Clarion NX501 Review – Updated

This is an update to my initial review posted Here.

Well, I have had my Clarion NX501 for a couple of months now, and thought I would update my review. The software in the unit has been updated to the latest version, so theoretically there should be no bugs, and it should work perfectly.  However, theory and practice sometimes just don’t match up.  I wish I could say that I’ve come to love the unit, but in truth, it is still not worth the price I paid for it, and I feel I should take away the 1/2 star I gave it.

The problem of updating the maps is still not resolved, and the local shop I bought it from told me that the best thing I can do is not attempt to update the maps.  Of course, that makes the unit pretty useless since the 911 address changes mandated by the federal government.

But there are other problems with the unit that I need to address.

First, is visibility.  On bright days, the sun shines on the screen, and completely washes out the display.  Looking at the screen straight on, it looks ok, but that is really hard to do while driving.  My wife has a touchscreen radio in her VW Jetta, which does not have this problem, so it is entirely possible to make a display that is visible under harsh conditions.  My solution was to reinstall my Tom Tom, which has great visibility, and can be aimed at the driver.  So the navigation unit works great at night, and when the sun does not shine directly on it through the windshield, but I cannot rely on it.

Secondly, there is a startup issue with the satellite receiver.  If the car is shutdown with the NX501 in FM receiver mode, the satellite receiver does not come up reliably when the car is restarted.  The display says “Loading…” forever.  To get the satellite radio to function again, I have to power off the radio while the satellite is trying to load, and then power it back on.  I’m sure this is a software problem with the NX501.

Third, there seems to be a problem with the touch screen.  Often, when touching the screen to perform some function, like choosing a preset, or selecting something from the screen; the NX501 beeps to acknowledge the action, but it doesn’t actually perform the action you tried to do. It just does nothing, until the action is repeated several times. Again, this is poor programming, and is totally unacceptable.

Fourth, the touchscreen layout is not conducive to operation while driving.  The buttons are too small, and the displays are too crowded.  It really requires a stylus to operate well, but who carries a stylus in their car, or can find it just to change the radio station.  Again, not good programming practice.

Fifth, the media player (USB flash drive) interface does not work correctly.   The player only works if the USB flash drive is inserted AFTER the radio is turned on.  If the flash drive is connected when the NX501 is powered up, it never finds the flash drive.  This is again a software issue, and is another reason NOT to get this unit.  If it worked properly, the USB cable with the flash drive could remain in the glove box, and be selected at any time.  As is, the user must pull out the flash drive and then reinstall it after the car is started and the Nx501 turned on.

Of course, nothing is all bad (well ok, some things are) and I find that the best part of the NX501 is the bluetooth.  This unit connects flawlessly to a smart phone, and the hands free is perfect.  It also plays music very well through the BT.  I have tested it with an iPod Touch, and an iPhone 4.

So that is my analysis after using the NX501 for a while.  I am really sorry I bought this unit, and hope that my findings help others in making their choice.  Doing it over, I would opt for a Kenwood or a Sony.