Motoring Middle East: Car news, Reviews and Buying guides

Toyota’s T-Connect to help the lost find their way
Imthishan Giado

Looking to buy a new car, but have no sense of direction? Then your next automotive purchase might just be a Toyota. Local distributor Al Futtaim Motors is now offering a smartphone-based navigation system with the purchase of every new Toyota, free for the first 12 months of ownership.

The UAE is the third country in the world to receive the system after Japan in 2011 and Thailand in ’12. Dubbed ‘T-Connect’, it’s available for Android and iOS mobile devices in both Arabic and English via their respective app stores. Any one – irrespective of what brand of car they drive – can download the application and engage in a 7-day trial, after which the system costs AED150 per year to use, though new Toyota owners get it for a year free, as mentioned above.

Launching the system in this region makes a fair bit of sense. As MD Jon Williams points out, this region has the highest penetration of smartphones in the Arab world, with more than 74% of residents owning an app-capable device.

“But why wouldn’t I use Google Maps instead?” I hear you ask. “It’s free.” Fair point, though Toyota T-Connect operates differently from Google’s formidable mapping tool. Where in GMaps you enter locations manually, to use T-Connect you tap a button and the system makes a toll-free call to a live operator, standing by 24 hours a day.

After providing your destination, the operator ‘pushes’ the directions to your device, providing a choice of routes: fastest, toll-free, shortest, and so on much like a regular navigation system. Unlike Google Maps, the app doesn’t require a constant data connection; full GCC mapping is stored locally on the device, saving you a bit on your bill. Apart from telling you where to go, the operator can also act as a concierge of sorts, telling you where to find nearby hotels, restaurants, shopping and so on, though he won’t be able to help you with your love life. And yes, the system works offroad with a bread crumb feature that will allow you to retrace your steps.

At the launch event, we were provided with a brief drive to show media how the system worked; basically, a point-to-point drive. Using the system is relatively simple; you press a virtual button, wait a few seconds and speak to a real live human. There is definitely one advantage over Google Maps – you don’t have to figure out how to transliterate Arabic destinations into English when there’s a person to do that. Directions are pushed out quickly and the system generally provides concise, accurate mapping.

Quibbles? Miss a turn – not an uncommon occurrence in our rapidly changing town – and the system can take a hair too long to calculate an alternate route. If you want to alter the route, there doesn’t appear to be an option to manually enter a destination – you have call the contact centre each time. Oh, and you can only contact the call centre from the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar. Oh, and if you have a Windows Phone or a Blackberry? Sorry, no T-Connect app for you. Speak Hindi or Urdu? Better learn English if you want to make yourself understood to the call centre.

Only a mere 12% of Al Futtaim Toyota’s customers currently opt for navigation when buying a new car –it isn’t even an option in the new Corolla and Yaris, two of the Big T’s biggest selling cars here. Providing the service via smartphones is a smart and cost-effective solution, but the biggest test of its effectiveness will be how many owners will still be using T-Connect after their free year runs out. Time will tell.

Are you planning to buy a new Toyota? Will T-Connect sway your decision? Let us know!