For people with Navigation
 

You guys that have the 6spd with the Navigation system, does your hand brush against the navi controls everytime you shift? or is this a non issue? Im only asking because i read the washington post review and the only complaint the guy had was the following:


"Complaints: The navigation system's controls, installed on the RX-8's floor-mounted console near the gearshift lever, are in the wrong plce. The palm of my right hand touched the controls and changed the navigation screen almost every time I changed gears. "
-By Warren Brown
Washington Post

Now granted I'm still waiting on my car. But I did drive one w/ NAV the other day. I had no problems with the location of the controls. That guy is probably just sloppy with his stick.

huh?
 

How can the palm of his hand hit the controls when he is changing gears? Wouldn't those contols have to be on the shifter than for his palm to hit them? I'm confused...

-JiM

I've already driven 1200+ miles and I have not bumped the Nav controls. I don't think that this will be an issue for most of us. ;)

Re: For people with Navigation
 

First of all, the picture in the aforementioned article is of the Mazda EVOLV. He didn't even take the time to scrounge up a real picture. Second of all, all of the technical specifications he cites in his article are out of date. Third, he is a poor writer and all of his reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. If you read the USA today article he said the NAV system was the most intuitive he had ever seen and other manufacturers should take note. This was especially in regard to the controls being easily accessible and not up near the screen where you have to reach for them.

You will never accidentally hit the buttons, unless you are a poor auto writer for a good paper.

just think,

even if this is a real problem, which it obviously is not, Mazda must have done something right if this is the only thing a dumbass auto writer can think to criticize

total non-issue. The only thing that can get in the way is a cup or two in the cupholders. Those can be challenges to shift around depending on the cup - and likely as not, it just keeps you from using the armrest when you're not shifting. Don't sweat the nav controls, or the system - they're both pretty darn good.

I keep my hand on the stick when I drive (unless I'm cruising on the highway). I don't even come close to bumping those switches. It's not a problem, just someone really grasping to find something negative to say about the best car to come out of Japan this millenium :D

nav controls
 

I have to admit that on my 900 mile roundtrip last weekend I hit the menu button twice with the nav on and had to click through several screens to get back to the route I had marked. If you rest your hand along the "armrest" center console with your fingers around the stick it is pretty easy to hit either the "enter" button (or the "menu" one if you bend your wrist a little. I'm not sure where else I would put them but it might be nice to have a disable switch or a simple shield that can slide over the controls when not in use. Something to think about, but certainly not a problem. Recovering the previous route is also very easy.

I'm heading out on the same route tomorrow so we'll see how it goes (and how the mileage holds up)

Loving the ride!

Oldguy

I didn't find my palm nor my hand anywhere near the navigation controls. Maybe my elbow would brush against the navigation console, but not enough to trigger a button.

You should keep BOTH hands on the wheel. Only put the hand on the shifter when you shift ;)

It took me a few times on the track to stop that habit.

J

If the road has curves, rest assured both hands are on the wheel :D

Absolutely not a problem unless your posture is very strange. There were a couple times when my passenger was working nav controls I bumped this hand while shifting. Not a big deal. We did have a medium-tall bottle of water in the cupholder and that did get in my way while shifting. I had to ask the pax to remove them. I'm going to have to work on that one, or use shorter drinks.

I've been using the rear cupholders for that problem.... The kicker is when you put a 12 oz can in the holder and the lid slides forward during a stop... Tries to decapitate the can and if you're not careful, you've got a mess. That's why I have a small box of paper towels on the floor in the back for just such instances.

Palm magic
 

He must have shifted with the base of the stick and rubbed his hand along the console. In that case he would have some contact.

dam not even a month and you guys hit 1000 mile mark... heewww. Must be having fun driving non stop eh.

I have had people input info into the nav while I'm driving and shifting and have not had any problem hitting the nav controls or the passenger's hand. Has anyone else had a problem like boozehound where the center console lid slides forward? I've never had that problem. If anything, my biggest problem is trying to get the lid to slide forward and close. 1000 miles isn't all that hard considering how fun it is to drive. I've put 220 miles in 2 days. 3 more days and I'm out of the "taking it easy" phase :D

I'll chime in here as well. No NAV bumping from me and my elbow is pretty much glued to the center console while I drive/shift. That guy should put more arch in his wrist when he shifts. :)

Thanks for all the repllies, and yeah, it seems to me like the journalist does some extremely sloppy shifts and this is probably a non-issue for me.

i sat in a GT with Nav at the dealership and shifted through the gears and my palm never came into contact with the Nav controls...i'm not sure how close my palm was to the controls because i wasn't looking though

Nav
 

I have not had any problems.

Clear non-issue. I have tried to screw the NAV up with my arm or elbow while shifting . . .it is really not possible with the average human forearm!

BUT, the heated seats and the cup holders --- A different story indeed. Dumb positioning there

No problems for me either. I kept on wondering how anyone even could? Maybe the tester has an abnormaly short forearm?

I'm with you, Phu. Once that cover slides back, it stays back (if I slide it all the way.) It's only coming forward on its own if the airbags deploy.