WHAT is satellite navigation or satnav?

Briefly, it is a route finder that uses a satellite-tracked global positioning system (GPS) to pinpoint the location of your vehicle. Together with a local map (on DVD, SD card or hard drive), it is able to guide you to your destination via voice and visual instructions.

Is the service free?

You pay for the system and the maps, but the satellite service is free.

I know my way around Singapore very well, so do I need satnav?

Besides charting out the shortest way to your destinations, it can help you avoid the highway or list points of interest in your car's vicinity. In the future, it may be able to help you avoid ERP roads, or automatically re-route around jams when such 'live' information is available.

What is the price range of satnav systems here?

It could go from a $390 Garmin Nuvi 200 (original map with Singapore postal codes costs another $200) to a $13,000 system found in the Mercedes-Benz C-class.

Can the satnav system calculate how long it will take me to drive from home to Malaysia's Sepang F1 circuit?

Yes, if your system has a map of Malaysia. And it will continuously vary the estimate along the journey, based on your speed.

Do car rental companies have cars with satnav?

Major operators in Australia, Europe, Japan and North America offer this option.

Is satnav 100 per cent foolproof?

In 1998, a German motorist followed the satellite-guided navigation system of his BMW obediently, disregarded a stop sign and ended up driving straight into the Havel River in eastern Germany.