Best Nav unit

C

claytonb78

New member
Hello Everyone,

I wanted to know if anyone had recommendations on a double din HU for the 4Runner? I'm currently strongly considering forking over the $1000 or so because I've always wanted one. Top picks right now seem to be the Pioneer AVIC Z2/Z3 or the Kenwood 7120/8120. Any opinions would greatly be appreciated as well as any recommendations. Thank you.
 
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I just bought the DDX-812 (DNX8120 without navi) and will add the navi unit later when I have more money to throw around.

I've heard a lot of good things about the Kenwood's because they use Garmin and are not DVD driven which I've heard complaints about. The Pioneers are nice but seem much more expensive then the Kenwood's.

I vote Kenwood DNX8120 has 5v output and built in bluetooth.
 
The thing is, and mind you I have very little experience with NAV headunits, I don't care for the interface of the Kenwood units much. Garmin is definitely a better Nav unit but TeleAtlus which Pioneer uses doesn't seem too shabby either. In fact, I love the dual maps feature. But then again...I asked because I want to know what others think and will take a look another look at the Kenwoods. I actually have a month to make up my mind so I will likely change my mind back and forth until then.

Of course why can't they make a purely NAV unit with no DVD/CD player but rather an IPOD interface. Just NAV, IPOD, and XM...that's all I need. :-)
 
hey Clayton, I can vouch for my avic-z1. It is the best thing I ever put in. I use the navi, bluetooth, ipod connection, internal hard drive for additional music, dvd player, backup camera and even the nav traffic. All the features are great and I use them everytime I get in the car. If you have any other questions let me know and I'd be happy to answer....good luch with the search.
 
Larry77 said:
I just bought the DDX-812 (DNX8120 without navi) and will add the navi unit later when I have more money to throw around.

I've heard a lot of good things about the Kenwood's because they use Garmin and are not DVD driven which I've heard complaints about. The Pioneers are nice but seem much more expensive then the Kenwood's.

I vote Kenwood DNX8120 has 5v output and built in bluetooth.
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I recently got the DDX 812 with the nav add on, the XM adapter, and got the ipod cable. The reason I went with the 812 + nav addon is because I couldn't find a place with the 8120 in stock. I had originally pre-ordered the Pioneer F90Bt, but once in came out it had so many bugs they quit sending them out before I could get one.

The Kenwood has performed flawlessly so far, the ipod connection works super fast (I like how it shows the album art), the DVD playback was easily bypassed, etc. The interface might not look quite as clean as the Pioneer, but it still looks good and is able to change background & start up images. The Garmin nav might be simple and not be as aesthetically pleasing, but it's really accurate and easy to use.
 
Actually, I think you mean on top of the dash. I've been reading a lot of the NAV posts and some people like putting the antenna in the corner of the dash and for the most part I haven't heard any problems with that however I presonally believe the best and cleanest signal will only come from being on the all metal roof. Coolest location I've read so far though has been in the rear spoiler where even the antenna is protected and hidden.
 
I had all my setup installed by an audio place here in town, because I looked at the mess of wires and figured I'd fudge something up. I think they installed the Nav antenna under my dash. I can't find it anywhere, so I guess it's there. Every time I've checked the Nav, I've had full strength.

They installed the XM radio antenna on the top of my roof by the back spoiler. The XM reception seems to be a lot more touchy than the gps, like going under bridges, carports, or whatever. However, in the open both the Nav and XM antennas get full strength in these locations.
 
claytonb78 said:
Actually, I think you mean on top of the dash.
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There was a post on here that said they mounted the GPS antenna on a metal bracket behind the deck under the dash and they got perfect coverage...I'm thinking of doing the same.
 
claytonb78 said:
Whoops...sorry, in my last post I meant the XM antenna, not the NAV antenna. Total noob mistake made by a noob. Sorry.
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Don't worry about it, yeah they put the XM antenna right in front of the spoiler on the roof on the drivers side.

@ Larry-yeah I think that'd work fine, I haven't had much interference with the GPS signal, usually always full strength.
 
Kenwood is my navigation of choice. Pioneer's system is awesome BUT it isn't the easiest system to use. Their navigation is more accurate than kenwood because it ties into the vss (vehicle speed sense) to communicate with the GPS which comes in handy in curvy areas as well as mountains. I've noticed with my kenwood that it will show me past an intersection and still moving when I'm sitting at the intersection because your position using the garmin based systems is completely obtained by satellite and not communicating with your vehicle directly.

The Pioneer Z-series has waaay more features than anyone will ever use and is a pricey unit. For $1600 you can pick up an 8120 with built in Bluetooth and everything you'll ever use.
 
I want to say I can find the 8120 for less than $1200 at Sonic Electronic and the AVIS Z-3 goes for just about that. then again, a refurbed Z-2 will only set you back $900 or so off the same site. Mind you, sonicelectronics may not be as good as other vendors and I am not trying to promote them...I'm just saying prices seem to really seem to differ from vendor to vendor.
 
claytonb78 said:
I want to say I can find the 8120 for less than $1200 at Sonic Electronic and the AVIS Z-3 goes for just about that. then again, a refurbed Z-2 will only set you back $900 or so off the same site. Mind you, sonicelectronics may not be as good as other vendors and I am not trying to promote them...I'm just saying prices seem to really seem to differ from vendor to vendor.
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Yeah, there are some big price differences on the net. One thing to keep in mind is that you don't get a manufacturers warranty when buying from a unauthorized dealer. From what I've heard and read SonicElectronics uses their own warranty and is a pretty good place to do business with. I got my 812, navigation adapter, and ipod cable from Al-eds.com, who are authroized dealers, for $1229...which was slightly higher than Sonic, but came with the 2yr Kenwood warranty. Al-Eds had a coupon "avic411" that took quite a bit off any purchase, not sure if it is still working.
 
Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know I went with the Kenwood 5120. I ordered in on Amazon for $630 which was a steal compared to other sites. Just to be safe, I went onto Crutchfield and bought their install kit/accessories normally included with this unit. I plan to install myself in the beginning of August when I am back home. I will be sure to post pics and let everyone know how it sounds. Thank you for all your help.

Clay
 
claytonb78 said:
Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know I went with the Kenwood 5120. I ordered in on Amazon for $630 which was a steal compared to other sites. Just to be safe, I went onto Crutchfield and bought their install kit/accessories normally included with this unit. I plan to install myself in the beginning of August when I am back home. I will be sure to post pics and let everyone know how it sounds. Thank you for all your help.

Clay
Click to expand...

Nice, let us know how the install goes and how you like it.
 
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