Also on the technical front, Acura finally has a navigation system available in Canada. While current owners might groan a collective "it's about time," the system leaves few things to be desired. First of all the multi-functional touch screen is massive at 203 mm (8 inches) from corner to corner, giving it the largest mapping area in its segment. It features voice (in either English or French) or arrow
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| At long last, Acura finally has a navigation system available in Canadian market cars. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
prompts, depending on preference, or both if you want to make sure you won't miss a turn, and is easy to sort out. What's more, the screen is so large that multiple functions can display simultaneously, without impinging on readability. If you're not willing to take my word for it, the respected analytical data firm J.D. Powers and Associates just rated the Alpine system Acura uses (as tested in a TSX) highest in their 2003 Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study, ahead of 3rd and 4th place Lexus and Infiniti nav systems (Honda's Accord system came second). Still, here in Canada it needs a little work. While it found all the addresses I punched into the interface without a
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| Twenty-nine of the top thirty navigation systems currently available are featured in Japanese cars, according to J. D. Powers and Associates. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
hitch, when I used the "Zoom" button to widen the map to its national level only the good old U.S.A. appeared on the screen with Canada a forgotten wasteland above. Sorry Acura, that won't do in a land that hardly needs reminding it constantly lives in America's shadow. In an interesting aside, 29 of the top 30 navigation systems currently available are featured in Japanese cars, outperforming European- and domestic-branded systems according to the same survey.
