I've been researching for an aftermarket NAV and saw an old thread [from late 2002 - early 2003] comparing the two. Now that its one year later, and both Alpine and Pioneer have new additions to the navagation scene, I was wondering on the current consensus. How do the two compare in:

sound quality?
extra goodies? (POIs, birds-eye-view, split screen)
functionality? (calculating speed, accuracy, etc...)
build quality?
cost? (which one is more nav for the money...)
add-ons? (plays DVD/TV Tuner/etc...)

Also, are there any forums out there dedicated to aftermarket navs or just have a lot of information on various navs? I've been browsing through sounddomain.com, my350z.com, g35driver.com, and freshalloy.com. Any additional places to search would be awesome.

 

recently had the pioneer avic-80DVD 7" screen w/ navi installed.. lovin it. has many options, tv tuner, dvd capabilities etc. as far as the navigation goes, its easy to work and even easier to figure out. has 4 different views as far as the map goes, map view drivers view route view and guide view. it was however 3500$ installed which was a bit pricy but it was worth it.

 

If you can wait til March, Pioneer has a new AVIC-N1 coming that has everything plus G-tech type functionality built in. Only thing missing is radar detection.

Press Release

 

cwhit: the avic-80 plays dvds and has tv tuner? are you sure you're not talking about the avic-80/sph-7500 combo (sys910 combo i think its called)?

xswl: yea, i heard about that. I'm willing to wait, but I'm not willing to shell out 3g+ for any in-car entertainment system. You think the N1 will make prices for other systems drop?

 

bump

 

The AVIC-N1 will officially be unveiled at CES (Jan 8). I assume the price will be disclosed at that point as well as all functionality. In the meantime, here's a pic I found.

 

Thats awesome. I can't belive that fit all that into one system. I'm guessing that they will be asking an arm and a leg for that unit. Probably something close to the $3,000 marker

 

the Pioneer website says it should be less than $2,700, which is the current price for a multiple component based system.

 

does anyone know if the n1 and the player come as one unit? Or is it like the av-80. where you gotta buy the head unit seperate?

 

looks like its just one system:

"The Ultimate 3-in-1 System
Pioneer recently introduced the AVIC-N1, the industry’s first audio/video/navigation system that merges entertainment, information and vehicle dynamics technologies into one product. For the first time consumers can obtain route guidance information, listen to AM/FM/XM satellite radio, and play DVD movies for rear passengers, all at the same time. If that isn’t enough, the AVIC-N1 also incorporates a vehicle dynamics monitor that allows consumers to accurately assess their car’s performance in terms of acceleration, lateral G-force, angular velocity and other measurements. This feature is expected to be especially popular among automotive enthusiasts and the rapidly growing youth “tuner” market. For people who modify their cars with upgraded tires, wheels, suspension and other aftermarket equipment, the performance gauges allow them to compare their car’s performance with stock equipment versus aftermarket parts."

 

From what I've read, it's a single din unit with a seperate external module that handles much of the processing. It's CES this week so hopefully more info will be available especially specific information about what type of performance data can be gathered by the unit.

 

I guess I should have waited. I have the P7500dvd and the avic80 nav. I paid 1299.00 for my nav and 1899.00 for my HU. Plus install of course.

I wish my system is upgradeable.

 

Would there be a lot of interest in buying the avic-n1 if a price under msrp, say 200-300 under could be given?
i'll hopefully be able to get a good deal on these once pioneer ships them out and would like to pass along the good deals to fellow Z'ers (as well as make some mod money )

so for now just gauging interest.

Rajiv