Hey guys, I purchased my 2011 GSR a few months ago, and opted not to get the navigation, because I felt like for $2,000 I could get something on the aftermarket for better.

Well that time has come, and I'm looking to replace the stock RockFord Fosgate with a double din Navi & Stereo Touch Screen.

I was wondering what is my best option? Also, will it be possible to retain the BlueTooth Sync, SiriusXM, and other various options I currently have?

Thanks for any help!

 

If you want a navi, get a Kenwood DNX6980.

 

The most current upper-end aftermarket navi systems are..

Alpine INA-W910 (has bluetooth hands-free, but no BT audio streaming)

Kenwood DNX9980HD (has most advanced audio features, but interface is laggy)

Pioneer AVIC-Z130BT (lots of features, but very limited to files on USB drive - nav seems outdated)

Clarion NX501 and JVC KW-NT50HDT also look okay.

If I had to buy a double-din navi today, it'd probably be the Alpine.. but personally, I'm just gonna wait til CES in January and hope one of these companies get their **** together and finally release something really nice. There's no reason a $1000 double-din should have less features than a $500 smart phone that's a fraction of the size. Pioneer and Alpine have both released waaay nicer nav systems in Japan that we'll never see here in the US.

 

I have the z130 and love it. No issues and has a very fast interface the audio quality is great. After playing with the Kenwood and Alpine I was just was not very impressed with the interface and the speed was not acceptable.

 

I have the Pioneer Avic z120-bt in my Z.
It's a good unit. A little slow. Can't beat the sound though.
Agreed that the price is crazy considering the technology. The Nav seems like it would come stock in a 1998 Cadillac.
The screen resolution is good, but honestly not sure why these things sell at the prices they do.

 

I went back and forth over the units that AFD mentions in his post- they're all great at what they do, and some do certain things much better than the others (navi in the Kenwoods is much better than the others).

I ended up with a z130 for one major reason - the interface was the fastest and most user-friendly of the bunch, and I could program it to use the bluetooth buttons on my steering wheel. Those two items made it a pretty easy decision. I suggest you go play with all of them, and decide which of them makes the most sense for how you want to interact with your stereo.

 

I have the Pioneer Avic Z1 but upgrading to the Z3 hard drive, best radio/nav

 

I'm also looking for a double din navigation solution over the stock navi.
From what I've seen so far I think I like the Kenwood DNX9980HD the most. I like the idea of the optional OBD2 connection with the Kenwood as well, which shows gauge data, engine diagnostics, and Garmins EcoRoute.

What other features would you see in a nav system? The Kenwood has Garmin GPS with Navteq traffic, voice control, HD radio and lots of other technology. I think the big benefits of the smart phone is that its connected to the internet...


So are the bluetooth buttons not compatible with other units?

 

When I was doing my research, the Pac SWI-PS was the only unit that would integrate with the bluetooth buttons, and only on the Pioneer units. That might have changed since there are a couple new options out there now (a Metra interface and the new SWI-RCv2).

 

I'd be interested to hear from anyone else about this. I've tried to look into it and find what other options there are, but I'm finding it difficult to research not really knowing what to look for. I can't seem to find much about integrating oem bluetooth buttons with aftermarket stereos.

Anyone have any more insight? Has anyone else integrated the bluetooth with aftermarket head unit? Anyone know what connections it needs?

 

I have my eye on the JVC unit -

JVC KW-NT3HDT


It has real-time traffic which is pretty important to me, and is very fast according to reviews.

 

Theres no reason why decks shouldn't support open source OS's. Instead they keep coming out with outdated propitiatory, lack of a better word, crap.

 

i would get Alpine INA-W910

 

Hmm.. 1st, no file-limit for MP3s on a USB drive would be nice. Every single navi on the market today has a limit.. some as low as 8,000 songs (I'd like to just load up my whole collection on a portable 1.8 or 2.5" drive). 2nd, multi-format video playback from USB (avi, mkv, whatever).. hell, take out the ancient CD/DVD drive. 3rd, app-store.. I totally want 3D elevation mapping, and with an Android app-store I could just go and buy Sygic Aura (pic below). 4th, dual-CPU w/hardware acceleration.. the $1500+ top-of-the-line Kenwood DNX9980HD is laggy as hell (watch any user vids on youtube). 5th, DSP, auto time-alignment & eq, granular hp/lp filters, stereo streaming Bluetooth & data connection tethering.. I could go on =)

+1,000 If Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, Sony, JVC & Clarion all don't have Android or something similar (running on respectable hardware) at the 2012 CES in January I'd be simply amazed at their stupidity.

 

I had a kenwood dnx7100 in my old car. It worked great with the garmin hdd nav. The audio features were good. For the price it is a great unit. The kenwoods should be even better with the new technology.