What do you guys think of the double-din head unit avic-d3 from pioneer. My friend is about to get one and thought it would look great in the gs300. It has a ton of great stuff. Navigation,dvd playback,ipod music and video integration, touch screen, etc.

 

negatives: smaller screen, front cd slot, i dont think you can play CD and NAVI at the same time either??? either that, or the unit has to memorize the route you enter first, then you eject the nav dvd and insert cd??? someone elaborate on this.

positives: cheap.

 

Hey chinkster, you are correct... It has only one cd slot and you cannot play music and nav at the same time . You would have to enter your destination, remove the nav cd, and insert the music cd. If you deviate from your course, you have to remove the audio cd and reinsert the nav cd so it could load up
I'm still not sure if you can play music from an external source and nav at the same time
The unit itself looks very nice, other than the smaller screen, it gives you a flushed look, making it look pretty stock.
Good bang for the buck I guess, but if you do mind having to switch cd's, which in my opinion is quite inconvenient , may I consider the D2 , which is going for pretty much the same price.
Hope this somewhat helps.
Flavio

 

Chinkster: You are absolutely right. Although the Pioneer Avic-D3 is the hottest dvd/navi unit at this time, the negative thing is the navigation is not always stand-by. You must load the navi disc in and enter your destination and wait till the unit loads in the memory, THEN u could take the disc out and insert your DVD or Mp3 or CD. That is the bad thing. The ipod interface program is available, but you still need the an adaptor to use this function. So as for the bluetooth, you need a unit ( CD-BTB100 ) to work this function. Good thing is it's really affordable, 810 shipped and you could change the color to match your interior.

 

Opps...looks like FlavesLex already said what i had to say. =D

 

Thanks guys.I think ill get it. I don't mind switching cds once in a while.

 

i think the eclipse avn is a better choice it can be more expensive but you can play music and do navi at the same time

 

maybe if you get a pioneer cd or dvd changer you can do both navi and play cd's at the same time... but that of course will cost more.

 

I have the N1 and you can play any other source with the nav disk in so I would assume that 3 years later you would be able to do the same. The unit should also come with some sort of basemap that has major roads on it. You just have to insert the DvD to get all the POIs, smaller roads, directions etc. Its not that big of a deal unless your doing a LONG road trip or something. Then changing CDs does become a bit of a pain. That said, I don't think its worth the extra coin, and having no moving parts ie faceplates etc goes a long way.

 

i say go with the eclipse!

 

go with a new but old avic N1 - great functionality and you can get them cheap now.

 

Hey Cliffud, what do you consider cheap? Haven't been able to find an N1 for less than $1400, which is almost double what the D3 goes for. Personally, I prefer to sacrifice the .9 inches less of the D3 and get that with a Pioneer 6 disc DVD/CD/MP3 player which runs about $500
and can be out in the glove compartment
It all comes down to personal taste and most importantly $$$$- If not, a lot of us would be rolling with the Eclipse unit.

 

I had an N1 in my Excursion and I had the last version of the software before they went to the GPS for establishing if the vehicle is moving. ie, it still let you watch DvDs as you drive and the old maps were just that. Old. I will stop by my buddies audio shop soon and get the scoop and see what they have changed from the older models because you might have a point there. But personally I'd rather not have the flip out if I don't have to. All those moving parts make me weiry. My N1 ate, first it was the backlight then it went bonkers from there. I did use it more than most would on a cross country loop that involved a fair amount of dirt roads with washboards too...

I have yet to play with the Eclipse but I'm pretty sold on the Pioneer interface. My suggestion is to go to a shop that sells both and see which interface you like better.

 

What about the six cd changer in the glove compartment of the gs? Can i somehow wire things together so that ill be capable of doing navi and cds? Will installing the d-3 or anyother unit make thing the 6-cd changer a useless part of my car?

 

flaveslex - the n1 came out a couple of years ago - you can pick them up nowadays for $700 easily.