SYNC4 Navigation for RV travel

[don.mullins]

We will be embarking on a 3000 mile RV trip soon, and I am weighing out the pros and cons of using the SYNC4 Navigation System vs. Apple Maps. I like some of the integrations SYNC4 has with the truck like prompting you for fuel stops and dashboard information, but haven’t really used it much yet.

Has anyone used the SYNC4 navigation system for a long trip? How good is the:

• trailer friendly routing?
• upcoming POI search for fuel stops?
• overall experience with how it works?

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[Seahawk51]

We are in the middle of what will likely be about a 4500 mile trip. Sync Navigation features a "Trailer Routing" setting. You enter the data about your trailer, and the routing you get will be trailer friendly based on your weight, height, width, length. We are traveling with another couple who are also pulling a trailer (ours is 30 feet, theirs is 21). Their GPS, their RV Trip planner software, and my wife's GPS all put us on SR 209 up to Hot Springs. Sync would not even offer that route. We discovered too late - after there was no place to turn around - that a 24 mile stretch of 209 was called The Rattler and had 290 curves. So now we just trust the Sync recommendations.

 

[johnatuckeriii]

When my wife and I went to Grand Junction and Denver (From Houston) we had an unnecessarily difficult time with Apple Maps... requiring a U-Turn here or a slightly different destination point than what was correct... the final straw was when she lost her phone charger and we went to Best Buy... I punched it up on Apple Maps (the address, not the business name) and proceeded to drive right past the Best Buy we were supposed to go to, ended up two miles down the road in a hotel parking lot. Brought the address up on Sync 3 and took us right to it. Also; generally I use the built-in maps when I know there is little to no phone service because you can't really cache maps with Apple Maps.

I'd recommend the built-in Sync maps or Google Maps on iOS (because at least you can cache)

 

[BLoflin]

No reason to decide a versus situation. Run them all concurrently. Apple Maps, Google Maps (or Waze) and Sync 4.

If they disagree on some part, stop and figure out the difference and why. All the navs will readjust and route again, after you go off track.

I'm easily entertained on a long drive, but one past time (or to pass the time!) is take the route suggested by one Nav and watch the other Nav and see how long it will keep telling you to take the next available U-turn to get back to it's suggested route. And then finally give up and realize you've gone far enough on the other Navs route and re-route to match. ;-)

 

[don.mullins]

No reason to decide a versus situation. Run them all concurrently. Apple Maps, Google Maps (or Waze) and Sync 4.

If they disagree on some part, stop and figure out the difference and why. All the navs will readjust and route again, after you go off track.

I'm easily entertained on a long drive, but one past time (or to pass the time!) is take the route suggested by one Nav and watch the other Nav and see how long it will keep telling you to take the next available U-turn to get back to it's suggested route. And then finally give up and realize you've gone far enough on the other Navs route and re-route to match. ;-)

I might play with that as well, at least by reviewing them during fuel stops.

This entire trip is new territory for us - we have never been along almost all of the trips’s routes. My fear is primarily getting boxed in by a low height overpass or questionable bridge / road.

 

[shalabama]

No reason to decide a versus situation. Run them all concurrently. Apple Maps, Google Maps (or Waze) and Sync 4.

If they disagree on some part, stop and figure out the difference and why. All the navs will readjust and route again, after you go off track.

I'm easily entertained on a long drive, but one past time (or to pass the time!) is take the route suggested by one Nav and watch the other Nav and see how long it will keep telling you to take the next available U-turn to get back to it's suggested route. And then finally give up and realize you've gone far enough on the other Navs route and re-route to match. ;-)

I like the larger Sync display on screen but will also often have Waze running in the background on CarPlay to watch for police.…..(not that I ever exceed the posted speed limits). I’ve found they all will provide less than ideal directions from time to time but sometimes surprise with a better set of directions than I expected.

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