As we’ve said several times in the past, new-gen infotainment isn’t necessarily impossible on an older car, and the Mercedes-Benz E 55 AMG W210 right here is living proof in this regard.
The car has recently been upgraded with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto thanks to an Alpine head unit, and as you can see in the gallery here, everything appears to be working just smoothly. Including watching videos on the display, it seems, which obviously isn’t something that you should do unless the car is parked.
The head unit used for this upgrade is the Alpine INE-W720D, which comes with a 2 DIN system and features a 7-inch touch screen with a set of extras, including Bluetooth, HDMI, and even TomTom navigation.
In fact, this is one of the biggest selling points of the Alpine head unit, as drivers are allowed to choose between running navigation powered by Android Auto or CarPlay (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, or any other Android or iOS app that’s also compatible with them) and the pre-installed TomTom.
“You even have 3 options for navigation: the INE-W720D features the iGo Primo NextGen navigation system with TomTom maps and 3 years free-of-charge map update. It also includes online navigation capability to use Maps with Apple CarPlay and Google navigation with Android Auto. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto apps can access the Alpine navigation antenna for highest positioning accuracy,” Alpine itself explains.
The TomTom navigation comes with coverage for a total of 49 European countries, and Alpine guarantees that you’ll receive updates for three more years. After these 3 years, you need to purchase the updates, which Alpine promises will be at “a very reasonable cost.”
Needless to say, if you want to upgrade an E 55 AMG W210 with such a unit, any 2 DIN system with a 7-inch screen would do it, but this Alpine HU is one of the best currently on the market.
The head unit used for this upgrade is the Alpine INE-W720D, which comes with a 2 DIN system and features a 7-inch touch screen with a set of extras, including Bluetooth, HDMI, and even TomTom navigation.
In fact, this is one of the biggest selling points of the Alpine head unit, as drivers are allowed to choose between running navigation powered by Android Auto or CarPlay (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, or any other Android or iOS app that’s also compatible with them) and the pre-installed TomTom.
“You even have 3 options for navigation: the INE-W720D features the iGo Primo NextGen navigation system with TomTom maps and 3 years free-of-charge map update. It also includes online navigation capability to use Maps with Apple CarPlay and Google navigation with Android Auto. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto apps can access the Alpine navigation antenna for highest positioning accuracy,” Alpine itself explains.
The TomTom navigation comes with coverage for a total of 49 European countries, and Alpine guarantees that you’ll receive updates for three more years. After these 3 years, you need to purchase the updates, which Alpine promises will be at “a very reasonable cost.”
Needless to say, if you want to upgrade an E 55 AMG W210 with such a unit, any 2 DIN system with a 7-inch screen would do it, but this Alpine HU is one of the best currently on the market.