The AVN5435 is equipped with two disc drives: one for the navigation disc and DVDs and a separate drive for CDs.

Movies on the Road

The AVN5435 not only kept us on course and entertained during the many miles of highway, it also delivered when the car was parked. The slot for the navigation disc doubles as a DVD player, so when the car was turned off and the parking brake was set, it was movie time.

The DVD menu pops up with a touch of the screen.

Images on the screen were clear from any angle, and a special coating kept fingerprints from ever becoming an issue. The adjustable viewing angle did a good job of fighting glare inside the car, but a few instances of direct sunlight washed out the picture. A good tint job would definitely fight this; it also depends on the placement of your car's stereo (the Camry's is high and centered). The menus were intuitive and easy to navigate, and after about 20 minutes of wandering around and learning the buttons, I was confident enough to skip through the screens to find what I wanted.

The AVN5435 offers a lot, so it would take a while to truly know where everything is, but Eclipse does a good job of covering what you need to know in the two included supplement guides (one for audio and another for video). This kept me from constantly having to thumb through the rather thick instruction manual, and directions were clear and well illustrated.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to the AVN5435, I never felt uncomfortable driving in Nashville. While exploring new cities is a lot of fun, it can also be intimidating when trying to drive on unfamiliar streets. The AVN5435 also allowed me to make adjustments to my route on the fly, so I never had to extend my trip by stopping, pulling over, and typing in a new destination. I also was impressed at the accuracy of the maps on the navigation disc, as I never found myself searching for a street or turn that wasn't there. Everyone in the car was also impressed when we used the unit as a DVD player. The only gripe came from the backseat, and that was for the lack of a remote. While one isn't included, it is available separately, and it would have come in handy when trying to sit in the back and watch a movie.

There was no compromise in sound for having all the great video features. The AVN5435 was more than powerful enough to make my stock speakers sound better, and there should be enough on tap to supply juice to most aftermarket speakers. One feature I really loved was the quick search for the six most powerful stations. Driving through so many small, unfamiliar towns quickly put us out of range on more than one occasion. The quick search feature kept the tunes flowing strong for the entire trip, and we were never without a signal for more than a few seconds.

Down the Road

The AVN5435's benefits don't just stop here. In my short time with the AVN5435, I made big plans for our future. I would have loved to have taken advantage of the optional rearview camera that activates whenever the vehicle is put in reverse. It would certainly make parallel parking on my many trips to Richmond and Washington D.C. that much easier.

For even more music, the Eclipse 8-disc CD changer adds a huge library of tunes, a feature that would allow me to throw plenty of music in the player in one shot for the next long road trip. This Eclipse is also compatible with SIRIUS satellite radio, so I can listen to my favorite radio stations all over the country, or add a HD Radio tuner for the highest quality over-the-air signal. With the three sets of preamp outputs, I can send a front, rear, and nonfading 5-volt signal to my amps for a powerful, cinema-like sound system. A video-out line gives me the option of adding a monitor for the back-seat crew. I'm thinking that with all these options, I can make it to San Francisco before I even need to get out of the car.

The AVN5435 has plenty of features, but if you want more, it's available. Depending on your wants and needs, Eclipse makes add-on equipment like a back-up camera, cd changer, HD and satellite radio tuners, and more.