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Don't get me wrong; that's pretty nice. But you could save a lot of money with my rather sophisticated DIY alternative:

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I've never understood this line of thinking. There are a plethora of things more important than a stupid phone integration system in a car but it amazes me the number of that kind of comment.
Won't pay for Isofix seats, extra airbags, winter pack, (heated front screen etc), won't fit winter tyres when appropriate. But yeah, Carplay is a must.

Agreed. Priorities.

Toyota/Lexus as a brand is usually at the top 3 of the reliability list. A person who works in the auto industry said they use Lexus as the benchmark for reliability. I’d rather have a safe, reliable, well built car as a priority over ancillary things regardless of brand. Nice that they’re adding it now but that alone would never sway my decision over safety and reliability.

For example in the extreme case if you picked a troublesome model you’d probably end up paying more for maintenance and repair for that car than buying a good car without CarPlay where you could have easily used an aftermarket solution and saved a lot more money in the long run with low maintenance costs/issues.
 
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Good. They lost a sale to me for lack of CarPlay in a Lexus NX. CarPlay and Android Auto are becoming must-haves... or deal-killers, depending.

I can't understand any car maker putting out a car without Car Play support. I will not even consider a new car without one.

That was definitely the case for me when I bought my current car. There was no way I was going to stick with my then current brand because they didn't offer Carplay.
 
I rarely use CarPlay. Mostly because it’s wired. Wish more would get on board with wireless.
 
Funny how you have to bring your car in, seems so archaic. Tesla's model of wireless updates really makes traditional auto manufactures seem old fashion

Toyota is amazing and I have two of them. Quality is truly there unlike my former BMW (which was crap)

I swore only to buy toyota but has stolen my heart! It's like when Steve Jobs was at Apple! Tim Cook really has turned Apple into GM, can't get quality right, lame updates, and playing catch up with everyone else.
 
I've never understood this line of thinking. There are a plethora of things more important than a stupid phone integration system in a car but it amazes me the number of that kind of comment.
Won't pay for Isofix seats, extra airbags, winter pack, (heated front screen etc), won't fit winter tyres when appropriate. But yeah, Carplay is a must.

Nearly all manufactures want you to get the opt for top trim for embedded nav which is by itself garbage. This is a good daily utility that is convenient as bluetooth. Everything you mentioned requires physical and for many a costly upgrade, while CarPlay support a matter of manufacturer will.
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Agreed. Priorities.

Toyota/Lexus as a brand is usually at the top 3 of the reliability list. A person who works in the auto industry said they use Lexus as the benchmark for reliability. I’d rather have a safe, reliable, well built car as a priority over ancillary things regardless of brand. Nice that they’re adding it now but that alone would never sway my decision over safety and reliability.

For example in the extreme case if you picked a troublesome model you’d probably end up paying more for maintenance and repair for that car than buying a good car without CarPlay where you could have easily used an aftermarket solution and saved a lot more money in the long run with low maintenance costs/issues.

I would agree with you, but as an owner of a fairly new 56k Lexus without CarPlay or Android...the infotainment it comes with is utter garbage.
 
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i would glady give honda $250USD to put it in my 2015 honda accord, which was SUPPOSED to have carplay but got delayed till the 2016 model.

i love my honda but this decision to not give us the option is pissing me off.

Same here for my wife’s 2015 Pilot. They want $150 just to upgrade the maps in the current navigation system.

I bought a Kenwood CarPlay unit for my 2013 Jeep, and I love it. Having Waze, Overcast, Apple Music, Tunein Radio on the head unit is wonderful.
 
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Same here for my 2015 Pilot. They want $150 just to upgrade the maps in the current navigation system.

Lexus wanted 400...and its still trash. CarPlay now with google maps/waze support is fantastic. My last loaner came with it, did not used the stock nav or its system for the 2 days I had it.
 
Now all they need to do is roll it backwards as an apology for entune. Still able to crash it by activating Siri. Still no patch. Going to have to replace the entire head unit with an aftermarket unit because of Toyota's arrogance and incompetence. They make great cars and trucks, but can't write (or maintain) software worth a darn.
 
I skipped the $800 NAV unit in my wife’s Challenger. Why pay through the nose for that when I get free, updated maps with Apple and CarPlay. That’s another reason CarPlay is a must on a new vehicle.
 
A good move by Toyota. But I wonder how much the retrofit will cost these owners? I have a new Honda, and my CarPlay is a built-in standard feature, it didn't cost me extra.
 
Mercedes, BMW, some Audis and even Ferrari charge extra for CarPlay.

Meanwhile my cheap-ass 2019 VW has 3 USB fast charging ports, CarPlay, Android Auto and Mirror Link support. Standard
 
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Aftermarket is an option, the newer aftermarket radios are quite nice. Not inexpensive but much cheaper than a new Yukon!
True, I have a backup camera and the CD player controls the drop down screen in the back, I’m not sure the aftermarket will connect without shelling out a lot $$$. Still not as much as a new car but more then I want to pay.
 
If you must have Entune (Enturd) 3.0 then that really sucks for anyone on Entune 2.0. MY LC 200 has Entune 2.0 and while CarPlay is not a critical factor to me it still should be there for the price of the vehicle.
 
My new BMW offers CarPlay but it costs $300 for the app to use it, as I mostly just use the voice and phonebook over Bluetooth I am wondering how much value others find in it.
first: it's eye candy to see the album work art.
second: the sound over BT is less quality than wired. depending of your system or mp3 quality might not matter for you.
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Mercedes, BMW, some Audis and even Ferrari charge extra for CarPlay.

Meanwhile my cheap-ass 2019 VW has 3 USB fast charging ports, CarPlay, Android Auto and Mirror Link support. Standard
and road assistance. standard.
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I rarely use CarPlay. Mostly because it’s wired. Wish more would get on board with wireless.
I had wireless carplay for almost 2 years,until my alpine ilx-107 developed an issue with auto-mute. now I use wired carplay with alpine ilx-w650, I was surprised to adapt so fast to connect the wire,bonus having the phone charged all the time.
 
You're completely missing the point.

People aren't going to buy a car ONLY because it has CarPlay support.

People usually cross shop vehicles in the same class/price range. If two vehicles are similar, yet one has CarPlay, then that could easily be enough to sway the buyer to choose that vehicle. Modern vehicles are pretty competitive, and you're not going to find two vehicles at the same class/price where one is fully loaded while the other is a base model.

Correct! My lease on an Infiniti was up and still no car play. Went for an Audi instead same features but Audi has Car Play.
 
I've never understood this line of thinking. There are a plethora of things more important than a stupid phone integration system in a car but it amazes me the number of that kind of comment.
Won't pay for Isofix seats, extra airbags, winter pack, (heated front screen etc), won't fit winter tyres when appropriate. But yeah, Carplay is a must.

Smartphone has become the most personal computer for human beings. Making it integrated into your car entertainment is just another step to make the experience seamless. Sure you can have passive head unit with Bluetooth connectivity, or even the good old 3.5mm wire. But the point is to make your car "smarter"

You don't have to pay for another GPS service (unless you go a lot to remote area), or bring lots of CDs (a simple subscription to Spotify or AM is godsend). All those services worth something.

If a car manufacturer could slip in some isofix, heated seats, power sockets, or extra airbags, why not going the extra mile and includes a smart head unit? It's like you're selling an otherwise excellent burger but decides not to include the hot sauce in the restaurant.

So yeah, all post 2017 production cars need to have CarPlay and Android Auto, along with all the basic, essential features like air conditioner.
 
I really, really, REALLY hope this expands to Lexus models. Specifically, one of their oldest models; the Lexus IS. My 2019 IS 300 does not have CarPlay. I never leave the bluetooth screen but if I could plug my phone up for CarPlay and never have to see Lexus' menus again, that would be a dream come true.

I'm a tech guy and spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to delete my old iPhone XS and add my new one this morning after a warranty replacement.
 
To each their own. That is at the top of the list for me. The amenities are more important than the way a car drives for me personally.

I completely agree, modern car nowadays should be comfy enough for most people with all the electronic aids, traction control, power steering, and all that. I mean can we find a car without power steering nowadays? Come on. It's been decades since those features considered as basics.

Unless you're buying a Ferrari or Porsche, than it's just another family car to take you from A to B. CarPlay and Android Auto is a feature that makes the driving chore a bit more pleasant, knowing that your car is connected without the need to touch the phone.

Not to mention that those car manufacturers in-house "entertainment system" is 99% utter garbage.
 
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I have a 4 year old Toyota LTD that's factory radio crashed just out of warranty at 3 years old & the dealer wanted $4500 to replace it. I said, NO Thanks, went to a stereo shop and spent $600 for an Kenwood Apple carplay & Google car system that works great & I didn't lose the backup camera, parking , backup sensors- NOTHING! I suggest people get a 3rd party system rather than pay the high retrofit prices...
This upgrade will be done through a software update. Toyota charges ~$200 to update the maps version so I would assume there is a similar fee (and maybe even labor). It won’t be anywhere near $4,500 or even $600 for a 3rd party set.
 
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