Prospective Buyer of the AVIC-Z140BH

[Altima]

Good Day,

Looking to replace the head unit in my'09 Altima. Nothing wrong with it, I just want nav that isnt mounted to my dash/windshield or reliant on my cell phone reception.

 

I have come to the point where i am trying to make a decision between two close competitors. The Z140 and Alpine's S920.This is where I would like your help.....or anyone's help.

 

For those of you with the Avic units:

 

1. I have seen some gripes on this forum and i am sure there are many more that i havent seen. Have any of these made you want to return the unit, or have they been mere inconveniences.

 

2. Lack of tactile buttons. It appears the AVIC has some touch sensitive buttons on the bottom. How do these compare to "real buttons" such as those on the alpine. I realise this is a subjective question, respond anyway...if you want.

 

3. Use of the touch screen: do you find yourself selecting items when you intend to scroll? AKA, how responsive/accurate is the screen in your opinion.

 

4. Effectiveness of the Navigation: is it accurate? I know they recently switched to Navtev this year.

 

5. Would you be willing to write an actual review for this product? pros/cons. the unit is fairly new so i am having trouble finding people's unbiased reviews. Unfortunately it is usually those who are unhappy who post comments/reviews.

 

Any one has experience with Alpine? if so, which manufacturer have you had a better experience with.

 

And finally: anyone know of a site similar to this one that would provide some information on the Alpine?

 

Thank you so much for reading this, and even more if you decide to respond to my rambing questions.

 

Peace.

[Grimlock]

I put up a review on Amazon a while back. Of course, a lot of the reviews on Amazon don't seem to know what they are talking about. Complaining that the Z140 doesn't come with a traffic tuner (it does), claiming you need to pay $300 for accessories, etc. It is a good unit, good touch screen (better than the 940), sounds great, the nav works great for me, etc. It is a bit slow to start up, but other than that it works great for me. I especially like that I can do a search on my iPhone for an address and it will be added directly to nav.

[canepades]

1. Nothing has made me want to return it yet... just accesorize with it. 2. I'm not sure what you mean by the touch sensitive buttons; my unit has disticnt ridges for the individula buttons, similar to the motorola RAZR (flip phone) when it first came out. All the bottons were on one aluminum sheet. 3. I just finally got it set up today that I actually got to scroll something... seems to have worked very well. 4. Navigation seems to work eons better than the Z2 that I upgraded from. sends me the way I actually would drive to a place rather then some huge re-route. 5. Im no journalist etc. so I'd have to decline. I don't have any experience with alpine units...... After re-reading this I'm sure this hasn't helped at all... good luck though.

[Altima]

I put up a review on Amazon a while back. Of course, a lot of the reviews on Amazon don't seem to know what they are talking about. Complaining that the Z140 doesn't come with a traffic tuner (it does), claiming you need to pay $300 for accessories, etc. It is a good unit, good touch screen (better than the 940), sounds great, the nav works great for me, etc. It is a bit slow to start up, but other than that it works great for me. I especially like that I can do a search on my iPhone for an address and it will be added directly to nav.

1. Nothing has made me want to return it yet... just accesorize with it. 2. I'm not sure what you mean by the touch sensitive buttons; my unit has disticnt ridges for the individula buttons, similar to the motorola RAZR (flip phone) when it first came out. All the bottons were on one aluminum sheet. 3. I just finally got it set up today that I actually got to scroll something... seems to have worked very well. 4. Navigation seems to work eons better than the Z2 that I upgraded from. sends me the way I actually would drive to a place rather then some huge re-route. 5. Im no journalist etc. so I'd have to decline. I don't have any experience with alpine units...... After re-reading this I'm sure this hasn't helped at all... good luck though.

 

Thank you both for your responses.

Canepades: no worries man, you gave me what i wanted in regards to your experience. Appreciate you actually answering my long ass post.

Grimlock: how much did you pay in accessories to get it to work as you wanted with your cars.

 

And also, did you install yourselves or go to a shop?