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I will be in the market for a new car in the next year or so and one thing I am finding is that virtually all cars that I would consider (mid-tier cars like Camrys, Sonatas, Accords up through entry level luxury cars like Audi A4, Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3-series, etc; models 2014 and newer) all seem to have head units that I find pretty terrible. Some work better than others, but it seems like it is pretty universal that if you want a model with good options (leather, heated/possibly cooled seats, things like parking assist, adaptive cruise control, etc) you get stuck with the car manufacturer's head unit which, it seems, work from total crap on the low end to passable on the high end. Car manufacturers are not so good about updating their units so what I get in a 2014 model might have to last me a decade.
Are there any cars out there that don't have these solutions and would allow me to easily install a top of the line aftermarket head unit that I can get the exact features I want... and be able to replace every few years if I so desire?
I actually like the display on my entry level 2016 C63S AMG. It took me an hour to learn everything about it. It’s easy, fast and one of the best displays around.
you just have to get used to them. They are all a bit different, but functional. We rent cars quite a bit and it does take a day or two of use to get used to them...
I will be in the market for a new car in the next year or so and one thing I am finding is that virtually all cars that I would consider (mid-tier cars like Camrys, Sonatas, Accords up through entry level luxury cars like Audi A4, Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3-series, etc; models 2014 and newer) all seem to have head units that I find pretty terrible. Some work better than others, but it seems like it is pretty universal that if you want a model with good options (leather, heated/possibly cooled seats, things like parking assist, adaptive cruise control, etc) you get stuck with the car manufacturer's head unit which, it seems, work from total crap on the low end to passable on the high end. Car manufacturers are not so good about updating their units so what I get in a 2014 model might have to last me a decade.
Are there any cars out there that don't have these solutions and would allow me to easily install a top of the line aftermarket head unit that I can get the exact features I want... and be able to replace every few years if I so desire?
If you take the time to learn how to operate the system, you wouldn't find it such a big deal.
I was in the business for many years so had to be able to demonstrate all the car brands. Some are better than others.
For 2017 all the systems are much improved over 3-years ago. The NAV interface shouldn't be the basis for selecting a car anyway. If it were, Audi sales would suffer!
You state that car manufacturers aren't good about updating their units. Most update from the factory every 2-3 years. That's usually often enough even for regions that construct new roads continuously like Northern Virginia or South Phoenix.
Porsche, Audi, M-B charge $700-plus for dealer-installed updates. Huge rip. Ford, GM sell you an SD CARD for about $125 that has the new maps.
I prefer a mfgr that allows the owner to perform the update. Replacing the head unit every few years is a bit much, but most Pioneer and Alpine make nice DIN2/4 units that do a nice job.
Still prefer having the main screen interface with all systems. I like the Ford units---very user friendly.
German brands have too many steps and are difficult to learn. Most owners will never utilize a fraction of the utilities.
As usual, there will be a lot of disagreement on the best solution.
Good luck!
Most of the time it's just a matter of getting used to it. On rental cars I have had problems with some of them being too complicated to use unless you read the owner's manual.
We recently rented a Volvo S50 SUV and it took forever to program the navigation and figure out how the system worked. It had more buttons and settings than I've sever seen on a vehicle. I ended up using the nav on my phone. That said, if I had the thing for a while it probably would be okay.
I'd like to see more/better systems with Bring-your-own-navigation.
The Nissan/Infiniti navigation head units do have map+POI updates available, but they are really expensive, $150 list, $99 on sale. Overall, the user interface is pretty good, and if you have the full XM subscription it can use traffic information to plan alternate routes.
Looks like the idea of Bring-your-own-navigation has stalled?
No, with several makes now supporting Apple Carplay/Android Auto that would very much support bring your own nav via the phone.
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I'd like to see more/better systems with Bring-your-own-navigation.
