I read somewhere on this forum that the premium sound system displays album and track info for an iPod whereas the base system doesn't but then I also read somewhere else that the base system in fact does show the text information. I ordered my car with the premium sound system, so it doesn't make a difference to me now, but what exactly does the premium sound system have, other than:

a) connectors for aftermarket subwoofer, etc.
b) short videos or wallpapers

Was it really worth getting the premium system?

 

3-line display is what sold me. Was it worth $400? Probably not, but too late now. I can probably downgrade down the line, but so far it works great and makes iPod navigation easier.

 

So the premium sound system has a 3-line display but the base system has just a single line? That would be worth the extra money for me. :-)

 

Yes, you can see 3 lines in iPod menus and can see 3 pieces of info about the current playing song at the same time (artist/title/time for example).

Animations are kinda fun, too, but I have them turned off most of the time (use the "matrix/rain" one from time to time since it's least annoying).

 

also, i love the custom movie/image feature on the HU. Then also the ability to change from orange to blue

 

If the title of the song is long, does it scroll on the premium head unit?

The guy that I bought my car from didn't know much about the upgradable unit so it didn't sound that good to me at the time. Now however, if it does scroll the text it might've been worth it. But there was one thing that bothered me when I played around with one in the xB: the hole around the volume **** is restrictive even to my small fingers.

Any idea of the navigation unit is like a step higher than the premium unit? Might be worth saving the money to get the navi unit.

 

the navi unit was on my top list at first, but i realized that i can buy a comparable one (good namebrand, great reviews, same functions) at crutchfield.com for literally half the price, which leaves another 1,000 saved. not that the unit on the scions is bad, its just very expensive.

 

Oh yea I know its expensive and I know there are others out there but I haven't bothered looking yet What's the unit you were looking at?

 

there are a few around the same price range, all with plenty of features. i actually stumbled over a Dual unit. for around 700. the brand isnt very good, but the reviews on the unit were excellent no matter where i looked.

 

The most popular double DIN unit for nav is the Pioneer AVIC-D3. It's below a grand and does everything most people need it to do. Crutchfield seems to offer the best deals on this unit. Not because of price but they usually throw in an extra, like a satellite turner or iPod interface. If you want nav or DVD, this is a good way to go.

 

Not sure how much of a software difference there is between D2 and D3, but D2 sucked as a navigation unit. It looked pretty and had nice detailed intersection maps, but when it came to actual use for finding places and ways to get there I was very unhappy. From showing closest circuit city 250 miles away to making it almost impossible to find a street unless you type in exact house number the D2 just had to go. I'm sticking with tiny Garmin Nuvi units from now on - portable, runs on batteries, has great bluetooth integration - all that for $350 and does not attract thieves like most in-dash nav units.

So there. Until I drive a car with Scion Navi in real world situations (not just sit in the parking lot and play with it), I wouldn't be spending $2K on the unit.