Those of you who gravitate toward custom, high-end auto installations may be interested in the Clarion NAX973HD, a hard-disk-based navigation system that costs a whopping $1,579 without the screen according to Engadget. That money buys you a separate component with a 30GB drive, a 12-channel GPS receiver, a built-in gyro sensor and tuner for up-to-the-minute traffic information, a USB port for backing up data, touchscreen support, maps for over 30 countries, voice recognition, text to speech, and split-screen zooming with the ability to display road signs in high resolution.

The Clarion NAX973HD comes with a VGA output for that external LCD panel, an externally-mounted GPS antenna, and an external microphone. The company claims that the unit can initially calculate directions within a few seconds, making it significantly faster than DVD and personal GPS-based systems—recalculations en route are even quicker. The unit is only 1.1 inches thick, so you can fit it under a seat, or perhaps somewhere in between the six 12-inch subwoofers you already installed in the trunk.