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I just recently had an Alpine ILX-007 installed by Crutchfield in Harrisonburg, VA. I have an 05 (130K) without nav, and I decided to keep the car for at least another 4-5 years.
I had a Parrot MKi 9000 installed for several years, and it was terrific for streaming and for voice, but I wanted to add navigation and a backup camera to the car. After a lot of research, I came to the conclusion that Apple's Carplay was my best option. There are similar units that support Android Auto as well, but I have an iPhone 6 and the Alpine only supports iOS.
Overall, I 'm really happy I put it in. I wish the screen had better contrast during the day - it get's pretty washed out in direct sunlight. The sound quality is an order of magnitude above the base radio - and I liked the Pioneer. L/R separation is quite defined and the music sounds far more detailed and nuanced.
Navigation works well, voice prompts are clear - it's an oversized version of Apple Maps. Not Google awesome, but it's getting there.
Siri integration is really good - better than the actual phone's implementation I believe. I've initiated texts, destinations and calls purely by voice. It's smooth and reliable, and I don't think I could go back to a vehicle that din't have this level of voice integration.
The Alpine works on a hard connection, no bluetooth. Other manufacturer's offer bluetooth but they either have wonky interfaces, smaller screens (the Alpine's is 7 inches) or other shortcomings for me. Bluetooth capability for this unit maybe available as an update, but as it goes now, I don't miss it.
The dash kit is by Metra. It's looks reasonable, but I'm still not totally used to it. There is another one made by Beat Sonic, along with the factory harness (purchased this) they also sell. Their dash kit looked a bit too swoopy to me, so I opted for the Metra's cleaner lines. I'm wondering if Beat Sonic's does a better job at preventing glare. Sigh...
The backup camera works well (low dollar Clarion), and the Alpine's display offers guides and traffic cones.
For those looking to add some modern tech to their cars, this is really nice option.
The quality of the radio is quite good, the Metra kit is another story. The color match is very close, but the edges - especially on top are a bit jagged. I wish I'd seen it before it was installed. I could have sanded it or tried to see if another one was smoother. You can't see it from the pics, but in the driver's seat you can observe a slightly ragged edge where the kit meets the underside of the dash. First world problems.
The sound quality is stellar - much more detailed and punchy than the base Pioneer. The screen resolution is good, but it's not Retina good. The scrolling works well and system is reasonably snappy. FM reception is good too - and it shows all available station data: genre, song, artist, etc.
Looks great man. I have a 6 plus too and I looked at the same units. Their nice but expensive. Much easier to do this if have don't have the ML sound system.
Sounds like a win! Seems like a "must do" mod for anyone without factory GPS and NAV.
This even seems better than the factory NAV. But IMO, not worth it to switch out the factory NAV. But a really good option for those who are looking for an upgrade and don't have factory NAV.
Now, to an important question.. if you would like to answer of course; how much did this setup end up costing?
It wasn't cheap. When it was all said an done, the radio, harness, backup camera and installation came to around $1100.
The CD player was removed as well, and the Metra kit has a nice utility pocket that occupies that space now.
I rationalized it by amortizing the cost over the next 4 years, and what it would have likely cost me as a stand alone option on most other cars. My wife, well, she thinks it's was pricey.
I installed one of those in my wifes Nissan Altima. Its a nice deck and well made (its one of the few Alpine HU that are still made in Japan Works great with Iphone and only Iphone. There is no Bluetooth built into the unit. Also all the advanced features and tuning are built into the Tune-It app and not accessible from the deck directly. So if your phone is not connected no used of a lot of the features One nice thing about the install is its only about 1/2 the depth of a normal DDin unit with mech system.
10-08-15, 10:17 AM
Apple Carplay / Alpine Install / 2005
Works great with Iphone and only Iphone. There is no Bluetooth built into the unit. Also all the advanced features and tuning are built into the Tune-It app and not accessible from the deck directly. So if your phone is not connected no used of a lot of the features 
One nice thing about the install is its only about 1/2 the depth of a normal DDin unit with mech system.
