in dash navi unit

[QueBert]

I got a 02 Camry today and am interested in swapping out the in dash head unit for one with Navigation. Not sure what different models of Camry's have. But this one is the double din 6 disc one. I was hoping somebody in here owns or has experince with a mid level model. I don't need top of the line or to break the bank. Eclipse has a pretty decent looking one but I can't find any reviews for it. I'd say my budget is $800 max, I don't need real time traffic or XM radio. Solid Navi + voice controls would be about all.

 

[PricklyPete]

To be honest...I went a different route. I bought a really nice (D-DIN) unit that plays movies, bluetooth, iPod controls, etc. and didn't worry about Nav. I then have a separate portable Nav. I rarely use my Nav unless traveling...and this way I can easily upgrade and can switch it between my wife's car and my truck whenever I want. It may not be as "elegant" but for how rarely I use it, I could care less.

 

[evident]

completely agree w/ pete on this one.

 

[QueBert]

PrickleyPete good idea, I had kicked it around but maybe a nice unit like you suggest with a portable Garmin would do the trick even better. A D-Din non navi unit will be much cheaper too. I'll be using the navi a lot, but a stand alone would be fine for my needs. Which unit did you get? I'm a huge fan of Panasonic but the local stereo shop told me last month they got out of the car audio market

 

[BassBomb]

you could also do single din non-navi and replace the extra space with a pocket

I'd do what works best with functionality and convenience

to me that would be a single din deck + a portable GPS because you wont be tied to one car for that!

personally I had navigation already built in and wanted better audio, so i have a deck ALSO running the speakers and the OEM unit is still used to controll HVAC/navigation

 

[PricklyPete]

PrickleyPete good idea, I had kicked it around but maybe a nice unit like you suggest with a portable Garmin would do the trick even better. A D-Din non navi unit will be much cheaper too. I'll be using the navi a lot, but a stand alone would be fine for my needs. Which unit did you get? I'm a huge fan of Panasonic but the local stereo shop told me last month they got out of the car audio market

I got a JVC unit from Crutchfield that was well reviewed...I believe the model was KW-AVX820. It has all the features I wanted and works well. Music is definitely improved and I got the HD Radio unit as a package deal and it is an obvious improvement over FM. Some highlights:

1) I can connect my iPod/iPhone for music through the iPod Adapter (USB port) and control it through the HU or control it through the iPod interface itself.
2) I can listen to music from my iPhone over the BlueTooth interface
3) Bluetooth works well with my iPhone (with one exception...see quibbles section)
4) built-in amp produces good signals if you do not plan on adding an external amp and are just going to use the OEM speakers. Definite improvement over HU amp in the OEM stereo in my Tacoma (2005)


Small Quibbles (although some of these may be user induced because of ignorance):

1) I can not load my phone book from my iPhone over Bluetooth. My wife's Audi with MMI does this seemlessly and it is very nice. There is a feature on the unit for importing a phonebook over bluetooth...it just doesn't seem to work with my iPhone.
2) If I manually enter phone numbers in the system to remedy #1, it doesn't let me actually put names against these numbers...what is this...1988? I have no clue who's number that is. This is possibly my ignorance...but the manual does not shed any light.
3) I want a KNOB!!!! I know I should have realized this before purchasing...but not having a knob to adjust volume is just a collossal annoyance...but again, small quibble...and one I was fully aware I was getting into.
4) The iPod inteface is better than most I've tried in cars, but falls short of the MMI system in my wife's Audi for ease of use/speed (although it works better with Audiobooks than my wife's car which treats audiobooks the same as a song...bad, bad).
5) I know this is minor, but I don't like any of the backgrounds that come with the system. Actually the setup screen looks good...but the available "wallpapers" that they have look bad in my opinion...not "clean" enough...looks very aftermarket to me. I need to fiddle with this a bit more...but I wish they just let us use our own backgrounds or had a really clean interface like iDrive or MMI.

Anyway, hope this helps. I'm not pushing the JVC, but it has been great for me so far (I've had it a short time...so we'll see how I like it after a year).

 

[evident]

PrickleyPete good idea, I had kicked it around but maybe a nice unit like you suggest with a portable Garmin would do the trick even better. A D-Din non navi unit will be much cheaper too. I'll be using the navi a lot, but a stand alone would be fine for my needs. Which unit did you get? I'm a huge fan of Panasonic but the local stereo shop told me last month they got out of the car audio market

I personally have this and it does everything for me. ipod connectivity, as well as usb flash drive capability and two aux inputs, a remote, bluetooth and a 24-bit DAC. I got it from a local audio store for $250.


http://signature.crutchfield.com/S-H7yKuWHv5yD/s_113KDCX993/Kenwood-Excelon-KDC-X993.html

 

[QueBert]

Thanks for the replies, I don't have any shops locally with Double Din units on display. But Youtubing videos of some models I'm seeing, they all seem to have pretty crappy looking UI's. It's going to cost me more $$$ and be harder but I think I'm going to track down a stand alone 7" LCD and hook up a tiny computer to it so I can run something that looks and works better. If anyone has a 7" LCD suggestion I'm all ears

 

[jtvang125]

If you go the car pc route you'll definitely want a touch screen lcd. It'll be quite annoying not mention dangerous trying to use a mouse while driving.

 

[evident]

i've yet to see a custom pc job that i've been impressed or could live with, but i havent really looked that much. all of those look cumbersome to me as well. good luck!