[B6WAF]

I've grumbled once or twice before on here about the way BMW Navigation has "lost the plot". I've had back to back BMWs for 19 years now, and all the recent ones have had Sat Nav, which I have been extremely happy with. However this latest implementation on the iDrive 8 system has definitely gone back 20 years!

It repeatedly selects nonsensical routes, ignores the obvious ones. If there are 2 more or less equally viable routes and you choose "the other" one, the car continues for miles and miles telling you to turn round and go back, WAY past the sensible point of no return. It does not seem capable of re-routeing at all - if you stray from the route it just takes you back to where you left it.

So I was following the Sat Nav down a very nice, fast, wide derestricted "B" road, heading towards the junction with an "A" road (see green arrows) and the Nav tells me to turn left down a single track lane (highlighted by the red ring below).

I followed this road for a quarter of a mile without a single passing place and when I got to the junction with the "A" road I was confronted with concrete bollards. The road was not a through road and I had one hell of a job turning round, to avoid reversing the full length.

Unbelievable. It's Waze for me now.

[xenon]

Do you have it set to shortest route as opposed to quickest? We have a road like that near us and it's forever full of bewildered Uber drivers as they always set to "shortest" route on their apps to try and save a penny or two. The road is sealed off but Nav data (even on Waze) does not show that.

[B6WAF]

Originally Posted by xenon

Do you have it set to shortest route as opposed to quickest?

I don't think there is an option to set "shortest route" with iD8. I know there was on the iD7 but that was always best avoided.

Perhaps someone will correct me!

[alFR]

Not had anything like that with mine, although I think it's totally dependent on how accurate the map data is for where you drive. To be fair the OS map shows it as a normal unclassified through road so probably the BMW map data does as well. There's a "no through road" sign visible at the entry, however (on the post nearest to you in the first photo, confirmed on Google Streetview - looks like it would be easy to miss turning in) and the bollards at the other end don't look new so it looks like just a mistake in the digital map. Is there any way of reporting errors like that to BMW like you can with Apple or Google maps?

[B6WAF]

Originally Posted by alFR

Not had anything like that with mine, although I think it's totally dependent on how accurate the map data is for where you drive. To be fair the OS map shows it as a normal unclassified through road so probably the BMW map data does as well. There's a "no through road" sign visible at the entry, however (on the post nearest to you in the first photo, confirmed on Google Streetview - looks like it would be easy to miss turning in) and the bollards at the other end don't look new so it looks like just a mistake in the digital map. Is there any way of reporting errors like that to BMW like you can with Apple or Google maps?

Yes, you're right, there does appear to be a no-entry sign showing on street view, which I confess I didn't clock (egg on face), as I was too busy standing on the brake pedal and shouting "where the hell is it sending me now?"! It had already brought me a very weird route to get to the junction in the first place.

My point is that even if the road was open and passable, you really wouldn't dive down a single track muddy lane with no passing places to shave 4 seconds and a few yards off the journey time, would you?

It needs the "common sense" route option.

[xenon]

If there is no "shortest" option as in ID7 then I'd agree with you, it's poor routing. As said though, it's only as good as its data and Waze makes the same mistake with the road near us. This road even has a sign that says "No through road - ignore sat nav!" but makes little difference....

[225]

My favourite bmw nav trips involved being told to get off a motorway junction, following directions to then go straight on at the roundabout straight back on the motorway again.

[alFR]

Originally Posted by B6WAF

My point is that even if the road was open and passable, you really wouldn't dive down a single track muddy lane with no passing places to shave 4 seconds and a few yards off the journey time, would you?

It needs the "common sense" route option.

Agreed!

[paulockenden]

The problem here isn’t the BMW nav, it’s the underlying Here data. I wonder how many people have been routed down the same dead end but haven’t reported it as a map error? https://mapfeedback.here.com/#/report

[B6WAF]

Originally Posted by paulockenden

The problem here isn’t the BMW nav, it’s the underlying Here data. I wonder how many people have been routed down the same dead end but haven’t reported it as a map error? https://mapfeedback.here.com/#/report

Thanks Paul, that link's really useful and I've logged the issue.

I still don't accept that BMW are without blame however - you really wouldn't use that muddy single-track lane to cut the corner between a B road and an A road even if it was a through road!

[paulockenden]

Route planners work on a ‘cost’ per route basis. Each road is assigned a weighting. And that value comes from the underlying map data. I suspect the BMW software had no idea is was a single track muddy road.

[Carl99]

I remember driving an E60 demonstrator and the salesperson was trying hard to up sell the satnav but it couldn't find my home address! Seemed pointless so I went without the satnav.

[Dan B]

My preference is Google, then BMW, then Waze. For me, living in NE Illinois, USA, Waze does a horrible job of navigating. I have checked the settings, reinstalled etc.. no change.

On a side note, my sister refuses to understand that shortest does not mean fastest. She drove our cousin and 2 friends on a 500 mile trip. It should take about 8 hours. It took them 15.. It did not detour for ANYTHING.

[ZedsRedBaby]

This isn't just an ID8 issue. Mine frequently sends me down dirt tracks because they have a 60mph limit, when in practice you can't go much over 20.

[bmnut]

Originally Posted by ZedsRedBaby

This isn't just an ID8 issue. Mine frequently sends me down dirt tracks because they have a 60mph limit, when in practice you can't go much over 20.

Mine does that often, twastard thing!