Tesla Style Stereo Research - Landcruiser 2008-15

[jefo13]

The 11” Pro works nicely, Ive got one myself and I sized it up. My fear is how much more than my $200 mini the 11” costs to leave it sitting in the car when parked out there... otherwise it’s just perfect. I do hope a new “Pro Mini” comes out soon

 

[OkiMike]

So I contacted Smarty Trends with quilestions about there new models. They are called ultra vertical and touted to be more ergonomic to use. They directed me to this page on there aight and as fate would have it all models of the Landcruiser are included in the new ultra vertical model with an updated chip and operating system. SMARTY Trend Evolution - New Ultra-Vertical Screens! - Info-blog, news and video reviews about Android In-Dash Car Head Units

Take a look and see what you all think. I will be placing my order this week and doing an unboxing for everyone. Don’t expect the full produced unboxings like you see on YouTube who try to make a living out of it. I will be purchasing a appleplay dongle/ canbus reader and a parking brake bypass. The only thing I think will be an issue will be the rear DVD. But that is another animal to tackle late in the game.

I have been stalking your research and feedback, thank you for doing the hard work. Was wondering how your order and install went. I am ready to pull the trigger on one of these units and wanted to see how yours went to hopefully steer me. I have an 08 LC200 (Japan model) so hopefully all will work the same.

Cheers!

 

[Shane baldwin]

looking at putting one of these in my hilux hanging out to hear how you went with this

 

[screenflicker]

@schiller2300 I'm certainly interested in your unboxing/install regardless of how "professional" it looks

Yesterday I was cruising the web and came across a guy installing a Phoenix Tesla style head unit in his F-150. Granted, different vehicle, but something he pointed out really stood out to me and is a bit of a dealbreaker. He mentioned that when it got cold out and he went out to warm up his truck, the heating controls would reset every time the truck was turned on. Even with the remote start, he'd have to go out in the cold to the truck and turn the heating on.

 

[40Man]

Anyone try the Rhino Radio brand? Looks similar, but they have an add-on carplay/android auto option that would make the stereo much more useful for me. Just trying to get some real world feedback before pulling the trigger.

 

[Blasst]

Aha..another interesting option ) This s*** is fun.....

 

[Blasst]

I have been stalking your research and feedback, thank you for doing the hard work. Was wondering how your order and install went. I am ready to pull the trigger on one of these units and wanted to see how yours went to hopefully steer me. I have an 08 LC200 (Japan model) so hopefully all will work the same.

Cheers!

wow....that is cool and tempting. 'll be watching and researching that a while.

 

[screenflicker]

The Rhino Radio looks somewhat like a rebranded version of the phoenix radio. I'm wondering how many of these sites are all selling the same rebranded radios. Curious to find out if I'm wrong (hopefully) and the Rhino is better/has more factory features we're all looking for.

 

[40Man]

The Rhino Radio looks somewhat like a rebranded version of the phoenix radio. I'm wondering how many of these sites are all selling the same rebranded radios. Curious to find out if I'm wrong (hopefully) and the Rhino is better/has more factory features we're all looking for.

Not sure, but the Phoenix does not appear to have carplay or android auto that the Rhino does (unless the adapter for the Rhino also works on the Phoenix. They look different too.

I would prefer Android Auto so I can just plug in and run off my phone rather than tethering through my phone to the car. I am not in a rush. Using a magnet mount in the CD player for my phone does most of what I need.

Hope someone tries the Rhino and reports back.

 

[schiller2300]

Time for a lengthy update First about me and why I haven't added my stereo yet to Moira. "What had happened.....was", I was working on my house and fell 20 ft off of a scaffold. Ouch. I was actually quite lucky considering most of my injuries were skeletal. I fractures my ankle, tibia, and torn several muscles in my groin. This was all back at the end of October. Post surgery and I am happy to report that I am walking quite well but just now getting back into the activities that I was enjoying prior to my mishap. But then there is winter, I live in a historic district of Little Rock, AR where there are no garages to be had for miles. Hence most of my work is shade tree, which in the winter has no shade and it is cold as heck. So these are my reasons for not having started on this project, which is a shame because for the first time I actually have had the money set aside for it - unusual for me. I also have learned not to purchase toys until I am ready to use them because if they set to long and I find out there is a problem with it the return period has lapsed or something along those lines. It is just hard getting service on an electronics item that was purchased months earlier and you are just now reporting a problem with. OK enough about me.

First let me talk about the new player that was mentioned in the previous posts - Rhino. Here are the images from their website.

So my impressions of Rhino are that they have a nice website and ranks as one to be considered to order from on that basis. I had pretty much decided to go with Smarty Trends ( not with standing that they should have chosen a better name - no offense to Mr. Smarty) because they do have an updated accruate description of what they are selling. They have just added what seems to be an updated stereo with a faster processor and latest android installation. They took the time to update all this on their website which should seem like a given but it does factor into what we try to glean from these companies. Non are Amazon by any stretch of the imagination. This is a larger screen model for Landcruisers with Navigation which most have and I like that they list the options that you can purchase through their website. I have not contacted this company as of yet but I hypothesize that these options are not specific to this unit. I was planning on carplay and a back up camera along with OBD II scanner as well with the others as well, you would just have to go to the trouble of buying from different sources. I would like to assume that because the options are offered along side the unit they are in fact all available tested accessories and not just a list. I would also question - are all of these accessories available on a single unit or are you limited by any lack of inputs on the head unit that would cause you have to choose what you wanted. One of the big questions/problems is people are wanting to run rear seat infotainment and these inits seem to lack outputs for such things which is a deal breaker for some. I have a factory rear infotainment and will be toying with a separate DVD player that Smarty Trends mentions as a user friendly work around. My motivation for this option is to make my granddaughter happy Life is easier when Barbie is playing.

I want to make a few constructive criticisms about Rhino from my initial impressions. There website is a bit to slick, the language is a better form of English than most but still foreign made and I do not like that you get a consistent pushy pop up that is visible in the lower left of the first picture I posted that tells you about how many people are purchasing these units. Just not believable for me - it is a stretch on Amazon Prime Day to believe that items are going as fast as they claim. I have sent an email to them asking several questions to see how they respond. I will post my correspondence with them when I receive it.

I had several questions that prompts me to answer in the forum about why I am doing this at all. Well, I do like technology and have always been fascinated with car audio since high school. I couldn't wait to get a CD player when they came out. I am a quality audio person not quantity. So non of that has to do with why I am going down this road. In my opinion, as much as I have loved Landcruisers for the past 20 years, the layout of the dash for this model makes absolutely no sense to me. This integration of the climate control with the navigation is one thing that has been discussed as problematic for some time. Nothing new there. But the layout is all over the place - lets start with a picture for me to make my case.

Pros - Large buttons that you can find when you want to push them. Especially the climate up and down buttons on either side of the infotainment column. Nobs for turning up and down volume (even though it is on the steering column) and for tuning which is simply love of old school. It makes it very easy and intuitive for a passenger to change the settings. There is definitely no mistaking how to activate the hazard lights. I also like the dedicated thin separate screen above the main screen for temp and time. There is an Aux input below the lighter which was great for 2008 but not so much now that we do most things bluetooth and yes the unit has bluetooth - sort of. We will leave bluetooth at that in pros since most of what I have to say about is belongs in Cons. So that is it for Pros.

Cons - While the buttons are large they have very little functionality. Example - Info button seems like a good thing to have on a dedicated button but when you push it the screen has very little in the form of information about anything other than keeping up with maintenance. Yes, you can keep up with all sorts of maintenance for the 5% of people that would do that through the infotainment system, of course then you might need to change the battery some time which will not retain your information. There is a nice big display button which allows you to customize all of about 3 things. Sad even for 08. Navigation is pointless and while there is speech recognition you only have a choice of a few specific things that the unit knows. As I mentioned earlier the unit does have Bluetooth and you can import your contacts but it does it in a way that it is very hard to identify what numbers are what and has a hard time associating names with numbers. If you know someones number you can tell it to dial the number but if you want to call a person and don't know the number (like most of us) good luck. Bluetooth is only for calling nothing else. There are two modes for satellite radio which comes from the factory with an aftermarket style puck on the hood that is run up the passenger side roof water channel. REALLY. I actually called Toyota - no my local dealer - to verify that this was the OEM on an 80 Grand Landcruiser in 2008 - yup. OK then moving on. As I said the unit has Satellite but forget about reading the information of what you are listening to if you have a subscription. CD player is a DVD player for the rear player as well which is part of the problem with replacing this unit with another. The tesla units solve the climate problem but do not address the rear infotainment integration problem. I mention liking the big buttons but when you push the big FM button you might expect that the main screen would go to something resembling radio for tuning in a station something. No!! What you get is a little sliver of screen that shows you about 6 presets that you can select from. Just not helpful at all. And then there is the button for AM - Really....AM. All of these nice large buttons between the dials just bring up the same little sliver of screen space with few options to unitize. Nice big seek/scan buttons too - I have to remind myself this is 2008 not 2018 but then again my CD player in high school (1986) made the same display for seek/scan. That totals over 30 years of seek/scan functionality that no one used.


Enough already!! The conclusion is that the infotainment dash of the 2008 Land Cruiser was a vast after thought. For the purist cruiser that is modding there vehicle to go up mountains and over rocks this is all probably ridiculous to expand upon at such length or put energy into rectifying. I am not that person, I like being a part of the Landcruiser world from the city streets and this is my niche. Stereos. And might I add this desire to alter my infotainment system to an android based unit is hard for me because I am married to Apple. So regardless of where I end up buying one of my inputs will be taken up by an Apple Car Play module.

I don't have the strength to read back over all this so forgive the grammatical errors in spelling and sentence structure. I am from Arkansas which gives me a pass on a lot of things like shoes and marrying your cousin

 

[M1911]

Ouch. I hope you have a full recovery.

 

[JtFSU]

@schiller2300 sorry to hear about the fall, but glad it wasn;t as bad as it could have been.
I'd like to add some info to this thread, as I have been looking for viable options to repair/ replace/ upgrademy stock Nav unit.
My main motivation is for two points:
1) After purchasing the truck used from a Toytoa dealer, and being assured that all items were operable, we discovered there is no sound from CD's or DVD's, regardless if through headphones or speakers
2) When listening to radio, spekers seem to cut in an out throughtout the vehicle.

I will say that the dealer was very fair in trying to rectify this, and actually sent me a check to help make it right. It certainly won't pay for a new factory unit, nor will it cover the costs of an Android unit, but it does help.

So... Have been researching the Pheonix, and had some email communication with them. This email actually contradicts what has been posted
Here- Tesla style 16" Android Radio install/information
- Hard buttons DO NOT Work
- Steering Wheel Controls DO Work

On the Website for the unit- 16" Vertical Screen Android Navi Radio for Toyota Land Cruiser 2008 - 2015
- It says that Steering Wheel COntrols will work, as will Climate Control Buttons.

Here are the questions I asked:

1. Will this unit be compatible with the rear screen for playing movies
2. If yes, can I connect an external DVD Player via usb?
3. Will this retain the factory hard buttons on steering wheel and climate controls under dash vents?

Their Answer:
The unit has rca female for FL, FR, RR, RL - in terms of output it is 60W max. no rca for sub. this unit will not be compatible with the rear screen for playing movies and will not retain the factory hard buttons on steering wheel and climate controls under dash vents.

So... The Rhino and Smarty Trend are both intriguing. With a 30 Day money back gurantee on all of them, it seems hard to not give it a try.

@schiller2300 , If you are planning to go with the Smarty Trend, I may order the Rhino, and we can both post our results.

My Requirements, like yours are:
1. Must be compatible with the current speakers. I will eventually upgrade speakers, and possibly add an amp
2. I'm not too concered with Apple Play, as my experiences have not been great in GM vehicles. But require Bluetooth Phone, Contact links, and Streaming music with controls for next song.
3. Ability to tether to Hotspot for Maps and other apps
4. The kicker- I need to figure out a way to connect to the RSE screen and sound. Would either load movies to a USB drive, Add a USB DVD Player in Glovebox, or download on wi-fi at home direct to unit.

Hopefully this info is helpfull for anyone else thinking of taking this on. I will be sharing my experience once I order and install in another thread.

 

[schiller2300]

ftFSU - Thank you so much for your contributions to the thread. I am glad to hear that you got a firm "No" answer on the hard button climate controls. The video that I saw where the hard buttons worked was with this unit.

When I talked to Phoenix and sent them an image of my dash they told me I would need the 16" Radio, as well, because I had factory nav. I have seen a video on you tube where this particular style 13" stereo functioned with the factory hard button climate controls under vents. My thinking at the time was that this was an older style radio and I would have the option to put this older model in my 08 Landcruiser and retain hard button functionality and keep the thin temp screen that is above the main screen (just like in the factory model).

My understanding to date (with respect to the climate control functionality) is that the pictured unit here is for NON NAV Landcruisers and the larger screen unit is for the majority of Landcruisers that have factory nav and unfortunately does not include functionality of the climate control buttons on either side of the vent. We all have deal breakers - this is a hard one for me to swallow.

I firmly believe that there is no real difference in the manufacture of all of these units between the different sellers. I feel they are all produced in a single place and for the most part I don't think that the software configuration is any different among them. If anyone can elaborate - please do. I know that I have seen and discussed in this thread alternative launchers but other than that I feel like the operation of these are all about the same as well. That anyone's must haves in a unit will be better served by purchasing from one company over another.

 

[Swgilk23]

Gearing up to tackle this project and try to get my local sound shop in Nashville, TN to install.

I think I'm going try the Smarty trend unit as soon as Smarty confirms that my rear entertainment will play digital videos through my phone.

2008 Toyota Landcruiser

Toyota Land Cruiser 200 2008-2015 Vertical Screen (Tesla Style) Android Car Stereo Navigation In-Dash Head Unit

ftFSU - Thank you so much for your contributions to the thread. I am glad to hear that you got a firm "No" answer on the hard button climate controls. The video that I saw where the hard buttons worked was with this unit.

When I talked to Phoenix and sent them an image of my dash they told me I would need the 16" Radio, as well, because I had factory nav. I have seen a video on you tube where this particular style 13" stereo functioned with the factory hard button climate controls under vents. My thinking at the time was that this was an older style radio and I would have the option to put this older model in my 08 Landcruiser and retain hard button functionality and keep the thin temp screen that is above the main screen (just like in the factory model).

My understanding to date (with respect to the climate control functionality) is that the pictured unit here is for NON NAV Landcruisers and the larger screen unit is for the majority of Landcruisers that have factory nav and unfortunately does not include functionality of the climate control buttons on either side of the vent. We all have deal breakers - this is a hard one for me to swallow.

I firmly believe that there is no real difference in the manufacture of all of these units between the different sellers. I feel they are all produced in a single place and for the most part I don't think that the software configuration is any different among them. If anyone can elaborate - please do. I know that I have seen and discussed in this thread alternative launchers but other than that I feel like the operation of these are all about the same as well. That anyone's must haves in a unit will be better served by purchasing from one company over another.

this

 

[Ninja Cruiser100]

^^^this looks interesting keep us posted please.

 

[Cruisin911]

Really excited to see this work. Please keep us updated.

 

[jefo13]

OK I gave up and went with this option...

iPad Mini ez installation

[UPDATE/UPGRADE]

I just went to a 10.5" iPad Pro
Aside from the better/larger screen, I love the performance. iPad Mini4 is just slow and bugged down, I can't believe they still sell them (an updated version is supposed to come in the Spring)
Anyway, really happy with the 10.5" Pro

 

[schiller2300]

Gearing up to tackle this project and try to get my local sound shop in Nashville, TN to install.

I think I'm going try the Smarty trend unit as soon as Smarty confirms that my rear entertainment will play digital videos through my phone.

2008 Toyota Landcruiser

Toyota Land Cruiser 200 2008-2015 Vertical Screen (Tesla Style) Android Car Stereo Navigation In-Dash Head Unit

this

Does your 2008 Landcruiser currently have factory navigation?

 

[40Man]

For what it is worth, I was told by someone at Rhino that the temperature buttons below the vents will work with the Rhino Radio on 08-15 US Land Cruisers with Navigation. This seems to be an advantage over some of the other offerings. I'd still like to see one installed to confirm. I'm waiting to hear if the wiper deicer will still be functional. If not it may be possible to get a hard deicer button. I'd have to figure out the wiring diagrams.

The Rhino also has two video outs. The rear DVD may still work if there is an adapter harness. I wonder if one exists through another Toyota model with a rear dvd. Or it may be possible to tap into the aux input in the center console. It would be nice to fully integrate the DVD with an aftermarket unit. I'm guessing you will still need the remote to open the rear dvd.

 

[linuxgod]

I think the deicer is CANBUS-controlled, even though it triggers a timed relay.

I'm interested to see if the Rhino supports rear DVD. I'm fine with the Toyota remote, and I don't even need (or care) to watch DVDs on the front screen, but I hate to end up with an inoperable rear entertainment system since my kids use it. Bonus points if you can just insert a USB stick full of movies instead of using spinning DVDs or if it supports Plex. Optical media is for suckers