In the days before navigation, planning a long trip with multiple stops was a taxing proposition. You could do it, but you haf to study maps, plot courses, make phone calls to see about places along the way where you could sleep, eat, and visit little tourist sites to break up the monotony of driving. Then, you'd still wind up lost because of a missed sign or turn. Try getting your folded map to re-route for you.
When you think of how tedious and frustrating getting around was with printed maps (and asking for directions from ignorant locals), any nav system is a huge improvement. We've used some fairly simple systems. Even those are better than the old analog way. But the three units we're looking at in this comparison are some of the best aftermarket GPS navigation systems you can buy. Pioneer's AVIC-N1 has a flip-out monitor and has a touchscreen unit. Eclipse's AVN2454 is a double-DIN unit that is perfect for a vehicle with the dash space. And the Alpine is a stand-alone unit without as many features but offers great performance.
We set up criterion based on what we as consumers look for most in a nav product. Our purpose was to evaluate the systems against those criterion and one another. We looked at: ease of use, ergonomics, guidance routing/re-routing speed, visual guidance lead-time, graphic features and usability, as well as the add-on features of each.
With only a few exceptions, the systems from each of the companies functioned almost flawlessly. We entered addresses in various ways: by address, intersection, point of interest and phone number. There was some discrepancy between the three in terms of routing and accuracy of mapping, but basically everyone got to the destination without the mental hassle of searching out street signs or stopping at a gas station for help.
The three systems are truly comparable and picking one over the other is as difficult as finding your way through an unfamiliar state without the aid of navigation technology. But we did anyway. Read on to find out why we liked a particular product best.
Pioneer AVIC-N1 MSRP: $2,200"Maybe we should have called it the All-N1." That's how Pioneer's ad reads for the AVIC-N1. After evaluating the unit, we have to agree. The AVIC-N1 uses a standard DIN-size chassis that incorporates a fully motorized, 6.5-inch touchscreen monitor and AM/FM tuner. It even plays DVDs, CDs and MP3s. A small hideaway unit connects to the display unit via a 30-pin umbilical cord. While we are not sure of its complete contents, we do know it contains a gyro and electronic compass for features found in the Vehicle Dynamics Display. Pioneer also offers accessories for the AVIC-N1 such as a CD-VC1 voice recognition kit, CD-RV1 rear seat mini-remote, ND-BC1 rear-view camera and a satellite-fed GEX-P910XM XM Radio receiver.
Two Tele Atlas map DVDs are provided with the system, covering the USA and parts of Canada, separated into east and west. The discs are broken down into areas the user selects based on his destination or current location. Once selected, the user can enter the Navi Menu and choose from eight options to locate his destination. Selections include: address search, return home, go to, vicinity search, address book, telephone search, freeway search and over 12 million points of interest. A quick trip to the Settings and Route Options menus gives the user several ways to customize his navigation route and information display depending on his preferences. Some examples are designating areas to avoid, choosing fastest or shortest routes, avoiding freeways and toll roads, language selection, KM/Mile setting and average speed adjustments (to better calculate your ETA, just to name a few). Additionally, Pioneer included Connection Status in the menu to check that the navigation unit is installed in the vehicle correctly-a nice touch, indeed.