OnStar is responsive, convenient even as stand-alone product
— -- You want the peace of mind that General Motors' OnStar promises should your car break down, the vehicle gets stolen or — heaven forbid — you end up in a serious accident. But you don't own a GM vehicle or you have an older model that is incompatible with OnStar.
GM has potential customers like you in mind as it accelerates its promotion of OnStar FMV, an aftermarket retail version of the service that's built into a stand-alone rear-view mirror. GM says FMV (shorthand for For My Vehicle) fits most cars on the road today, including many outside the GM family.
The automaker loaned me a 2010 Toyota Camry with OnStar FMV for several days. Toyota and Ford are the most common vehicle brands to have FMV installed and the Honda CR-V the most common model, GM says. Nearly a third of FMV buyers with Fords went with OnStar even when the rival Ford Sync service was available for their vehicle, GM adds.
The mirror, thicker than a standard mirror but not noticeably so from the driver's seat, blended in as a regular part of the Camry's decor. An accelerometer resides inside the mirror to trigger Automatic Crash Response during an emergency in which driver or passenger cannot speak. OnStar determines your whereabouts through GPS.
A row of buttons and icons on the top of the mirror enables you to adjust the volume and lets you know when you're in turn-by-turn mode, or on a hands-free Bluetooth phone call. You can pair FMV with your own phone, or purchase minutes through OnStar. A small separate microphone was mounted to the ceiling.
At the bottom of the mirror are a hands-free calling button, the blue OnStar button for connecting with a live adviser, and the emergency button you press to summon priority assistance. For obvious reasons, I didn't intentionally drive into harm's way or smash the Camry to test OnStar's emergency capabilities. But I did press the emergency button once to see how quickly an adviser would hop on the line and was satisfied with the two- to three-second response time.
Under a promotion that goes through Father's Day, GM drops the cost of OnStar from $299 (plus an extra $50 to $100 for installation) to just $99 for everything. You still must subscribe to an OnStar service plan, starting at $18.95 a month or $199 a year. That covers the emergency services — including crash response, roadside assistance for mechanical breakdowns and stolen vehicle assistance — that put OnStar on consumers' radar in the first place. Turn-by-turn navigation brings the monthly cost to $28.95 or $299 a year — a lot, given cheaper alternatives on smartphones and other devices.
That said, OnStar navigation is convenient. Press the blue button and tell the rep where you want to go. Directions are sent to your car within a few seconds and read out loud by a wooden-sounding female voice as you approach turns.
Because FMV's technology is embedded in the mirror, not all the features accessible to folks with the integrated OnStar service are available to subscribers of the aftermarket product. You can't remotely unlock the door as is possible with full-fledged OnStar. And while FMV can locate a stolen vehicle, the car can't be slowed remotely to disorient the person at the wheel. Also missing in FMV is the ability to do certain diagnostics and dispatch monthly vehicle health reports.
