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.
If you have OnStar on a GM car with a screen that shows navigational maps, you can send directions to that display in lieu of audible directions. In the Toyota, there were no maps. Sometimes the robotic voice was hard to understand: Did she say Route "4-East" or Route "40?"
Since FMV wasn't integrated with the car's audio system, I had to lower the radio volume to hear certain instructions. In my own car with navigation, the volume is automatically lowered when an audio instruction comes in. I also had to turn down the radio when I made a Bluetooth voice call.
If you deviate off course, you're presented rerouting options, but some instructions are confusing. It wasn't always clear if I should request updated directions, or whether OnStar would reroute me without my having to ask.
An eNav feature lets you preplan routes via Google Maps or MapQuest on a PC and send them to the car. The system couldn't find my stored directions. I hit the blue button for help. The person who answered mistakenly told me that eNav was not available for the FMV product. It is. A second rep was able to correct the problem by fixing a "glitch" at their end. Through OnStar, you can also have a voice read traffic alerts, weather and stock quotes.
Despite a few potholes, OnStar FMV mostly worked as advertised. Not everyone will want to pay the premium for FMV navigation. But it's hard to put too high a price on safety.
OnStar FMV
$99 under temporary promotion, $299 plus installation afterward. Plans start at $18.95 per month or $199 per year.
Pro: Clever aftermarket mirror solution adds emergency crash response and other safety services, Bluetooth hands-free calling and (for a fee) turn-by-turn navigation. Quick response times by live reps.
Con: FMV product doesn't include remote diagnostics, remote vehicle slowdown, remote door unlock or Maps integration with navigation. Navigation is pricey service add-on.
Email: ebaig@usatoday.com, Follow @edbaig on Twitter