im kinda stuck on whether or not i should get the NAV, every car that i've owned, i always upgrade to an aftermarket stereo setup... not sure if i want to do this with the is350... how is the stock system in these cars anyway?

And i would very much like to have the NAV system, how is it compared to the ones in the g35 coupes? is it a 3d NAV System? and also can you play dvd movies on it?

 

I was looking to get an FX a year ago. The Infiniti nav was the reason I DIDN'T buy the FX. The text was very hard to read, especially the orange text on the maps.

 

i see, is there any good screenshots or demos of the is350's NAV system? ive seen pics, but those werent enough... heh, i know some cool features of it are the rear camera and stuff, but anything else i should know of?

 

HEre is my opinion:

I paid my way through college in 1989-1992 here in Arizona (Home of Rockford, Precision Power, Xtant, Orion, etc) doing very high end $3,000 - $100,000 systems. When I tell you that I am experienced and know sound quality, I am not exaggerating. I am still a certified IASCA judge in fact. Enough with background, now some input:

I have the IS350 with the upgraded Mark Levinson and NAVI set up. This system has 300 watts standard with a good attempt at a sub system. The speakers are positioned well to get some decent imaging if you turn the DSP off. With DSP on, the DVD movies sound very good. I would say this car is set up for DVD movies more than for a true audiophile like myself. However, the staging and imaging is not bad. Could I do much better aftermarket, absolutely, but in my opinion it is not worth the extra cost and time. I think you could add a better sub enclosure in the trunk with something like a JL Audio amp and the JL Audio W7 10" sub and have a nice improvement. Changing out the NAVI and everything is crazy since I feel it is the BEST NAV on the market today. This is Lexus's G5 navigation system and is ONLY available in the new IS series. Future models will also get this version. I compard it to Mercedes, BMW, Acura and Infiniti and Lexus is the BEST! If you don't buy the NAVI & ML set-up then I would probably upgrade the system.

As far as the questions about the factory location, I would go to a true high end shop that has custom experience. If I were doing your system, I would fabricate a metal bracket and faceplate to have powder coated to match and then install the head unit of my choice. Any after market kit to help fill the area will look bad - period!! Only a custom metal design will look factory or better.

Again, these are just my opinions and I hope they helped you. Good Luck whatever you do!