Radio

What is a good after market blue tooth radio this navigation for a 2013 Tacoma 4 door sr5

 

Endless options on Amazon or eBay to add a screen with CarPlay/android auto for ~$300 or less.

 

Start here, shop wherever.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-9sbWye9k1e9/m_266150/Car-Stereos.html

 

Tech nerd here

Honestly, the best nav unit you can get on the market right now is pretty much an android device that uses the UIS 7870 processor (android 13). Grab one of these on Ali and you're laughing.
They are blazing fast, have a DAC that is superb, and come with up to 12GB of RAM. (Honestly, 12 is wayyy overkill...but there is a cheaper 8 and 6GB versions out there)

Do not go shopping on Amazon, that will be your biggest regret.

Android head units are NOT all created equal! Some are slow, laggy, and outdated. If you want something to last you many years, you'll need to pay that extra $100 premium for the better chipset.

I got one for about 295USD after all said and done. (7870 w/ 8GB of ram and 360 cameras)

 

I would recommend a Joying android unit. If you buy from their site they give a two year warranty and support is very helpful. Got my 2010 Tacoma last week and had preemptively ordered the head unit. I went with a 9 in. screen with the physical volume knob control. From experience, having to use all touch screen to change the volume really sucks.
https://www.joyingauto.com/joying-9...or-toyota-tacoma-2005-2015-apple-carplay.html

 

The joying brand is popular mainly because it's for sale on Amazon.
But they are HUGELY underpowered and use old hardware.

No point in buying old hardware when you can get better performance for the same price.

A lot of the new FYT 7870 units also come with the 2k display. While the resolution is a bit irrelevant, the brightness you get out of these things for use in direct sunlight makes a big difference in usability.

I do agree volume knobs are nice though, but you can always add something like this:

$22 JOYING Controller Android Car Stereo, Universal Car Steering Wheel Control, 8 Intelligence Modes for Controlling Hands-Free Calling/Audio Volume, Steering Wheel Remote Control for Android Car Stereo

https://www.amazon.ca/JOYING-Controller-Intelligence-Controlling-Hands-Free/dp/B08R6VK9PN?crid=1XZM9Q0LBD5LZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Op6nEXgnpHRmtbLeVkziz0lltY5V3rSgydpuhQpJlGeW1o6JzQPVkuSSScMLBYTX-8W8MMarMtIITYjxBuez9l_Dowds7Ey_gxefpcfEl_tFBqpo1XAIJVgSRu8S8D9H3LdVZig5lEYLInynTFY2ZQr9XQKmXYHnY3GeaeVq5sc.ZJWMXVtJL2V4AdWXSN4fPgF_tQ2JEzibUuqsHO7ooOA&dib_tag=se&keywords=joying+volume&qid=1720242802&sprefix=joying+volume%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-1

At this stage in the game I would not recommend Joying, not unless they do something to catch up

 

so better tech is fine but 2 year warranty and not having a screen that protrudes beyond the factory facia is a big issue for a lot of people, as well as the physical knob. I do MSP IT for a living and mainly rent out hardware (screens, pcs, and all tech needed) for large trade shows. I personally took the trade off for the known reviews, warranty, plug and play, and the physical knob. If the tesla style screen is your style I do agree there are better options.

 

Looked at all the Amazon options and decided on a familiar name (Pioneer). It's their NEX3600 series and it's working great. It was wonderful on our trip to Colorado to have navigation and Amazon music for the whole trip. Plus I like the looks, very updated. Performance is excellent. It's a bit pricey, but worth it.

 

Looks good. I considered that but I personally don't line have the protruding screen on my dash ( just my opinion though). Pioneer always makes some great head units. I have them in most of my other cars as aftermarket replacements.
Did that work with your steering wheel controls and reverse cameras?

 

Welcome to TW… ‘search’ is your friend

 

Hey tech nerd, did you find one that fits well in a tacoma?

 

I'm with you (it's personal preference), and was leaning to Joying. Then I saw some pics of this style unit and made the leap. Best thing is there are so many options for our Gen2s to provide blue tooth, android auto and a rear camera. What ever you decide is going to be a definite upgrade.

 

In my 1st gen tacoma I just went with an 11 inch but it Sortof blocked some of the HVAC controls.

The 2nd ones fit the 9" screens perfectly an with a near oem like finish. (they are advertised as 9" but are actually 9.5")

 

Looking at Ali now. Any recs?

 

SO many great options out there running the 7870.
There's some sales going on right now actually and for around $250usd you can get a 9.5" beast
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...o.order_list.order_list_main.5.26081802JoQtE2

Of course, you could always pay a few bucks more for more ram or storage as needed though (but 6gb ram is pretty much the current standard right now)

As long as it's running the 7870 processor though, you'll have the fastest unit on the market and multitasking won't be an issue

 

I installed a PLZ 902W headunit in my '09 back in January of 2024. So far, I LOVE it. Look at my older posts for the updated PLZ unit. Cost, including the headunit, bezel and plug & play harnesseS is <$200.



Here are a few links to get you started;

• https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/looking-for-carplay-recommendations.833759/#post-29874520
• https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...eo-unit-for-2009-tacoma.834130/#post-29889051
• https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/stinger-audio.823117/#post-29801301

 

thanks brother

 

Here's a quick photo of the device installed in DIRECT sunlight.

These new 2k screens are incredible bright and visible in all conditions.

9.5" is the sweet spot on these 2nd gen trucks IMO.

The trim was about 15$, and about 250 for the unit itself. (it came with direct plug and play harness including steering wheel control harness)



Side profile photo attacked as well

 

Looks fire dude.

Did you also switch the backup cam in the mirror to the head unit?

 

I didn't because I like having the reverse camera next to my mirror.

I have another car where the camera is on the headunit and it feels a little ghetto looking down when reversing.

But it's personal preference, and it comes with all the connections to move the camera from the mirror to the headunit should you decide to.

This unit has so many features that really it could use it's own thread on TW.

PS- I use the factory steering wheel controls on my tacoma (worked perfectly out of the box with included adapters) and also use this in my cup holder so my passenger can also adjust volume https://www.aliexpress.us/item/4000925711300.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

Between my steering wheel and this cup holder controls I have about 18 buttons that could be mapped to basically anything