What are your thoughts on the ecoRoute HD accessory?
It has a RRP of $199 here in Australia & looks like an interesting device, but I'm wondering if anyone has used it yet.
It's a nice little gimmick. Much frustration will come out of attempting to drive accordingly to save that little bit of fuel each run, until you find out that your efforts are futile due to traffic congestion, rollercoaster roads or just plain old silly drivers.
That isn't really the fault of the hardware/software combination though, but really depends on your geographical characteristics. E.g, is your route infested with traffic lights? Do you drive on flat roads? Do people drive at the speed limit in your area?
These variables all have an effect on your ability to keep a green score, and ultimately, your fuel economy.
About the actual hardware itself? I think it could have been better designed. The dongle itself is much too cumbersome. Installation might be easy for some, but not if you have to stick your head under the steering wheel at some weird angle and your legs sticking out the door just to get it in there. Then you've got to try and attach it to something securely. I barely got mine in there on my Mazda 6.
Regarding the software, I noticed an update, I believe was version 4.00, when they added support for the EcoRoute HD, the routes suddenly changed. According to the release notes, it was to "change the ecoroute experience" or something along those lines. I do notice when I drive to and from work everyday, it will attempt to take a different route at times. Perhaps it is trying to learn a more fuel economic route, who knows. I just know I'd rather not take a route to work that involves tolls, as the amount of fuel I save by going a constant speed is negated by the fact that the yearly cost for tolls far exceeds the yearly cost for fuel (if I were to take a less fuel economic route, that involves hills, traffic lights and single lane roads).
Is the HD smarter than the non-HD variant? I'm still unsure about that. Is it worth the $200? In my opinion, I think $200 could be better spent elsewhere... like servicing your car.
In all honesty, one of the biggest features is the ability to check engine error codes... but how often has that engine light ever lit up for you?
It does however increase the clutter found in your mileage reports. And it is very accurate at tracking your mileage after each top up at the petrol station. Now I'm not entirely sure if this is related to the HD, but I do notice it is now saving an "at the pump" file that includes information such as when you last refilled, how much you filled up, how much it cost and the total distance travelled. However, this is the same information you would enter in the navigator when you're at the pump.
Purchased one of these units today ($199). Installation was simple and by the instructions. Took about 3-5 minutes in total. I am satisfied with the initial presentation - time will tell as to how much more data is added to mileage reports etc. It is simple to change the guages to whatever you want them to be. Refresh rate of the guages seems smooth. Speedo and Tacho both look OK - probably not quite as responsive as the originals in my dash, but it is the others that I am interested in anyway.
For what it's worth, the OBD sensor is located inside the fusebox on a Ford Falcon BAII (in front of your right knee). There is enough room inside the fusebox cover to easily hold the HD accessory.
After initial installation, bluetooth synch is pretty much instantaeous on startup. My Garmin uploaded a software update this evening. Don't know if that is related to the HD unit, but presume so.
I just bought the ecoRoute HD and a 1690 GPS. No issues installing the HD device other than the connecting cable is too short to allow any leeway in mounting locations.
My Honda Ridgeline has a vertically mounted OBD port so the cable would protrude downwards if I left the OBD port mounted. I removed the OBD port from the bracket and then had the freedom to ziptie the HD device under the dash.
The ecoRoute HD paired up to the 1690 effortlessly.
I bought the ecoRoute HD ($89) and a Garmin 3790 GPS ($299). No issues installing the HD device with the exception that the connecting cable is too short, I might remove the OBD port mounting bracket and get a little more room.
I hooked this up in my 2010 Chev Silverado 2500 HD Diesel and all appears to be working ok - I did notice that a couple of times that it would reask me to enter the new vehicle stats. I am looking forward to all the extra information and reports
ecoRoute HD
