When navigation systems first became available, some people (usually males) would scoff at the technology. "If I know where I’m going almost every day, why would I need to spend money on a navigation system?" was often their response.

But in using those early systems, I discovered that they can come in handy on a daily basis -- not just to find out where you’re going, but to find things along the way. A classic example is the dilemma of finding a restaurant, especially when you’re with someone and the conversation goes like this: “Where do you want to eat?” “I don’t know, where do you want to eat?” I found early on that a navigation system easily lists restaurants in a given area and makes that daunting choice simpler and less time-consuming.

The 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid is one of several vehicles that add Zagat restaurant ratings to the navigation menu to help make choosing a restaurant even easier. Within the navigation menu, you can choose the Zagat option and it will list restaurants by vicinity, name, distance and rating, or you can search by keyword.

After choosing one of these search methods, you get a list of eateries with their Zagat rating, address and phone number. Click on one using the center controller and you can even have a review read back to you.

You can see how it works in the video below. While it’s a convenient feature, it’s also a bit antiquated now that more automakers offer smartphone applications and in-car 3G Internet connectivity built right into the navigation, such as Audi's Google search. Toyota’s Entune system finds restaurants and will even allow you to make reservations via OpenTable, while BMW Apps and Mercedes-Benz Apps can find restaurants using Yelp.

With connected services, you get current and constantly updated information, whereas the Zagat ratings in the Acura ILX Hybrid are based on info compiled in 2011. You also can't read user reviews.

So while the Acura ILX Hybrid can help you find a restaurant, the information about it could end up being a bit stale.