I am one who really likes the Factory Nav/Sync 3 interface on our 2917 F350. Voice activation works very well for me. It’s much better that the Nav in our 2015 Lexus and 2015 Nissan.

I use Nav all the time.

 

Dang, no flying cars by 2917?

 

As a quick scan. I am torn. I like the clean look of factory navigation and not cluttering up the dashboard or center stack with either cell phones and or portable GPS units. For that aspect I say suck up the extra $600 ish for navigation.


There is a catch though.....there always is right?

Having had The original MFT and SYNC3 I can give an objective answer and there are pros and cons of each.

MFT...AKA. Sync2

Cons: weak interface, too much drilling down to the sub menus for what should be fairly readily accessible prompts. Somewhat dated technology but still above 100 page road atlas and or fold up maps.

Pros: I could get map updates more frequently as in every year...yes I had to pay but I got updated database every year and it only took about 10-15 minutes to download and had a dedicated SD card slot for NAV only freeing up the CD, AUX, and USB slots available for music.

SYNC 3:

Pros: much better and easier to read and understand graphic user interface. Lightning fast for commands, detailed screen and when they finally went back to back up physical buttons it was a good start.

Cons: Weak tech support, very infrequent updates and NAV database updates even less. I have a 2018 Explorer that is running a 2016 database and we are about halfway through 2020....Pathetic and inexcusable. There is not a backup way to get just NAV database uploaded since it goes out to blocks of vehicles. The NAV update that supposedly came out in late 2019....enter my 2018 Explorer and it shows database updates NOT Applicable to that VIN. Why would certain blocks of the same model year get the update and not others? I get some later
production dates might be already included but not in my case. I had a 5/2018 production date purchased in 8/2018 but running a 1/2016 map database.

Get my drift?

 

I haven’t had my new truck very long, but I only used the navigation once. That was just to get an idea on how to use it. I prefer to use garmin gps over anything else. I have had garmin gps units for hunting and fishing going back to when they first came out. My 2020 F350 is my first vehicle with built in gps. I have used my phone’s maps to find my way to places when I didn’t have my garmin with me. I find my way just fine with the phone. I’m not sure how well the built in navigation is going to work once it’s 10-20 years old. If I was doing a order out I would skip the navigation as I don’t have a need for it. For that matter to don’t need the satellite radio or having the truck be a hot spot.

 

A smart phone is faster/easier.

I would only use it if traveling very rural and no cellphone signal. $570 buys lots of maps though and you can download maps on your phone.

I would have rather had the $570 rebate on my platinum than the nav.

 

When I ordered my 19 Lariat I did not order it. Our Hyundai has it and I've never used it once in 3 years. I spent the 500 bucks on something I knew i would use..

 

I love having the integrated Nav in my truck. I hunt and fish, and consequently, I'm off the grid a good bit with very little or no cell reception. Plus, I grow tired of having my dash cluttered with all the extra gizmos and wires, (cell, GPS, trailer TPMS, etc.). That doesn't mean we don't also use our phones in certain instances, but I prefer the cleaner look of the dash.

The comment about no way to update the maps isn't true anymore as there are ways to update, and for free too.

What I am disappointed in is the Sync 3. In 2020, it's pretty lousy compared to the power in your cell phone or other vehicle infotainment systems. While glitchy with certain functions, UConnect is head and shoulders above Sync 3.

Edited to add: the real bottom line with any GPS is that you generally still need to know where you're going and how to best get there. I've lived in DC twice in my career and even Google and Apple have sent me on some of the poorest routes through and around the District. GPS ain't fire and forget. It never has been, and I don't suspect it ever will be.

 

Plusses and minuses no both sides, e.g. Waze and Google maps are great - until you can't get a signal on your phone, then you get a not-so-useful blank screen. Factory nav maps are expensive to keep updated, Google and Waze are almost always more current. Google maps will enable your favorites to move from vehicle to vehicle. Etc., etc.

 

I was also considering ordering factory NAV. Played with it quite a bit on test drive and seemed to work much better than my older vehicles that have/had it. Still was pretty much useless on forest service trails around the dealerships. Ultimately opted not to spring for it.

Looking back at my last 3 vehicles with it I probably have used the factory NAV function less than 1/2 a dozen times. I almost always end up using my smartphone and google maps. I usually look up where to go before leaving and don’t bother to relook up the destination when I get into the vehicle.

If you do a lot of city driving and are not waiting to carry a smart phone or clutter up the dash than the factory option would be worth it.

 

I prefer using Apple maps through sync but I got the navigation on my truck anyway. I like how it shows the speed limit on the dash and I was told that's part of the navigation.

 

Worth it to me? Yes. Worth it to you? If you have to ask, then, no.

 

I think it's worth it. For the past 10 years, I have used factory navigation systems in an F-150 (2005, 2008), a 2006 Ford Explorer, a 2006 Lexus SUV, a 2012 Jeep Wrangler, a Soul (rental, ugh), a 2015 Subaru Legacy, and several others that I can't recall ... not all of these were owned by me. Without a doubt and without question, the 2019 Ford F-350's navigation system is the only one I've never trusted. It CONSTANTLY gives me sub-optimal routes ... and, yes, I've turned off all of the restrictions that might cause this.

For a while, the Navigation system would avoid I-25 completely because I had "Avoid Toll Roads" turned on. Well, some sections of I-25 have Express Lanes. There is no toll road, but there are some HOV lanes that accept tolls in lieu of 2+ passengers. Well, Ford's navigation system interpreted that as a toll road for ALL of I-25 and avoided it. So, I've got that sorted, but it's a pain because I can't effectively avoid other routes that would force non-I25 tolls. PIA.

Then, in general, I just get weird routes that add 2 - 20 minutes to my journey. Again, there's nothing I can do to correct this. I have none of the restrictions enabled any more. I just tool along and it might say Arrival at 3:45 with a left turn coming up. I ignore the left turn and proceed straight, it recalculates and, bang, Arrival at 3:32. Great, but why wasn't that *the* route?!?!

So, I always punch in my destination and then check it against Google Maps. 80% of the time it's good. The other 20% of the time, I have to manually override the crappy routes it selects.

There is also just terrible recognition of things. If you don't have a street address for your location and it's not a major chain (Olive Garden, The Home Depot), you've got about a 20% chance that the navigation system will know your destination. Again, you have to punch it into your Google Maps on your phone, grab the street address, and then enter that into Ford's navigation system.

This would have been a good system in 2001. I just cannot believe how atrocious the library is and how nonsensical the algorithms are that determine routes. Again, it's the only navigation system in any vehicle that I've ever NOT trusted. I have to corroborate every route, every time. I'm still glad it's there, because it's more convenient than using a phone screen, but I always have to strong-arm it into compliance and I can't trust it.

 

Just returned from a 2,200 mile trip to NH and back in 4 days, 2018 Toyota Sequia platnuim, The nav hoo was convinced we were going through canada even though its closed because of china virus, Even after we were 50 miles past buffalo I 90W she kept insisting we turn around, ehhhhh, At least we got the Buffalo lake tour before we fig out what the hell was going on, Other than that ,it got us where we needed to go. Interstate speeds are old, so i guess its time for an update

 

If you press where it says what time you arrive it will cycle between that, time to arrival, and miles remaining.

 

Reminds me of using Sync3 Navigation in my 2016 F150 in Las Vegas. Stupid thing loved u-turns and didn't know how to get around Las Vegas without them.

However, between my 2016 F150 and 2019 F250 it does well for Colorado. It does create some unique routes, that overall, make little to no sense. But even comparing Sync3 Nav to Google to Apple Maps every now and then they will all 3 agree or all 3 disagree. It's a shoot really.

Long story short I will always choose factory Nav in my Fords, even with the quirks