Suzuki offers up Garmin GPS on all 2009 SX4 vehicles
By Joshua Fruhlinger 
posted April 27th 2008 10:43AM
posted April 27th 2008 10:43AM
posted April 27th 2008 10:43AM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
This is good.
Here's to a future where these become standard, like power steering.
Suzukis suck
If I ever found myself in a japanese car, it would be a Lexus
LS600H all the way.
Lexus is in a completely different price range, too.
Suzuki's are not bad cars at all for what they go for. I fact, since Toyota has changed the RAV4 (bigger, no manual transmission, worse mileage), I am considering a Suzuki SX4 Crossover instead.
GPS is the new cell phone.
Not really, cause you still need a cell phone to use Bluetooth.
@94
I was referring to the march of technology.
Cell phones were once expensive and rare. They were very limited in function.
Then, production ramped up and tech improved. Soon features like large address books and color displays made them more convenient to use.
Now, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting some teenage girl with a phone glued to her head, yakking away.
GPS is following the same curve, unlike, say, the mp3 player, which was a fringe device, then the iPod and not much more (in terms of market share, not features or whatever).
@94
"Soon features like large address books and color displays made them more convenient to use."
those are not features. ask your cell phone provider why your phone is virtually bricked in the US.
Looks like a Nuvi 760
yeah it does. So i don't see why it can't be removable/ portable.
I mean it doesn't look like it's built into the car. That'd make it way more wesome in my mind.
Thats exactly what I was thinking, it looks like a nuvi tacked into a storage compartment. Looks like a quick and dirty job too, they didnt even bother to try and reshape the lid to make it even look integrated.
I'm sure it wouldn't be to much hassle to get it loose from that enclosure if you want to update with a newer unit.
well this is one good reason to buy a suzuki . . . too bad its the only one.
too bad you've never driven a swift sport; you'd change your mind
Eh, integrated GPS systems are huge cash cows for automakers so I don't really understand why Suzuki is receiving praise for cashing in on making an expensive option standard equipment. I'd rather deal with a non integrated system that could be easily replaced years from now when it becomes seriously out dated.
The GPS in the SX4 is a specially modified version of the Garmin 600. It has a standard Garmin mount in the pop up compartment. ANY nuvi series GPS will work in the vehicle, upgrading is simply pushing the release and taking it out.
This version though has some quirks. Since it is make to Suzuki specs it interfaces with the radio, it turns the radio sound off when directions are given, if you put, for example a Nuvi 765 in its place it will not use the car speakers, but all else works fine, including the traffic and MSN features.
The draw back to this unit is that the newer software packages, as in the 765 unit are far superior. They have better graphics and features.
The real complaint is that the "Safe Mode" is locked on, you cannot turn it off. Suzuki has decided this, there are no known workarounds and dont seem to be any coming. This means that ANYTIME you want to enter an address to go to, you MUST stop the car, it will not allow entry while in motion. You can go through favorite, or points of interest with preset addresses fine, its only manual entry of addresses that you must pull off the road to enter. NOTE to Suzuki and the other manufacturers, STOP this stupidity, set it to defaul and let people decide if they want to change it or not, just as on all the OEM units
Well I do like and have been considering the 5 door SX4.
Only yesterday I watched Doctor Who, where some kind of automated gps-trafficcontrol (A.T.M.O.S.) systems were installed in almost every car... by alien invaders to conquer Earth. Just being ironic :)
And don't use those bluetooth headsets, either.
Wow, it's about time. GPS has been standard equipment on entry-level compacts in Japan for years. USA, all the way.
Sadly Suzuki is a Japanese firm... This idea came here in a boat... USA down the trade drain...
Looks for all the world like a nüvi that you could unplug. Wouldn't that be a fine idea?
It's probably the same system Volvo uses, a car specific mount with with a nuvi 700 series dock.
This is then hardwired into the car for charging.
The Volvo has only a charging connection, no audio integration.
This will probably be the same.
The Land Rover Defender SVX will have the same thing...
It's just a Nuvi with some custom software, you can buy the mount on it's own and use a normal Nuvi.
Don't you think 4.3" is far from "big-screened integrated monsters"? That's PMP size....
Reluctant about the "built-ins. Hope they're better made than my Nuvi 350 that I just shipped back because it lost all the sound. Imagine if you have to take it out of the dast to do that.
Now that GPS is built-in as a standard, the next step would be to incorporate a rear view camera and use the LCD screen for rear view when reversing the car. Every year, there are accidents where parents hit their children playing behind the car when reversing.
Looks to me like it seems more like a docking solution for the 7xx series like the 780 I have in my car. All the features mentioned is consistent with the MSN Direct feature set. Sounds like a smart way to "integrate" a GPS solution for carmakers. I'm a fan of the use of a 'standard' Garmin dock for this purpose...
In Japan, They've had all of this stuff in their cars for nearly ten years already. In fact, most "bottom of the line" kei-cars pack this as standard equipment.
My friend's 2-yr old corolla has a computer for a console that switches interface between music player, television, GPS, and a rearview camera to look behind you. This, on an average Toyota Corolla.
I didn't know this until I came to Japan.
My conclusion is this: North American car buyers get so totally gypped it's absolutely ridiculous. It's disgusting how the largest car-buying market gets such shoddy treatment!
That's because you're looking at suzukis made in America. In Japan, the "Lexus" brand doesn't even exist, and it's not even Toyota's high-end car over here. Suzukis, here in Japan, are the "go to" car for most people; totally durable, stylish, and practical (It's like what we think of the Honda Civic--which Suzuki cars outnumber in many places in Japan).
And I cannot stress enough how much of a "culture shock" it has been when even the Daihatsus here in Japan are light-years better than anything Detroit has puked out in the last 8-10 years.
I just got a 2008 SX4 and now I feel gypped. It's a great car though :)
It's removable.....it's a Nuvi 750 with custom software for Suzuki.
I'm just impressed that Suzuki still makes cars at all... are they actually popular in Japan?!
wow...
May all you people out there are just jelous that your s-boxes don't have a removable gps that can be used hand held and used for hikeing, or whatever on foot. Yes it is a 760 nuvi with MSN Direct. You should read up on things before you put your fat toes in your mouth. Go ahead and try to purchace a car that has all the offerings that the SX4 has for less money than a Suzuki.