Not too long ago, Managing Editor Donna DeRosa asked if CD players were becoming extinct like the 8-track. I was thinking about this as I drove our Outlander GT the other day.
I have been fairly smart phone centric in the last few years. I don't have a home phone, I haven't used my iPod in years and pretty much everything is backed up on my home network just in case my phone dies. Though I'm pretty reliant my phone as a multifunctional device, I never took the time to take advantage of the Outlander's Bluetooth streaming audio until recently. Now that my phone is paired with the car, I can't think of another way I'd rather listen to music. Other than the radio that is.
I feel that the next car I have will need Bluetooth. Not only to be in compliance with the hands free phone law here in California, but as a way to play my music. How important is this feature to you? Is this something you'd want, or does it matter to you?
Scott Jacobs, Sr. Mgr, Photography
adamb1 says:
03:46 PM, 06/30/11
Bluetooth audio is a must have. In fact, I put a Bluetooth head unit in my '03 Ram because I liked it so much in my wifes '10 Mazda 6s GT.
bassrockerx says:
04:12 PM, 06/30/11
I'm about to seriously upgrade the sound system in my truck and Bluetooth and aux input is a requirement that I'm looking for in my new head unit along with at least a 7 band graphic eq
esoterica says:
04:57 PM, 06/30/11
Bluetooth audio streaming is completely a prerequisite.
0ffroader says:
05:18 PM, 06/30/11
Bluetooth streaming is a must-have for me, that's one of the (many) reasons I ended up getting an Outlander Sport.
But it's also surprising how less I use it once I had it - on my short city trips, I end up just using the USB drive because it holds a TON of music and I don't want to bother with pulling up the app on the phone, buffer it over slow-ish 3g (and I can't start buffering until I get out from the underground parking garage), and the battery draw it has on my phone. On longer drives I do try streaming, but for me, I've gotten lazy and used to the convenience of saying "Play Artist ".
nickjs1984 says:
05:51 PM, 06/30/11
Definitely getting this in my next car (probably an S60 T5 like your other longterm car) as I've grown to really love it in the Ford Fusion Hybrids I drive when borrowing from our company's fleet. The best feature is having audio from my iPhone's TomTom app come through the stereo while listening to music. Really wish my own Audi A3 had this, too!
DLu says:
05:12 AM, 07/ 1/11
Say "NO" to cords!
viss1 says:
06:04 AM, 07/ 1/11
I'm pretty much a Luddite compared to most people - my only phone is a 4-year-old non-Smartphone, and I don't use it when I'm driving. However, I've come around to the convenience of just having one device for music and calls. So my next phone will have current technology, and my next car will have Bluetooth.
fordson1 says:
06:45 AM, 07/ 1/11
It works fine in my 2011 GTI, but it kills the phone battery - and if you charge the phone you're back to the plug-in-the-cords deal Bluetooth was supposed to end.
All of my 600+ albums of music is in 320 Kb/sec mp3 - on 3 32GB SD cards. So streaming Bluetooth is an answer to a question I'm not asking.
bodyblue says:
08:15 AM, 07/ 1/11
I just get in the car, turn on the radio and drive. I dont dink around with every single electronic device it has. I dont even use Uconnect even though it seems to work ok. I dont have to be surrounded by such things to enjoy my car....even my old ones. And I dont like the sound quality of BT audio. Some people have to have the newest gadgets and wonder how they could not live without them. I could care less.
90in55 says:
10:07 AM, 07/ 1/11
I think there's still something to be said for CD sound quality. I also like to listen to (gasp!) AM talk radio. There is nothing smart about my phone, but I also enjoy not having to pay an outrageous monthly bill.
adamb1 says:
11:04 AM, 07/ 1/11
CD quality sound is awesome but I don't find that my Ram 1500 or Mazda 6s Gt provide the setting to truly enjoy that quality. So the difference between CD and BT isn't that big a deal where I'm listening.
Streaming does burn battery but I don't mind hooking up the car charger if it's a longer trip. If it's less than an hour, I don't plug in.
Finally, my employer provides the smartphone and unlimited data plan so, plan cost isn't an issue. I am looking forward to upgrading from BB Storm II to a Android phone soon.