I wanted to share my experience and thoughts about doing a stereo upgrade on the XKR 2007. I know many owners want the extra connectivity but are apprehensive.

The factory head unit does quite a bit in terms of handling the vehicle settings etc so originally I was torn about doing an upgrade.

One solution was https://www.navtool.com/jaguar-xk-xk...e-carplay.aspx

This basically lets you keep the original screen but adds car play features to it. All in all not a bad solution if you want to keep the original look and feel of the car and are concerned about a complete change.

After a lot of research I took the plunge and did a full Tesla Type screen upgrade.

The screen itself is 12.1” 64 gigs storage , 4gigs , Ram , 6 cores , and running on Android 10.1.

It is fully compatible with the car and takes over the air con controls also and all the vehicle settings except the valet option.. (Not something I use anyways)

The trim is also a very close match to the walnut trim which was also a concern . It isn’t perfect but it’s very close, you can see the picture below.

The steering wheel controls all work fine and the installation is literally plug and play apart from the few extra connections needed . This allows you to easily re install the original system anytime as all the original connectors remain intact.

This unit has great settings for the audio and it certainly is a big sound improvement too. The gps on goodie maps is gorgeous on this size screen .

It can mirror you’re phones both android and Apple. Fully supports CarPlay, It also has a sim slot which runs from a cable connection so you can easily hide this and install a sim if you need . It comes with two usb connections so I used one for the Dvr which leaves one spare.

The overall result is amazing , it updates the look and feel of the car and you can now install both rear, front and 360 degree cameras if you wish.

For me I installed a reverse camera and a Dvr but am now considering the 360 camera for the future.

Small things to take note of : The aerial now takes a while to go down when you lock the car , this is because the screen takes a while to fully shut down. Around 5 mins.

When installing the unit make sure you tuck all the cables away from the back of the ashtray otherwise the ashtray won’t open.

The original head unit had a speaker for the parking sensor so I installed a separate small speaker and tucked it behind otherwise you have no audio feedback for the sensors .

I do recommend this as an upgrade to anyone out there wanting to get more from the entertainment system.

The radio is great, the added features of being able to download apps from the google play store is nice .

It isn’t compatible with Netflix but the passenger can always mirror their phones if they have Netflix as a work around ...

Spotify works great on this unit also.

The boot up time is great it’s almost
instant because it never fully shuts down and has a standby mode. You can display your car on the screen and when you open the doors it shows up on screen .On a cold reboot the jaguar logo shows up.

In place of the original clock display you now have a digital clock display. It would have been nice if they had options for this though ..... perhaps there are I would need to look into this .

Lastly do be careful on installation with draining the car battery by constant restarts . My battery went
flat because of this and before that happened, the car started to report errors on the cruise control and forward alert system which worried me which ended up in more restarts which contributed to draining the battery . However, now the car has been driven and the battery charged up, it’s all back to normal.

The final thing is I notice is a buzzing noise from the steering, I believe after researching this, it isn’t due to the stereo upgrade but something to do with the car climate control sensor which has a small fan that blows over the sensor. If anyone has some more info on this , it is appreciated . I think it could just be a coincidence and I’ll try to fix that soon.

in the mean time here are the pics ..



I know this look is still a classic look ....


I think it looks great


The install was done here in the UAE. The actual
unit is available on Alibaba.. AliExpress

I do hope this helps other owners in making the decision .

Price wise it’s $1200-$1500 Usd depending on options (camera etc) and where you source the screen ..

After doing this install I have noticed a price drop and some sellers on Alibaba / AliExpress have dropped it to $999.00

 

Great write up amd nice to see someone's actually taken the plunge/risk and is enjoying the benefits.

IF IT IS INDEED TRUE!!

 

Isn't N***ool a forbidden mention on this forum?
I foresee some deletions coming....
Also, I'll give you a billion dollars if you can play even one of my mp3 disks.
PLUS, first post from this user is an ad? I guess the OP will also be kicked very soon, including blocking the IP Address.
Therefore;
EVERYONE IGNORE THIS POST!

 

Thanks, It's my first time to post on a forum and simply wanted to share my experience for others who may be considering this. It is true and I have genuinely detailed the experiences and problems that occured.

 

Looks like Luke succumbed to the Dark Side of the Force.......

 

Its not an ad. Are we not allowed to post links in posts to help others who may be researching solutions ?? (Sorry I was unaware if this is the case)
Yup agreed it doesn't have a CD player so it can't play Mp3 disks. I assume you are referring to mp3's on a CD ?. Didn't intend to offend or break any rules here, if the admins wanna kick me off no worries !!!!. Just thought it might help others that's all.

 

Yup, took a while to make the decision

 

Post up some deets of your car Luke, how long you've had it, a few external pics and where you get it serviced in the UAE?

 

I could be wrong but I don’t think Luke was talking about Navtool

i think he was talking about this.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...archweb201603_

video on you tube


looks ok in my mind though I’m guessing most people on here have a black trim

 

It appears that Luke is talking about the NavTool unit since at the beginning of his first post he includes a link to that unit, and at the end of that post he says that the identical unit is also sold on Ali Express.

Note that the NavTool link describes a unit for the 2007-up Jaguar XK but the photo is from a Porsche. The Ali Express photo posted above by Mchammer is from a 2007 Jaguar XK without Adaptive Cruise, and the photo posted by Luke Martin is from a 2007 Jaguar XKR with Adaptive Cruise Control. ACC has two rotary controls on the right side of the steering wheel.

The NavTool price is now $549.99, which is significantly below the Ali Express price of $999.00. Why? Hmm. . Trying to dump the inventory? Maybe it doesn't do everything it claims? If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

 

Yep, just like this:




I still call Bullshit on this entire thread.

 

 

I referenced the Nav tool as an alternative solution to what I actually did and that I was considering it at the start of my post . I also mentioned that the navtool allows you to keep your original head unit but adds the additional car play features to it. I posted a link so people could read about how the navtool works . I mentioned this as I know some people are not keen on changing the look of the dash with a large screen .

Yes the picture is probably of a Porsche on the navtool link but if you read the info you will understand how it works with a Jag.

I thought people here are supposed to help others not criticise or rip into people who are simply trying to share experiences and help others who are apprehensive or can’t find solutions. ( It certainly makes me wonder why I bothered now to take the time to write up the experience).

I personally gain info from the forums when looking for solutions to problems with the car and when I looked to find info on the stereo, nobody seemed to have taken the plunge .... Hence I decided to write up on it and post pictures.

I hope this clears up the confusion as I believed I made it clear in my original post.

In my case I went for a complete upgrade and removed the factory head unit and explained this in detail, including the issues that I faced and at the end of the post I mentioned Aliexpress / Alibaba in relation to the Large Android screen I had installed for people who want to look for it . These two solutions are completely different .

The Navtool is something you add to you’re existing stereo to add CarPlay.

The android system is a full replacement of the original head unit and available on Alibaba or Aliexpress .

 

I have had a conversation with Aliexpress via email regarding their unit. Their unit is not capable of receiving Sirius/XM satellite radio at the present time. During the email exchange it became fairly obvious to me that they were not aware that most new cars sold in the United States came equipped with the ability to receive Satellite radio. So, if one is interested in receiving satellite radio at the present time, the Aliexpress is not for them or me.

 

Thanks Luke - I got where you were coming from ! I think your email got mis-interpreted by some. I for one welcome someone who is willing to take a chance on something like this. So thank you.

I did see that you can order a separate DAB module as well - I wonder if you can get a satellite module. It would be good to know what things you are struggling with, I have a heated steering wheel - I cant see that as an option in the middle east !

 

Thanks for understanding, had I known I would be met with such responses I really wouldn’t have bothered to share my experience... anyways ..... moving on .

In relation to the heated steering I can confirm that my unit does support it , it has an option to turn it on and off but I can’t verify it works as my steering doesn’t appear to be heated as it was never an option on the original head unit. It’s way too hot here to need heated steering lolzzz .

Other than what I have already mentioned above it is a great upgrade and made the car way more enjoyable.

The gps really is great as are the apps like Spotify. I have verified that the vehicle settings all tally up and work minus the valet option.

The sound settings have allowed me to make use of the Alpine speakers as there are more options with this head unit including some dsp audio settings plus a decent Eq which has improved the sound greatly.

I wish I could customise the look a little more on the android screen and make the icons smaller but honestly it’s just a minor thing.

I have installed a Sim in the unit and can say the boot up and response is great as well as the connectivity online using the Sim.

I do need to fix the buzzing next to the steering and since I did install the reverse camera I am considering installing the 360 as again it would be a useful addition .

Feel free to reach out of you have further questions.

 

I would not buy the unit that Luke installed. I like the era-appropriate look of the control cluster in my '07, just as I like the wood veneer. You don't get that in current cars, at least not ones I can afford.

But in reading Luke's post, I didn't feel he was selling anything, just informing others of his experience. I'm new here too, so I don't have the history of the Navtool issue. I guess it's some form of red Kryptonite. I was taken aback, though, by the strong reaction of some senior members in this thread. I thought this was an open forum in which XK/XKR owners could share their thoughts and experiences. So far, I have found it very beneficial. Luke's post was in my mind in the spirit of sharing information. His tone throughout has been even and appropriate, and he has tried to answer questions with information, not invective.

It's natural for members who have spent many hours involved in discussions here to develop a proprietary feeling about this forum. I've certainly felt that way about other forums I'm involved with. I would hope though that this remains an open forum, in which senior members help us noobs to get a better sense of our cars through information and guidance, not judgment.

My $0.02

 

I see that it does support CarPlay. Sirius/XM has an app that’s supported in CarPlay.

 

It's very big but I like it!
A little cheaper and I buy one!
Thanks for sharing and don't mind the old farts who dislike your posts.

 

All five of the OP's posts are in this thread. This has happened before with Nav**ol........ a new forum member posts links to stuff Nav**ol and that's it. It's like a Company Policy for them, invade forums and post links to their stuff under the guise of legitimate members of the forum.

I doubt the OP even HAS an XK. Absolutely Zero information on 'his' profile.

This thread is an Advertisement for a shady product from a shady company.