I don't know about them, seem a little on the busy side. I like the looks of my 8454, that black and silver that doesn't light up your dash like a christmas tree. Those new ones look a little too Kenwood and Rockford-ish.
I just bought the 8454 last weekend for my son. Had to drive three hours to get it. I was going to install it myself but it would only have a one year warranty if I did it compared to a three year warranty if they do it. It's only going to cost me $10 for them to do it and a tank of gas. Oh well, I guess it won't be to bad since it is right across the street from Basspro in Springfield, Missouri. I like the looks of the new ones pretty good but like the looks of the 8454 better. The 8454 looks more serious and professional. It will be hard to say until I see one up close.
i disagree the 8454 was completly plain and ugly and it offered no real asthetic benefit over a 3434 besides a bit better display the new units all have 5v atleast and look decent, they do resemble kenwoods older excelon decks a bit to me with the lighting schemes however
"Plain and ugly" is subjective, I've always liked the look of the 8454. It integrates very well with most vehicles, the controls and overall layout was simple for the features offered, the black and silver looks nice. Very easy head unit to use. I could care less about flashy displays and aesthetics, the 8454 is more about sheer performance. If I could choose a single head unit for aesthetics, I absolutely LOVE the layout of the Nakamichi CD700, simple and elegant. I just don't like the performance of it. If I wanted something a little more flashy, I'd probably do an Eclipse AVX2494.