With a suite of safety services and technological features, OnStar, an in-car communication system, is quite the incentive for families considering a GM vehicle. Families can now have OnStar without buying a GM vehicle through OnStar FMV, an aftermarket rearview mirror that can be installed in most vehicles built since 1981. OnStar FMV or For My Vehicle offers many of the same services found in a GM car with an OnStar subscription. I tested the OnStar FMV for a week in an older test car. It was just the makeover the car needed to bring it up to date with some of the latest in-vehicle safety and technological perks. Thankfully, I didn’t use OnStar’s Automatic Crash Response, Roadside Assistance or Stolen Vehicle Assistance (whew!), but there were plenty of features I did try out. Offering Turn-by-Turn Navigation, eNav, hands-free calling and Bluetooth connectivity, OnStar’s FMV was off to a great start. The rearview mirror looked right at home in the car, with no unsightly cords or wires in view. There was nothing to make the OnStar FMV look like some cheesy aftermarket product. What makes OnStar so great is the personal touch of its live operators. In our digital age, it’s not often we get a real person to talk to, and when we do, they’re seldom as helpful and cheery as the folks at OnStar. Upon pressing the button to get directions to my daughter’s new music class, I was greeted by an extremely friendly OnStar associate. When I threw her for a loop by requesting directions to a location not “in the system,” she was able to do the digging to get me to my destination. We even bonded and shared a few laughs over the baby babbles she heard coming from the backseat. Thanks to the excellent customer service from my new best friend at OnStar, I arrived at my destination without fail — and with the warm-fuzzies. For folks who are hesitant to talk to a live person, OnStar’s alternate navigation service is eNav. With it, you can use Google Maps or MapQuest on your home computer to find your location ahead of time and then send the route to your vehicle. I gave this a try and everything worked as expected. I was able to get to the nearest Baskin-Robbins with no judgment. As far as fielding phone calls hands-free from the car, I had issues with both options offered with OnStar FMV. You can use OnStar’s hands-free service, which offers airtime via prepaid packages of minutes, or Bluetooth connectivity to place calls using your cellphone. With Bluetooth connectivity, it was easy place calls with my smartphone. However, OnStar FMV doesn’t download your phone’s contacts, so if you want to place a call truly hands-free, you must dictate the phone number you want to call. These days, I don’t memorize many phone numbers, so first I had to find the contact in my phone, manually hit “send” and then I could talk without distraction. As for the hands-free service offered via OnStar’s prepaid minutes, it seemed antiquated. Why would I purchase minutes just for the car when I have a cellphone? Perhaps this is directed at those who don’t own a cellphone. Another problem with using OnStar’s minutes is a random OnStar telephone number shows up on the phone you’re calling. My husband didn’t pick up his phone when I called from the car because he didn’t recognize the number. Overall, I was pretty pleased with the OnStar FMV. Sure, the turn-by-turn directions sounded a bit like a CB radio in a semitrailer at times, but it was better than no navigation at all or using my iPhone to navigate while driving. It wasn’t until I started looking at OnStar’s price plans that I wondered about its draw for families and whether they would view this service as a value. The OnStar FMV costs $299, but a $100 rebate drops the price to $199. Then you’ll need to choose a subscription plan. OnStar’s Safe & Sound plan, which includes the safety features, hands-free calling service (this price does not include your minutes) and Bluetooth connectivity, costs $18.95 a month or $199 for a year. For $28.90 a month or $299 for a year, you can subscribe to the Directions & Connections package, which includes all the Safe & Sound features and unlimited Turn-by-Turn Navigation. The customer service and personal touch of a live assistant can add value for a person who’s less technologically savvy, but some may not feel it’s worth the extra cost. No matter your style, OnStar gives families an opportunity for a significant upgrade in safety and convenience without having to purchase a new car.
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