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I bought my new car knowing I will save a couple grand getting an after market in-dash sat-nav. I’ve been driving with the JVC unit for about a month, and wanted to make sure I got a lot of field use before writing a review. I agree with a lot of the reviewers and will try to add some more input for those on the fence. This is my first in-dash sat nav, so I have no basis of comparison.

Reasons for buying:
Economical – compared to the Kenwood with the Garmin interface and bluetooth option, this was a steal.
Detachable Faceplate – This was the primary reason.. faceplate springs out, and clicks back in with a sense of durability. It does come with a pouch, although does look like a womens clutch when carried. You will need to ask your woman to carry this around.
Bluetooth – Works beautifully, syncs automatically. Audio was surprisingly loud.. If you are an audiophile, you’ll just connect it via front facing USB.
HD Radio – works as advertised, works even better near major cities.. radio stations that transmit HD have multiple stations..
Traffic Updates – wow, was very skeptical on this but was amazed when it diverted me to exit off a highyway to avoid 20 min worth of traffic. You can set it to manual (GPS will prompt to reroute after giving a heads up on traffic on your route), automatic, or you can just turn the feature off.

For people that use their iPhones, the syncing is seamless. I’ve been using this head unit with the iPhone4, and have only minor complaints. I use bluetooth music streaming majority of the time, considering the front USB is kind of an eye sore. (Poor aesthetic choice, but that’s personal preference and minor really) None are real deal breakers. These are breakdown of the good and the bad
- id3 tags are not transmitted via bluetooth, only wired USB connection only (ie album art, artist info, song name, etc)
- downloads your phonebook, recent incoming and outgoing calls for faster dials
- voice commands works with Mic
- video does not display on head unit – audio only (if someone has figured this out, please let me know)
- Incoming voice calls automatically mutes music and displays caller info on the screen (Only calls, not text messages)
- one button for fast swapping for speakerphone or if you want to use the phone for calls

*make sure you don’t have the maps app running in background when using the gps, it will interfere with the signal. (sounds like common sense, but you forget what apps are running)

Out of the box, it does everything beautifully. The installer was able to bypass the parking brake for in driving DVD viewing. This wasn’t important to me, but changing destinations while driving is. I have the steering wheel kit installed, and only 4 out the 6 buttons work. Volumes up and down, Tuning radio stations up and down, are the only functioning buttons. The mute, and the source button no longer has functionality.

Another thing I’d like to add is the POI’s (points of interest). When using it to find the local fed ex store, the closest location it routed me was 176 miles away. It bypassed the local ones I’ve known to exist for several years. I quickly researched on how to add POI’s to the head unit. The JVC website has specialized software to download POI’s and load them to the head unit. The only thing is the software is only compatible for window users only. Mac OSX is not supported. So for Mac users, you’re out of luck until they release a compatible version.

Wrap up
All around impressed on the interfaces ease of usability. No learning curve required. You can turn off the speed alerts and adjust it to 20 MPH above speed limit. Those alerts are handy on long road trips, but are quite annoying on everyday driving. The screen isn’t as vivid as others, but still nice. The bluetooth functionality is definitely one of the best features.

I will add more to this review as I find more things about it. But if you know how to fix the things I’ve complained about, please let me know. And if you are on the fence about buying this, just know you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you don’t have to worry about theft as much. Any questions regarding this unit, let me know.

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