itpromike

So I've been going back and forth between lower end cars and higher end cars, deciding what price point I want to hit with my new car purchase... I've gone from 2015 Honda Accord, to 2016 Nissan Maxima, to the 2014 (or 2015) Infinity Q50, now I'm taking a strong look at the 2015 Acura based on the advice of my brother in law... I actually like the Acura's a whole lot however there is something that bothers me and I'm not sure of - see I'm an IT guy and smartphone interface and tech stuff is my passion... it appears that because Acura (and even the other model cars I've looked at) is using a crazy dual touch screen infotainment/nav setup with some very proprietary connections I cannot install a 3rd party/aftermarken head unit in the car... Which means I'm stuck with the factory installed dash system which may or may not be updated with new features and upgrades as time goes on; I've already read that the 2016 TLX will have carplay but it will not be backwards compatible with 2015 models by way of an update - UGH! So my question is, am I missing something? Can TLX's really not be upgrades with a 3rd party/aftermarket headunit/nav system? I've spent some time playing with the TLX's Nav system and it's not even as full featured as my pioneer Nav from 6 years ago so it worries me if I'm stuck with the OEM installed system. Like I said, I'm an IT guy so tech in my car is of the utmost importance to me.

So what do you guys think? Have you heard of or seen anybody successfully installed an aftermarket headhunt? Is this just not possible with the TLX? Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond

Quandry

Have not heard of it being done. The car is just too new for there to have been much activity in this area, and car electronics are getting so interconnected that this type of activity is not trivial.

I think the TLX is a great overall car, but you will be disappointed and frustrated by the relatively ancient navi system that is missing many features of current stand alone systems. Car manufactures are racing to improve in this area. It is my impression that they finalize the systems at least a few years before production and have likely been testing the proposed system for at least another year before that.

I hate to say it but if your priority is the state of the art navi system then some other car might be a better choice for you.

mapleloaf

I guess it depends upon what you require of your Nav. If it's finding places and getting clear directions (with a nice additional display directly in front of you), traffic information, the system works well (with a one step voice search in the US). It also provides you with route options, distances and estimated travel times. The only significant drawback would be unlike Google or Apple Play, you would need to update new locations/streets, etc with a CD purchased from Acura, which I would think will drop in price significantly with the advent of various Car Play systems. Regardless, I often use my Acura Link service to have them download locations to my system as I drive, a very nice feature.

As for the two screen system, after a few hours with the car, I cam e to love it. I can leave my Map up or whatever screen I want, while I utilize the touch screen for other functions. The reviewers that actually spend some time with the car, rather than using the typical hackneyed negative comments that some reviewers have used, usually come to like the dual screens.

As stated above by Quandry, this may not do it for you. However, I would caution anyone purchasing a car with too much emphasis on the Navigational System. At the end of the day, safety, performance, and reliability are usually the things that determine customer satisfaction.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

as an IT guy you should know that car tech LAGS behind, because automanufactures have to design a system that last for that model iteration (think a decade)

as an IT guy THIS should not surprise you.

Also, as an IT guy you should have the ability and understanding of what the system consist of.

TL;DR
- Throw a tablet in one of the screens place.

9SpeedTran

If you went TP/AM you would probably lose the ELS system, which I have to say, is one of the best in the market period, much less for the price.