Another Rosen Navigation System Install...

My wife and I just bought a 2010 Prius... About 2 weeks old now. Within the first week and a half, I already added the Rosen Navigation System, the OEM-style Fog Light kit, 20/35% tints, and 4300K HID headlights. The car looks sweeter than we could've ever imagined.
Here are some pics of the ROSEN install from the driver's perspective:

Getting ready to tear it all down

Just pull on everything as gently as possible... be patient... and disconnect as needed

Really take the time to tug and pull as carefully as possible... use the force wisely

same here... pull and it'll come right off -

The Power Button... leave it plugged.

Two screws on the left...

Two screws on the right...

The factory harness on a NON-JBL

The Rosen sits there like it belong there...

It's really a factory finish...

I ran the IPod cable under the armrest and into the AUX plug's spot

I'll work on the cosmetics later... Right now it's just out of the hole.

The GPS antenna is actually mounted on TOP of the unit via the magnet... EXCELLENT reception there... I was surprised myself.



Navigation is pretty accurate

IPod works like a charm...

Another shot at it

Also ... the blue "Brake" wire was grounded.

Very close match to the factory trim... You can hardly tell the difference...

Another close-up of how well it matches up....


It's a pretty good unit - The install was super fast. Everything plugs pretty easily and it boots up fast. Steering Wheel Controls, IPod, Navigation all works great. It's got a few things that could use improvement, but you can always expect that from something that is not as mainstream as Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC, Alpine, Clarion etc.

 

Thanks for all the comments everyone! From the very first day that I got the car, I've been researching and reading up on the navigation options... Like many of you, I was also torn between the FlyAudio and Rosen unit... I couldn't find any detailed information about either one but I decided to play it safe and go with the one dealerships actually use. I got my unit from Frank Motors via Ebay for $950.00... they shipped fast and I received it with a genuine Toyota invoice/receipt. I've been part of forums before and I know the most important thing you can do is actually be resourceful and provide others as much information about what you know as opposed to filling up with posts and guesses and assumptions... (no offense to anyone, just saying).
To answer some of the questions:

1- Bluetooth works (used with my iPhone 3G), You DON'T need an external Mic - The mic comes built-in the unit and you can just speak to your calls - You just need to pair your phone and use their code of "1234".

2 - Illumination is decent, the green buttons match up but are slightly dimmer than that of the Climate Control - Either way, it really doesn't bother and you're able to see. All buttons on the unit work as they're intended to.

3 - I DEFINITELY wanna install the backup camera eventually - I'm researching which one would fit best and has the most factory look for the '10 Prius.

4 - The unit sounds amazing! Better than the stock for sure and NO NEED to change the speakers - The EQ is not as detailed... You can make adjustments to the Bass, Treble and Mids but you're also capable of boosting each speaker level up to your taste. No Amp/Subs yet, but I plan on transferring my Infinity Basslink from the XD to the Prius soon...

5 - The GPS antenna came with a 9 ft long cable. That is NOT long enough for you to run it back towards the rear roof or trunk lid of the Prius... You'll need to get a 16ft long GPS antenna with an SMA connector (pretty cheap on Ebay) if you want to go that route - In my case, instead of pulling the dash apart and installing the antenna by the tweeter etc. I opted to just stick it on TOP of the Rosen unit (the metallic body of the unit) via the antenna's magnet. The dash is all plastic and the antenna gets excellent reception from there - I may just leave it there, or maybe in the future get a 16ft cable GPS antenna to move it to the roof... maybe...

I'm still learning the unit, I haven't had time to fully explore all the options (like USB/SD Card etc.) The DVD worked fine - I haven't tried the CD yet because I always use my IPod Nano for music... It's not a 'perfect' unit, and by that I mean that customizing and user settings are very limited... for example, you can't change the Boot screen to say "Toyota" if you wanted to... or you'll find that you take some extra steps to get to simple things - but it's a pretty great unit overall and performs well so far. It boots up fast and sounds great. I don't think the unit uses the car's speed sensor, so the Nav relies primarily on the Antenna's reception. AM/FM is good, I rarely listen to radio stations anyway. I'm really happy with it and my wife loves it too... but a part of me is wondering... how does the FlyAudio unit compare to it...

 

BTW - The unit is RIDICULOUSLY easy to install - Seriously. My 4 year old daughter could've done it if she knew how to use a ratchet...

 

nymjk - I'm always willing to help a fellow Long Island'er out! If you wanna install it, I can help you out and save you some money from bringing it to an $$ installer $$.


Yea, actually the price wasn't bad at all - I spent about that much on my JVC unit and I still needed an installation kit and wire harness to put it in my old Ford Edge... and it would've cost even more if I had to get the adapter for the steering wheel control etc.

Hey