Grom vs EC offroad vs Naviplus (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

It seems to me that Grom has unresolved issues. In addition, at the time I made my purchase they didn’t offer a solution for MY 2019. I went NaviPlus as I wasn’t aware of EC Offroad at the time. Not sure if I would have some anything differently.

That being said, I believe EC offers a full 13” “Tesla style” replacement for the center stack. Very pricey, but looks interesting.
 
I'm not aware of anyone who has tried more than 1 of these options, so selection is largely reading through the various threads and making up your own mind on what the advantages and disadvantages of each option are, keeping in mind that you aren't going to be getting consistent feedback when it's different people who may have different priorities.

If all you care about is getting CarPlay, I suspect Naviplus is the way to go. I you want more than that, the other options are probably a better way to go. Feedback on Grom seems to have been pretty consistent that their products and customer service both tend to have issues. Several of us have gone with EC Offroad and have been happy with the newer version of their module (that came out in Sept of 2020) for 2016+ LC's.

I not sure that EC Offroad's "Tesla style" option is compatible with 2019+ USA spec LC's. If it is, that might be the best option in many ways, but I would want some guarantees that it is compatible or have someone else here in the USA try it out first. Since this option would completely replace the factory head unit, you wouldn't need to have a way to switch between the factory infotainment system and the add-on unit. But that also means that the integration of the factory settings and HVAC controls would need to be perfect and that is the part I would be somewhat concerned about. If they have that sorted out, I may be very tempted to make the switch to that. The larger, higher resolution screen would be really nice. Note that you would give up the built in SiriusXM over satellite feature, but could still get it over a cell phone data connection with their Android app (or through CarPlay / Android Auto).
 
I'm not aware of anyone who has tried more than 1 of these options, so selection is largely reading through the various threads and making up your own mind on what the advantages and disadvantages of each option are, keeping in mind that you aren't going to be getting consistent feedback when it's different people who may have different priorities.

If all you care about is getting CarPlay, I suspect Naviplus is the way to go. I you want more than that, the other options are probably a better way to go. Feedback on Grom seems to have been pretty consistent that their products and customer service both tend to have issues. Several of us have gone with EC Offroad and have been happy with the newer version of their module (that came out in Sept of 2020) for 2016+ LC's.

I not sure that EC Offroad's "Tesla style" option is compatible with 2019+ USA spec LC's. If it is, that might be the best option in many ways, but I would want some guarantees that it is compatible or have someone else here in the USA try it out first. Since this option would completely replace the factory head unit, you wouldn't need to have a way to switch between the factory infotainment system and the add-on unit. But that also means that the integration of the factory settings and HVAC controls would need to be perfect and that is the part I would be somewhat concerned about. If they have that sorted out, I may be very tempted to make the switch to that. The larger, higher resolution screen would be really nice. Note that you would give up the built in SiriusXM over satellite feature, but could still get it over a cell phone data connection with their Android app (or through CarPlay / Android Auto).
EC Offroad just confirmed that this unit is compatible with a US spec 2019 LC200: 13.6inch Head Unit to suit LC200 Sahara / VX 2016+ - https://www.ecvisionsound.com/collections/vx-1/products/13-6inch-head-unit-for-lc200-sahara-vx-2016?variant=32192034996327

Screen Shot 2021-04-15 at 4.40.13 PM.png
Screen Shot 2021-04-15 at 4.40.34 PM.png
 
Interesting, as that probably means it's compatible with 2019+... I may have to count my pennies :), though I would still be inclined to get some feedback from someone who has actually installed one. I'd like to see exactly how the HVAC and other factory settings features are accessed as those are things I wouldn't want to give up. Thanks for checking with them.
 
Interesting, as that probably means it's compatible with 2019+... I may have to count my pennies :), though I would still be inclined to get some feedback from someone who has actually installed one. I'd like to see exactly how the HVAC and other factory settings features are accessed as those are things I wouldn't want to give up. Thanks for checking with them.

Agreed. I wouldn’t want to drop $2800 (AUD) without some guarantee that everything works.
 
Does anyone know if there is a solution that allows you to listen to terrestrial radio (AM/FM) or Satellite Radio while viewing the navigation in carplay?
 
Does anyone know if there is a solution that allows you to listen to terrestrial radio (AM/FM) or Satellite Radio while viewing the navigation in carplay?
You can do that with the EC Offroad units (note that I'm not talking about their Tesla style full replacement units). Set your audio source to what you want in the factory infotainment mode (AM/FM or Satellite Radio), then press and hold HOME to switch over to the Android mode. At that point, you can use natively installed Android apps or launch CarPlay.

If you want voice directions with the navigation (or sound from other Android apps), press and hold HOME to switch back to factory mode, select the AUX audio source, and then press and hold HOME to switch back to Android mode.
 
Does anybody know if the safety cameras that come on under 10mph for 2016+ Land Cruisers will continue to function as when they are stock? This applies to any of the car play solutions mentioned above.

I really like seeing the cameras come on when under 10mph. Also, having it go away when I speed up. Having to workaround this is a NO GO for me. Do not get me wrong, I love car play and all it has to offer. But until someone can confirm the safety cameras will come on and off automatically, I will NOT be making any changes. The only thing holding me back at this point.
 
Does anybody know if the safety cameras that come on under 10mph for 2016+ Land Cruisers will continue to function as when they are stock? This applies to any of the car play solutions mentioned above.

I really like seeing the cameras come on when under 10mph. Also, having it go away when I speed up. Having to workaround this is a NO GO for me. Do not get me wrong, I love car play and all it has to offer. But until someone can confirm the safety cameras will come on and off automatically, I will NOT be making any changes. The only thing holding me back at this point.

With NaviPlus, your cameras will switch automatically, but the display will revert to the stock display once you start moving again. The display will not automatically revert to CarPlay...you’ll have to hold the Nav button again.
 
Does anybody know if the safety cameras that come on under 10mph for 2016+ Land Cruisers will continue to function as when they are stock? This applies to any of the car play solutions mentioned above.

I really like seeing the cameras come on when under 10mph. Also, having it go away when I speed up. Having to workaround this is a NO GO for me. Do not get me wrong, I love car play and all it has to offer. But until someone can confirm the safety cameras will come on and off automatically, I will NOT be making any changes. The only thing holding me back at this point.
I would need to switch that feature on again (I didn't like having it come on every time I stopped at a traffic light) to confirm, but the EC Offroad unit automatically switches back and forth for the backup camera and the parking camera (press the View button).
 
Does anybody know if the safety cameras that come on under 10mph for 2016+ Land Cruisers will continue to function as when they are stock? This applies to any of the car play solutions mentioned above.

I really like seeing the cameras come on when under 10mph. Also, having it go away when I speed up. Having to workaround this is a NO GO for me. Do not get me wrong, I love car play and all it has to offer. But until someone can confirm the safety cameras will come on and off automatically, I will NOT be making any changes. The only thing holding me back at this point.
I turned this camera feature on this morning when I went out to run some errands. With the current EC Offroad unit, the display automatically switches to the camera view when you slow down and then back to the Android mode when you speed back up. I promptly turned the feature back off because I find it very distracting :).
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom