Is the GROM VLine VL2 worth $600USD? Lexus IS 350 Headunit Wireless CarPlay
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
- I have had many people asking about the cost and whether it's worth it, because it is not cheap. I have been using it in my Lexus IS 350 and absolutely love it, but it might not be worth the $600USD for everyone, particularly when there are other options out there on the market.
I hope this video explains things clearly and assists you in deciding whether to buy it or not. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
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If anyone is debating on buying this I would say just do it. For me personally I would never go back to stock UI. The Grom is so worth the money.
At 3:49 seconds when you reached functionality. That is the key I've been searching for. With all other units out there all preaching they are great no one described or added that you can use original buttons and displays like ac. Thank you for taking your time and explaining how this unit works!
No worries my bro! Glad you found it helpful!
Great video and I agree with your priorities. I really like the original look of the dash and center console and would never want to mess it up with a huge aftermarket screen. My Vline2 will be installed in 2 days.
I agree with the whole video list of what your interior should look like in your cabin.
I bought one for my Lexus GS 350, it works wonderfully and has wireless CarPlay which is even better than a lot of newer cars.
Just got mine last week. Set it up and it's so cool. Lexus didn't put CarPlay until 2018.
This is how you do a review. Absolute legend 💪
Thanks bro! Really appreciate the comment! I try to make the reviews, succinct, honest, and helpful in weighing up whether a product is really for you or not! Stay tuned!
Great video! First I was interested in the car but I thought I needed something with aftermarket support for CarPlay. This is a great solution as I had something similar in my Jetta. Good content!
I just got my Lexus CT200h with japan head unit. And I was thinking about of having an expensive VLine . And you just help me to choose it. Clean outlook in car & modern interface is the point. Thanks bro!
The only thing to be careful is that because the CT doesn’t have a touchscreen, it might be a bit a bit cumbersome to use. I also have a CT but don’t know yet if I’ll be the GROM for it.
Your points are exactly the same as mine since i drive arround for work. I know its not cheap 😒. Thanks for the video
Just bought this for my GX 460, appreciate the video
Thank you!
How do you like it? I'm considering for our GX470
Great review mate, thankyou
Nice video. Thank you 😀👍
I wasn’t sure on getting one of these but you’ve convinced me to buy one now! Also because you were listening to cherry waves 😂
Good to hear mate! Yeah big fan of Deftones!
Hi Sammy. Just got mine today from a dealer on the Gold Coast here across the pond.
I have a 2012 IS350 F-Sport. The factory map has not been updated since the car was sold new.
I got a quote: $480 AUD for a map update 1 year old.
This unit I got was expensive - $1050 AUD. I installed in this afternoon and still learning but it is awesome. I have hidden the unit and it is totally clean instal retaining factory functionality as well as the VLine. Just select AUX and there it is.
The only issue so far is getting out of Apple Car Play back to the main VLine menu.
Just the ease of use, sat nav that actually works ( the factory one can not find my Lexus dealer let alone the road it is on)
Worth every penny.
Hey Mike, that’s crazy for Alexis to charge $480AUD for JUST a map update! I think it’s embarrassing that Car companies charge for map updates when literally everyone has google maps that updates frequently, is free, and has a better map experience than most OEM navigation.
Well I’m glad you’ve got your GROM and you’re enjoying it! It really makes a huge difference.
Was there a specific issue you’re having with getting out of CarPlay? Are you unable to go back to the GROM interface using the GROM button?
@@sammygoris 🤣🤣😂😂😂☺️☺️ Oh. (Goes out to the car) That big black and white button with a G on it and GROM under it?? Yes. That is embarrassing 😳🤣
@@SouthernCrossMotors hahaha don’t worry I think it took me a couple of days to figure the out too! You kinda miss it easily. All good, hope that’s resolved everything then!
i put a bluetooth grom unit in, the bluetooth failed on both the first unit & the second unit. i was very disappointed. i just have an aux cable working which is crap. i am tempted by this V2 good video.
Very nice ! Can see much better whit the other devices whit a lot of cables and take out the original navigation thanks is a very good option
Thank you for the video, very precise and to the point.
Can this mirror my phone wirelessly ???
@@corsan172011 it can do wireless CarPlay for the iPhone
@@gromaudio how about Android?
@@danielfarooqi95 Android Auto is currently supported via USB cable.
@@gromaudio is it wireless for Android Bluetooth?
Im in Auckland as well. Where did you purchase the system from? Also is the reverse camera sorted?
it’s worth it for me. just ordered mine
Goddamn it you convinced me. I’m buying.. where did you end up stuffing the box in though? That’s the only thing I’m concerned about I don’t know where I’d end up running the cables through and putting the box
Hey man, your only option is really the glove box. The cables between the VL2 and the headunit are not very long, so that’s why it’s your only option. It’s not too hard to wire up. You just remove the headunit and run the wires through into your glove box.
Hie
Did you get you Grom Vline 2 locally in NZ or you imported it. Also did you do the installation by yourself.
Cheers
two years later, do you still recommend the product? recently purchased a 2011 ls460 and plan on staying with it for 5-7 years but as you are aware the infotainment is outdated
VL3 release date?
worth the money
Is the Grom head unit the only real option for a 2007 LS460? Does it fully integrate with Lexus features such as climate, etc? Trying to get a modern, factory look
Yes! It’s the single best mod you could do to your LS. I have it in my ‘08 and I can recommend it unreservedly. It’s completely seamless and it’s functionality with the touchscreen interface on the ‘07-12 LS actually makes it a better user experience than even a brand new 2022 LS500 because of that stupid track pad in the new Lexus.
so question, i don’t have the version of the is250 with the screen, could i purchase a screen, and get the grom for it?
You can check the compatibility of your car at our website gromaudio.com We have the model that supports IS without navigation and touchscreen.
I’ve been looking into these for our IS350. Does the reverse camera still work?
David Richardson the reverse camera does, but on my model it currently isn’t, because mine is a JDM spec and they are still ironing some of the kinks out for the JDM version, which is apparently very different to the USDM version. It should hopefully be fixed soon.
Does it work
@@sammygoris have they fixed this issue??
Where in Auckland can I get this unit?
Did you get it installed by a technician?
Does this work on a GS350 2006 import?
I installed it myself with help from a friend, who's a pretty experienced technician. Yes you can get it for the GS 350 I believe too.
Can, any one who installed one of these tell me is the sound quality still good when using Spotify etc.
I have thr mark levinson syrtem and I wonder will the output do it justice. Cheers
I found it to sound really good, coming from an ML unit. I used Spotify a bit, but I used more Apple Music and Tidal. Tidal definitely sounds the best as it streams at a much higher bitrate, otherwise Spotify should still sound really decent.
@@sammygoris cool, I actually use tidal, and am quite happy with it, good to know, the sound is still good. I might pull the trigger on that system
How’s it holding up? Another guy posted a video talking about how he wanted to like it but kept having problems
We have 30 days money back guarantee if someone does not like our product.
How have you found the reliability? I read a while ago that the system was prone to freezing and crashing occasionally?
I’ve had mine for over a year and I will say it’s a lot more stable than it used to be through updates. It’s a lot more rare when it crashes.
@@jonnyg234 what do you have to do when it crashes?
Did you need to mount the grom mic or can CarPlay use the factory one
That’s actually a good question! I’ve used the GROM mic, but you probably could unplug the mic from the main headunit and use that... i think it’s just a 2.5mm jack.
What a lot of people do, is plug in the mic, run it up the A pillar and into the headliner and you can fit it in the overhead unit where the stock mic is so you can’t see it
Sammy Goris how’s the stability on this, I know it’s a bit expensive have you had any freezing issues or anything along those lines?
@@ThatWhiteGS I did have some initially but it has improved a lot with software updates. At the moments it’s very stable, CarPlay works well and connects wirelessly automatically
@@sammygoris Do you think it's worth it, price is a little steep but like you said you can't change the head unit's in these, does it integrate well with factory systems and last question how does it look on the older screen, thanks for replying.
@@ThatWhiteGS great questions, I am also interested about the usage with the older screen version.
I have a 2006 IS250 with nav and want to implement Apple CarPlay too. Until recently, GROM had the VLite available, but for some reason it now isn't anymore for pre-2013 Lexus IS. The VLite would have been perfect for me, because I'm just (and ONLY) interested in CarPlay and not the build-in android crap that I won't use and will get outdated anyway. I'm still trying to figure out why the VLite it isn't available anymore and what my alternatives are (apart from a normal VL2). Did you look into the VLite alternative before getting the normal VL2?
Hey Man. Good points you’ve brought up. I did consider the VLite but I think I wanted a higher spec, more powerful unit as I wanted good performance and avoid lag like the plague.
But I can’t remember if it’s actually a slower processor or not. Unfortunately there aren’t many other alternatives if you want to retain the stock head unit as well
@@sammygoris That's a good point too, if the Vlite (VT1) is slower with CarPlay than the VLine (VL2), I'll skip considering that too. I want CarPlay to start up preferably without any delays and be as snappy as possible. BTW, I just got email reply from GROM, they now claim the upcoming VT2 will be available late January 2021, and *will* support the 2006 IS, so I guess that's good news and will wait for that! (Although I'm not holding my breath, the VT2 release has been promised 5 months ago, then they announced september, following by even more delays, so we'll see).
Everything gets outdated
2024 and still confused about this. There is currently the VT2 and the VL2. I’m not sure which is which and what the differences are. Any advice would help.
@@michaelG2310 the VT2 only has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so it "extends" your phone to your cars display (look it up). The other one, the VL2, has a standalone Android interface (it's like an android tabled) on which you can run apps, etc. I didn't need that, in my case I only wanted CarPlay, because that's great. I now see this new VT2 is also available again for my Lexus. I still have the car (still doing great!) but again not sure about the VT2. It's price has become pretty high and I still see lot's of user issues on the GROM facebook group, but those issues are more for the VL2, I don't see much experiences on the VT2.
Any regrets? I'm about to pull the trigger and purchase one for my GX460
No. There is a GROM Facebook page, and someone recently asked the same question, and pretty much nearly everyone said buy it, despite the quirks, it really improves the functionality majorly updates the infotainment experience.
@@sammygoris any quirks you’ve run into personally? Thanks!
May i ask what rims do you have on your car?
Adrian thru are the factory Lexus IS F 19” wheels. flic.kr/p/2jzr4Hx
Sammy Goris Did you have any fitment issues putting the larger rims on your car?
abeg1571 Yes, if you have the 350 with the larger front calipers, you will need spacers otherwise the caliper hits the wheel. The 250 will have no problem.
You will also need to push the liner back to or you get rubbing but it’s pretty easy to heat and push back
Sammy Goris I was looking at some forums and people are saying they couldn’t get spacers for the same stud pattern/size. Any issues there?
@@abeg1571 Nah I've had no issues there. I have 15mm Toyota TRD spacers and they are perfect.
Does anybody know the name of the rims?
These are OEM 2008-2010 IS F wheels
How's the sound quality ?
Hey Mate! Sound quality is really good. One of the reasons I bought the GROM. Alot better than the android headunits that have garbage DACs in them.
The grom uses the factory audio amp so it won’t change in quality at all its just a PREOUT
how can you play youtube/netflix on the unit? Also I heard that when you use this unit the usb port will not work anymore, is that true?
You can play CZcams by installing CZcams app from Google Play store directly on the unit. Netflix might not work due to its device restrictions.
Regarding to the USB port, it depends on the car make/model/year. What is your specific car make/model/year? We will check and let you know if VLine system disables USB.
@@gromaudio Hi thanks for the reply, I have a 2010 lexus is250, would that work?
@@afanter4314 correct model for your Lexus 2010 IS250 is LEX6VL2, it is available here:
gromaudio.com/store/vline/grom-vl2-lex6.html
This model fits Lexus vehicles with navigation. For this particular vehicle USB port will be disabled, correct.
However VLine has its own USB port that you can use for your USB integrations.
@@gromaudio what model would fit an Lexus GS 350 2007 ?
@@dragonballz641 Thank you for your interest in GROM product. The model that will fit is LEX5VL2, check here: gromaudio.com/store/vline/grom-vl2-lex5.html
Can you get Netflix ?
If you have Netflix on your phone, see if it's a feature that lets you mirror what's on your 📱and you should be good to go.
It has a GOOGLEPLAY store so it’s possible to Install on the grom
It's worth it if maintaining full use of your factory controls is important to you as well as being able to use the unit with factory controls. The only downside IMO is you have to mount the GPS antenna SOMEWHERE. For me, that was on the dashboard right above the passenger side ac vent. That's the only visual evidence of it. I may move it to a different location at some point, but not fixing what isn't broken is the priority now.