Dear Kia, your navigation system sucks

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

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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

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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

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