The factory navigation is pretty good for every day use, but I wanted something a little more robust for long trips. Garmin units have always been very good for the points of interests they offer plus the ability to easily update the maps.

I mounted it to my CD slot (who uses CDs anyway?) using the Mountek nGroove CD Slot Mount for Garmin nuvi. The mount is sturdy and the unit sits away from the CD slot so you can still get your fingers on the radio buttons-- but I just use the controls on the steering wheel to adjust volume and the pre-set stations for the satellite radio...

The best part is going to be no expensive Nissan map upgrades since I get free map & traffic upgrades with this Garmin!

 

That's a big mamajama! Lol
I really thought I wanted a 7" gps when I started looking into them a few weeks back, then realized how big they actually are. Even went to the point of making cardboard cutouts for a few different sizes, and glad I did because none of my ideas would have worked with something that large. Lol

I hope your setup works well for you. My experience is that cd mounts do a good job for awhile, but after you remove it a few times, it will start to loosen up and vibrate.

 

It is much bigger than I imagined-- definitely won't have a problem seeing the map (nor will anyone else in the car!) and I'm set for when I get older and my vision starts to go... LOL
I just keep the mount in the CD slot and take the GPS unit off-- it's not very obtrusive. Every so often, I just make sure the thumb screw is tight-- so far so good.

 

Something to think about. I plan on asking my friend, who's an Infiniti mechanic, if he can get a discount on map updates. I've bought many discounted Nissan parts through him in the past. If not, this is a good option.

 

It was a no-brainer. Nissan charges $179 for the CDs to update the navigation.
The Garmin was $232 from Amazon with free lifetime map & traffic updates...

 

A friend of mine has a very nice Garmin. His has Bluetooth, and all he has to do say my name, or any other contact, into his phone - and the route pops up on the Garmin in less than 3 seconds.

Seems like a really nice unit, but probably a little too techy for my needs.

 

This unit takes voice commands as well. It works well for finding points of interest like "Find McDonalds"-- it'll bring up all the McDonalds restaurants around you. When using voice to input an address, however, I find that you really have to articulate when saying the directions-- the unit doesn't always "hear" you right. With the 7" screen, just as easy to input the address in...