To me the answer was simple. If you have kids, you gotta have a rear view camera. and that's the only way of getting it. Nav is a bonus. I think the price for the tech package is about right at $2k if you compare to other OEM options. Requirement to get a premium package is a bummer, since its full with useless stuff. You could order tech without premium in 2009, but not anymore. If money is an object, you can get a comparable stand alone unit for a couple of hundred bucks. You gain in functionality (portable), but loose in convenience and aesthetics.