Looking at a new Navi Head Unit...Reccomendation?

E

EOppie

New member
Hey guys, I am looking to replace my increasingly frustrating factory nav in my 2006 Ford Escape Hybird. I have been looking at getting a Hard disk based unit, and would like to combine my current bluetooth car kit, XM Roady 2, and my Harmon Kardon Drive+Play Ipod unit all into one.



I am currently looking at the Pioneer AVIC-Z2, which seems like a pretty top of the line unit, albeit $$$.



Anyone have experience, or reccomendations?
 
I actually don't know much about eclipse but you I wouldn't recommend pioneer. Their Navi is based off of TeleAtlas which old and outdated. The navi is also played from a DVD, so you can't watch a DVD movie at the same time while using the navi (I think you can do just one preset route without the dvd)... and it only has one slot for dvds... when I believe eclipse has two... specifically for that purpose.



When I get one I'm personally going to go with Kenwood. Their navi is based off of Garmin's which is NavTeq which is the best and most up to date map system. The maps are also stored in the unit itself... not some crappy dvd. They are a bit more expensive I believe but I mean if you're gonna spend that much money... might as well toss a little more to get the best.
 
The Z1 and Z2 from pioneer both have all the navigation information loaded onto the hard drive from factory. The D3, you have to put a Nav dvd in to create a route, but once the route is created, it will store it in a temporary memory, and you can remove the nav disc to continue using regular cd's. If you have an ipod, this may be a mute point in the D3. I have a Z1 in my car and am very happy with it. My maps are current maps as off the early release 2007.



Note: The Z2 does not have a by-pass available to allow you to play dvds while the vehicle is in motion. The Z1 does as does the D3.



The only thing you have to watch out for with the hard drive based units in pioneers is that if you leave them in direct sunlight during the day, the tend to heat up and lock up the system on boot up. It'll play music, but i wont come off the boot screen.



Hope this helps. I'm partial to pioneer. But i hear good things about Clarions new Nav unit, I dont remember which model though. From what i've heard its very easy to navigate through the menu's.



Robert
 
I ordered my Pioneer Avic - D3 a couple days ago.



From what I have looked at an seen it is the best one out there.



I found mine off ebay BRAND NEW for $739 shipped.



PM me if you have any questions







-Sean
 
I got the AVIC D3 back in April 07. The Nissan OEM Bose has a defect that costs about $500 to fix, so thought better of that and got the D3 along with the Ipod cable and XM. So far it's a great system and the navigation has saved me on out of town trips several times. My wife and I love having all the different functions (XM, Ipod, Radio, DVD, CD) on our road trips. :)



Maxima Forums - View Single Post - Pioneer AVIC-D3?
 
Kenwood headunit FTW. My dad has one in his legend, great unit. He has the ddx7019 (i think thats the model number) he had the 6019 before, but the menu system wasnt as good. The new one is great though, great menu and great maps. You can get them on ebay for a decent deal (and whats nice about the 7019 is the navi is built in, unlike the 6019 which requires a plug in unit.)



EDIT: the nav unit my dad has is the dnx7100, not the ddx 7019.
 
I have an Alpine IVA-W205 had it about 4 months now and love it. I love hitting the home button with the navigation. I also like the bluetooth integration for my phone.



I'm 100% happy and consider it money very well spent.
 
I know you said in dash head unit, but check out the Alpine Blackbird. Its a portable GPS and its one of the best Navi units i've seen or used. Extremely easy and accurate. I used to use it when I was delivering court orders with friends and we never missed a house and never got lost.
 
I myself am waiting for Alpine IVA-W505(April?). Its a very nice unit, and not too bad at $999. Theres a spot behind the face to dock Alpines Blackbird Nav unit.



h500iVAW505-f.jpg
 
AVIC-D3, hands down. Trust me, Ive looked into everything, and when it comes down to it, the D3 is great at everything. The Z2 isnt worth like 3 times the price. My D3 was $659 with IPod cable and Bluetooth.



Good luck.
 
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