Once underway, the voice guidance gives you plenty of notice, telling you to get in the right lane, the turn is a quarter mile away, 500 feet away and then next right. Blaupunkt does this with the help of GPS plus an input from the car's speed sensor. Since the maps are so intricately detailed (and the government's recent removal of added error to the GPS system) the TravelPilot is unbelievably accurate. I would find this out later when I was downtown and there was absolutely no getting a GPS signal.
Taking a shortcut or getting off course works very well too. If there is construction or an accident on the current route, turn off the road and the TravelPilot nearly instantly makes another route. Also, you can program it to go around toll roads (very handy in Chicago).
It took some time to get used to not having a big map in the car showing me where I was heading, but in reality you don't need it. Through the course of just one day, it became super easy to drive around listening to this woman's voice. The system is infinitely customizable and works very fast. Maybe it is possible to save dash space and run around without a big screen.
THE PRODUCTS - TravelPilot DX-NThis is the other side of the coin for Blaupunkt. Since full-size screen-based systems seem to be so popular - they make them for customers like Mercedes Benz - why not create one for the aftermarket? The TravelPilot DX-N is just like the RNS 149 in how it works, but this time you get a 5-inch color screen and a wireless remote control.
In the same Dodge Durango that I was using to test the RNS149, there was a TravelPilot DX-N. So instead of using the RNS 149 to get me back to Blaupunkt headquarters, I booted up the TravelPilot DX-N and told it to take me home. Because they use the same interface, entering the address is really no easier using the big screened TravelPilot DX-N. For a twist I set it to avoid all interstates and toll roads, this was going to be the long way home.
The TravelPilot DX-N uses the same CD-ROM system and even the same chassis as the RNS 149, and easily fits under the seat. It plotted the route quickly and told me to head out to the streets. This is where having a screen can come in handy. I was in downtown Chicago and I needed to head out of the parking lot, but did I need to go left or right?
A small arrow on the screen indicates the direction of your end destination, in this case, west. However, I was already pointed west, but had to turn north or south to begin. Because the vehicle hadn't moved yet, the navigation system doesn't know precisely where you are (accuracy of 15 feet is pretty good, though). A right turn fixed that and, though it was wrong, the route quickly recalculated to get me back on track.
Having used the RNS 149 for the trip to Sears Tower, I didn't look at the screen much, but I was hooked. I would zoom in and out, look for the name of the street ahead of me and all kinds of stupid things I shouldn't be doing while driving.
My experience with the TravelPilot DX-N was just the same as with the RNS 149 because the same voice does the talking and you get the same prompts for action. The screen can even be setup like a big version of the RNS 149 displaying a large turn indicator and the name of the next street. But most will want it with the map on and streets moving around the centered cursor.
TravelPilot DX-N versus TravelPilot RNS 149 It's somewhat out of the ordinary that the same manufacturer sells two different approaches to navigation. But realistically, the RNS 149 is their main product, while the TravelPilot DX-N is offered because screen-based systems are currently very popular. After my experience with both, I have to lean towards the RNS 149 just because of its simplicity. When you add Blaupunkt's cool Thummer remote control, it's unbelievably easy to use.