whether someone makes an aftermarket infotainment system for the Kia.

The navigation system being independent of cell phone was part of the reason I chose the Kia. My other top choice, Toyota RAV4, depended on smartphone for navigation. Where I live, cell coverage is spotty (to put it kindly) and also I refuse to burden myself by carrying a smartphone.

I have granted permission each time the car has asked to update the infotainment system, at least twice that I can recall. I would have expected that this would include updating the maps. I will look into that, but I don’t think outdated maps are an issue. The roads I travel on the trip that I mentioned have changed minimally in the last 20-plus years. Only bypasses of Lancaster and Nelsonville, OH, on US-33. The Kia navigation system wanted to add well over 2 hours additional driving time to a 4.5-hour drive. Google maps knows the best way, and I am no fan of Google.
Google Maps Lancaster to Hillsboro

As to the automatic wipers, mine are pretty clueless much of the time. They can run at fastest speed when it is misting and run barely at all when it is raining pretty good. Occasionally they work okay. I wish there was an Intermittent setting that I could use to set speed manually.

Wayne
 
WNJeffers said:
Living in the mountains, I am accustomed to GPS routing being suspect. But the navigation system on my 2023 Kia reaches a new low, even in flat open country.

I recently visited my sister in Lancaster, Ohio. On the return trip, I had the Kia navigate to Home, which is in Hillsboro, WV, a fairly direct 4.5 hour drive over mostly divided highways except for the last 1.25 hours of 2-lane WV state roads. Somehow, the Kia navigation system wanted to take me to Columbus, exactly the wrong direction, then east on I-70 and I am not sure where else. But it was turning the 4.5 hour drive into just short of 7 hours. Fortunately, I know the route and was not relying on it for guidance.

This is an extreme example but not out of the ordinary.

I have also had several instances in which the navigation system could not respond and told me to try again later.

Also, lately when I try to use voice commands, it tells me I must activate Kia Connect. I hit the Activate button but it does nothing useful. I have been using voice commands before and I am not sure what has changed. It still seems to respond (after a fashion) if I type in the place I want to go, but of course I need to park the car to do that. Lame.

I have a Garmin GPS that I have now put in the Kia for those times when I need to find the way to where I am going and feel confident in the guidance I receive.

I like the Kia overall but you need to do better on the navigation system. (And the automatic wipers. They are often pretty clueless as to how much it is raining.)

Wayne
Click to expand...
OMG, I've been trying to figure out how to call Kia custom service on exactly this. On our 2023 Sportage PHEV, the navigation system has gone from bad to worse. First, it stopped showing us traffic - major highways are gray. More recently, it started mapping the stupidest routes in the world. Just this weekend, it added an hour and a half and 50 miles to a two-hour trip and tried to send me on unnecessary alternate routes that were construction nightmares, vs. the direct route that was flowing freely. Why on earth would it do that?!?!? I took pictures of its routes vs. Google maps, just don't know who to send them to. But it's unreliable, when before it was pretty good.
 
got the wipers figured, (start them in intermittent first and then my auto takes over}, trying my Nav again tonight on a day trip, worked well last week so hopeful
 
WNJeffers said:
Living in the mountains, I am accustomed to GPS routing being suspect. But the navigation system on my 2023 Kia reaches a new low, even in flat open country.

I recently visited my sister in Lancaster, Ohio. On the return trip, I had the Kia navigate to Home, which is in Hillsboro, WV, a fairly direct 4.5 hour drive over mostly divided highways except for the last 1.25 hours of 2-lane WV state roads. Somehow, the Kia navigation system wanted to take me to Columbus, exactly the wrong direction, then east on I-70 and I am not sure where else. But it was turning the 4.5 hour drive into just short of 7 hours. Fortunately, I know the route and was not relying on it for guidance.

This is an extreme example but not out of the ordinary.

I have also had several instances in which the navigation system could not respond and told me to try again later.

Also, lately when I try to use voice commands, it tells me I must activate Kia Connect. I hit the Activate button but it does nothing useful. I have been using voice commands before and I am not sure what has changed. It still seems to respond (after a fashion) if I type in the place I want to go, but of course I need to park the car to do that. Lame.

I have a Garmin GPS that I have now put in the Kia for those times when I need to find the way to where I am going and feel confident in the guidance I receive.

I like the Kia overall but you need to do better on the navigation system. (And the automatic wipers. They are often pretty clueless as to how much it is raining.)

Wayne
Click to expand...
I totally agree. I’m in California, driving from San Diego County up to Culver City in L.A. County, 111miles. The route is simple - route 5 to 405 to my friend’s house. The navigation in my 2023 Kia Niro tries to take me on out-of-the-way Toll roads. On the way home last night, it started taking me 25 miles (and 40 minutes) out of the way and when I ignored it’s directions continued trying to lead me astray adding 40+ miles and more than an hour travel time.
I am a senior woman traveling alone and I shudder to think of where I could end up!
Andi
 
Anditheslp said:
I totally agree. I’m in California, driving from San Diego County up to Culver City in L.A. County, 111miles. The route is simple - route 5 to 405 to my friend’s house. The navigation in my 2023 Kia Niro tries to take me on out-of-the-way Toll roads. On the way home last night, it started taking me 25 miles (and 40 minutes) out of the way and when I ignored it’s directions continued trying to lead me astray adding 40+ miles and more than an hour travel time.
I am a senior woman traveling alone and I shudder to think of where I could end up!
Andi
Click to expand...
set it to avoid toll roads.. you can also set it for quickest or more direct route.
 
ucinn35 said:
set it to avoid toll roads.. you can also set it for quickest or more direct route.
Click to expand...
All of the GPS devices I have had previously (Tomtom, Garmin) have notified me when a route has toll roads and asked if I wanted to avoid them. Having to make a blanket choice on tolls is a non-starter for me.

No amount of fine-tuning settings is likely to overcome the terrible defects I have experienced with the Kia navigation system. In the example I gave in the initial post, what possible logic is there in beginning by sending me 30 minutes in exactly the direction opposite my destination and then concocting a round-about route that takes 50% more time and 40% more miles than the direct route.

It is no comfort to me that it often works fine for very short trips. My experience tells me it is not trustworthy.

Kia needs to fix the programming in its navigation system. In the alternative, I recommend adding a trustworthy GPS.

Wayne
 
WNJeffers said:
All of the GPS devices I have had previously (Tomtom, Garmin) have notified me when a route has toll roads and asked if I wanted to avoid them. Having to make a blanket choice on tolls is a non-starter for me.

No amount of fine-tuning settings is likely to overcome the terrible defects I have experienced with the Kia navigation system. In the example I gave in the initial post, what possible logic is there in beginning by sending me 30 minutes in exactly the direction opposite my destination and then concocting a round-about route that takes 50% more time and 40% more miles than the direct route.

It is no comfort to me that it often works fine for very short trips. My experience tells me it is not trustworthy.

Kia needs to fix the programming in its navigation system. In the alternative, I recommend adding a trustworthy GPS.

Wayne
Click to expand...
Then I recommend you use a phone based app like Google or Waze or Apple.. They also have settings like every GPS I have used to select to avoid toll roads.
 
I use my Garmin GPS. Where I live, a phone-based system is pretty useless. Search "National Radio Quiet Zone."

Today, I drove back to my sisters in Lancaster, Ohio and used both the Garmin and the Kia nav system, just for fun. The Garmin was flawless. The Kia was a joke again. Example: As I was exiting I-77 in Ravenswood, WV, to US-33, the Garmin correctly told me I had 1.5 hours to my destination; the Kia told me I had 3.0 hours to my destination. My correct route involved staying on US-33 to a point within less than one mile from my destination. Watching the Kia nav screen on the way, it had me driving routes that could best be compared to pretzels. Worse than useless,

Wayne
 
had trouble getting home from a city 30 miles away as the Nav initially took me 15 minutes in opposite direction and then to a closed freeway ramp that added another 30 minutes altogether taking 1 1/2 hours for what should of been a 45 minute drive at most... VERY DISSAPOINTING KIA!
 
WNJeffers said:
Living in the mountains, I am accustomed to GPS routing being suspect. But the navigation system on my 2023 Kia reaches a new low, even in flat open country.

I recently visited my sister in Lancaster, Ohio. On the return trip, I had the Kia navigate to Home, which is in Hillsboro, WV, a fairly direct 4.5 hour drive over mostly divided highways except for the last 1.25 hours of 2-lane WV state roads. Somehow, the Kia navigation system wanted to take me to Columbus, exactly the wrong direction, then east on I-70 and I am not sure where else. But it was turning the 4.5 hour drive into just short of 7 hours. Fortunately, I know the route and was not relying on it for guidance.

This is an extreme example but not out of the ordinary.

I have also had several instances in which the navigation system could not respond and told me to try again later.

Also, lately when I try to use voice commands, it tells me I must activate Kia Connect. I hit the Activate button but it does nothing useful. I have been using voice commands before and I am not sure what has changed. It still seems to respond (after a fashion) if I type in the place I want to go, but of course I need to park the car to do that. Lame.

I have a Garmin GPS that I have now put in the Kia for those times when I need to find the way to where I am going and feel confident in the guidance I receive.

I like the Kia overall but you need to do better on the navigation system. (And the automatic wipers. They are often pretty clueless as to how much it is raining.)

Wayne
Click to expand...
Wayne,

I 100% agree you have nailed this. I have experienced all 3 of the above mentioned problems
 
Navigation system is horrible. Took me an extra two hours to get to Williampsport, Pennsylvania. Coming home to Tennessee, it decided I should go west to Colorado before returning home. I turned it off and started using Google Maps again. The navigation system is just horrible in my 2024 Sportage.
 
I have had acceptable results from both Tomtom and Garmin. No experience with other brands.

Since the current Kia navigation system is so consistently dreadful, I wonder why Kia does not license software from Garmin, Tomtom or another company that can provide reliable routes from point A to point B. Could total replacement software not be installed in a software update in place of the current system?

Wayne
 
WNJeffers said:
I have had acceptable results from both Tomtom and Garmin. No experience with other brands.

Since the current Kia navigation system is so consistently dreadful, I wonder why Kia does not license software from Garmin, Tomtom or another company that can provide reliable routes from point A to point B. Could total replacement software not be installed in a software update in place of the current system?

Wayne
Click to expand...
Absolutely! I hope Kia reads your suggestion. Hate the Nav system!
 
WNJeffers said:
The Garmin voice recognition works and I have never experienced a demand for a subscription fee.

I got an email about a week ago about Kia Connect being “updated” from Ultimate to LITE. I figured the voice recognition issue might be part of that. I guess Kia is taking a page out of the airlines business practices. I wonder what other functionality I will lose after 4 years of complimentary LITE when I refuse to be extorted. Maybe I should look into whether someone makes an aftermarket infotainment system for the Kia.

The navigation system being independent of cell phone was part of the reason I chose the Kia. My other top choice, Toyota RAV4, depended on smartphone for navigation. Where I live, cell coverage is spotty (to put it kindly) and also I refuse to burden myself by carrying a smartphone.

I have granted permission each time the car has asked to update the infotainment system, at least twice that I can recall. I would have expected that this would include updating the maps. I will look into that, but I don’t think outdated maps are an issue. The roads I travel on the trip that I mentioned have changed minimally in the last 20-plus years. Only bypasses of Lancaster and Nelsonville, OH, on US-33. The Kia navigation system wanted to add well over 2 hours additional driving time to a 4.5-hour drive. Google maps knows the best way, and I am no fan of Google.
Google Maps Lancaster to Hillsboro

As to the automatic wipers, mine are pretty clueless much of the time. They can run at fastest speed when it is misting and run barely at all when it is raining pretty good. Occasionally they work okay. I wish there was an Intermittent setting that I could use to set speed manually.

Wayne
Click to expand...
I wish there was an option we could just check to turn them into intermittent wipers instead of automatic
 
KIA navigation is the worst! Takes me out of the way and when I proceed on a more direct route, it will continue to say "turnaround" no matter that I've arrived by a more direct route. It does not realize that roads change names; e.g., from a numbered street to a length with a name.
 
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