It is my first aftermarket radio in many years, and I could not be any more pleased. Although it is not perfect, FOR THE PRICE that I paid I got what I expected and more (I wanted to spend less than $500 on the entire installation in order to allow money to go toward new speakers as part of the factory upgrade). It also looks very nice in my 2007 VW Jetta. I had seen some pictures of the radio installed in other cars, and was surprised at how good it looks on mine.
GENERAL COMMENTS:
The touch screen is very responsive. The big multi-function knob does get some getting used to, and the navigation through the menus is a little tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it all makes sense.
I will have to check and see what firmware version comes with my radio, as I have not experienced any of the lock ups that so many reviews are commenting on. Being that I just got it just under a month ago, I am wondering if it came upgraded from factory to the latest firrmware.
My most important things when shopping for a radio were excellent, customizable sound, and bluetooth capability. GPS was a nice plus if I could get it within my budget.
SOUND:
I seriously doubt you will be dissapointed with the sound from this unit. My subs in the truck of my 2007 Jetta (previously connected to the factory radio through a speaker to line level converter), now have come to life, being properly connected to a subwoofer output. The sound has improved so much by just reaplcing the head unit that I have decided not to replace the factory speakers. The somewhat parametric EQ (though it does not provide continuous frequency adjustment, it does give you a few key fq to select from, and then an adjustment between narrow and wide, at various levels. I ended up tweaking one of the radio presets, and judt find myself making minor tweaks on some songs to adjust for pronounced differences in the way they were recorded.
This is my first radio with a USB input, and I must say that I love not having to burn CDs anymore. And since I carry a USB stick on my key chain anyway, I just plug it in to the radio, and that's where my music comes from. For some reason, sometimes it does not read the memory stick on the first attempt, and I wonder if it is because I have other files in there other than music!
BLUETOOTH:
The radio connects to the phone just a few seconds after I turn the key on the ignition, and then life is good after that: I can make calls from the phone (the radio will not let you place calls while the car is moving, but you can call from the phone), and receive calls. I have the microphone set on my visor, and people on the other side can hear my kids from the back seat. I have not had any echo issues at all, and have been told that the sound quality is great on the other side. It certainly is very good inside the car.
GPS:
I do not have much to compare it to, other than my wife's nuvi, and I must say that I like mine better. Though the screen is the same size (4.3"), it provides guidance regarding which lane to stay on when driving through exits, etc. I also like how it displays signs for the interstates, etc. and how it brings a bar on the side that wears off as you approach the turn. Regarding the comments about the unit telling you to turn too late, I have only seen that happen once in the few weeks that I have been using it. And I have to say, I would be curious to see if another unit would correct this rare occurrence. I live in the Atlanta metro area and I rarely go downtown.
Other than that, I have not used the AVIC feeds program, though the way the left out such important POI category for restaurants!!! Obviously they want people to purchase the optional POI card, but again, I rarely go out of town in my car, so not too important for me.Get more detail about Pioneer AVIC-U310BT 4.3-Inch In-Dash Navigation Receiver with CD Player and Bluetooth.
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