Hertz Never Lost
 

This Spring I am picking up a rental car in Bordeaux for three weeks of travel ending in Paris and added the Never Lost GPS system. Hertz said they would program the system for English at the Bordeaux office. Then I read (older) posts stating only French language is available. Anyone with experience with this? I have driven throughout Japan, Italy and southern France with just maps, but really want a GPS on this trip. Thanks.

IMHO also make sure you have a good quality aper map. GPS is fine for what's right in front of you - but if you have to detour for some reason (accident, road works, hay wagon blocking the road at 5 mph, etc) GPS may not show enough territory for you to actually see what options you have.

Modern smart phones are so easy to use for GPS that I'm sure the days of separate GPS units in cars are numbered. I have a Garmin GPS that I took with me to Europe to drive last year, but my new cheapo Android phone with Google Maps is so far advanced of it that the Garmin is well obsolete. I can't speak a destination into my Garmin, and Google Maps are always up to date; my Garmin map was supposedly only a year old but was in some cases a year or two out of date.

If you don't have a smart phone, you might consider getting one, learning how to use the GPS/mapping function of that before you leave, then you won't have to learn an unfamiliar GPS when you get the car in France, nor will you need to worry about the language issue. The only potential "gotcha" is mobile data on your phone in France. If you have T-Mobile this is a non-issue as unlimited data is already free in Europe. Other carriers have different roaming options, or you could get a local SIM card in France when you arrive. You can also use your phone to navigate as a GPS without mobile data at all, if you connect it to WiFi ahead of time and download the maps you need.

Navigational databases generally can be easily changed from French to English. Just confirm that your car's data output is in English before you depart the rental office. If it is in French, just ask that it be changed.

I second the thought about having a paper map. Our GPS worked really well most places we travelled in France, BUT in ancient locations with narrow roads and even in some villages, it just gagged an took us in circles.

IF you have unlimited data useage on your plan I have found a phone works quite well when driving in Europe.

You don't need data to use your phone for navigation. You can download the maps to your phone for use offline. At least you can with Android and Windows phones.

I use Here maps, the maps take up less space in the memory of your phone than Google maps downloads do.
Has the added advantage of warning you if you go over the speed limit, so you have no excuse for a speeding fine. It is also excellent as quickly recalculating the route should it need to. I still have a paper map with me though for the fun detours to places that might be more interesting along the way.

Well, some of us don't HAVE to download the maps to use offline and what a PITA that is anyway.

Andrew, agree with you that a phone or iPad works better, is easier to program, and has the advantage of going with you wherever you are, in the car or your hotel, or walking around say Rome or Venice.
Have you had good success with Google maps giving accurate directions in Europe?

We always buy a SIM card in whatever country we are in because European data plans are ridiculously expensive from our Canadian carriers.

First, all GPS systems can be programmed to English language. By clicking on the cogwheel symbol you will reach the language menu. However, it might by quite surprising how the English system pronounces French street names.

Secondly, Michelin maps are still required to find the small, scenic country roads.

Thirdly, GPS systems in France are tricky. You will find hundreds of places with the name "Saint-Pierre" and you need additional information to select the right one. Be prepared and double-check with the map whether the system selected the right route.

Fourthly, I love the route planner of my new iPhone, and I love SIRI. I bought a cheap windscreen holder for my phone and an adapter for the cigarette lighter and tell SIRI my destination and when she shall display a map with traffic jams and it works beautifully. However, I don't know how the English SIRI works when you are pronouncing French place names (but then you have the good old keyboard).

I appreciate all the replies, but am still looking for an answer to the question I asked.

As I mentioned, I have driven throughout Italy, France and Japan with maps so very familiar with using them.

I am a seasoned smartphone and Google Maps user.

But I have a specific reason for asking this question:

Statement: Hertz said they will program their NeverLost GPS system for English at the Bordeaux office. Then I read (older) posts stating only French language is available.

My Question: Has anyone used Hertz NeverLost in France and could they convert it to English language?

Again, I do appreciate the previous answers, I learned some new information.

Thanks.

Don't know about the specific heryzneverlost but
- I have always been able to change the language on all the gps we have ever had
- the name of that Gps does sound English. I d fear more if it were called hertzjamaisperduenfrance
- if you still want reassurance call of email hertz.

>>but am still looking for an answer to the question I asked<<

I think you find my answer above, but I will be happy to repeat it.

>>Hertz said they will program their NeverLost GPS system for English at the Bordeaux office.<<

Take it as it is. I have never seen a GPS in Europe that could not speak English. And I cannot imagine that they exist and ever existed. Ignore these older posts. Probably they did not find the right menu. Again, if the Hertz staff should not be able to set it to English, just click on the cogwheel symbol. It takes not more than five seconds.

I know that you can download local maps in Google Maps so that you don't have to use data services. However, I also read on a technology forum that you couldn't use the downloaded maps for turn-by-turn navigation. If true that would greatly reduce its utility. Is this not true, or has it recently changed?

I've never tried it yet, myself, because I have such a good data roaming plan that I haven't needed to; Google Navigation really doesn't use tremendous amounts of data to download its maps on the fly.

I haven't yet tried downloading a section of Google Maps then turning off data (and no WiFi) and trying to get directions and navigate.

But I have gotten directions while on WiFi, then, with data off, successfully driven and gotten accurate turn-by-turn navigation.

Never lost speaks about 10 languages. You can get English. Just because your read it does not mean it's true. (It's actually very easy to change the language in the Hertz system.)