CarPlay worth $600+?

[0000757]

One of the reasons why I wanted to go back to an iPhone was because of CarPlay (before Android Auto was revealed, and I like the functionality of CarPlay over AA anyways), since I knew in the future I can get a car with it, and I can eventually get an aftermarket headunit for my current car (2012 Toyota Yaris) that would support CarPlay.

However, the only problem is that basically every aftermarket headunit is hundreds, even up to thousands of dollars, because they include all these extra features like App integration, DVD/Movie playback, Live Traffic, Backup cam integration, etc., and these are features I'd never use. I just want to be able to take advantage of CarPlay.

Currently the cheapest headunit that can support CarPlay is the Pioneer AppRadio 4, which sells at $600 ($450 on Amazon currently) and, thankfully, doesn't have an ugly design (the Pioneer NEX face buttons are disgusting for example). However, that's ridiculously expensive and its loaded with features I don't want nor do I need. I just want to use CarPlay.

I was hoping to be able to use it in my Yaris via aftermarket, since this car is brand new (not even a year old yet for me; bought it used) and I'm going to have it for many years. I don't want to wait for buying a new car just to use CarPlay (one of my favorite iPhone features).

So for those of you who bought an Aftermarket unit (or your car already supports it), is CarPlay really worth paying such a high premium, if you don't really care about the other features? Is it possible to see a headunit that drops all the frilly stuff that's cheaper that can offer CarPlay and such?

 

[Sulten]

to have the Unit work at GPS and Navigation for me thats a good feature. to just say what I"m looking for and siri pulling up maps is not bad. not to mention stream Bluetooth music from Pandora or phone or spotify is a nice option also. either way you look at it for a nice head unit your going to pay 300/400 bucks. the extra features are worth the extra $ for me anyways.

 

[Julien]

Deciding if it's worth $600 is up to you but you did say "...One of the reasons why I wanted to go back to an iPhone was because of CarPlay...". I would not hold my breath for a CarPlay only 3ed party head unit anytime soon. Even if it was made available now it would probably be $400 or $500. 3ed party (like Pioneer) have invested millions into their own systems, so offering it included is a small price increase and a source of pride.

 

[BrettDS]

I asked myself this question too a couple of weeks ago and ultimately I decided no.

There were two big dealbreakers for me... the first was that carplay is wired only. I get that you'll probably want to plug your phone in to charge if you're using it for long periods of time in the car, but I don't want to be pulling my phone out of my pocket and plugging it in every time I get into the car. We've come way too far with bluetooth and wifi to need to plug things in.

The other thing was that the carplay interface really seemed rather primitive to me when I was looking at videos of it. No multitouch or swiping to scroll just seemed like a few more steps backwards.

It's interesting technology and I'm definitely going to keep an eye on it to see how it progresses, but right now I couldn't justify spending $600 on it.

 

[swordfish5736]

That is what double din units for cars have always cost. You will also need a wiring harness, steering wheel control module(if you have controls on the wheel you want to retain), a bracket, and possibly trim kit depending on your vehicle.

pioneer has just shown off there 2015 line of NEX headunits, hopefully the 2014 models come down in price a bit.

There are trade offs between all of them. The alpine has a larger capacitive touch screen like the more expensive pioneer units but lacks a lot of the standalone functionality that comes in the app radio 4 and cheaper nex units. These are equipped with smaller resistive touch screens though.

 

[apple.snapple]

keep an eye out for this:

http://www.redmondpie.com/ignition-...ence-on-iphone-ipad-without-external-display/

 

[0000757]

keep an eye out for this:

http://www.redmondpie.com/ignition-...ence-on-iphone-ipad-without-external-display/

Dang, makes me wish I had an iPhone 6+ now that I could just mount.

Oh well...