Best aftermarket Head Unit that looks stock

[the highlander]

Hello,

After looking at 14 pages I really couldn't find what I was looking for.

What is the recommendation for the best NAV unit that looks stock and has CARPlay?

I just bought a 2010 Denali but it am sure i can't use bluetooth connectivity for audio which would be a big plus.

I guess I can always use the usb but on the regal 2011 it always disconnects.

Thanks

 

[kbuskill]

Hello,

After looking at 14 pages I really couldn't find what I was looking for.

What is the recommendation for the best NAV unit that looks stock and has CARPlay?

I just bought a 2010 Denali but it am sure i can't use bluetooth connectivity for audio which would be a big plus.

I guess I can always use the usb but on the regal 2011 it always disconnects.

Thanks

In my opinion the Rosen GM1210 is the best bang for your buck. It is fully plug and play with no additional modules to buy or install and have to figure out where to stick them. I bought mine from Walt at ADC mobile and he is a super guy to deal with and very knowledgeable and informative... super customer service. I just checked his site and they are on sale right now... I paid about $750 for mine as I recall and that was a couple years ago... I am very happy with the unit and recommend it to anyone that asks.

I cannot comment on the Carplay as I am an Android guy but when I installed mine I also added the factory USB port to my dash (mine is an '08) and if I hook my IPod up to the USB port I can control it through the radios touch screen.... not sure about newer Apple products though as I don't own any.

Here is a link...

https://www.adcmobile.com/product/cs-gm1210-ca/

 

[Meccanoble]

In my opinion the Rosen GM1210 is the best bang for your buck. It is fully plug and play with no additional modules to buy or install and have to figure out where to stick them. I bought mine from Walt at ADC mobile and he is a super guy to deal with and very knowledgeable and informative... super customer service. I just checked his site and they are on sale right now... I paid about $750 for mine as I recall and that was a couple years ago... I am very happy with the unit and recommend it to anyone that asks.

I cannot comment on the Carplay as I am an Android guy but when I installed mine I also added the factory USB port to my dash (mine is an '08) and if I hook my IPod up to the USB port I can control it through the radios touch screen.... not sure about newer Apple products though as I don't own any.

Here is a link...

https://www.adcmobile.com/product/cs-gm1210-ca/

I didnt even know that existed but yea that is the most stock looking I have ever seen! Looks like it has most of the primary features that compete with other aftermarket head units. There could be a difference in resolution and features but looks like it handles most of the features the average person is looking for. If your primary focus is stock look, I definitely like this unit for that.

 

[NathanJax]

Rosen is what the dealer would swap to if you "upgrade" through them.

If you MUST keep it looking stock, do the Rosen.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Wow at the price tag.

 

[the highlander]

Do you guys like the user interface?

Actually i like it!!!!

 

[kbuskill]

Do you guys like the user interface?

I have no complaints about the unit... it does everything that I want it to and makes the factory Bose system sound a whole lot better IMO. I have the factory rear camera and I also installed a front camera and have them on a switch so I can look forward or backward while moving forward.

 

[the highlander]

Interesting. How does the bluetooth work? Factory like?

I think i saw on a video it requires a parrot bluetooth device?

 

[kbuskill]

Interesting. How does the bluetooth work? Factory like?

I think i saw on a video it requires a parrot bluetooth device?

In 2008 Bluetooth wasn't a factory option... wasn't available until 2009 along with air conditioned seats, which I wish I had.... so I cannot compare it to the factory Bluetooth but it works very well... I listen to music from my phone a lot via A2DP and it works very well. Definitely make sure you install the external microphone that comes with it or you will not be happy with the phone call quality, your end will sound great but their end will sound like crap. Also make sure that the external Mic is selected in the settings menu or it will use the internal Mic.

If your truck has the factory Bluetooth then you have the option, during the initial setup, to use the factory Bluetooth and Mic, but I am not sure how all that works since I don't have factory BT.

It doesn't require a Parrot Bluetooth device..... the Bluetooth in the unit is a Parrot Bluetooth.

 

[the highlander]

Added to the modlist.

With one unit everything works? Hopefully the call buttons still work.

Looks 100% factory which i like.

Only thing missing would be carplay. Navigation should come from the phone. Difficult to beat google maps.

 

[kbuskill]

Added to the modlist.

With one unit everything works? Hopefully the call buttons still work.

Looks 100% factory which i like.

Only thing missing would be carplay. Navigation should come from the phone. Difficult to beat google maps.

If my memory serves me, I think I remember reading that the BT steering wheel controls only work if you are using the factory BT and not with the Rosen BT.... but again I don't have factory BT so I cannot confirm.

I know in my truck the button on the wheel that looks like a phone will mute the stereo if you press it, although if your phone is connected to the BT it will automatically mute the stereo and start ringing and pop up the name and number on the screen for you to answer or decline.

Wish I could be of more help.

I did see your post in the other thread about updating the Navi maps.... I hated the factory Navi... lol

 

[the highlander]

In reality i will never use the favtory navi. I was looking for a factory style solution that had a2dp.

Thank you very much for the suggestion.

 

[kbuskill]

Wow at the price tag.

When you consider the cost of an aftermarket HU and then add in all the other adapters that are required just to keep the factory options functional.... it's really not that expensive.... and then you have to stuff all those adapter modules in and hide them somewhere... lol

 

[Meccanoble]

If my memory serves me, I think I remember reading that the BT steering wheel controls only work if you are using the factory BT and not with the Rosen BT.... but again I don't have factory BT so I cannot confirm.

I know in my truck the button on the wheel that looks like a phone will mute the stereo if you press it, although if your phone is connected to the BT it will automatically mute the stereo and start ringing and pop up the name and number on the screen for you to answer or decline.

Wish I could be of more help.

I did see your post in the other thread about updating the Navi maps.... I hated the factory Navi... lol

I believe I can also do a google search when I press this button in Android Auto

 

[randeez]

i swapped out the factory nav for an android head unit. use it for waze, spotify, and torque pro apps - I hotspot from my phone when i hop in and its all just there ready to go. . It came with harnesses for 08-11 (mine is a 2012) so i had to get the harnesses for my year and re wire it all. wasnt to bad but there wasnt really a simple wiring diagram available. Rosen or not, make sure the unit has atleast 2gb ram, octocore processor... the unit i bought did not at first and i would in no way of recommended it to anyone. terribly slow, took forever to turn on, a single app would lag the whole thing down - i was looking on XDA-developers forum to see if there was an option to root and run a different OS. I came across an upgraded chip and figured i would give it a shot before going back to the factory NAV. It made the unit so much more responsive, it going into a sleep mode when key it turned off, i can run whatever apps i want, stream movies etc.
truck had/has factory bluetooth (phone, no music), onstar, bose, nav, rear entertainment. I had my phone hooked up to the factory nav, but somewhere in the wiring instead of muting aftermarket unit it would shut it off lol so i need to look into it. onstar i dont use, bose works great and actually have some eq capability, nav is replaced, rear entertainment i think i may have something hooked up wrong as well the screen is always mirroring what is on the head unit.
again most of this is attributed to my specific year does not share the same wiring as previous years.

 

[the highlander]

Very interesting. I used to be an XDA active at one point .... but i spent a lot more time playing with different firmware versions than using the phone. Ended up with apple. I wish i had a system with apple car play. It makes no sense to use any other navigation system other than google maps. Our system is so complicated that changing it to other than the rosen gm1210 makes no sense. Too many modules and retrofit nightmares.

Even the Rosen doesn't really offer anything groundbreaking. Navigation is still internal to the radio and not the phone. It should be via internet on the phone to get the best results. Google gives you open/closing times, phone and many more features that make any internal radio navigation system obsolete. That being said, i can connect through the usb and keep using the phone... bluetooth/hands free is all you need. For long trips you are still wired for battery life purposes so it ends up being the same. Spotify/Pandora negate ANY physical media management so, any of the extra features are really not ground breaking.

However. I have always loved the parrot RNB6 concept specially by bringing vehicle CAN data into the screen, but parrot discontinued the project (apparently they were paid off to not release the product???) and that is that.

I guess the only thing missing in this truck is the Auto Up windows and the HIDs. Supercharge it later and it's done.

 

[the highlander]

Android head unit looks awesome

 

[the highlander]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/And..._expid=7c3684f6-f525-4bfe-a4bc-9888cbdf1642-4

This looks good.

 

[knaveman67]

https://www.eonon.com/Android-Car-G...-Car-Radio-Bluetooth-DVD-Player.html?Catype=1

Anyone tried this one? Probably going to try it in the next few months.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

 

[the highlander]

The main thing on those for me is to have android 7.1.1. Not sure of those can be upgraded. I believe they should if android on phones is of any relation.

Make sure it had the best processor for smoothness.

I really want something with google maps.

Ideally. I should be able to send the address from my phone to the car’s screen.

I have not seen one with lte gsm connectivity which would be perfect too.