Well just got back from SF area, and the NAV screen Traffic Info did not populate. "Show All Events" and "Current Traffic Flow Overview" remained grayed out. So now I'm wondering if this thing even offers alternate routes based on traffic events. The HD Radio Traffic map under Apps does update, but that does not seem to talk to the NAV for (re)routing destinations.
Page 77 of the NAV user manual states "Offline historical traffic information (historical speed information or traffic patterns) can be taken into account in the route calculation based on the time of day and the day of week whenever suitable data exists. In addition, real-time traffic information can help you avoid current traffic events like temporary road closures or a traffic jam caused by an accident. Both functions are subject to data availability."
On the Mazda Connect website, under Key Features it mentions "Add Connected Services for access to fuel prices, weather, traffic and local search". Does that mean we have to subscribe to the traffic service from NAVTEQ? as described on this Crutchfield site "some newer portable GPS units and in-dash navigation receivers include either a limited or lifetime subscription to a traffic data service, typically for free and in some cases supported by on-screen advertising. Other devices or sources require a subscription to their service. Currently, the most popular traffic-information services are provided by:
Clear Channel's Traffic Message Channel also known as Total Traffic & Weather Network (FM)
HERE/NAVTEQ Traffic RDS (FM)
SiriusXM satellite radio's NavTraffic (satellite)
Pricing depends on the source. For example, satellite radio subscription prices range from $3.99 per month (in addition to the regular satellite radio subscription) to $8.99 per month. Terrestrial FM services can cost up to $60 per year, but many manufacturers will offer a free trial of one or two years with purchase of their system."
I'm going to shoot an email to my dealer to see what he knows...
