Unfortunately, the NVE-N852A navigation system is not touch-screen compatible and could only be operated by remote control.

#2. Navigation for my wife
Adding the Alpine NVE-N852A navigation system was also easy. I placed the DVD-ROM drive unit under a middle row seat, ran the wires under the carpet to the drivers seat for connection at the hideaway box, and placed the tiny magnetic antenna on the roof near the tailgate. Now, when my wife asks about stopping just 15 minutes after we passed the last rest stop, I can instantly inform her of the actual distance and time until the next available facility, instead of my vague standard response, "I think there's one ahead in a few minutes." (I'm usually wrong).

After making the necessary connections, navigation added itself to the list of available sources. I pressed the "Nav" icon (boop) and the ubiquitous "use with good judgment and at your own risk" warning appeared. I pressed the "OK" button, but nothing happened. I pressed again, and still nothing. I went back and checked my connections ? all perfect. As a last resort, I checked the owner's manual for the IVA-D300 and found an interesting note. The manual indicated, "The operation is possible with the supplied navigation remote." This surely could not be!

Just in case I misinterpreted the entry, I grabbed the phone and called my contact at Alpine, and described the situation. "Ah, you discovered the IVA-D300's Achilles' heel" he said. It seems when the Alpine NVE-852A navigation unit was designed several years ago, Alpine had yet to adopt a touch-screen interface, and all control was done through a handheld remote. And though many new outboard devices could be readily adapted to be "touch-control-ready," and hence controlled directly from the IVA-D300, the conversion for the more complex nav unit was not so simple. When I inquired if a navigation piece that could be directly controlled by the IVA-D300 was in the works, my source at Alpine said coyly: "We're constantly striving to improve our products." I'd bet money a new "touch-control-ready" nav unit by Alpine will be introduced early next year, if not sooner.

The IVA-D300 displays all the XM information you could want.

I could write an entire article on the powerful features of the NVE-852A, but I should stay focused on the IVA-D300. The beauty of the system is that I can listen to any other source (XM, radio, changer, DVD) and when it's time to make a maneuver, the nav voice prompts chime-in through only the front speakers, at a user selectable level. Even better, the IVA-D300 allows you to independently select what you watch and what you hear. I frequently leave the nav on-screen while listening to XM. When I want to change the station, or see who is performing a song, I touch the screen and the XM info and controls are super-imposed over the Nav screen. After making my selection, the XM info/controls time-out, leaving the Nav display on-screen. Once you travel with navigation, you'll never want to leave home without it.