What USB?

Cars only started arriving in September with the USB connection from the factory, it was not present on early-manufactured cars.

 

But the USB interface can be added to those early cars.

 

Have a 2004 looking at getting a 2010 and saw they come with USB. I added USB to my 04 last year from some company called grom audio and it worked alright. I was seeing how good the factory USB was and see if anybodies used it yet (since I hate going to the dealerships to try it in person) or if I should just save my money, get the basic radio since I don't need nav and add the grom usb and a ego bluetooth.

 

Does the USB feature only come with the MFD? Or does it come on all radios?

 

The USB port comes as part of the whole "Safety Connect" feature. So, if you have the Safety Connect, you should have the USB port...or is it the other way around???

I do have to say that they could NOT have found a worse place to place the charger/USB/AUX ports in the console. They're at the bottom surface all the way to the rear of the compartment! This is a terrible location for these reasons as I see it:
1. The compartment will likely collect debris and dust over time which SETTLES IN THE BOTTOM of the compartment...not a good place to put a plug-in port that could collect said debris and make connection to cables difficult.
2. They're difficult to reach because you have to open the console's lid all the way and flip the little flat tray upward to get to them.
3. Cables have to be longer than necessary to run to the outside of the console and it makes it impossible to close/latch the lid if you run a cable to the outside of the console.

 

Isnt Safety Connect a service. Why would you need a USB port with Safety Connect?

 

You don't *need" a USB port for Safety Connect. Like many other features, Toyota chooses to bundle them together into a package. This may be strictly a marketing decision, or it could be that the USB electronics is built onto the same board as the Safety Connect system.

Tom

 

I believe the earliest package V's to hit the U.S. shores did not have it ... as walterm mentioned ... and it is retrofitable, if you have one of the early entries.