Which nav to go with?

[NJHummerGuy]

Hello all..I am going to pull the trigger on getting Nav for the hummer....I am unsure of which to go with....my choices are one of the eclipse models.....5435/5500/6600.

Features I want:
Sirius, Movies, Backup Cam, iPod would be nice, and of course NAV

Suggestions and thoughts?

Thanks for the info....

[marin8703]

I would suggest the Pioneer AVIC Z1 its got everything you listed, but i see its not on your list to choose from.

[kodiakz]

I sell all those units, and would recommend the 6600 above the rest (including the Z1 that is installed in our demo )

[NJHummerGuy]

kodiakz.....question for you...I have seen a ton of your posts and trust your judgement with this.....
Can I ask what the reason is for the 6600 over the Z1 in your opinion?

I am doing the research online and as usual you find the half of the people who like the Z1 and the other Half like the 6600.

So in your mind what sets it apart or what pushes you to the decision of the 6600?
Thanks again!

[kodiakz]

Much better mapping and sound quality. The 6600 also has a better ipod interface than does the Z1. Don't get me wrong, the Z1 is a good piece that will probably be outstanding when it becomes the Z2 and they iron out all the bugs--but in the mean time, all those bugs drive me up a frickin wall daily!!! If you would actually use the HDD, than the Z1 might be the choice. Keep in mind, however, that you can't rip anything to the drive except for regular cd's and have little control over the playlists The 6600 currently supports only sirius, but I hear that xm is coming shortly for Eclipse units.

[NJHummerGuy]

Thanks for the info...XM is nothing for me.....I do not use XM......only sirius.....so I think it will be the 6600 for me.
Thanks!

[Urban Ops]

My vote is against the Z1. My buddy at work has one in his F250. You can't use the nav features unless you are stopped or you TRY to talk to it. The voice thing in his sucks. I use a Garmin c330. Not in the dash but atleast I can make requests on the fly.

[f5fstop]

You can use all the features on the Z1 if you learn how to bypass. On older models, produced before mid-July, all you had to do is flash the dimming circuit three times real fast during startup. A guy over on the AVIC411 forum sold an electronic relay that went in the illumination circuit wire, that automatically flashed the circuit the required three times upon startup. This gives you full use of the AVIC even when traveling at 90 mph.

Models produced after mid-July required a wire to be added and grounded, and it bypassed the system to allow full use.

As for the voice recognition, it has a few faults, but overall it works better than any voice recognition model I have ever had.
One of the problems is, if you have not accepted the map screen disclaimer, you cannot use the phonebook via the voice system. The other fault is I find you cannot use the phonebook from the MAP screen, only the audio screen. Confused me to he** at first, but if I'm going to use the bluetooth, I just make sure I accept the disclaimer, and I'm usually on the audio screen anyway.

As for the other voice recognition features, I very seldom use them, being that I usually only have XM on, but when I do use them, they work great. As with any type of voice system, if the mic is near the window and the window is open, it gets confused (so does Onstar).

Only problem I have had with the AVIC is the echo in the bluetooth at the other end of the conversation, and I have almost eliminated this with changes to the mic, and using only the front right speaker.

Rumor on the AVIC411 site is that Pioneer will be releasing a software update to cure the bluetooth echo (I guess with cancellation software), and possible fix some of the other minor problems such as described under the information on accessing the bluetooth.

[marin8703]

I think the Z1 is a pretty good system. It has great sound, and the accuracy i have found so far to be right on. I had problems with the bluetooth but not any more, its awsome. I dont really know the Ipod interface on the 6600 but the one of the Z1 is great. you have full functionality of the ipod (almost). The HDD is a great feature too. I use it more than i listen to xm or my ipod. If you can play a cd in your regular cd player you will be able to burn it to the HDD (whether you burned it youself or bought from the store), no mp3s and other stuff, just music cds, you can play those other ones you just cant record them. Also the gracenote database is awsome, you dont have to enter anything in, and you get the artist and song info right away, so far it has had all the cds that i have put in it. The only control you have over the playlist is that you can sort by album, genre and i think artist (not sure about artist), and can also make favorites list.

as f5fstop said the unit is completely accessible at all times with a simple bypass.

as for the problem of not being able to access the phonebook from certain screens, i havent experienced it. I have the steering wheel remote, and if you press the phone key you can access it from any screen.

[kodiakz]

Originally Posted by Urban Ops

My vote is against the Z1. My buddy at work has one in his F250. You can't use the nav features unless you are stopped or you TRY to talk to it. The voice thing in his sucks. I use a Garmin c330. Not in the dash but atleast I can make requests on the fly.

LOL!!!!! "TRY" to talk to it is exaxtly what I gave up doing shortly after installing it. My rep insists that you can just say something like 'go to 123 smith st' and it will route you---NOT! It takes longer to vocally navigate the voice menus than it does to drive to the destination!!

[Urban Ops]

Originally Posted by kodiakz

LOL!!!!! "TRY" to talk to it is exaxtly what I gave up doing shortly after installing it. My rep insists that you can just say something like 'go to 123 smith st' and it will route you---NOT! It takes longer to vocally navigate the voice menus than it does to drive to the destination!!

We found it faster and easier to just stop and punch in the info than to try to talk to that thing.

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by kodiakz

LOL!!!!! "TRY" to talk to it is exaxtly what I gave up doing shortly after installing it. My rep insists that you can just say something like 'go to 123 smith st' and it will route you---NOT! It takes longer to vocally navigate the voice menus than it does to drive to the destination!!

Dumb Pioneer Rep, sounds like a typical salesperson feeding BS to the public.

I find my limited use of the Nav via voice quite easy. Again, the disclaimer screen must be approved before it will operate.
Just push the voice button (on the screen or the remote), say Destination, then say Address.
The AVIC woman will then ask for the city, then the street, then the address. One problem I have had is if it shows two different streets such as E. Avis and N. Avis, at which point the system tells you to select the choice from the screen.
Another problem, which is not only common with the AVIC system, is it cannot understand some foreign names for streets. My street is French (I hate it too), but it not only causes problems with this system, it causes problems on the phone talking to a service person. I always end up having to spell the dang name.
Last problem I have encountered is it automatically assumes you are asking for an address in your current state. I have not had a problem with this, but have noticed it never asks for the state. Possibly, there is a way to change states via voice command. Only time I have used it out of state, I have manually set it prior to leaving on the trip.

Music search works great with voice too, but I have only tried it a few times on a trip to NY. Usually, I'm in XM, and with the wireless remote it is a lot easier to just hit the channel change button to surf the XM.


Now, with the Eclipse system, can you actually go into the mode for searching for a destination and just give the complete address like 1234 Grand River Ave, E. Lansing MI, or does it also require the address to be given in parts such as city, street, number, etc.?

I looked at Eclipse, but when I found out it could only be used with Sirius, I stopped looking. Due to experiences with Sirius in the past, and the fact, I have installed XM into a couple of my kids? vehicles; I needed something that played XM.