Is the Z1/Z2 right for me?

[shacall]

Fenton,

I spent my first 25 years in AZ, and still have all my family there. Because of this, I'm in the south east valley quite often. I'm curious to hear from others as well, how updated the maps are. Maricopa county has been the fastest growing county in the U.S. for many years now.

 

I've heard that their maps are a little more updated than the Eclipse maps are. I believe the map data for Eclipse is still from 2004. Not sure on the Pioneer.

[djmixmac]

I have had a great experience with the Z1's routing.

 

 

I tried to replicate the "problems" others are apparently having with the z1 routing but couldn't get it.

 

 

It does a good job and picks the correct routing for me.

[namasaki]

Personally, I don't like the slide out flip up screen of the N3. It seems flimsy to me. Just imagine how it will shake with every bump in the road.

If you have room for a double din unit then the D3, Z1 or Z2 is the best way to go. The Z1 came out in 2006 and the Z2 in 2007 and their database is at least up to 2005.

Compare nav specs at on these at http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v ... sComponent

 

You will see that the Z1 and Z2 have 5gb more nav data than the N3.

N3 has 271 poi catagories

Z1/Z2 have 341

N3 has 23 detailed city maps

Z1/Z2 have 60 detailed city maps

The Z2 has 1 million more poi's than the Z1 or N3

When you compare all the specs and features the Z1/Z2 are much better unit than the N3 and you won't need a cd changer.

[Fenton]

I think i am sold on the Z1. I just wish there was someone local to phoenix that could vouch for the accuracy of the nav data in relation to phoenix metro area...

 

Still, even if the map data is a little out of date the z1 seems to be the all around best choice. I was also looking at one of the g4 infill pc's but there is very little user experience documented on the web in regards to this unit, and they are a bit spendy.

 

thx everyone!

[shacall]

Well...I've flipped my decision once again. I'm back on a Z1/Z2 kick, especially after all your feedback and also talking with an owner of one. I think if I use common sense and use the system more as a helpful driving aide, I'll be fine.

 

I also went down to Circuit City and played around with the Z2 and Eclipse 6610. The Z2 was MUCH more intuitive to me. Just a simple POI category search was easier on the Z2. So...for now, I'm planning to get the Z1/Z2. Hopefully, by the time I purchase one in a few months, there will be a bypass available for the Z2.

 

Thanks everyone for your input!