Pioneer AVIC-Z2 In Dash Navigation System

Comments:
Took 'delivery' in Feb 2008 but rest of the car wasn't ready so I left it at the shop (350 miles away). Took 'delivery' in March 2008 but although wide open throttle response was great the car was basically undrivable - back to R2B2 Atlanta. Took delivery in June 20th, 2008 - car was very driveable but AVIC-Z2 seemed flaky - wouldn't always boot up - dealer thought it might be due to the high temp soak throughout the day. Two days later it went belly-up for good - just a "System booting..." message - no stereo, no nav. I called Pioneer and they told me that my dealer R2B2 isn't an authorized dealer ("You should have checked the Pioneer website") so my warranty is kaput too.

Comments:
I purchased the Z2 first and foremost because it's a navigation system with hands free voice command capability, BUT in the navigation and voice command departments the Z2 is very disappointing.
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<br><br><br><br>Unfortunately Pioneer mapping and routing is very inferior to mapping and routing used by Garmin and Magellan.
<br><br><br><br>Routing is very unreliable and definitely needs to be verified before venturing out. In one case it took me on a 41mi detour adding an hour to a 2.5 hr. drive.
<br><br><br><br>Mapping is good in populated areas but lacks detail in less populated areas.
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<br><br><br><br>Voice commands simply don't work no matter who speaks into the mike. When you say: "Hillcrest" for instance, it repeats some (any) other 2 syllable word which doesn't even sound similar. The only command it reliably understands is "Return home".
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<br><br><br><br>The size of the screen is optimized fully for what fits into a DIN 2 opening; But there is a lot of glare picked up by this screen and coupled with the lack of contrast in the mapping it often makes viewing, while driving, a real challenge.
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<br><br><br><br>Mapping detail disappears prematurely when zooming out wider than 200meters (600ft). Street names are infrequent even when zoomed in.
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<br><br><br><br>Although it has a great 30gig hard drive for also storing music, it will not store MP3 music. It does have built in Gracenote software to display most music titles and artist names.
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<br><br><br><br>The Amplifier section with 4x50 watts output should satisfy just about anyone other than the fanatics. Sound and balance controls are very good.
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<br><br><br><br>Blue tooth capabilities are appreciated but not functioning with every device.
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<br><br><br><br>The iPod interface is very acceptable and considering that the HDD doesn’t store MP3s, it at least provides this alternative.
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Comments:
Although the AVIC-Z2 came highly recommended (by our salesman), the system has been TOTALLY disappointing. The system was installed in our vehicle in June 2007 and we have already had the unit replaced 3 times. Currently, the unit permanently reads "unreadable disk error" and will play neither CDs nor DVDs, so we now have a $2,000 AM/FM radio and in-dash NAV system. Although our installer has been very helpful (and patient) with our many calls for assistance, Pioneer has not. When we finally called Pioneer to voice our displeasure with the Z2, we were told there was no lemon law for electronics and that they would be happy to send us yet another unit (which we have to pay to remove, ship and re-install at over $100 a pop since we have now moved away from the location where the unit was installed). It seems that Pioneer may have rushed this one to market without properly testing the product. We would suggest looking elsewhere for a CD/DVD/NAV combination system (either that or purchase yourself a very good warranty!).

Comments:
alaTest has collected and analysed 104 reviews of Pioneer AVIC-Z2 In Dash Navigation System from international magazines and websites....