Portable navigation devices versus in-dash units. Both nav solutions have swamped the market as if manufacturers expect everyone and their mother to buy one. But which kind - PND or in-dash? Throwing something unusual into mix, Eclipse gives us another option. They've partnered with portable maker TomTom to create a product that features a best of both worlds: the convenience of a PND and the clean functionality of an in-dash application.
While swapping in the AVN2210p, guys crowded around the vehicle to get a peek of how it would look installed. It became clear that it's a little deeper than other double-DINs, which poses a challenge if you'd like a more flush look in your center stack. Installation proved pretty standard otherwise - nothing to confuse an installer or proficient DIYer. Of course, it's still more difficult, and costly, than sticking a portable on the dash.
Once installed, we discovered just how intuitive both the Eclipse and TomTom sides are. Let's rundown the primary reason someone would want to buy the AVN2210p - navigation. Once you pop the 1GB SD card in, the TomTom-supplied navigation is ready to roll. The PND slides easily into the main unit and starts with a tutorial that tells you everything you'd need to know. To find out things you'd want to know, you could turn to the dual TomTom and Eclipse manuals, or just flip through the very user-friendly menus. Not once did we have to scratch our heads to figure out how to change an option or setting, which is quite rare, even with other intuitive navis.
The unit acquires satellite signal lickety-split, even if you turn it off and start up again 50 miles away from your previous location. Routing is equally quick, very logical and straightforward. A nice feature, it gives you the ability to preview your trip before accepting it and you can plug in multiple destinations. Another bonus, it also reroutes rapidly, which we had to do several times before getting used to some unorthodox voice commands.
The vocal directions are plentiful enough for you to not need to glance at the screen often, but they do differ from the majority of navigation devices. For instance, if there's a right turn a mile or two down the road, the prompt will be, "Right turn ahead," without any comment on how far down the turn is. We'd bet most users will turn at the next intersection before getting used to the AVN2210p. If you choose the miles system of measurement, it also breaks down distances in yards, such as "Turn right in 800 yards." We find it easier to relate to a half or quarter mile, especially as the unit can be off in location by roughly 100 yards at times.
Fortunately, the LCD, though small, shines brightly with very clear graphics. Similar to navigation systems on phones, the uncluttered touchscreen displays the next direction quite prominently in the lower corner. Whenever the vocal directions confused us, a quick glance set things straight. The day and night graphics settings were also excellent and, when docked in the main unit, the device can tilt in six different angles.