Is there an attractive "integrated looking" Navigation system for a 1st gen Prius?

Sorry I can't help. My trusty Garmin Nuvi plugs into the cigarette lighter and happily sits on the dash. I'm interested to see what others are doing, but this setup really doesn't bother me either.

 

I don't know who told you that, absolutely you can. You just need to get the parts scrapped together. Easily done. I can provide instructions on how this is done too. I have helped 5 prius owners do it, and they LOVE IT! I upgraded my nav unit to the same ones used in the second generation Prius, without even changing the screen, its plug and play. I can post pics of it, if anyone is interested. I have posted the instructions on Prius chat, just look for "2002 Prius Nav install." Hey I even have voice activated nav too, after getting this kit from Carson Toyota, plug and play, you can see the black button on the third picture that shows it. I put the microphone on the steering column. It is so awesome, you can use features that are disabled in motion, and use them via voice. You can't even get this on the second generation prius!

 

Hmm... I have a 2003 that came with NAV... Are you saying I could find a newer Toyota with a newer nav system and simply swap out the box under the passenger seat and gain new functionality? (like maybe the voice recognition?) If so, do you have any reference as to what options there are?

Thanks!
Levi

 

I have the nav connector from a 2005 Prius, and the harness is completely identical to our generation of Prius. Incredible really, most likely some cost saving is the cause. No splicing is required. I had the original nav too, and when my friend Shafiq from Erin Park Lexus here in Canada told me it was simple swap, I did it a heartbeat. Look on ebay for any toyota nav from 2002-2005, from any car, even Lexus too as it will work. Further, it will be more reliable than the older generation that I had too. However, the voice navigation requires a seperate part (microphone and button kit) that plugs into the back of the nav. You must call Carson Toyota in California to order it, its only $59.00, and the voice recognition is exceptional.

 

Now that's cool... So you're saying the only modification needed is some pin swapping on the connector that plugs into the nav unit?
Is that easily achieved with a bit of prying with a tiny screwdriver to pop a wire out, then just put it back in a new location?
Thanks!
Levi

 

For your reference, I found the 86841-0E010, which is the nav unit with Bluetooth. Unfortunately I have not been able to get the bluetooth option to work, however, my phone does pick it up on the list of Bluetooth devices, but since I cannot access the option at this time through the nav screen, I cannot get it to work. I am still trying though.

 

Sorry, reading is a dying art I am afraid, I missed the part where you said your car has NAV already. My earlier response was my silly assumption that you did not have Nav in your car already. In your case, its simply plug and play, just like me!!! : ) No modifications required at all. I am so sorry for the confusion, but I hope you will do this excellent upgrade too.

 

Now you're bringing up even more options than I had considered!

Why wouldn't you be able to access the option through the nav screen? I'm not familiar with the newer nav setup, but I would have thought that if you had the new nav unit functioning in there, that it would be identical on the screens?

Are some of the options just not showing up?

 

Oh and I have a complete list of all voice commands as well. Have a look. I love my Prius so much since doing it! I love when people get in and are shocked that my car not only talks, but I can talk back to it! HAHAHA! It really does enhance the car alot! Oh and if you like you can get the microphone kit for your Generation 3 nav unit as well. Its also plug and play and the same part as well. The speech recognition I found is not as good as the newer units, but still acceptable.

 

On the newer Prius', to access the Bluetooth section requires you press the MENU button. When doing so on our car, the options are TRIP, MAINTENANCE, SCREEN, LANGUAGE. Our screens were made before the time of Bluetooth, so I suppose the logic that is supposed to be there is not present, and it simply ignores it. However, if you go into the diagnostic menu, bluetooth is there! : ) I will find how to get in if it kills me! HAHAHA!!

 

So the factory nav for the 01-03 models has voice recognition built in but no microphone? Is it the same microphone for... Well, ok so the 01-03 models are Gen3? and 04-05 is Gen4?

Eee, I just took a look at Ebay and car-part... There aren't really any cheap nav units are there... Looks like around $300 is the starting point... That might take a while before I could justify that... I'll have to keep my eye out for junked ones...

Are 05's the newest ones that are plug and play?

 

This price is not too bad either. Same exact unit, two part numbers. Only difference is that this one does not have bluetooth.

TOYOTA PRIUS GPS NAVIGATION DRIVE COMPUTER LEXUS ECU:eBay Motors (item 270439133417 end time Sep-05-09 09:08:56 PDT)

Look at the white connectors on the right, completely identical to your Prius' nav. Also the the grey one to the left of the two right connectors is where the microphone connects to.

 

Any Toyota nav units that are Generation 4, or part numbers 86841-0E010 or 86841-50090 will work in our Prius'. And it can come from any Toyota or Lexus. Just shop for the best deal. I can put you in touch with the fellow in Michigan I bought it from. His name is Tahir Malik, and he is highly regarded in the Toyota Community for being a guru on Toyota nav units. Plus if you are willing to drive to Troy Michigan, you can do a local pickup like I did. He often knows more than even Toyota themselves. His prices are very fair, and in some cases cheaper than ebay. Plus he guarantees them. Let me know if you are interested, and I will pass over his contact information.

 

Here is where I found the kit from, and determined that it would work for our Generation 3 units. The part number is 86750-44020. Do not bother calling your local Toyota Dealership as they will not show it at all. Carson Toyota orders parts from JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) parts, and you can only order from them.

OEM Navigation w/Voice Microphone, Remote Control and Command List Guide - Club Lexus Forums

 

Ahh... Well... Though shouldn't that Menu screen just be running from the Nav unit? Or is that something within the network of the car and the Menu comes from a different computer and just doesn't interface with that portion of the newer nav unit...

Come to think of it, I guess the Menu would have to come from something other than the nav unit itself since all cars would have the menu option whether or not they had nav...
It does seem like it would be hard to find a way around that...

 

Yes, the signal comes from the Toyota Gateway ECU mounted just above the radio. A small grey box, that proudly displays in big letters TOYOTA GATEWAY ECU! LOL! Most unfortunate, but I hope I can find a way through the various diagnostic menus. I love how you can search by Phone number on the Nav unit as well as entering GPS coordinates.

 

I appreciate that, but that's a bit higher on the price range than I was hoping... I'm glad to know it's an option and I'll be keeping my eye out if I can find some great deal(like the local pick-a-part has one and only charges $75 or something...)

 

So, this microphone/button kit is like $50 from Carson Toyota, and for sure works in a Gen3 system? Just plug it in and I've got voice commands? Now that is something I might look to do much sooner...

 

You know what they say, have picture, there's proof! I found my Generation 3 nav in the garage for you. I plugged in the microphone connector for you to see. You can verify the Nav unit part number with yours as well. When you press the nav button on our generation 3 units though, you get this little anime character in the top right hand corner that looks like its speaking, its really cute! On my Gen 4, I just get a microphone... BORING!! But the functionality is the same. Put the microphone on the steering column as the voice recognition works well there. Don't put it near the rear view mirror or it will just hear static, and the voice recognition is poor. However you can access nearly all menus and POI's while driving that are normally disabled. You can even turn your screen on and off while driving as well!