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(More customer reviews)The boss (Wife) had the stock 6 CD changer in her 2006 Explorer XLT. She wanted a new radio that would allow her to listen to her iPod and have Bluetooth for her phone. I also wanted to add GPS, since if I was going to replace the darn thing, I may as well give her all the functions she might need for the future.
I looked online for a new head unit but it seemed that all the units were in the above $500 range. I saw that Amazon had the Pioneer AVIC-U310BT on sale for $259.00. I did some research and found a mixed bag of reviews, for every good review, there was a not so good one. After a bit of thinking, I decided to bite. I'm glad I did.
I bought the head unit along with the PAC Can Bus module05-08 FORD RADIO CAN BUS MODULE INTERFACEand the Scosche Scosche FD1426B Double ISO DIN Kit for 2004-Up Fordmounting kit. The harness was about $80 and the mounting kit another $15. If you look at a lot of the head units out there, they offer Bluetooth as an option, not include it with as with this radio. That would have added another $100 to many of the competitors out there.
I opened up all the parts I bought and read all the documentation on all the items BEFORE I went outside. I prewired the Pac module, connecting all the wires to the wiring harness from the radio. This made it easy when I went out to the truck. Plug and play, the only wiring I need to do was routing all the wires for the microphone, GPS antenna and the Aux output wire for her Sirius radio.
About that Sirius, Pioneer offers the built in module for Sirius or XM. Both cost $100 and you have to find a place for the big Sirius modules under the dash. They don't offer some of the features the little Plug and Play units Sirius offers; pause, FF, and favorite song or artist reminders. We decided to keep her existing Sportster 5 and plug it into the Aux port.
I got it all installed in about 90 minutes. I placed the GPS antenna under the top tray on the dashboard. The antenna sees right through the plastic tray, and stays hidden. The iPod cable is simply the USB cable that came with the iPod. You can buy the cable from Pioneer for about $40. I don't see the need, as it works fine with the Apple cable. I put the iPod in the glove box, as you don't need to access it, all the controls can be reached from the head unit.
The sound from the radio is great. The GPS navigation seems to be good, but I can tell you more as we use it in real world driving. Some people have said that they had issues with Bluetooth not connecting consistently. I started and turned off the truck about 20 times so far, and each time it finds and connects to my iPhone....no issues at all. The sound quality of the included microphone seems good, so far. Again, we will see how it goes in real world driving conditions.
Overall, it isn't as neat as the $500-$1000 dollar head units out there, the screen is not as big, and it may not have all the features of its higher priced cousins. But to have GPS, CD, iPod and Bluetooth for about $350 total, it cannot be beat.
Edit 4/27/10 After a week of use:
Wanted to add a few items on the use of this system. First, some have complained about the quality of the microphone that is supplied with the unit. For us, it works well. I have been involved in both ends of phone conversations as both the sender from the truck, or as a reciever of a call from the truck. Both come in loud and clear. Perhaps other people had issue with the location of the microphone? We clipped it directly to the driver's visor.
Sound quality is fantastic. This head unit really takes advantage of the factory sub woofer in the Explorer. We never heard such powerful bass from the stock unit.
The iPod control takes a little getting used to, but once you figure it out, it works well. My wife has simply put the iPod on random from the head unit controls. It is like a juke box with thousands of songs.....it is playing songs we long ago forgotten that were on the iPod.
GPS navigation has been fine. Sure, not a lot of POI's, but we simply enter in addresses. For my wife, it is no big deal.
Using the PAC Sys can bus module made the wiring easy. The system knows when the truck is moving, it knows to dim the display when the headlights go on, etc. It is just like a factory installation.
Overall, we are still happy with the purchase.
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Pioneer AVIC-U310BT 4.3-Inch In-Dash Navigation Receiver with CD Player and BluetoothPioneer's AVIC-U310BT is a no-nonsense in-dash navigation receiver with CD Player and Bluetooth. Get fast, easy-to-use in-dash navigation, talk hands-free with built-in Bluetooth, control your iPod or iPhone directly, and plenty more, all without breaking the bank.
Navigation Built with You in Mind The AVIC-U310BT is provides the ideal solution for those who are ready for a fully integrated in-dash solution and want the full-featured navigation for which Pioneer is known. Out of the box, this system comes with an extensive map database to help you find your next destination. The built-in Text-to-Speech engine clearly pronounces turn-by-turn direction and street names to ensure smooth travels.
On the Map The easy-to-operate Pioneer Navigation system has built-in maps that put the world at your fingertips. This includes major points of interest, such as restaurants, ATMs, gas stations, entertainment venues and more. Featuring convenient turn-by-turn voice guidance and detailed maps that display intersections and lane information, your Pioneer Navigation system is ready to go when you are.
AVIC Feeds The system's database is fully expandable with AVIC feeds, Pioneer's PC application, which lets you create custom trips and your own points of interest.
Voice Control The Z-Series offers convenient voice-activated navigation, which allows you to simply say an address or find nearby points of interest.
AVIC FEEDS for iPhone now available Unleash the power of your Pioneer navigation system with the AVIC FEEDS for iPhone application. Find a destination, then transfer it to your Pioneer navigation system for turn-by-turn routing.
Bridge the Gap Start Planning your route before you even step into your car with the free AVIC FEEDS app. Now you can seamlessly use your iPhone with your Pioneer navigation receiver. Simply find your destination with the built-in Google Maps interface and transfer it via Bluetooth for easy, turn-by-turn directions.
Picture Yourself There The AVIC FEEDS app also allows you to use the geo-tag data in your photos to be routed directly to places you've visited. The built-in GPS feature of iPhone 3G and 3GS has the ability to embed geo-tag information in the photos you take with its camera. AVIC FEEDS allows you to save destinations by reading these geo-tags. You can also use AVIC FEEDS to create destinations from geo-tagged photos that are sent to your iPhone.
Your iPod (and iPhone) Will Thank You On top of being an exceptional navigator, the AVIC-U series delivers an iPod experience that blows away FM transmitters or cassette adaptors. Even at the first glance, you will fall in love with the easy-to-use touch screen controls for your music on a brilliant 4.3-inch display.
With the optional cable (CD-IU50) connected to your iPod, you will notice how easily you can find songs, artists, or playlists with a few simple taps of your finger. The AVIC-U310BT also features powerful searching tools such as Link Play to help you quickly find the artist, album or genre that you want to hear.
Ditch the Headset with Built-in Bluetooth Take incoming calls through the AVIC-U310BT, and be heard clearly without a headset courtesy of Bluetooth technology. Connecting your compatible phone is easy and gives you instant touch screen access to your contacts.
With the X and Z-series receivers, you can also conveniently use voice-activated dialing to call contacts simply by saying a name.
Media Mogul Built to navigate, but born to entertain, the AVIC-U310BT offers audio playback from the most popular formats. Whether you're listening to WAV audio files, MP3 audio or iTunes AAC files on a CD or compatible USB device, there are several playback options for your favorite media.
From Disc Play back CDs and CD-RWs, and burn discs with all your digital media, since the AVIC-U310BT also plays back MP3, WMA, AAC, and WAV files from CD.
From USB Device If you don't feel like burning CDs just throw the MP3/WMA/AAC/WAV files you want on a USB device and enjoy.
Sound Minded Just because the AVIC-U310BT features a robust navigation platform, doesn't mean it holds back on sound quality. With 50 Watts through four channels, it packs plenty of punch.
Room to Grow With 2 sets of pre-outs, MOSFET50 power and a 3-band parametric equalizer, you can build a massive system with massive sound.
Expanded Listening The AVIC-U310BT gives you plenty of room to expand your broadcast options. With optional tuners, experience the vast channel selection of XM Sirius Satellite Radio and HD Radio.
Auxiliary Input You can connect auxiliary audio devices using a stereo mini cable with the included aux in.
What's in the Box AVIC-U310BT Main Unit, Power Cord, USB Connector, GPS Antenna, Microphone, User's Manual, Installation Manual
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