The TomTom 700 is what some others have recommended ($800 at Sam's Club) - it's supposed to be easier to use and loads the entire US and Canada

I am also looking into it as the Nav is no longer an option for the 4.4 without the premium package

Would like to know more about how to upgrade the Nav in my '01 - I've read the articles to replace the 4:3 screen, but don't understand the MkIII vs MkIV and how to upgrade the software.

[QUOTE=burkleymh]The TomTom 700 is what some others have recommended ($800 at Sam's Club) - it's supposed to be easier to use and loads the entire US and Canada
QUOTE]

I've owned 3 TomTom Go Nav's (Plus, 300 & 700) and the 700 blows the others away, for a very small difference in price for the extra features. It's the only one that's HD based, so there's no adding or deleting maps unless you need outlying areas/ other countries which come on CD. I use the Bluetooth Handsfree and it's awesome. Even saves your Contact list for dialing, caller id, and nav to their address. Also, the POI's have phone number's attached, so you can call a location you're heading to, say to book a dinner reservation. Very nice.

Still, the look of a dash-installed system is so much cleaner. I think aftermarket\dash units can look great if the install is done well. For me, I'm looking into any & all Bezels that can add some X5 class to the Pioneer 7" systems. I'll post anything good that I find. The plain bezel that's been much posted-about just doesn't do it for me. I like the idea of a groove in line with the X's dash trim, and will keep shopping around until I find something that works. That will take up some time until the Avic Z1 comes out....
Good Luck.
M

just purchased a 2006 and it came with nav system. At first thought not that big a deal. I went on trip and found it very useful. But the thing that really excited me was reading (here in forums) about all the things you can connect to it. Ipod,backup camera,etc.

I have nav on all my cars and I can tell you the BMW one sucks, so I probably would not waste the money on the nav system, just upgrade your BMW assist and they can give you directions.