Android Auto first impressions and mini-review.

"TheOnelectronic" (theoneelectronic) 08/20/2015 at 20:02 • Filed to: Android Auto

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I’d say this is the future of infotainment, provided it catches on. Read on if you’re curious.

For the record, I just now installed a Pioneer alphanumeric 4100 whatever into the BRZ to alleviate a common issue colloquially known as “the stereo is utter shit.”

A lot of people make the mistake of going for the speakers and amps first, but even the simple speakers in the BRZ can do amazing things IF you give them enough power. Most factory head units just don’t have enough power to drive deep bass, resulting in a flat, muddy bass note full of distortion and nastiness. And this power shortage compromises the rest of the range as well.

So, the best course of action is almost always to upgrade your head unit first, then worry about other stuff.

Now, as for why you’re here: Android Auto.

It’s wonderful. The interface, just by being very good by smartphone standards (It’s no Windows Phone) is off the god damn charts for an “infotainment” system. I really hate that word.

Buttons are large and easy to press. The voice control works as well as it does on an android phone, which is to say well enough. It will be interesting to see how it copes with road noise.

What really sets it apart is the excellent integration with your phone. I jumped ship to Android first with the original Droid, then went back to iPhone before settling in with the Droid2. In other words, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to get my music to play in a world that only had eyes for iProducts. From the horrible FM transmitters to the surprisingly good Cassette adapters to the standby aux cord. When I first drove a car with bluetooth, it was a revelation. Not because it was wireless, but because you could pause, skip a track, or go back without having to pick up your phone. You could just use the car’s controls. That was huge for me.

But this? This is the next step. Not only do you get the basic controls, but you have essentially full control of the app. On Spotify, which is the only one I have currently that is compatible (more on that later), you can see a list of tracks in the playlist, scroll through, or go to a different playlist. You can turn on shuffle or repeat. You can search for a song, or cue up a radio station. The only issue I’ve identified so far is that it does not seem to recognize your “songs” list that’s created by +’ing songs. I don’t have any hard data, but I would be willing to bet you’re getting a better sound quality out of the direct USB connection than you would over Bluetooth as well.

Navigation is basically Google Maps. It may be possible to use others, I don’t know yet. I may see if I can get Waze working with it tomorrow.

But if you’ve used the Navigation in the BRZ before, you know how bad it is. The screen lags, the perspective mode randomly flips out, the map’s color scheme is just far enough off of being pastel to be uncomfortable, and the guidance voice who, by the way, sounds like it came from one of those DIY animation sites (I ALWAYS GO FLAT OUT), does not pronounce street names, which is a blessing and a curse.

Compared to that, Google’s in-house navigation software is angellic. I know I bitched about it a few weeks ago, but I’ve seen the depths of the evil in men’s hearts, now. I am willing to accept my adequate navigational savior into my life.

On a serious note, being able to search the map using Google Maps’ traditionally excellent search feature is wonderful. GPS systems have had “Points of Interest” for years, but now I can just yell at my car, “WHERE IS THE NEAREST CHIPOTLE!?” and it will bring up a list of the closest ones. You can even, while parked (or while you’ve grounded out the parking brake wire on your head unit to fool it) type on an on-screen keyboard. I actually prefer the BMW-style console-mounted controller to a touchscreen, but hey.

Last but not least, you get Google Now. It tells you things like travel time to recently searched locations, nearby accidents and weather, and reminds you of appointments. It also allows you to make queries about various things. I can ask it “What will the weather be at home tomorrow?” and get tomorrow’s forecast without having to spend a minute on my phone getting the same info. (I could also just ask my phone, but shhhhh.)

It’s worth noting, as mentioned above, that you can’t just use anything on your phone. Apps have to be made specifically for Android Auto, but once they are, that version is downloaded automatically if you’ve got the standard app already. Get on that shit, Audible.

So why is this the future of infotainment? Because it brings a new level of quality to automotive interfaces while also bringing to bear the modularity of an app-based environment. It takes what’s been a tolerable-at-best part of a car and asks the tough questions, like “What if this wasn’t shitty?” and “What if we made the buttons... bigger?”

And I love it.

As for Car Play... while the unit supports it, I do not have an iDevice. If you have an apple cellophone and are near Harrisburg, feel free to donate your personal cat portal to the science of amateur off-the-cuff tech reviews.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > TheOnelectronic 08/20/2015 at 20:06

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I’m considering putting a Kenwood 2DIN deck in the Silverado with Android Auto. It would mean that I wouldn’t necessarily need to buy a Garmin GPS (Because Google Maps).

How does Waze work with Android Auto?

TheOnelectronic > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 08/20/2015 at 20:06

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I don’t know. I will update this post (and your comment!) when I’ve had a chance to try it out.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > TheOnelectronic 08/20/2015 at 20:08

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If Waze works as good as Google Maps in terms of Android Auto integration, I’ll be spending the $700 or so to replace the radio in the Silverado in the next week.

CaptDale - is secretly British > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 08/20/2015 at 20:09

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Very interested in the Waze portion of that.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > CaptDale - is secretly British 08/20/2015 at 20:23

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As much as Google Maps is good a navigation, Waze has it beat. Which is funny because Google owns Waze.

I’m still itching to replace the radio and speakers in the Silverado. Sure it’s a GM Bose system, but it’s a GM Bose system.

A couple class D amps, dedicated power taps off the auxiliary battery (because Duramax), and that has the good base for being an excellent sound quality setup (also a good excuse to stuff the doors with sound deadening).

TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma > TheOnelectronic 08/20/2015 at 20:35

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That looks great. I hope I can find something to replace my stock unit when I feel it no longer works. It’s gonna be hard, I think.

Justin Hughes > CaptDale - is secretly British 08/20/2015 at 21:00

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Me too! As well as iThing integration, since I have an iPhone. If I was anywhere near you I’d totally let you play with mine so we could find out.

Jayhawk Jake > TheOnelectronic 08/20/2015 at 21:33

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A friend of mine had this unit for a bit. I tried CarPlay, it was pretty fantastic

TheOnelectronic > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma 08/20/2015 at 22:26

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But you’d lose Bing search! You’d only have Google! What sort of world would that be?

In seriousness, I don’t know how different your radio is from mine, but changing the head unit on my tacoma was fairly easy. You have to get a replacement bezel since the base radio takes up the entire space between the center vents, but the one I got actually looks quite nice.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > TheOnelectronic 10/29/2015 at 13:06

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Just came across this thread while researching Android Auto on Oppo...and funny, I’m looking at this exact same head unit as well - and also for a Subaru (in this case to replace the horrid non-Nav unit on the XV Crosstrek).

Did you buy one of the adapters to keep the steering wheel controls with this unit? Also how is the bluetooth connectivity? I guess if you’re connected via Android Auto/Car play through the hardwire the bluetooth becomes less important (since you’re already hard wired in to the car). The main reason we’re looking to move over is that Subaru’s bluetooth interface is infuriatingly horrible so want to make sure that making/taking calls, playing music etc. while driving becomes a breeze and not a different flavor of shit!

And how is the resistive touch display? The 8100 (top of the line of this range) has the capacitive touch screen (like the screen on a smart phone) but all the reviews I’ve read say the resistive touch on these units is super good and does fine without the capacitive technology. Would you agree, as far as sensitivity, scrolling lag, etc. goes?

Hope you’re enjoying the unit - and fingers crossed for finding a good deal on one during the holiday sales!

TheOnelectronic > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/29/2015 at 22:45

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I think I can help you here.

The BRZ doesn’t have any steering wheel buttons, so no help on that.

Bluetooth is phenomenal. It connects fast, and really is so good that I have nothing much to say about it. It just -works- in a way you don’t have to think about. However, as you said, if you’re using AA it only handles phone calls. (when plugged in through AA it automatically pairs your phone to the head unit while setting up)

The screen is amazing for a resistive display, but certain things are a bit off. Spotify does not like how I scroll, apparently. Other things, like pinch+zoom in GMaps, work fine. The screen reacts with the tiniest amount of pressure, not like the touchscreens of old where you had to physically depress the screen to register. One advantage of the resistive screen is it isn’t impeded by gloves, nails, or trying to hit a button with a pen.

In the time I’ve had the unit, my one gripe would be that every time, -every time- you start it up, you have to “okay” through a health and safety warning. It’s become part of my routine by now, but I would really appreciate if it would just accept that I’ve read the damn thing and am okay with crashing and burning because I was trying to type at 90mph.

Other than that, I am very pleased with it. It dims and brightens with the headlights, and the button lights are adjustable enough to match the BRZ’s amber pretty closely. From reviews, I was a bit worried about the screen’s performance at night or in bright sunlight. Although it doesn’t get -quite- dark enough at night (not much does for my preferences), it’s still fairly dark, and it remains readable during the day.

The sound quality is superb. With only changing the head unit, it’s turned the BRZ’s notoriously mediocre system into something that deserves to be called excellent.

If you’ve got any other questions, let me know.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > TheOnelectronic 10/30/2015 at 12:02

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This is why I love Oppo, thanks for the super detailed response. I actually ordered the unit online yesterday - was going to try keeping it secret and surprise the wife with it (she understandably HATES the stock unit in the car and unfortunately is the one who has to deal with it most of the time) but I couldn’t keep it in for more than a few hours and had to tell her because I was too excited.

Yeah I read about having to accept the warning on start up too - I guess that’s somewhat common like on a lot of OEM units? Oh well, small price to pay and like you said it’ll just become part of the routine - as long as the unit as a whole works well I think we’ll be fine with it.

Thanks again!