flatwater

If there is already a thread on this I apologize.

Just curious how many folks out there are really using their aftermarket HU nav. My experience has been that the majority of OEM nav units are inferior to a dedicated Garmin or Tomtom or current smart phone nav apps. But what about the aftermarket units?

I have been considering replacing the HU in my 07 vert (Bose, no Nav). While I love the idea of an integrated nav (interior space is at a premium after all), I wonder if i'd find myself not using the integrated nav and continuing to use my Garmin or iphone.

Thoughts?

markcz

The big brands have come a long way with their nav units (Kenwood & Pioneer still the best). The only thing I would think is a possible issue between phone vs in-dash nav is how often the maps are updated. Online/phone gets them as soon as possible while in-dash is a few years later, and you most likely will have to pay for the update.

If you're a realtor or contractor who needs new maps as soon as available, then I'd stick with an online/handheld based nav. Otherwise, the in-dash is soooo much more convenient and safer to use inside the car.

Homer3D

The stock NAV in the corvette sucks. If you have a smart phone, I personally wouldn't bother getting a portable GPS unit. They were great like 10 years ago but smart phones with free NAV apps has pretty much rendered them obsolete.

I have been toying with the idea of swapping out the stock HU with one that has Apple CarPlay. This way I can have the features of my iPhone with the convenience of having an large indash screen.

Some car manufacturers recognize that people would rather use their smart phones in their cars and some cars are being sold with Apple CarPlay compatible HU’s.

bobeast

I use a Pioneer NEX8000 which uses Apple CarPlay. This setup lets me choose between Apple Maps displayed on the HU screen, OR the Built in Pioneer Nav. I have to say I use the Built-in Nav almost exclusively. Its pretty decent, but I can't comment on updates since I haven't had it long enough to warrant updating.

For the record I would choose a somewhat inferior integrated nav over trying to nav by smart-phone alone. That said, Apple Maps is terrible, so its really no contest.

bjmsam

I have long been a fan of the Garmin Nuvi navigators and was seriously considering a Kenwood HU w/ Garmin navigation before discovering pure Android head units, which are essentially double-DIN Android tablets with integrated four-channel speaker amplifiers for vehicle integration. I am really impressed with the iGo app and find it much more convenient to use on my Android HU than on my phone. With a data plan, Google Maps as described here and apps such as WAZE are also options. I can't imagine going back to a traditional HU...

ccmano

Just went through this myself. We are at a point now where the there is really no need for a dedicated Nav HU. Smart phone functionality is so much more advanced. Particularly apps like WAZE for navigation. That said, if you want plug and play, IPhone is really the only way to go. Pioneer , in particular, with their AppRadio functionality and recently introduced Apple CarPlay are light years ahead of Android based systems. They have numerous units in many price ranges capable of IPhone based integration. The Apple stuff just seems to work. Android based systems are hit and miss based on the phone you have, version of operating system it's running and the HU you choose. Depending on what you have it can go from P&P to near impossible (as with my new Galaxy S5). Invariably you have to hack either the phone or the HU, or both to get them to work. Not something I and most people are prepared to do.

I made the mistake of recently changing from IPhone to an Android Galaxy S5, for other reasons, then decided to update my HU. Bought a Pioneer AVH-X3600BHS on the recommendation of the Audio Shop guy (another mistake). The unit is nice and boasts Android functionality. But when you read the details it requires a $100 adapter and then is still not compatable with my S5. Found that out after I installed it. An IPhone with the same HU functions via Bluetooth or wired just fine.

Thinking about trading the new S5 for an IPhone 6 just to get this to work. Hope you learn from my mistakes.
H

Mike Beck

Supposedly the Pioneer head units I am using have Mirror Link, which means they can show exactly what is on my Android phone on the head unit touchscreen. I have not tried to do that yet.

I have used the blue tooth though, that works perfect. Can make and receive phone calls through the head unit without ever looking at my phone. All my phone contacts are available through the head unit.

ccmano

Bluetooth and strangely Pandora work perfectly on mine as well. As for Mirror Link, that's how mine was advertised. For mine at least it requires a $100 Pioneer add on module, CD-ML100, to make it work. As noted above after some research, it is only compatible with certain model phones and operating systems. My new S5 not being one of them. I am hearing that the next Android operating system Lollipop 5.0 will make the S5 Mirror Link compatible. It is being rolled out now by Samsung and ATT in other parts of the world. Looking forward to see if that will work.
H

JETninja

Got several Smart Phones, but prefer my 2yr old Tom-Tom. Lifetime Maps, Lifetime Traffic, Traffic Cams, Bluetooth, and nice large easy to read in any light Screen. Think I paid $130 for it. Oh yeah, have a nice Yellow Corvette as the screen car too!

HU Nav should not be a shopping point, look at everything else.....