A few weeks ago, Ford tossed us the keys to its new Lincoln MK-X cross-over vehicle. It is a sweet ride that I enjoyed driving quite a bit. You can read about our road test of that vehicle in an upcoming Web-Exclusive.
I wanted to talk about one specific option on the MK-X, like many high-end new vehicles it came with a navigation unit. I am pretty computer literate and quite savvy with high-tech gadgets but somehow, I got off on the wrong foot with the navigation system. Like everything, I was rushing to get somewhere and I hopped in the driver's seat and plugged in the coordinates.
The system plotted the quickest route possible and then I hit the road. It started out decent, I took a short-cut due to the morning rush-hour and the GPS adjusted the course. But then I got over the George Washington Bridge and the system seemed to have a flaw. I was heading south to Pennsylvania and the GPS kept trying to send me on an obscure roadway, when I know the quickest route is down the NJ Turnpike.
I pulled into a rest stop to check out the GPS to make sure I inputted the correct street address. I verified it twice and I couldn't understand why it was directing me in a whacky way. I sat for a moment and then a light-bulb went off. The GPS was configured for the quickest route possible and avoid toll roads. It was then that I remembered the old saying we were taught in grade school when first messing with computers- GIGO. Garbage In, Garbage Out. I fell victim to assuming that particular GPS had the same parameters as the other units that I use.
Remember, a computer's results are only as good as the information that you input.