Isaac Goren, owner of Sounds Good in Woodland Hills, CA, says that the process of testing wire to locate the Vehicle Speed Sensor is a delicate and time-consuming process. "Before we tap into it, we have to test the wire and make sure it’s the right one," he says. For that task, Sounds Good uses a digital fluke meter, Goren says.

 "It’s a challenge to make sure that the computer is level," says Goren. "If it’s not, then the gyroscope inside is not going to be accurate."

 Another challenge for installers is where to mount the 5.6" color display. Goren has his own display mounted on the passenger side about four feet away and says he can see it fine, thanks primarily to the bright colors of the LCD. One of his customers who's interested in the technology, on the other hand, won't purchase a system because there isn't an acceptable placement option for the display in his BMW 540. "My customer won't get the system because there's not a good place to mount one, and he's not going to get it until we figure it out. The problem is that the monitor needs to be at eyeview, but there's not a lot of extra space on the dash."

Goren taps his experience with mobile phone installations when it comes to mounting the display. "I typically like to mount it to the right side of the center console where we used to mount cell phones," he says, "but the trick is that you still have to be able to open the glove box and slide the passenger seat forward."

 Goren also used his phone installation know-how for the hardware mounting. "The mounting hardware that comes with the display is not adequate for our installations," he says. "You can turn it toward the driver but it's flimsy. We use a cell phone mounting bracket."

Even if there were a good spot for the display, customers aren't eager to have the high-profile LCD draw attention to their cars' advanced electronics. "They tell us they'd like the screen to be removable because it's so obvious," Goren says. "They really like the size and brightness, but they don't want to leave it at the airport for fear it would get stolen." The next-generation Alpine CVA1000 system controller/receiver with retractable 5.6" active-matrix color LCD addresses the placement issue. The screen folds up into the dash. At a suggested retail price of $1,300, the CVA-1000 offers consumers the ability to purchase the CVA-1000 as a navigation system controller and then add audio components including a CD changer, equalizer or a security system later on. The functions of all compatible products would be viewable on the 5.6" display.

A CLEAR, OFF-AXIS VIEW

Alpine spared no expense on the active-matrix display and dealers say that's one of the most compelling aspects of the system. The color LCD delivers exceptional brightness for an LCD and adequate off-axis viewing for the application. Although the display has proven readable on sunny days inside sedans, Goren questions whether it can be seen in a convertible, where it has to deal with direct sunlight.

Dealers are divided on the retail cost of the system. Goren of Sounds Good believes the retail price needs to be under $2,500 in order to attract more high-end customers, let alone more mainstream interest. "The navigator itself should be affordable to customers-no more than $1,750," Goren says. "I think everybody who's looking at this system is looking at it with the assumption that they can't afford it." Goren's eyeing a complete package price of $3,650, including in-dash monitor, stereo and navigation unit. "That price wouldn't give any of my customers the chance to say no," he says. At the same time, he says, he wouldn't want to sacrifice the high quality of the system for price.

  Dealer reservations about the GPS-based system are minimal compared with the overall enthusiasm for the product's ease of use, quality and vast database. They are unequivocal about the Alpine navigation system's superiority over previous navigation products to hit the market. "It's 95 percent accurate, which is more than adequate," Goren says. "The only areas it doesn't have are very remote areas where maybe it has the street but not the name of the street. Even then, it doesn't stop you from getting there."