Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT Navigation System Review
by Nick Mack ~ August 9th, 2009. Filed under: Navigation Systems.
Pioneer has finally released their newest line of navigation systems. Unlike the last line of navigation systems, the 2009 line is pretty darn good. This line kept all the strong points of last years line and fixed all the weak points. When I first started my installation of the Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT 
I am not going to go over the installation aspect of this unit because the installation of this unit is no different than any other navigation unit. Lets start with the feature list:
- 7″ WVGA Touch Screen with DVD Video Playback
- Made For iPod and works with iPhone
- Pioneer’s Navigation and Mapping Software with Voice Control
- Voice activated Bluetooth Hands Free by Parrot
- HD Radio Ready and Sirius XM Satellite Radio Ready
- 7 band Equalizer
- 3 sets of 4V RCA Preouts and a 50WX4 Amplifier
- Rear View Camera Ready
- 2 AV inputs and 1 AV Output
- 1 Year Warranty
7″ WVGA Touch Screen with DVD Video Playback
The Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT has a high resolution WVGA touch screen that is far superior to the more common TFT LCD. This high resolution screen allows for a crystal clear user interface and extremely high quality DVD playback. One nice feature of the upgraded interface is the ability to customize the home screen with the navigation, audio, and Bluetooth functions you use most frequently.
Made for iPod and works with iPhone
The AVIC-Z110BT has been designed to flawlessly control your iPod and iPhone. First off, it will charge and control your iPod, even the iTouch, iPhone 3g and the latest generation nano. Everything can be controlled directly from the touch screen, and it even will display your album art. The three features that set the AVIC-Z110BT’s iPod control apart from the rest are link search, alphabet search, and passenger control. Link search allows you to view a list of available songs from the current artist you are listening to. Alphabet search allows you to go to the artists or albums that start with a specific letter. Passenger control unlocks your iPod and allows you to control the iPod from it’s click wheel. * You need to purchase a CD-IU50V
Pioneer’s Navigation and Mapping Software with Voice Control
The AVIC-Z110BT has some great features: Voice Control, Highway Sign Board Guidance, Drive Report, and MSN Direct information. The detailed navigation mapping and its 12 million points of interest are stored in the 4GB of on-board flash memory which is accessed by an extremely fast processor. The Tele Atlas® map database covers the USA including Alaska and Hawaii, and Canada.
- Voice Control: With the voice activated navigation you can simply input an address, find a POI, ect. by voice. The commands are very simple, for example to locate the closest Burger King the command is: “Find the nearest Burger King.”
- Highway Sign Board Guidance: When a turn is approaching on a highway, the AVIC-Z110BT will display a simulated highway sign. This makes it easier to be sure that the exit you are about to take is the correct one.
- Map View Modes: With high resolution 2D and 3D mapping the AVIC-Z110BT will display over 1,300 detailed items (landmarks, building, parks, ect.) that will allow you to identify the are you are driving through.
- Detailed City Maps With Brand Icons: Another way the AVIC-Z110BT allows the driver to visually identify the area is by displaying building footprints, parks, city blocks, road islands, ect. in over 65 major cities. Also, 58 popular brand icons (Chilli’s, Mobile, ect.) can be displayed on the map.
Voice Activated Bluetooth Hands Free by Parrot
I am a big fan of just about every bluetooth hands free kit made by Parrot. In my opinion they are the best. The bluetooth module that Parrot designed did not let me down. Pairing my phone was easy and, like every other Parrot hands free kit I have used, it worked perfectly. My entire phone book uploaded to the unit, and the test calls I made were crystal clear. Also, the voice activated calling features worked surprisingly well.
3 sets of 4V RCA Preouts and a 50WX4 Amplifier and a 7 band EQ
Most people in the world will say that the audio section in this head unit is pretty good. I’m not most people. In my opinion, Pioneer skimped a little with this unit. First off this unit is Pioneer’s flagship, a flagship that plays DVDs should have a 5.1 DSP. There is no output for a center channel and no 5.1 DSP processor, so no 5.1 surround sound for us. Also, in my opinion the 7 band EQ is a little weak. For a unit like this there should at least be a 13 band EQ. The AVIC-Z110BT has an audio section that is comparable to the audio sections in most entry to mid level navigation head units. I think for the money that this unit costs, the audio section could be a little better.
Issues that I found with the AVIC-Z110BT
The AVIC-Z110BT really does not have many issues. I already went over my dis-satisfaction with the audio section, so I will not do that again. One issue I witnessed is that the interface is a little slow, but not too slow to live with. Something that is more than a worry than an issue is that this unit is built on a similar platform as the AVIC F Series. Anyone who is familiar with the AVIC F Series knows that there was a pretty high defective rate, I hope that the AVIC-Z110BT will not have the same problem.
As a whole, this is a really great unit. The strong points of this unit definitely out weigh the weak points. This is a really great unit that has just about all the features. If you are looking for a top of the line navigation system, the AVIC-Z110BT is one to consider.
Here is a list of things you need:
For the AVIC-Z110BT:
PIONEER AVIC-Z110BT
To add Sirius to the AVIC-Z110BT you need two things:
Pioneer CD-SB10 – Sirius Bus Interface
SIRIUS SCC1 SIRIUS Connect Universal Tuner
To add XM to the AVIC-Z110BT:
Pioneer GEX-P920XM XM Satellite Tuner
To add HD Radio to the AVIC-Z110BT:
PIONEER GEX-P20HD – HD TUNER
The iPod cable you need:
Pioneer CD-IU50V USB iPod Cable for Pioneer
To add MSN Direct to the AVIC-Z110BT:
Pioneer ND-MDT10 MSN Direct Tuner
If you would like the Pioneer back up camera:
Pioneer ND-BC2 Universal Rear View Camera
October 5th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I just purchsed the avic z110bt for my new car. The bluetooth features with my LG VX10000 phone work terrible. voice recognition barely works and there are background noices when I speak. The echo cancel feature MUST be turned on or the other side can not understand you, turning it on affects the clarity but it is better than not using it. There is no fix firmware out yet and for my phone, possibly wont be. It has been suggested that my phone is why it works poorly by tech support. Despite the contact list pushing to the phone correctly, it still does not recognize names well – told there is more to it than the name appearing correctly in the contact list.
Aside from that – all other features are terrific and it is a great unit. very pleased, but the bluetooth handsfree use problem is a disappointment.