USB and Safety Connect Are Almost Here!

hmm yea, i think i'll pay the dealer to install it for me. like cpatch, I don't want to be exactly ripping a new car apart just yet.

 

The installation instruction PDF clearly shows the USB/iPod kit going into a Prius without the NAV and with the stock radio. Just say'in.

 

Wait, wait... which one disables satellite radio?

 

The current/old interface (part # PT545-00082) is the one that disables the Sat radio. That's the one that goes in the glove-box I believe.

The new interface (part # PT233-47100) does NOT disable the Sat radio and provides full integration of iPod functions within the Nav display and lets you control the iPod via the steering wheel controls.

 

Why not avoid the cost and unsightly wires? Just pair your Ipod Touch or iPhone via Bluetooth - no detectable loss in sound quality and its wire free! It even detects your iPod as soon as you enter and turn the car on. Also, you can pass the iPod around the car to passengers who can choose the next song etc. We need to work against wired tech!

 

The issue for me is not being able to control the iPod with the steering wheel buttons and/or touch screen. Not very safe, when you don't have a co-pilot.

And the USB connectivity is very attractive. Buy a 32 gig flash drive for $75 and you're off to the races.

 

Got a call from my Toyota dealer on the way to work this morning saying that the interface kit was in, so my car is at the dealer now for the install. $268 for the kit, $142 for the install. First one they'd seen, so hopefully all goes well!

 

A few others and I have noticed degraded sound when going over bluetooth, there are actually a couple of threads about it. That alone makes the wired connection attractive for me.

 

Could you post some pix of the nav screens, and provide your impressions?

I'm particularly interested in how you navigate fom one album to another, browse by artist, and whether any of this functionality is locked out when the car is moving (like some nav and CD functionality).

I'm more interested in the USB connectivity than iPod.

 

I have a little different take on this than most. I ordered my car in June, I think there was some kind of unconfirmed rumor that these options would be available in the fall. I didn't worry about it because I knew I wouldn't want either one. Now I am being told that since I have a Prius V with ATP on order I am going to get them and I am going to pay $680 for the privilege of getting two options that I don't want and won't use.

Now, if I had known this when I placed the order I might have just said OK in that case I'll just get a Prius V with no package; or I might have felt really generious and decided to give Toyota an extra $680 for things I don't want. But it would have been my decision.

I just read my purchase order and on the back it does say I can cancel the whole deal if the price is raised and I'm dissatisfied. Well I am, but I have been waiting for this car for 5 1\2 weeks now and I will have to think hard about canceling. I have never been one to "cut off my nose to spite my face" but I really resent the fact that this is being crammed down my throat.

 

And the manual clearly shows a NAV interface. Also just say'in.

 

So just to make sure, this will NOT work on my II, right? I have to use the glovebox one?

 

Sure, although I won't have the car back until lunch and probably won't be able to post photos and impressions until tonight.

Based on reading the manual PDF, navigation in USB mode is based on the folder hierarchy set up on the device, so it all comes down to how organized you are when you copy the files. iPod support is for album and playlist only, for some reason, so there is no artist or genre support. Given the date of the PDF (9/08), however, it's possible things have changed.

 

I agree with you. I do not mind paying for the iPod option, but I don't want to be forced to pay for the Safety Connect which I would only use for the free trial. I'm already stretching my budget by purchasing the IV since they do not sell the III w/NAV in my region. If my car doesn't show up in the next shipment, I may have to re-think things AGAIN.

 

Don't make me pay for stuff I didn't order!

I just checked with the dealer that ordered my car and gave them a copy of Team Prius' post. The dealer said they knew absolutely nothing about this, they were not consulted or even informed. I guess Toyota is selling so many Prius so fast they think they can be as arrogant as they wish and get away with it. I still have the option of not buying this car and I am seriously considering exercising that option.

I have all the music I listen to in my car converted to MP3 and burned on to CDs. I don't have an Ipod and don't intend to buy one. The USB port would be of no value.

The safety connect system is useless, it only works where cell phones work and if I can use a cell phone I don't need it. The places I go where I might really need some help have no cell phone service. The cell phone companies concentrate their service around cities and busy interstate highways. I use back roads when ever I have the opportunity. If my car is ever stolen, which Prius are not, the last thing I want is to get it back. I'd rather fight it out with my insurance company over the value than to get a car back that has been driven by a car thief, to many things can be damaged that only show up months later.

If Toyota is going to equip the car I ordered in June with this stuff I didn't ask for then they should be willing to have it removed at their expense so I don't have to pay for it.

I am not going to post what I really think about this high handed marketing because some might considerit a bit to critical.

 

No one likes to have the rules changed in the middle of the game. Unfortunately for those caught in the transition to new rules, those who make the rules also make the cars. While it's a great car, this is lousy PR. I understand the efforts to keep costs down by minimizing option combinations at the factory level; however, Toyota doesn't seem to understand that when I customer places what sadly amounts to a pseudo-order, they really expect that the order will be fulfilled in accordance with their wishes. (How naive, right?) Obviously, a lot of dealers suffer from the "you're gonna have it our way" syndrome and it appears that Toyota has tragically caught an even more deadly form of the bug than before.

With that said, I'm still planning on purchasing my Prius regardless of whether or not my IV has the added features or not. Granted, I really don't want that Safety Connect feature; not because it's worthless, but because I've already stretched a whole lot financially to get the vehicle I've selected.

I was, however, planning on adding the iPod interface. The only consolation is that if the car arrives with both packages, is that I won't have to pay for the interface to be installed.

In all fairness to Toyota then, they're not really sticking me with another $450, they're really "only" sticking me with about $300 ($450 SC - $150 est. iPod install). As if that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy...:glare:

 

Dear Prius team,

Will the USB and Safety Connect available to Canadian Prius? If yes, which option and cost?

 

I wish the USB port was an option for the NON-NAV JBL system. I am disspointed that I paid $1,000 more from a Prius II but I only got BT for my phone and "slightly" better sound system. I don't even get BT streaming audio.

 

I read the owners manual PDF, but the pic of the screen posted on Prius Team's flcikr page (see below--click on it to enlarge and see screen detail) shows a USB tab--which is different than the owners manual which shows it appearing as a CD changer, so I'm thinking this may be a different accessory.

If the owners manual is different than the PDF I posted, could you scan it and post a copy? TIA.

 

OK, speculation time is over...I just picked up my car and had enough time to play with the interface on the way back to work that I can fill in most of the details. First of all, the posted manual is not the manual for this system. I'll scan mine in and post it later. As stream mentioned, the kit adds a USB tab to the navigator audio interface (SAT is left alone), which you can get to either by touching it or using the AUX button (which now cycles between AUX, Bluetooth Audio, and iPod/USB depending on what you have connected). The iPod/iPhone connects via the usual Apple USB cable (not included) to the new AUX/USB port in the center console, which replaces the old AUX port.

There are two types of screens in the iPod interface along with the common title bar across the top of each screen. (The title bar displays status information such as whether or not an iPod is connected, what play modes are active, what track is playing, and elapsed time for the current track.) The first screen is the now playing screen, which displays the track name, album title, and artist (looks like 16-18 characters each although I didn't count). It also has a Select button next to the track name, which allows you to select another song from the current playlist, along with Menu, Play/Pause, Repeat, and Random buttons at the bottom (as well as the usual Sound button).

Touching the Menu button brings up the menu screen. This screen has tabs for Playlists, Albums, Artists, Songs, Podcasts, Audiobooks, Genres, and Composers (I might be missing one). Touching any of these tabs displays a scrolling list relative to the type of tab, for example a list of artists for the Artists tab. Selecting an artist brings up a list of albums for that artist (IIRC), just like on the iPod itself. A return button at the top left of these screens returns you to the previous screen.

The interface is slightly different if you're using a USB mass storage device. The now playing screen shows File, Folder, and Artist and has an additional Select button for Folder as well as next and previous folder buttons. There is also a SCAN button that plays the first 10 seconds of the first file in each folder until you press it again. There is no Menu button in this mode, nor is there a play/pause button for some reason.

According to the manual (I haven't tried it), you cannot select a file or track using the touch screen interface when moving.

As far as the steering wheel switches are concerned, the up and down buttons act as next track and previous track. In USB mode you can hold them down until you hear a beep to change to the next or previous folder.

The SEEK and TRACK buttons to the right of the nav screen also act as next track and previous track. Holding down the SEEK button fast forwards the current song, holding down the TRACK button reverses it. The TUNE-FILE knob moves you up or down through the files/tracks in the player.

When you turn on the car and the USB tab is made active the iPod/USB device is automatically powered on, recognized, and begins to play wherever it left off. When you turn the car off with an iPod attached the iPod is disconnected in pause mode. If you have the iPod set to sleep automatically it will shut itself off after the specified delay.

Note that the manual says that the kit is not compatible with the iPhone. I haven't tried yet to see if this is true. It's also not compatible with the Mini or the Shuffle.

Overall the interface is OK, at least in terms of functionality. It definitely won't win any design awards but it offers more than I expected based on previous posts and it obviously stops me from having to look down at my iPod screen. I've already noticed some annoying idiosyncrasies though...there's a delay when you press the next/previous track buttons and you can't scroll through the menu screens without changing the currently playing track. (Every time you page down or up the first track in whatever is displayed at the top of the screen starts playing.) Oh well, I guess it's par for the nav system course.

That's all I can think of for now (plus a few extras out of the manual that I haven't tried). I'll do my best to post the manual tonight and possibly a video. BTW, the cost of the kit was $268 (plus tax), not $240. Installation was $142.50.