Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
What do you use for an Apple CarPlay upgrade? I had a unit installed on an older vehicle and found it a bit annoying. Weirdly slow and didn’t like the interface when it wasn’t connected. I think it was a decent brand, Sony or whatever, but didn’t do it for me.
I’m now in a similar situation where my daily is new enough to have a good screen but doesn’t have CarPlay and I’m waffling on the upgrade idea.
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Depends on your head unit, keeping in mind I'm using a CarPlay piggyback rather than a wholesale replacement of the infotainment. Newer vehicles tie a
lot of functionality into the factory infotainment so my priority is always to make sure those features are still accessible after the upgrade.
All of the below have options for several vehicles make/models.
For the vehicles I've done the upgrade on:
2008 Range Rover Sport -
NavTool - I liked that it used the factory touch screen (no auxiliary controls), and factory Bluetooth phone mic. Doesn't use factory steering wheel controls for track skip (volume only) though this is a limitation of the vehicle implementation as it uses auxiliary input for audio. Plug and play, 30-45 minute install.
Demo:
2016 Range Rover SC w/ Bosch headunit -
CarLinkLife - Again, used factory touch screen and factory mic for phone over CarPlay/AA. Uses factory steering wheel controls for track skip and volume. Can be set up to use aux or factory Bluetooth A2DP for audio, but both work with steering wheel controls. Plug and play, 30-45 minute install.
Demo:
2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage w/ Garmin headunit -
Naviks - Uses the factory joystick / inputs as the screen isn't touch due to it being far away from the driver, and connects via auxiliary audio. Steering wheel controls work for track skip. For this vehicle, it required an auxiliary microphone. This was easily the most involved install, even though it was technically 'plug and play', it required routing harnesses from the navigation computer in the hatch to the center waterfall. Their own support was kinda useless with no install documentation for this particular application, so I have to use another owner's YouTube video install guide. It took about six leisurely hours on a weekend to install.
Demo: