Inbuilt satnav - what's the go?

[new2ford]

Given the growing trend for manufacturers to install satnav as standard (and facing the prospect of our next car having one), I'm keen to educate myself about the implications of factory-fitted satnav. So far I've been using a portable one - TomTom - which has been excellent. I even put it in our luggage and took it to Europe, downloading the local map (about half the price it was in Australia!) and driving with it over there.

With the portable one of course you can take it indoors and hook up to your computer for updates etc. I know various brands are different quality. We bought a Garmin for our son and it's dreadful compared to the TomTom.

So when satnav is factory fitted in a car, how do you know what brand it is and how do you subscribe to updates, download them etc? Or is it another money-making venture by the car manufacturer as only they can do updates etc?

Apologies if questions are naive - I haven't explored this subject at all but it's something that's obviously going to become standard over the next few years.

Heck I only graduated from using maps and street directories a few years ago! But I still carry them in case, remembering how much use the satnav was when I came across a bridge unexpectedly closed for repairs in the wilds of the Czech-Austrian border in the middle of the night in a fog!