LXNAV E360 vs E500 vs E700 vs E900 – Chartplotter or Vessel Data Display?

1. What are the LXNAV E-series displays actually designed to do?

The starting point is important. LXNAV’s manuals do not describe these units simply as engine gauges. The E360 is described as a 4-inch multifunctional display, while the E500, E700 and E900 are described as multifunctional 5-inch, 7-inch and 9-inch displays.

All four receive information from an NMEA 2000 network. The manuals provide source selection for engines, GPS receivers, depth sensors, fluid-level sensors, rudder sensors, battery-monitoring systems and other network sources.

The important distinction is therefore not “chartplotter or engine display?” It is closer to “how broad is the multifunction capability, and where does it stop compared with a wider navigation ecosystem?”

2. Yes, they really do have chartplotter functions

The manuals include a dedicated Chart section and a separate Navigating section. This is much more than simply displaying latitude and longitude.

The documented functions include:

The manuals additionally describe chart settings, course lines, map-detail control, vessel position on the screen, destination information and route guidance.

That warning is worth keeping in context. It does not mean the chart function is merely decorative; it means LXNAV itself places clear limits on how the electronic navigation function is to be used.

3. The big surprise: the four models share a lot of software capability

The current manuals show that the difference between the displays is not simply that a small one is an “engine gauge” and a large one becomes a “proper plotter”.

In fact, the published NMEA 2000 supported-data lists for the E360 and the E500/E700/E900 family are effectively the same. That includes receiving PGNs for engine information, transmission data, battery information, water depth, rudder, heading, attitude, environmental information, trim tabs and various other vessel systems.

Their chart/navigation software is also closely related. So the biggest differences are primarily screen format, physical size, resolution, brightness, input method and interface arrangement.

4. E360 – the unusual one in the family

The LXNAV E360 is fundamentally different in physical form. It is a 4-inch round multifunction display with a 720 × 720-pixel capacitive touchscreen.

That round format matters. It allows the display to occupy the sort of dashboard area normally associated with a large round instrument rather than a conventional rectangular MFD.

What the E360 manual documents

Despite its compact appearance, the E360 manual includes dashboard screens, chart screens, navigation, alarms, fuel functions, electric-propulsion information, anchor watch, depth, fluids, battery data, trip information, audio control, Wi-Fi, custom FloatBoxes, profiles, NMEA 2000 source selection and calibration.

It therefore should not be described as a simple engine gauge.

Control differences

The E360 manual documents two primary operating methods: its touchscreen and an optional JogWheel connected through the NMEA 2000 network.

Unlike the E500/E700/E900 manual, the E360 manual does not document the contactless hand-gesture control mode used on the rectangular models.

GPS planning is worth checking

The E360 manual requires GPS information for functions such as time, chart positioning and navigation, and specifically refers to GPS receivers as selectable NMEA 2000 data sources. It does not identify an integral GPS receiver in the current E360 specification table.

Therefore, when designing an E360 installation, the GPS source should be treated as something to confirm rather than assumed.

5. E500 vs E700 vs E900 – more than simply three screen sizes

This makes the buying decision more interesting than simply “small, medium or large”. The E700, for example, gives a larger physical screen than the E500 without increasing resolution, whereas the E900 increases both size and resolution and changes the NMEA 2000 port arrangement.

6. What engine information can they display?

Engine monitoring is clearly one of the central roles of the E-series. The manuals contain dedicated engine calibration, engine alarm and dashboard functions, and the supported NMEA 2000 PGN lists include:

That means the displays are designed to work with engine information that is already available in a supported form on the NMEA 2000 network.

The manuals also include calibration settings for engine temperature ranges, coolant pressure, oil pressure, oil temperature and maximum RPM, which are then used when rendering gauges and warnings.

On a modern engine with supported J1939 information, an interface such as the LXNAV CAN2CAN can provide the conversion path. For older analogue senders, the LXNAV SmartEMU addresses a different type of installation.

For a deeper explanation of that side of the installation, see J1939 to NMEA 2000 Explained.

7. Can the LXNAV displays work with an echo sounder?

This is where terminology matters.

The supported-data list includes PGN 128267 – Water Depth, and the menus provide a dedicated Depth display, depth alarm and depth-offset calibration.

LXNAV’s own display manuals list examples of compatible NMEA 2000 depth devices including:

• Airmar DST800 Smart Multisensor
• Airmar DST810 Smart Multisensor
• Airmar DT800
• Airmar P79S
• Garmin NMEA 2000 Intelliducers
• Garmin GST43
• Airmar P39 NMEA 2000 multisensor

So if the requirement is “show me the depth and warn me when it becomes shallow”, that role is documented.

If the requirement is “show me a fishfinder-style picture of the seabed and targets in the water column”, that is a different function and is not described in the display manuals reviewed for this article.

8. The displays can show far more than engine RPM

One of the strongest arguments for viewing the E-series as vessel-information displays rather than engine gauges is the size of the documented NMEA 2000 data list.

The manuals include support for receiving information covering areas such as:

Data sources can be selected automatically or manually. This is useful when a vessel contains more than one possible source for a parameter.

The displays also permit calibration of relevant devices or data presentation, including depth offset, fluid level, rudder angle and battery configuration.

For more detail on the physical network itself, see How to Build an NMEA 2000 Network and our LXNAV NMEA 2000 Retrofit & Integration guide.

9. Where do these displays stop compared with a broader MFD ecosystem?

This is the most important question if somebody is considering replacing an existing multifunction display.

Based strictly on the LXNAV display manuals reviewed for this article, the E-series is strongly documented for:

• chart display and route navigation;
• OpenSeaMap and Navionics chart data;
• NMEA 2000 engine and vessel information;
• depth-value display from compatible NMEA 2000 sensors;
• fuel and fluid monitoring;
• battery and DC-system information;
• rudder, heading and movement data;
• electric-propulsion information;
• alarms and warnings;
• trip and logbook functions;
• compatible NMEA 2000 audio-system control;
• custom dashboards, screensets and FloatBoxes.

That does not justify saying that the LXNAV displays are “worse” than a conventional full-system MFD. It tells us they appear to have a different integration emphasis.

If the job is to provide a clean display for charting plus engine, electrical, tank, depth and general NMEA 2000 data, the manuals describe a substantial capability.

If the job requires one screen to form the centre of radar, advanced sonar, video and a wider proprietary navigation network, those functions should not be assumed from the LXNAV documentation.

So which LXNAV display should you choose?

Because the core software capability is so similar, choosing between the four is largely an installation and usability decision.

Can an LXNAV display replace your existing chartplotter?

Sometimes it may fulfil the required role; sometimes it will not.

If the existing display is principally being used for charting, engine instruments, battery information, tank data, depth values and other NMEA 2000 information, the E-series manuals show considerable overlap with that requirement.

If the existing MFD is also the display for radar, fishfinder/sonar imagery, AIS target plotting, cameras or other proprietary network functions, the LXNAV manuals do not provide enough evidence to treat the E-series as a direct like-for-like replacement for those functions.

That means the right first question is not:

The better question is:

That distinction is particularly important on retrofit work, where removing one existing screen may unintentionally remove several hidden system functions.

Custom dashboards are a major part of the concept

The manuals put considerable emphasis on configurable screens rather than forcing every installation into one fixed layout.

Operators can create screens and screensets, select data sources and use configurable FloatBoxes to add numerical parameters to screens.

The displays also support different user profiles. This means one vessel can retain different preferences or screen arrangements for different operators.

The IAssist function adds another layer: the manuals describe it as logic intended to present information relevant to the current operating situation rather than forcing the operator to continuously search through pages.

On the E500, E700 and E900, the touchscreen is supplemented by gesture control. The manual states that swiping a hand in front of the display can perform selected operations without touching the glass — potentially useful when hands are wet or dirty.

There is more electric-propulsion support than you might expect

The manuals are not limited to conventional diesel or petrol engine information.

Their supported-data lists include electric-drive status and electric-energy-storage information, while the software contains an electric-engine economy screen and a Drive Mode function.

The documented Drive Mode options include Eco, Normal, Power and Dock where the connected system supports the relevant function.

This is another reason not to label these displays simply as diesel-engine gauges.

Battery, tank and environmental monitoring

The same NMEA 2000 architecture allows an E-series display to become the presentation layer for other onboard measurements.

Examples within the wider LXNAV range include:

• SmartSHUNT for battery-system information;
• SmartFLC for analogue tank-level integration;
• SmartSENSE for environmental measurements;
• GPSN2K where a dedicated NMEA 2000 GPS source is required.

The important point is that the display is not measuring all of these things itself. It is receiving compatible information from the network and presenting it to the operator.

Are the LXNAV E-series displays any good?

A manual cannot tell us subjective long-term reliability or whether a particular operator will prefer the interface. What it can tell us is whether the specification is substantial enough to take seriously.

On that basis, the E-series is much more capable than the phrase “engine display” suggests.

That means their value depends heavily on the installation.

For a vessel wanting a clean, configurable NMEA 2000 display with charting and strong engine/vessel-data capability, the documented feature set is compelling enough to justify consideration.

For an installation where one MFD must also handle radar, detailed sonar imagery, cameras and other specialist navigation functions, the LXNAV display should be considered as part of the overall system design rather than assumed to replace every existing device.

Related F&C Marine guides

If you are planning an E-series installation, the display is only one part of the system. These guides cover the network and data side in more detail:

• LXNAV NMEA 2000 Retrofit & Integration
• How to Build an NMEA 2000 Network
• J1939 to NMEA 2000 Explained
• NMEA 0183 vs NMEA 2000 Explained
• NMEA 2000 Backbone Problems
• Marine Electronics Diagnostics & NMEA 2000 Fault Finding
• Marine Electronics Knowledge Base