Head units... which way to go?

Submitted: Thursday, Sep 15, 2011 at 09:45

ThreadID: 89030 Views:8645 Replies:4 FollowUps:1

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Member - Tony H (touring oz)

Hi all,
Currently fitting out the new tug a VX 200 series TTD (nicest vehicle I have ever owned)
On my last 200 I had an Eclipse AVN726EA this was a good unit that did pretty well everything I wanted it to do except it didnt have Hema mapping.
There is a new verion of the AVN out now the AVN827GA just got home from looking at it at the radio shop very fancy nearly need a degree in electronics to operate it still doesnt have Hema mapping but it does have selected offroad tracks installed on it (bet the track you need isnt on it).
The only head unit that I'm aware of that has Hema mapping is the VMS unit (correct me if I'm wrong) but I fell this unit is over priced & not user friendly (feedback please from those who have one).
I also looked at a Pioneer 930BT head unit it has no off road mapping but appears to be fairly easy to navigate in operation & should be about $500 cheaper than the AVN827GA.
The Hema mapping feature would be nice ....but then we can always use the Hema maps in the "Camps" book!!
I look forward to input from those who have upgraded their headunits & would appreciate hearing about your selection & why.
If you were to go out & purchase another unit tomorrow would you buy the same again or would you buy xyz with these missing features???
Of course I need a unit that can handle two cameras & be able to have the caravan camera on while towing & still be able to use the audio.

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Reply By: andoland - Thursday, Sep 15, 2011 at 11:35

Thursday, Sep 15, 2011 at 11:35

There is an Australian company called Dig Options who sell this type of head unti. The premium units (they have several varieties) come with oziexplorer loaded with Hema maps as well as turn-by-turn street mapping. Cost is about $1300. I bought and fitted one to my 150 series Prado and am happy with it. I did a 10,500km trip this year including the canning stock route and it did not miss a beat.

These guys have an e-bay shop which is the only way you can buy from them but the owner Matt is very helpful.

http://stores.ebay.com.au/DIG-Options

I haven't used any other unit so can't really compare but I did look at several other brands at the time and what sold me on this one was that it came with oziexplorer and hema maps already loaded and ready to use. You can do this with others but it is fiddly.

What I don't like about the unit is the poor radio reception but I think that has more to do with the aerial on my vehicle as I have not heard others complaining about it. Also make sure you ask for a class 10 SD card for the mapping to ensure you get a good quality one.

AnswerID: 465071

Reply By: Member - Captain (WA) - Thursday, Sep 15, 2011 at 13:57

Thursday, Sep 15, 2011 at 13:57

Hi Tony,

In my 200 I have the Polaris unit running Oziexplorer and Igo8 (street navigation) as well as dual cameras, Ipod player, DVD, bluetooth etc... It has served me well and while I am happy with it, I would go the Brash Imports version if I was to replace it. Basically its a very similair unit, but half the price (~$700 incl camera, rear sensors and Ozi explore) and runs the Igo8 street nav, the best IMHO. I have had Garmin, TomToms, Sygic and Route 66 street navigation programs and the Igo8 is better than all of them IMHO.

The more fancy AVN / Pioneer units probably have a marginally better screen resolution, but being able to run Ozi is far more important than having a screen resolution only 95% as good as a Pioneer for me.

I did look at the VMS units but recent threads on LCOOL have been less than complemetary and they are way overpriced for a chinese unit compared to the Brash version.

Cheers

Captain

AnswerID: 465080

Reply By: TerraFirma - Thursday, Sep 15, 2011 at 17:19

Thursday, Sep 15, 2011 at 17:19

You could always go a mobile device for your mapping, Ipad or Google Android device, the maps are available, GPS integrated etc etc. The advantage of mobile is sitting in your lounge browsing the maps before your trip. $600-700 plus your mapping solution, the head unit can stay the way it is.

AnswerID: 465105