Do Not Fold: Rentals Feature On-Screen Maps

The computer tells us to continue on Constitution Avenue to reach Capitol Hill. But we hit one of Washington's notorious detours and a cop directs us to turn.

How will the car's navigation system handle an unscripted change of itinerary?

It's a recent Thursday afternoon, and I'm in an Avis rental car for a test of the company's satellite global positioning system, called Avis Assist. Avis is rolling out the navigational service at all U.S. locations for $9.95 a day. The system is essentially a radio receiver that picks up signals from orbiting satellites that identify the car's location and the distance to its destination.

When we turn off Constitution and pull to the side of the road, the system pinpoints our location and updates our directions. We're back on our way.

With the summer travel season expected to be the strongest since 2000, car rental companies are dressing up their vehicles with new forms of technology to attract consumers. The navigational systems go far beyond the days of wrestling with oversize folded maps.

Hertz offers a navigational system called Never Lost for $9 a day. In place since 1997, it also employs GPS. The driver programs in the destination, and the car's screens display maps and directions based on the system's software. The devices also give audio cues. Hertz has the system in 40,000 cars and plans to add 10,000 more by the end of the year, said spokesman Richard Broome. Enterprise doesn't have navigational systems in its cars.

With the Avis service, a customer receives a Motorola phone to call a guidance operator who enters the travel data in the system. At the outset, the company will have 30 to 40 operators available. The phone then mounts on the dashboard with the screen showing a map of the car's movements. Simultaneously, the service provides audio directions. The phone doesn't permit any other calls, and personal cell phones cannot be used with the system.

Our first destination was the Castle at the Smithsonian Institution on the Mall. At the wheel was Avis spokeswoman Susan McGowan. Motorola spokesman Tim Courtney came along to provide commentary on the technology. We left The Washington Post's offices and drove north on 15th Street to Massachusetts Avenue NW, where we turned right, toward Thomas Circle. As we rounded the circle the system directed McGowan to veer to the right, onto 14th Street.

Hearing the automated directions was difficult at times, and turning up the volume distorted the sound somewhat. It is possible, however, to hear the cues again by punching a repeat button.

On the way to the Smithsonian, we were suddenly notified that we were off route, even though we were right on track. Motorola's Courtney explained that bridges, tall buildings and trees can cause momentary lapses in the signal. Once the signal is restored, the directions pick up again as originally requested.