by Anura Guruge
on February 26, 2022
NO. The Volvo Google MAPS do not have downloaded map coverage for the entire US —
NOT even for all of Maine.
It is frigging, bloody AMAZING. And they don’t even tell you of this beforehand. Actually, Volvo Support had no clue. You only discover this, to your cost & chagrin, when you find yourself in a rural area, like northern Maine, & look down at your maps & discover that it is LOST — stating ‘NO GPS/Looking for Signal‘!
It is appalling. It is inexcusable.
I discovered this, by accident, during my trip to Acadia last week. Just north of Augusta, just as I was exploring a new route (i.e., Rte 202 to Bangor) I lost maps on my accursed, dreaded, piece-of-junk 2022 XC60 (with just 2,200 miles). Nothing. Maps stuck back in New Hampshire.
I called Volvo on the phone. Did all the usual, mindless tricks. Nothing.
Called the dealers, viz. ‘Volvo Cars of Exeter‘, that sold me this piece of junk. They were of no help. Totally incoherent. No help. Incoherent. What can I say. Incoherent. Hhhmmm.
Well, I worked it out on my own. I have been using Google Maps for a very long time on multiple devices — some with just Wi-Fi connectivity. This gave me a clue. Connected the XC60 to the house 1G Wi-Fi service. Then went looking through Google Maps settings. BINGO. ‘Offline Mode’. I downloaded two maps for Maine. I need to download MORE before my next trip to Maine next week.
So, a important heads up.
