Until October 1, we can get a free Pioneer S1 handheld Nav with a D2 purchase. These S2 units are going on E-bay now for about $250 - $300+ Assuming you are purchasing from an authorized seller, this means the D2 can be had for a net cost of around $900.00 or less, where the Z1 is going to run $1500.00 and up.


Synopisis of what I have found:

Z1 = HDD is not nearly the plus I had hoped it would be, as you cannot store MP3' or WMA's on it. I dont own an Ipod, seems wrong to have to buy one just to use MP3's with Z1. I hear the Ipod interface is frustrating to use to find music. On the other handm the HDD can in some way, offset the loss of a CD changer in a factroy unit.
Z1 = Bluetooth is a plus, but address book transfer is a pain. Will not pair with anything but a phone.
Z1 = has text to sppech, will announe names of upcoming roads.


D2 = No DVD playback, but there is already DVD player in our vehicle for the kids.
D2 = No bluetooth, No voice control, No text to speech.
D2 = Has dedicated disk drive for map data.


Comments? Have I missed somthing? Is the DVD, Bluetooth, HDD, Voice and ½ in larger screen worth the $600.00?

It wasn't for me.

I went with the D2 because for me it was an $800 difference because I also got a $200 rebate on the install.

I did like that the Z1 has text to speech, but I figured I could live without it, and so far it hasnt proved to be that bad without it.

I would rather have the Z1 of course, but for me, the difference was $930 (assuming Z1 price of $1500) since I bought my D1 used and upgraded it to a D2 for the price of a dual layer DVD-R. I didn't think it was worth the price difference. If the Z1 had a street price of just under $1000, then it might have been a different story.

I didn't know about the text-to-speech feature, that's pretty cool. The only other feature I really wanted on the Z1 is the enhanced iPod interface. I really didn't care about the ability to play DVD's or ripping CD's to HDD. DVD playback is a neat "gee whiz" feature I'd try out once, but never use. As an iPod user, ripping CD's to HDD's is useless. Being HDD-based is nice, but not really of any functional benefit. 7" screen I really don't care about. Since the resolution is the same, I think the 6.5" screen might actually look sharper.

I've got both. I upgraded to the Z1 and was initially disappointed. My Treo 700 won't really pair with it, & ripping to the HDD is a pain in the butt. There's STILL no mute button. AND there's no auto screen dimmer like the D1, so it adjusts the screen to the ambient light conditions (a really nice touch)
It's grown on me, though. The iPOD interface is nice. Still too slow, but better than the D1's. The screen is noticably larger. If you think you won't notice it, you're kidding yourself. It's sleeker looking, & the mapping, street pronunciation & adaptive learning are all nice features. I don't use the voice prompts often, but I can see how they'd be handy.
Bottom line: There's a big difference in price. If you don't really think you're going to use the features of the Z1 often, or miss them if you don't have them, get the D2. I work on a military base, where you can't hold a phone to your head, OR cover an ear with a hands-free device, SO, the bluetooth capability is a must for me.

I find the HDD to be really valuable, but I am an old fart and don't want to fiddle with an ipod or mp3 player. I just burn all my disks to the HDD. The Gracenote DB recognizes most everything I put in there and finding what you want to hear is very easy.

In addition, the Navigation is easier if you do much traveling since you do not have to swap DVDs depending on where you are going to. I live in Chicago so I am on the edge of each DVD. Once you figure out the voice commands it is a lot safer than looking at the screen. I also really like the lean look of the Z1. I understand those that like the D2 since it has more manual controls which happen to look good.

Either way you win they are both great units.......Steve

I am watching closely. Thanks a lot for the comments so far! Please feel free to comment any of you.

Lee

Had not rerally counted on a dead tie... Oh well. go with the gut. Thanks for your inputs!

I voted and made your decision for :) I was in the same scenario and the way I look at it the Z1 is nice, but it wasnt worth an extra $1k. I have the D1 now and will upgrade to the Z1 when it is $500 street price :D

I had the Z-1 for a week, and ended up exchanging it for the D2. I find the D-2 alot simpler to control, plus I was not in need of DVD, Blue Tooth, or the Voice Comand. The Z-1 did look more Sleek and aftermarket, however the D-2 looks like a Factory installed unit (Which is what I was after). Cant Really tell you what would be best for you, But I know for a fact the D-2 was the right choice for me.