The reflects my position as well. I initially set out to purchase a TCH with leather seats but no nav system, but found that particular combination did not have *heated* leather seats. So I guess you could say that I spent $1000 for seat heaters and got a NAV system thrown in for nothing. Besides, I like toys. I don't need the NAV often but when I do, I'm glad that I have it.

The user interface took some getting used to but it's workable. On the long driving trips I do a couple of times a year, I really appreciate it, especially the distance to destination indication. I've found I still wanted to know my basic highway route and let it tell me the little details because it has done things like route me through Indianapolis when I wanted to bypass around it. It's pretty good about recalculating when I override it.

Instead of programming it on the fly, before a trip I sit in the garage and program all of my major destinations into it (like relative's houses and hotels I'll be using). Then I just select the destinations from memory.

Hope this helps.

 

I have the stereo upgrade and the leather seats (got the stereo upgrade because I needed the leather seats and it was less expensive than the nav upgrade).

The seats are really nice. The radio is nice (but not the best I have ever heard).

The best part of the radio is the speakers.

 

Not true, that combination can be made...
My wife has a TomTom NAV ($300, thank you), so the thought of spending $2000 on a NAV was a bit tough. Add to it the fact that I like to know where I am going in advance made the NAV the first thing I didn't want.
I am also tall and don't like (nor think I would ever use) a moonroof. The headroom is a bit less and for tall folk, that makes a big difference.
So, for me, the 'loaded option' wasn't a choice.
But I wanted leather and the wife wanted a butt warmer, so we got a regular Camry (sorry, not sure of the model name) and had the dealer install leather with the warmer.
With the exception of the location of the warmer controls, on the seat in front of the seat controls, it is fine.
The package I got has, just about everything else (I got the supplied radio) and am very pleased.
I got an 08 two weeks ago from a dealer in Mass. I paid (I think) $26,800 before taxes.

 

I like the Nav system. Granted, it's not perfect by any means. I have been in areas that are not covered on routes i've taken but i still think it is a decent system. The JBL 440watt system with 8-speakers in 6 locations is great!! It's sounds great and has fairly flat response. That makes it a winner in my book!! I think when you are talking about a $25,000 plus car like the TCH it is well worth the money for the Nav system.

 

I'm not an audio snob...far from it, but I (think I) can tell good sound from "awesome" sound. I like the sound of my car's radio, but to be truthful, I've heard other sound systems that I would describe as awesome.
Easiest way to tell is to go to a dealer and turn it on. Decide for yourself.

 

The JBL sounds pretty good if the music source is good. The speakers next to the windshield at higher volumes sound poorly, like the sound is bouncing off the glass in a way that to me distorts the sound. I have had to shift the F/R to bias the rear, so as to reduce what I consider this headache-inducing effect, for lack of a better term. I think the factory single CD system in our '03 4Runner gives this system a run for the money. It just isn't audiophile stuff, if that's what you want. And god only knows if it can be upgraded. Again, the system sounds pretty good if the music source is good, like a decent broadcast music station, or a well done CD. For example, older analog CD's I've tried don't sound so hot. And most music stations don't either. Also, the reception is not that great. It improves on sunny days.

The in-dash NAV seems counter-intuitive. I much prefer the Garmin, but I suffer with the 'yota unit to learn how to use it. I find myself programming it a day before I need to use it because it can be that confusing to get an address assigned.

Also, the NAV on more than one occasion has indicated that a long-established address on a main road does not exist. For one such address I had to fudge with the unit about 1/2 dozen times before whatever combination of buttons I used finally got it to "see" the address. I can't remember what it was that did the trick, but don't be surprised if it happens to you. Toyota needs badly to go back to school to re-learn what "user-friendly" really means. I feel sure they just didn't want to pay to license better technology. Thanks, Toyota. God forbid should your profit margin per NAV sold drop ten cents.

Would I buy the car again? A resounding 'yes'.

Would I buy it with NAV again? Definitely (it is usable), and it's much better than suction-cupping a unit on the windshield. (That could be open to debate, depending on your level of patience.)

The stereo? Since its integrated, I live with it. It's rather good actually, if your music sources are decent. Most radio stations are not pumping out the best signal, from what I can tell. Reception needs improvement as well.

 

Purely subjective opinions:

1) With standalone GPS units becoming both dropping rapidly in price and becoming more sophisticated, it doesn't make economic sense to purchase an expensive built-in NAV unit. However, it may make sense if you just like the convenience of the in-dash unit vs. sticking a standalone unit on the dash or mounting it to the window with a suction cup (and unmounting it when you leave the car). Also, the NAV unit provides much more sophisticated monitoring of fuel consumption, engine state, and so on, which also may be worth something to you. I don't have the NAV and wouldn't buy it given the above, but it may make sense for others.

2) As a former audio reviewer, I think that the JBL stereo sounds quite good compared to anything else I've heard in a car. I listen primarily to classical music and some jazz, and the JBL stereo sounds pretty natural within the limitations imposed in a car environment. But it's still in a car, meaning that the acoustic environment is pretty tough, so I don't expect miracles. Moreover, a car provides lots of background noise, especially at highway speed, and the stereo can't do much about that! No doubt you could get even better sound from an aftermarket installation, and quite possibly save a few bucks, but do you really want to deal with the hassle? As Larry said above, give a try for yourself, preferably during a test drive.

BTW, I *think* that the upgrade to the JBL stereo includes steering-wheel mounted controls: off/on, mode (source), volume, AM/FM presets and CD track. These are fairly handy (I have them), although you certainly can live without them. But I assume you won't get them on an aftermarket installation. Finally, the factory stereo setup is integrated with the Bluetooth cell phone connection, meaning that it routes the phone commands anc conversation through the audio system. This would be a challenge with an aftermarket installation also. But, as Click and Clack say on Car Talk, "Drive now, talk later!"

Bill

 

Would the nav model also allow the add of an aftermarket reverse camera to be viewed thru the nav screen?

 

I like the Nav.....

I have a whack of them. It's one of the better ones I've used. It's POI selections and icons are quite good.

Unfortunatly it's always hard to tell how well it will do on your particular roads. The maps themselves are from NavTeq. While the routing logic can vary, the actual roads tend to be the same for a given year of map.

The agree on the consumption screens. The one in the dash works, but does not tell you everything the nav one does. You can't tell when the engine is charging the battery for instance. As well, the minute by minute consumption reading is nice.

Later!

Dang

 

I have the nav system in mine. It's a great toy. It's not just navigation. The HSD status display is cute for a few hundred miles. The MPG bar graph is actually useful. (I can review it after a trip, think about what I did and what kind of road/traffic I was in at each phase.) The sound-system control screens are actually pretty good. And the bluetooth phone stuff works very well.

If you are looking for a practical reason to spend the bucks for a nav system, it might be hard to come up with that much reason.

But, if you want a toy, go for it. It's a great toy.