Pioneer AVIC-5000NEX

Mostly, that is, with the exception of Pioneer, who announced this summer that it would be bringing Apple CarPlay to the masses via its NEX series of multimedia receivers. Today, we take a look at the Pioneer's flagship AVIC 8000NEX, a fully featured...

The AVIC 8000NEX takes an "everything but the kitchen sink" approach to infotainment, supporting CarPlay, Pioneer App Mode and Mirrorlink smartphone mirroring technologies. The onboard navigation software is smartly designed and performs well. The list...

For some users, the 8000NEX may be too much receiver, making the lower-tier NEX models a better fit for their needs and their wallets.

Pioneer's flagship AVIC 8000NEX boasts dozens of media and navigation options -- including the first aftermarket appearance of Apple CarPlay -- but most users will find a better feature-to-cost balance lower in the brand's NEX lineup.