Methods and apparatus are provided for generating turn instructions on a turn-by-turn navigation system. The turn instructions can include a turn icon as well as visual and audio prompts. A countdown bar is typically embedded within the turn icon to provide upcoming turn information in intuitive graphic form, in order to reduce driver distraction. The turn-by-turn navigation system can generally be produced more economically than a typical premium system having a full complement of costly features, such as a color map display. Moreover, the turn-by-turn navigation system can be configured with only those features deemed most useful to a broad-based market segment, in order to further reduce manufacturing costs.