I was in LA last week (vacation + rental car) and Google Maps definitely sent me to the express lanes on the I95 every time. They had the exact knowledge of the entrances and merges back.
As an aside, yesterday I was traveling upstate NY and to get off from I87 to some local road, Google Maps navigated me to a "Tandem Area", which was also marked that way by a sign and was indeed the right choice. Of course, I'd never turn myself from a highway to a Tandem Area ;)
So it seems like they have a lot of small detail knowledge.
About a year ago I used Google Android navigation to get to a Walmart. Unlike other GPS which just take you to a street address, the Google system knew the Walmart was in a large lot and navigated me to the store within the lot.
At least they said 'the I95,' which at least makes it sound like it's in California.
Dialects are interesting. In my native Pittsburgh, I always said 'Route 28' or maybe '79,' but now that I'm in LA, I always say 'take the 405 to the 10.'
As an aside, yesterday I was traveling upstate NY and to get off from I87 to some local road, Google Maps navigated me to a "Tandem Area", which was also marked that way by a sign and was indeed the right choice. Of course, I'd never turn myself from a highway to a Tandem Area ;)
So it seems like they have a lot of small detail knowledge.