Entered CNET Catalog: 04/22/2005
SKU: AVICN2
Manufacturer: Pioneer North America
Manufacturer description
Pioneer's AVIC-N2 further improves your driving experience with a multitude of advanced features. The unit keeps drivers better informed - and entertained - with detailed map information for wider area, intuitive touch panel operation, GUI with improved visibility, and CD and/or DVD playback. Additionally, the system is ready to deliver detailed traffic information for major cities in conjunction with the XM NavTraffic service and an optional XM Radio tuner. Pioneer Navigation Systems come with two DVD-ROMs containing a massive "Tele Atlas" database, which enables the units to provide the largest network of turn-by-turn routable roads. Within seconds, the system's extremely fast processor calculates multiple routes and provides directions to any destination via electronic map and voice prompts. The discs provide nearly 11 million points of interest (POI) throughout the United States and Canada, including Alaska and Hawaii. The system sorts 258 categories to make finding the nearest gas station, ATM or restaurant easy. As you're guided along your route, points of interest are overlaid onto the map as colorful, easy-to-recognize logos and icons. The Pioneer AVIC-N2 does three jobs well at the same time - it gives the driver the guidance along the route, it lets the passengers up front AM/FM or satellite radio, and it keeps the rear-seat passengers entertained with DVD movies, all simultaneously. Pioneer's Memory Navigation is an industry-first mapping technology that lets the driver access the features of both the navigation and A/V system at the same time. It's a snap to use Memory Navi. Load the map disc and set the destination to calculate the route. Then the route information is automatically stored in memory. Now you can remove the map disc to insert a CD, or load a movie DVD for rear-seat entertainment.User opinions
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User Rating: 
1/10
Piece of Junk
Pros: Looks nice
Cons: Broke 2 times in 1 year, Warranty Expired
Review:
This product is a waste of money. It broke 2 times in 1 year. The 1st time, it was fixed by the factory becasue it was still under warranty; 2nd time the warranty already expired. My 2 cents: Don't buy this faulty machine, save your money and time.
P.S. Only used this product 10 times total before it borke the 1st time and then another 5 times before it broke again. You would think that a product inthis price range would be able to handle the wear and tear of 15 total uses!
P.S. Only used this product 10 times total before it borke the 1st time and then another 5 times before it broke again. You would think that a product inthis price range would be able to handle the wear and tear of 15 total uses!
User Rating: 
4/10
An expensive "cheap" unit
Pros: all the bells and whistles you would want
Cons: cheaply made, Sirius add on is pitiful
Review:
Like others paid $2000 for this system and another $500 for professional installation on a Kia Sorrento.
After one year of service, the face controls are so flimsy (specifically the round knobs) that you oftentimes have jiggle them a bit to get it to do what you want.
We also bought the Sirius module and what a waste. You have this beautiful 7" screen and all it displays is 8 non-scrolling characters. Not sure if I can blame Pioneer for this or not.
That said, I just bought a new car with its own navigation and I have to admit that I like the Pioneer's better.
All-in-all, if it wasn't for the flimsy face it would be a pretty good product, but not sure that I would ever pay this much again for such a system.
Oh, and no recent model DVD in-dash system will play DVDs or muck with the navigation while driving so can't fault the manufacturer for that.
After one year of service, the face controls are so flimsy (specifically the round knobs) that you oftentimes have jiggle them a bit to get it to do what you want.
We also bought the Sirius module and what a waste. You have this beautiful 7" screen and all it displays is 8 non-scrolling characters. Not sure if I can blame Pioneer for this or not.
That said, I just bought a new car with its own navigation and I have to admit that I like the Pioneer's better.
All-in-all, if it wasn't for the flimsy face it would be a pretty good product, but not sure that I would ever pay this much again for such a system.
Oh, and no recent model DVD in-dash system will play DVDs or muck with the navigation while driving so can't fault the manufacturer for that.
User Rating: 4/10
If I had it to do over again...I wouldn't
Pros: Nice display and touch screen functionality, Car Stereo integration
Cons: Cost, Nightmarish Installation, Expensive map updates
Review:
I bought this unit from Bestbuy because I wanted a warranty for this $2000 unit. On a trip to Dallas Texas, the maps had the wrong exit numbers for highway 75. fortunately I have lived in Dallas in the past and knew better.
I had to take the vehicle back to best buy three(3) times to get it working correctly and then found later that they had my amp hooked up incorrectly which cost me some more $$$ to get it correctly hooked up.
The stereo sounds good, but the navigation can sometimes be iffy. Sometimes it simply does not find the address you are searching for. The unit is also connected to the parking brake. This requires that the brake be set before the DVD can be played or any navagational information can be input. I understand the DVD, but its a bummer when I have to pull off the highway to reenter data if I change my mind about my destination mid trip.
Lastly, for $2000 you'd think Pioneer would cut you some slack on the maps. The map updates are $250 a pop! This is ridiculous! I purchased a Garmin Nuvi 360 and the map updates for that unit are only $70. If I had known about the Garmin before I purchased the Pioneer, I would not buy it. I do not recommend this unit to anyone.
I had to take the vehicle back to best buy three(3) times to get it working correctly and then found later that they had my amp hooked up incorrectly which cost me some more $$$ to get it correctly hooked up.
The stereo sounds good, but the navigation can sometimes be iffy. Sometimes it simply does not find the address you are searching for. The unit is also connected to the parking brake. This requires that the brake be set before the DVD can be played or any navagational information can be input. I understand the DVD, but its a bummer when I have to pull off the highway to reenter data if I change my mind about my destination mid trip.
Lastly, for $2000 you'd think Pioneer would cut you some slack on the maps. The map updates are $250 a pop! This is ridiculous! I purchased a Garmin Nuvi 360 and the map updates for that unit are only $70. If I had known about the Garmin before I purchased the Pioneer, I would not buy it. I do not recommend this unit to anyone.
User Rating: 1/10
very disappointed for the cost! Pass on this thing.
Pros: Nice to look at.
Cons: COST, difficult installation, see below.
Review:
Con: Overly high priced!!!
Con: This unit replaces the vehicle's stereo. Look where your radio is located before buying this thing as that's where your map screen will be. Too bad if your vehicle has a data link to the radio...
Con: difficult installation. Ultimate TV in Las Vegas, Nevada wanted $450.00 to install it and they had never installed one in a chevy 7500 Kodiak truck and weren't sure they could do it correctly (we were fore-warned no refund on installation). Unit needs to be wired to the transmission speed sensor, parking brake light, and replaces the in-dash stereo and yes, you get to buy the adapters seperately
Con: must have map CD in the stereo's CD player to recalc mapping. Therefore don't expect to play your favorite tunes all the time and sometimes it needs to recalc the route about every 10 seconds. a flaw???
Con: several commands are non-available when in motion. This is a safety concern of Pioneers and not a flaw... while in motion you can't set a new stop to change the computed route.
Con: difficult to get it to make a road change to the route it always says "make a U-turn if possible" rather than recalculating to use the current road. We pull a 40 foot 5th wheeler with the Kodiak so U-turns aren't for us.
Con: can't set a highway preference. Going through the Utah Rocky Mountains it insisted that we get off I-70 and go a short distance on US 6 to save a few miles.
Pro: you can turn down the volumn of the directions.
Pro/Con: it mutes the radio when giving a turn direction so if your music is too loud you can hear the turn advice.
The Garmin is cheaper and probably better.
Con: Pioneer wants $250 for a replacement CD or a map up-grade disk.
Con: This unit replaces the vehicle's stereo. Look where your radio is located before buying this thing as that's where your map screen will be. Too bad if your vehicle has a data link to the radio...
Con: difficult installation. Ultimate TV in Las Vegas, Nevada wanted $450.00 to install it and they had never installed one in a chevy 7500 Kodiak truck and weren't sure they could do it correctly (we were fore-warned no refund on installation). Unit needs to be wired to the transmission speed sensor, parking brake light, and replaces the in-dash stereo and yes, you get to buy the adapters seperately
Con: must have map CD in the stereo's CD player to recalc mapping. Therefore don't expect to play your favorite tunes all the time and sometimes it needs to recalc the route about every 10 seconds. a flaw???
Con: several commands are non-available when in motion. This is a safety concern of Pioneers and not a flaw... while in motion you can't set a new stop to change the computed route.
Con: difficult to get it to make a road change to the route it always says "make a U-turn if possible" rather than recalculating to use the current road. We pull a 40 foot 5th wheeler with the Kodiak so U-turns aren't for us.
Con: can't set a highway preference. Going through the Utah Rocky Mountains it insisted that we get off I-70 and go a short distance on US 6 to save a few miles.
Pro: you can turn down the volumn of the directions.
Pro/Con: it mutes the radio when giving a turn direction so if your music is too loud you can hear the turn advice.
The Garmin is cheaper and probably better.
Con: Pioneer wants $250 for a replacement CD or a map up-grade disk.
User Rating: 
8/10
GREAT Unit With A Few Flaws
Pros: Great navigation system. POI's are VERY helpful in big cities
Cons: DVD's won't display on main screen while car moves, Unit is NOT XM Ready!
Review:
I bought the AVIC for one reason: I am horrible with directions in un-familliar places. I do plenty of driving to places I don't know, and without the navigation's assistance, I'd be lost. This is one big problem this unit has solved for me!
However, I also bought it because I want to be entertained while I'm on the road. I was very disapointed to find out that the DVD movies will NOT play when the parking break isn't set, and the car is moving. It has fail-safes in place to prevent you from "tricking" the system. You can set the parking break, but the gyro inside will still sense movement. There is a way to fix this...But it will void your one year limited waranty. So, I'll wait a year, then do that.
They also advertise this unit as "XM Ready!" Well let me tell you, the unit is NOT XM ready. If you want JUST XM radio, you need to drop about another $120 for an XM reciever. If you live in an area with NX Nav Traffic...Get ready to fork over a lot more than $120. That will get you the reciever with Nav Traffic. To me, this is a HUGE deception by Pioneer, and they need to be held accountable for it. A call will be placed by me shortly to them.
Now, on to the Navi features:
My only disapointment is that you CAN NOT input information while the car is moving. You can perform basic functions for the route currently programed such as re-calculating your route to find the shortest distance, or fastest way to your destination, but that is all. You can cancel the route, but unless you want to play with the parking break, you have to pull over to input new destinations. Again, this can be fixed...but the waranty will be voided....
People on CNet, and other sites have knocked the AVIC because you "can't use the navigation while you listen to a CD, or watch a DVD!" Well, that is not entirely true. You can listen to your favorite CD, or let the kids watch a DVD on one of the rear screens you have to install, but you have to pre-program the route you are going to travel into the AVIC first. Let the system calculate the route, then eject the Navi CD. From there, the system will have the route stored into it's hard drive, and allow you to zoom in or out on the map, etc. However, you cannot program a new route if you cancel the current one. You'll have to re-insert the Navi DVD to do that.
I'm still very pleased with the unit. I don't have a huge need to watch DVD's while my car is moving. That isn't a big focus for me. However, there are some times when I am transporting kids, as I coach youth sports, and it would be nice to have this feature available to me. I wouldn't write this system off, unless you don't want to spend the extra money for some display screens, etc.
However, I also bought it because I want to be entertained while I'm on the road. I was very disapointed to find out that the DVD movies will NOT play when the parking break isn't set, and the car is moving. It has fail-safes in place to prevent you from "tricking" the system. You can set the parking break, but the gyro inside will still sense movement. There is a way to fix this...But it will void your one year limited waranty. So, I'll wait a year, then do that.
They also advertise this unit as "XM Ready!" Well let me tell you, the unit is NOT XM ready. If you want JUST XM radio, you need to drop about another $120 for an XM reciever. If you live in an area with NX Nav Traffic...Get ready to fork over a lot more than $120. That will get you the reciever with Nav Traffic. To me, this is a HUGE deception by Pioneer, and they need to be held accountable for it. A call will be placed by me shortly to them.
Now, on to the Navi features:
My only disapointment is that you CAN NOT input information while the car is moving. You can perform basic functions for the route currently programed such as re-calculating your route to find the shortest distance, or fastest way to your destination, but that is all. You can cancel the route, but unless you want to play with the parking break, you have to pull over to input new destinations. Again, this can be fixed...but the waranty will be voided....
People on CNet, and other sites have knocked the AVIC because you "can't use the navigation while you listen to a CD, or watch a DVD!" Well, that is not entirely true. You can listen to your favorite CD, or let the kids watch a DVD on one of the rear screens you have to install, but you have to pre-program the route you are going to travel into the AVIC first. Let the system calculate the route, then eject the Navi CD. From there, the system will have the route stored into it's hard drive, and allow you to zoom in or out on the map, etc. However, you cannot program a new route if you cancel the current one. You'll have to re-insert the Navi DVD to do that.
I'm still very pleased with the unit. I don't have a huge need to watch DVD's while my car is moving. That isn't a big focus for me. However, there are some times when I am transporting kids, as I coach youth sports, and it would be nice to have this feature available to me. I wouldn't write this system off, unless you don't want to spend the extra money for some display screens, etc.
User Rating: 4/10
Works OK but alot of the features are not very good
Pros: has xm radio and can add a rear camera to see behind you
Cons: doesn't show the full artist or song names, takes forever to change channels or move through your ipod entries, dvd for navigation spins annoyingly very loud, ipod adapter doesnt let you fast forward
Review:
I hate that you can't see all the text of the artist or song that is playing and it doesnt scroll. As for the ipod adapter you can not fast forward through individual songs and it takes FOREVER to go alphabetically through your ipod artists (very very slow) especially bad if you have alot of music on your ipod it will take forever to scroll and not to mention you can not control your ipod with it's own controls (with ipod adapter), you have to only use the pioneer to control it.
The dvd you must keep in the unit at all times if you want the navigation to work which means you can not play any CDs at the same time as your navigation. Not to mention the spinning sound is very loud when the dvd or cd is in, sorta like a loud computer cd rom drive.
A cool thing is the camera you can buy and install in the back of your car or truck and be able to see everything behind you when you back up or are driving, in case you have filled your whole car up with stuff and cant see through the rear view mirror you can use the camera and see it in the screen.
The dvd you must keep in the unit at all times if you want the navigation to work which means you can not play any CDs at the same time as your navigation. Not to mention the spinning sound is very loud when the dvd or cd is in, sorta like a loud computer cd rom drive.
A cool thing is the camera you can buy and install in the back of your car or truck and be able to see everything behind you when you back up or are driving, in case you have filled your whole car up with stuff and cant see through the rear view mirror you can use the camera and see it in the screen.
User Rating: 
9/10
Great Unit! Automaticaly turns the back up camera on!
Pros: Navigation! DVD Player! Everything in One!
Cons: Cannot get the IPOD to work right!
Review:
This thing is great! There is a place you have to solder in order to watch tv and drive but it works!
User Rating: 
5/10
close but no cigar
Pros: nice touch screen
Cons: fails to meet expectations
Review:
I spent $2000.00 for this unit and another $500 to have it professionally installed in my 2000 corvette.
Installation was problematic. The navagation system has a speed input from the car to fine tune the car's loaction. The installer I used who works mainly on high end vehicles had trouble finding and connecting this speed cable and finally gave up. I tried calling the tech help line but they werent much help. It still works without it connected but it is off a bit with the location.
When the screen is not extended and is still inside the unit there is a display but it will only display "XM radio" nothing else. It reminds me of the original LED watches from the 80's. More thought and work should have gone into that.
The song titles and artists are truncated and not fully displayed. Dont think it will scroll the names either. If it does I cant figure it out.
Occasionally the unit wont turn on and I will have to remove the face plate and replace it to get it to start. When this happends the electric antenna will go up and down continuously until I remove and replace the face plate.
And finally, forget about seeing the screen if you have the convertable top down!
If I had to do it all over again I probably would keep looking and try another brand.
Installation was problematic. The navagation system has a speed input from the car to fine tune the car's loaction. The installer I used who works mainly on high end vehicles had trouble finding and connecting this speed cable and finally gave up. I tried calling the tech help line but they werent much help. It still works without it connected but it is off a bit with the location.
When the screen is not extended and is still inside the unit there is a display but it will only display "XM radio" nothing else. It reminds me of the original LED watches from the 80's. More thought and work should have gone into that.
The song titles and artists are truncated and not fully displayed. Dont think it will scroll the names either. If it does I cant figure it out.
Occasionally the unit wont turn on and I will have to remove the face plate and replace it to get it to start. When this happends the electric antenna will go up and down continuously until I remove and replace the face plate.
And finally, forget about seeing the screen if you have the convertable top down!
If I had to do it all over again I probably would keep looking and try another brand.
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