Sat Nav or Not in a Z4 Coupe?

Big Tav

Member
Hi everyone, I was just reading through a few ads of cars for sale and something I never thought of came up about the Sat Nav.

I usually go for the highest spec cars and Sat Nav would be something I would go for usually. There was a Z4 M ad and the seller (who didn't have it of course) said he deliberately didn't want it in his car as he thought it dated the car too much as it looks to old fashioned and he prefers the smooth lines of the dash without it.

What do you guys think? Is Sat Nav a must have or is it not really that important on a Z4 Coupe?

Thanks.
 
I would entirety agree with the seller. It's old fashioned and looks rubbish. If I were looking for another Z4M it would be one without SatNav. Oh and yes my car does have it. :thumbsdown:
 
I must admit when I was looking for my coupe I wanted SatNav, mostly for the re-sale value as I rarely SatNav... But having seen a few in the flesh I would agree with the above that it's not really all that, the screen isn't very good quality and the head unit is a bit pants on models with SatNav

I picked mine based on interior and exterior colour combination rather than spec... I think the only must have is the M-Sport seats, standard to 'Sport' models. And this may divide a few opinions but 'piano black' dash trim was also a must for me, I think it lifts the interior and gives it a more modern feel... however that's just my personal taste!

Good luck with your search! :thumbsup:
 
Only reason I'd want the satnav is to get the 10 speaker DSP system (top level speakers) which you can't have without the satnav

Both of my current zeds have satnav and I honestly never use it
 
It is not just a screen for satnav though (even though I would not want to be without that as I hate the wires from portable units which to me really spoil the dashboard lines ...). The satnav still calculates quicker than any portable unit I have used and works in cities with high buildings around, whilst the portable units let you down in tunnels etc after which they take a long time to get GPS lock again (this is across a range of satnav units I have used).

What you miss as well are the connections to the iPod / iPhone playing music and select via the headunit. You miss your phonebook when making calls, you miss the additional board computer functions without the screen as well.

I would never buy a car without satnav again, no matter whether it dates or whatever, the fact that you have to plug in cables (batteries don't last that long) makes sure that the portable units I use are more often than not in the boot or glove box to prevent the theft of them.
 
I'm not fussed one way or the other , it can make the car easier to sell on but adds very little in value now after 10+ years .
The most annoying thing about them for me on the Zs ive had with nav is 99% of the time i prefer to drive with the screen down (unless i'm using the navigation feature ) but each time you opt to skip a track on cd or radio channel the fikn thing pops up :evil:
 
I agree with the seller.. I had a guy interested in my z4 when I was selling it saying that his wife wont allow him one without a satnav.. :rofl:
 
The satnav is the equivalent of playing space invaders on a PS4 .. it’s ancient old tech and is “dumb”

Waze would eat it for breakfast

Personally, I think it’s one more thing to go wrong on an old car . And something that is fairly obsolete

I prefer the look of the non Nav dash tbf

I think that parking sensors, heated sports seats and cruise would be much more desirable

But ... but buy on condition
 
It's useful that it's built in and it works OK, you don't need amazing resolution for directions.

If mine didn't have it I would have retrofitted a HU that did as plug in SatNavs are annoying.
 
Same here:

in the end I ended up buying a Z4MC without SatNav as it looked very dated and didn't like the dash with it. However, I do agree with pvr that you also end up missing the higher quality sound system...On the other hand the best music is on "S54 FM" :wink:
 
buzyg said:
I would entirety agree with the seller. It's old fashioned and looks rubbish. If I were looking for another Z4M it would be one without SatNav. Oh and yes my car does have it. :thumbsdown:

+1
Never used mine and I think it looks ugly
 
Attilio said:
Same here:

in the end I ended up buying a Z4MC without SatNav as it looked very dated and didn't like the dash with it. However, I do agree with pvr that you also end up missing the higher quality sound system...On the other hand the best music is on "S54 FM" :wink:

You can get the the DSP without Nav, although it'd not possible to amend the settings the same. (It wasn't PVR that mentioned about this, before he buts in :lol: )
 
srhutch said:
Attilio said:
Same here:

in the end I ended up buying a Z4MC without SatNav as it looked very dated and didn't like the dash with it. However, I do agree with pvr that you also end up missing the higher quality sound system...On the other hand the best music is on "S54 FM" :wink:

You can get the the DSP without Nav, although it'd not possible to amend the settings the same. (It wasn't PVR that mentioned about this, before he buts in :lol: )

oops :oops: you're right it was Tcochrane92 ! :roll:
 
If I was to buy again, I would probably go without the Sat Nav, just becuause it would have been easier to do a stereo swap with bells and whistles.

Everyone seems to think it looks rubbish and dated...but I think the whole pop up thing is quite nifty and will have a cool retro appeal in 10-20 years (a bit like pop up headlights now).
 
Tbone said:
I just use my phone as a Sat Nav, you dont actually need one built in.

You mean the beautiful lines of the dashboard are being disturbed by a phone with a charge cable attached on some ugly screen or vent sucker ? :poke: :evil:
 
Having the SatNav screen is good if you also have phone integration.

There are a few things I woukld like to alter about it though.
1. Stop it popping up everytime I change the preset radio station.
2. Change the colour so it more closely follows the dash colour (BMW Amber/Red)

I wouldn't be without the screen though because I know at some point I will be replacing it with a tablet and will be using the mechanism to hold it :)
 
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