"Toyota has reportedly agreed to bring Android Auto to its vehicles"

Can confirm. Drove my moms 2018 F 350 total garbage navigation....ugly, and terrible.

 

I have Android Auto in my GMC and it's sucks to the high heavens. I disabled that shit ASAP and will never use it again.

 

Maybe I have been fortunate and everyplace I have asked for had an easy route on the map.
I would guess that, assuming no option differences, the fact that different routes are chosen is based on programming and map version.

Example:
Buy a paper map or go get one art a library, OMG I know but they both really do still exist, and plot the most direct route from previously unknown to you point a to also unknown point B. Make sure these are not points like Orlando to Miami, but rather 123 crest street Miami to 645 Royal Street Orlando. Preferably use cities or town not connected by "normal" through ways (Orlando and Miami are connected easily by I-95 and the FL turnpike wile Apopka and Homestead are not though both are suburbs of the cities. Then do the same with Google or Apple maps or both, hell try mapquest too. I bet the routes are not the same. I will also bet you plotted through construction, farm road ect.

The point is you, like Toyota, had a map of a fixed point in time while Apple and Google are constantly updating their maps. As long as Toyota uses a set of maps on the SD card rather than a "live" map updated continually there will be errors. But there will also not be disconnects because you are out of cell tower/satellite range nor the extra fees of paying for that connection. Toyota maps are not likely being "read" through the eye of a local, again Google and Apple are driving through neighborhoods "seeing" the actual road rather than a line on paper (or pixel on an image). You will be taken down dirt roads and not taken on roads that were not there say 2 years ago when Toyota got the map that was published by <who the hell knows>.

 

I've had Google Maps send me crazy places, dirt roads, show me driving where there are no roads (on a clear day, nothing that should be interfering with GPS signal), and send me on very roundabout and slow ways to get somewhere. I've had my old Garmin plot some pretty direct but less-traveled routes (which can be fun, so I never really minded). For me, the Entune Nav works just fine, no better nor worse than other options. Interface is close enough to Garmin. I don't mess with voice controls -- I don't have much of an accent, but all kinds of voice systems have trouble understanding me for some reason.

 

You reminded me.

At my office I have had several people, truck drivers, repair companies, sales people, etc; have difficulty finding the building because a certain route guidance would bring them to the entrance of the factory parking lot, then update and send them to the opposite side of the industrial plaza.
It would constantly repeat this loop. Then frustrated they would finally call asking where we are, our address on the building is blocked by a tree, and we would give them directions with landmarks. We usually hear a response like "I was there like 5 times and the damned GPS told me to go around to the other side of the circle and back again and again. I'll be there in about 5 minutes"

 

Ha, that's funny! I've had multiple instances where I have to just ignore the guidance because I know it is off. It used to drive my wife nuts until she realized I was pretty much always right, although you would never hear her utter those words.

I was driving from St. Louis to Eureka Springs, AR with my family once, and the Garmin decided to make it as straight a line as possible. Dirt roads and chicken farms weaving our way through the banjo music. Very scenic, but the family was a bit concerned for a while. There aren't any direct routes, but we were always weaving generally toward the destination, so I didn't worry. It was actually a great route.

I just bought an Arkansas atlas and both my wife and I spent hours thumbing through it. We both miss paper maps, I think.

Anyone here actually like Android Auto?

 

I do in theory. It's supposed to do what Entune does (voice control) but I assume better. But now you all hate it so I don't know anymore if I'm excited about it.