Editors' Note: This review has been updated to reflect pricing changes and software updates since we initially tested the Navdy in January 2017. The Navdy is the first portable head-up display (HUD). It sits atop the dash and plugs into the OBD-II port of any car made after 1996. It projects info such as speed, engine rpm, and compass direction on a transparent screen in front you, and uses built-in GPS and Google Maps to show the surrounding area, display speed limits and street names, and route you to your destination. It also connects to your Android or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth to display data including calls, texts, music, and all manner of social media and alerts. Access to this info is largely controlled using a thumbwheel that attaches to your steering wheel and is supplemented by gesture control that's activated by waving your hand in front of the device.
We tested the Navdy in four different vehicles over the course of several weeks and came away impressed with its capabilities—if a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information it presents. It's also come down in price, although it remains quite costly at $599 (or $25 per month for 24 months with zero-percent financing). Still, it works well and we're fans of any car technology designed to help keep eyes on the road and hands off phones while driving. For these reasons, the Navdy earns our Editors' Choice.
Design and Features
Each Navdy comes with the main unit that includes the screen and electronics, a mount that it slides and magnetically locks into (which is provided in short, medium, and tall versions), a thumbwheel controller (which Navdy calls the Dial), and the cord that connects to your car's OBD-II port. The flexible, multi-piece, underside of the mount has an adhesive that keeps it planted in place, and we had no issues moving it between various vehicles.
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The device is simple to connect, although it does require some rummaging beneath the dash to locate the OBD-II port. The entire installation and setup took about 10 minutes in testing. If you prefer someone else do the not-so-dirty work, Navdy has teamed up with Enjoy to offer same-day delivery and installation in a number of major cities throughout the US.
As mentioned, we moved the device among various vehicles and each time found a way to tuck the extra cordage into a crevice. It helped that two of the vehicles—a VW Tiguan and a VW Jetta Wagon—had a convenient and closable storage pocket just to the left of the steering wheel that we used to hide the extra cord. Otherwise, supplied cable clips are available for a more permanent installation.
Navdy Head-up Display
The main unit measures 3.7 by 5.1 by 5.5 (HWD), including the display. The display is a transparent pane that won't block your vision, but can be flipped down when not in use. When it's on, it projects full color text and images at over 30,000 nits of brightness, so it doesn't wash out or fade in bright sunlight. No resolution is provided, but the picture looks sharp.
The Navdy has an impressive array of features that surpass those found even in some high-end cars. Without connecting to the companion app, it provides maps, directions, traffic info, a compass, a clock, and vehicle data such as speed, engine rpm, and a low-fuel warning. Connecting the device to your smartphone via Bluetooth adds additional cloud-based content.
The various views are divided into Driving Glances and App Glances. Driving Glances include calendar items, fuel level, traffic info, and calls, and playing content from your connected device. App Glances include notifications for text messages, Facebook, Gmail, Google Hangouts, Messenger, Twitter, and WhatsApp. Notifications are also available for apps such as Instagram, Skype, and several others.
The app lets you set favorite destinations and contacts, and has a Quick Search function with a search bar and icons for ATMs, food, gas, and parking. Finally, a Settings menu allows you to choose different audio connections (speakerphone or Bluetooth, for example), voice guidance volume and styles, turn-by-turn directions, speed limit warnings, and more.
You choose what you want to view via the steering wheel Dial. The default view is Google Maps, and the map can be scaled by rotating the outside of the Dial. A button in the center can be pushed to access other available features, as well as the main menu. When a call, text, or other Glance comes in, the info associated with it appears on the right side of the display. The Navdy also supports Google Voice and Siri for certain functions.
Performance
The Navdy packs a lot of info into its small display and does so in a way that's mostly not distracting. That said, we still recommend using caution when selecting Glances so that your attention isn't pulled away from the road. The Navdy is also relatively easy and intuitive to operate. Some of the HUDs we've tested in production cars require digging into an infotainment menu (we're looking at you, BMW) to tweak the info displayed, but with Navdy everything is done with the steering wheel Dial.
Navdy Head-up Display
Dialing through different menus and settings is a snap, and we were able to customize the Navdy exactly as desired by setting up various favorites for contacts and destinations. One gripe is that the menu has a quick time-out feature, and often reverts to a previous menu before you have a chance to change a setting. The safest and easiest route is to program your favorites ahead of time, before you're on the road.
As mentioned, the display is easy to see in lighting conditions ranging from bright sun to almost blinding snow. The map display is also very sharp and detailed, and easy to pan in and out using the Dial. We like that the display shows a picture of a contact when a call or text comes in, and it's effortless to answer or respond with just a turn of the Dial. You can perform a number of actions through voice commands using Google Now or Siri. Thanks to a recent update, those actions include voice search for navigation, so you can simply say where you want to go and be routed there.
Gesture controls, which let you swipe your hand in front of the unit to, say, view a text message, initially didn't work well in testing. After a call to Navdy, we learned that your hand needs to be above the steering wheel and relatively close to the unit. We tried it again with this in mind, and the gesture controls worked as advertised. That said, it feels a bit unwieldy while driving.
The other chink in the Navdy's otherwise solid armor is that the Dial seems a bit fragile. Twice during testing, the outer ring separated from the main piece (pictured above). While the ring is easy enough to pop back on—and perhaps most people won't be moving the Dial back and forth between cars the way we did—it makes us question the product's long-term durability.
A Great Head-Up Display, Hands Down
One of the vehicles we tested the Navdy in is a 2017 Buick LaCrosse Premium that has one of the best OEM HUDs we've tested, as well as dedicated dashboard switches to change the HUD's content, viewing angle, and brightness. We prefer the graphics of the Buick's HUD over Navdy. But, of course, it's built in and you have to buy the car (starting at $43,265) to get it.
That's the beauty of the Navdy: You can add a head-up display to any vehicle. And one that has built-in GPS, so even if you lose cellular coverage, it will keep you on course with its own built-in offline maps. Overall, it's a great head-up display that can potentially add the technology to many vehicles on the road—and help keep phones out of many driver's hands. That makes it an Editors' Choice in our book.
The Navdy adds head-up display technology to any vehicle made after 1996 to help keep your eyes on the road and your hands off your phone.
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