Team-BHP - In Dash Navigation vs Navigation Module vs Separate Navigation

Ok Guys! I am sure this issue have not been discussed before as a single topic.
What is your take on this.

1. Double DIN HU with touch screen with navigation built in.

2. Double DIN HU with add on navigation Module.

3. Or leave the HU alone and use an independent navigation device like that from Garmin, Sat guide.

Gurus! please post detail options available. So it is useful to members.

Also this being ICE sub-forum, we can later discuss on the add-on like matching compos, Subs woofer to the selected HU so that we don't loose the first thing of having an ICE -Sound Quality.

Thanks.

I would always go for a 2DIN with a GPS than a separate unit.

The Independent Nav Devices can easily be stolen, thus you have to always remember to take it with you when you leave the car, which one can easily forget.

Most in-dash unit give you the comfort of adding a rear cam and bluetooth, show-off factor being separate. If you get the right moulding, the 2DIN unit will look a lot better than a 1DIN unit in a car.

When it comes to SQ, I would rate Pioneer above any other brand, its latest touch unit, 8490BT is pretty good in everything, can't say the same for other units like (1/2/3/4)490 due to their screen resolution. Do not that most touch screen units get washed out due to the sunlight.

Due to my bad experience with Caska, I cannot advise a unit that comes with built in nav.

Though I do not have GPS as of now on my 2DIN unit, I can add it when I feel the need, until then the nav softwares available for iPhone are more than enough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirAlec (Post 2771023)

1. Double DIN HU with touch screen with navigation built in.
2. Double DIN HU with add on navigation Module.
3. Or leave the HU alone and use an independent navigation device like that from Garmin, Sat guide.

I have no idea about technically which one would be better, but i believe its a individual preference thing.

I like a clutter free dashboard and hence all in one unit which can do everything. One of my colleague prefers multiple devices for Video and Navigation as in his opinion when driving kids get bored watching the Navi maps hence having two separate devices means his navigation works and his kids are happy at the back seat watching video at the same time.

I believe he has a valid point, but i still like clutter free dashboard hence went with All in one device.

If Navigation is the prime objective, go for a dedicated device, especially if you are a traveler. Garmin with Mapmyindia maps works best for India. Even if you switch cars you can have the navigator moved around easily.

If you like to have Navigation also among other things then go for the double din setup. These units try to combine all the features together and often Navigation function may be lacking in terms of usability. However, there are high end systems that have good Nav feature, e.g. Blaupunkt, but the issue is with the Maps, which is the prime component that needs to be updated frequently.

With a built-in unit you are at their mercy with regards to the maps - source and updates. Seems that many are from map-my-India. On the other hand a dedicated unit is one where you choose the unit as well as the map provider.

However, with the Global trend we will see more and more built-in systems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjumrani (Post 2771051)

When it comes to SQ, I would rate Pioneer above any other brand, its latest touch unit, 8490BT is pretty good in everything, can't say the same for other units like (1/2/3/4)490 due to their screen resolution. Do not that most touch screen units get washed out due to the sunlight.

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Agree on the Pioneer, just installed 4490BT and sound quality is far better than what I had in Blaupunkt. Blaupunkt as a bundle had everything but not the SQ. Hence i decided let the HU do what it can do best i.e. SQ and for navigation we have enough software in mobile which can guide us. I had Blaupunkt NY800 and i was not at all happy with the system hence exchaged to Pioneer 8490BT. I will say go for seperate navigation system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aditya@pune (Post 2771556)

Agree on the Pioneer, just installed 4490BT and sound quality is far better than what I had in Blaupunkt. Blaupunkt as a bundle had everything but not the SQ. Hence i decided let the HU do what it can do best i.e. SQ and for navigation we have enough software in mobile which can guide us. I had Blaupunkt NY800 and i was not at all happy with the system hence exchaged to Pioneer 8490BT. I will say go for seperate navigation system.

which one is it 4490BT or 8490BT.

I think one major aspect that i was thinking today, is that if you have a separate portable unit you can use between cars if you have multiple cars.

An add-on device like Garmin also gives you the facility to use it also when you are not driving.

I used mine a lot when travelling on Greyhound buses in the US. I could ring my host and tell him that I was likely to reach the pickup point in xx number of minutes, and also tell him precisely where I was at the moment.

Even when we visited Munnar and Kodai via a private provider last year, I could search for ATMs and restaurants nearby, and also predict the hairpin curves on the ghat roads.

Edit: I forgot to mention that if I travel to UK or any other country, I can easily buy a local map on an SD card and use my Garmin, instead of paying lots of extra money to the car rental agency for a GPS device.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirAlec (Post 2772258)

which one is it 4490BT or 8490BT.

I think one major aspect that i was thinking today, is that if you have a separate portable unit you can use between cars if you have multiple cars.

Oops sorry its 4490BT. 8490BT having SD card support, its missing in 4490 BT but its ok as we have USB/IPOD ready in 4490BT. I will suggest listen to 4490BT and take one seperate device for Navigation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirAlec (Post 2772258)

which one is it 4490BT or 8490BT.

I think one major aspect that i was thinking today, is that if you have a separate portable unit you can use between cars if you have multiple cars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aditya@pune (Post 2772276)

8490BT is for 27000 in the market. Considering the price of 4490BT which is just a few ks less (I think 5k), 8490BT is a much better option.

@SirAlec Go to pioneer EU website. Check 8400BT and 4400BT. They are the same models with different names. Plus the details are more and manual can also be downloaded over there.

(Links are from Pioneer EU)

OT: Pioneer India's website is pathetic.

Off the top of my head, a few reasons I support 8490BT,

I owned 4490BT before I exchanged it for 8490BT in less than 2 weeks
Removable front plate
2 Dual USB support. (I have one for USB pen drives another for iPhone)
SD Card support
More pixels on the screen. Very evident
Perfect if you have iPhone, though I think it has been launched for android too (It supports google maps, calender, etc through AppRadio)
If you listen to music which is not trance, you can use MixTrax which is pretty neat in remixing the music. There are 2 ways to that, check the website for more details

Quote:

Originally Posted by v&v (Post 2774691)

I would choose option 3. IMO if one has multiple car then it will need to be installed on all. Also OTA updates for maps will be problem.

I agree. I too feel that Option 3 would work best. It's best to let a device specialise in one function . As the saying goes - " Jack of All Trades, Master of None". I guess This applies to the devices too. The point about multiple cars is also apt. If one has a sedan/SUV which is used for inter city and weekend trips and also a hatch for city runabout - an independant unit gives one the flexibility to use it in any of the two.

In my opinion a stand alone device is always better than the in dash mounted system the reason being most of the car manufacturers are offering pre installed music systems with the cars as a standard fitment.

So we would have already paid for the streo to the manufacturer and even road tax for that cost which is 20% in Karnataka. Most of the manufacturers are offering decent to good to great music systems with their cars. Further if anyone needs an upgrade one can always upgrade speakers, install amplifiers and so on.

Moreover there is always the warranty issue if we change the OEM stereo and we need to dispose it off, that is sell it to someone and its very difficult. Then when we sell our car we wont get the price of the new and expensive unit and if one changes his cars every 2-3 years its a big waste.

So the best option is to buy a good stand alone GPS navigator and mount it on the front windsheild and use it. I hope we can also connect the reverse camera to the stand alone unit also. So let the music system be as the car manufacturer put it.

The only option that we can try if we need to have an in dash navigation is if the new system dealer is going to buy back the OEM system and adjust its price with the new touch screen in dash navitainment system. I doubt if any dealer will be willing to do that. So lets have a good stand alone navigation system and take it away when we sell the car and use it in our new car.

With integrated systems:

- How does one transfer routes/waypoints which he/she must have planned on a PC?
- How does one transfer logs obtained from the drive back to the PC for analysis?
- How easy it is to update maps?

Since the above things can be easily handled in a standalone GPS, I prefer them.