USB Question (allocation) RAV4

[VinceZ]

Hi all,

My first post here. I am about to say 'yes' to buying a new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. It has pretty much pushed all the right buttons for me. I have added as option a power sunroof and running boards.  However, there is a fly in the ointment! 

There are 5 USB ports all of them is for charging with one allocated to the central console for plugging-in to the console!  The problem here is the working one (the one attached to the main console system) is in a visible area directly below the centre console. This means each time I leave the car I would have to remove my iPod it and hide it. It makes no sense.  

Further to this, I can't use my Android phone and my iPod at once time - meaning I cannot use Android Auto (with my Samsung phone) and have the Ipod playing. Android Auto has to be plugged in (bandwidth is too heavy for Bluetooth). 

I'm in a dilemma.  The technology seems backward at best. There is no wireless charging. There is only one connection to the main console and if I want to use Android Auto then I would have to disconnect my Ipod each time.  

I called Toyota UK main office as the dealership couldn't work it out. The UK office ws scratching its head and did not understand why only one is connected. 

My question is; can one of the other USB charging points (in the centre console) also be hooked up to the main central console.

Unfortunately if this cannot be done then I may have to look at a different brand. I find it odd and highly frustrating that Toyota have not added this functionality.  Unless, that the issue is the dealership that there is a way?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[duncerduncs]

Never fear, Toyota have seemed to have thought of this!

Page 114 of the Navigation Manual -

Quote

● If a USB hub is plugged-in, two devices can be connected at a time

So it would seem that you can plug both your Android phone and iPod in at the same time (although you may want to test this at the showroom) 👍

As for the lack of wireless charging, that's a decision made by Toyota GB to not specify it on the car.  Cars sold in Europe in the equivalent trim as our Excel get wireless charging!

P.S an iPod?! That's sooooo 2010! 🤣

 

[roadster-rav]

Perhaps you could use your Ipod via bluetooth and leave it in the centre compartment. Alternatively you could wire the ipod with an analogue cable from the headphone socket into the car's aux input. bluetooth would probably give you some play controls so it could be better. take your devices along to the showroom and give it a try. Incidentally you should also see if Android auto is actually installed yet on any car you are considering.

[VinceZ]

On 7/27/2020 at 9:56 PM, duncerduncs said:

Never fear, Toyota have seemed to have thought of this!

Page 114 of the Navigation Manual -

So it would seem that you can plug both your Android phone and iPod in at the same time (although you may want to test this at the showroom) 👍

As for the lack of wireless charging, that's a decision made by Toyota GB to not specify it on the car.  Cars sold in Europe in the equivalent trim as our Excel get wireless charging!

P.S an iPod?! That's sooooo 2010! 🤣

 

 Thank you for your reply.  I don't have the navigation manual yet.  However, that is great information - just to be clear is that suggesting that I utilise a hub extension? If so I can probably get a small double extension.  

Ahh yes on the iPod - its more of a iPod touch and has all mine and my wife’s music on there, tis way we don’t have to carry it on our individual phones and hook it each time. 

I’m going to go to the dealership and try the USB extension.

Thanks again

[VinceZ]

2 hours ago, roadster-rav said:

Perhaps you could use your Ipod via Bluetooth and leave it in the centre compartment. Alternatively you could wire the ipod with an analogue cable from the headphone socket into the car's aux input. Bluetooth would probably give you some play controls so it could be better. take your devices along to the showroom and give it a try. Incidentally you should also see if Android auto is actually installed yet on any car you are considering.

The problem with bluetooth it doesn't carry the same level of quality as it would being wired.  Yes I could use analogue cable, hwoever again we are looking at audio that would be diminished.   

Does anyone know if one of those extra USB ports can be hooked up the main console?

Thanks

[roadster-rav]

22 hours ago, VinceZ said:

The problem with Bluetooth it doesn't carry the same level of quality as it would being wired.  Yes I could use analogue cable, hwoever again we are looking at audio that would be diminished.   

Does anyone know if one of those extra USB ports can be hooked up the main console?

Thanks

I appreciate that bluetooth has a chequered history due to very limited bandwidth and range but if you haven't tried it recently you may be surprised at how much it has improved. I would have dismissed it until I recently bought a JBL battery powered player but now I have a permanently up computer hub in my house to feed that . Admittedly not hi-fi but in a moving vehicle does that really work anyway? As far as analogue input is concerned I would have thought that the D to A conversion of the I-pod electronics would be at least as good as the car's system which I believe downsamples all inputs to 48KHz. Its very unlikely that the power only USB sockets will have the wiring for the data pins but as has been suggested you might rewire them to connect to a hub which in turn feeds the live socket. How the car's software might deal with this is unknown but nothing is impossible if you want to invest time and money, plus expertise of course.

[VinceZ]

50 minutes ago, roadster-rav said:

I appreciate that Bluetooth has a chequered history due to very limited bandwidth and range but if you haven't tried it recently you may be surprised at how much it has improved.

I'm heading to the dealership this week and will try it, Thank you

[Avalon]

Look at it another way, you're choosing to avoid using three perfectly workable solutions.

• You could move your audio to your phone.
• You could move the audio on a USB flash drive.
• You could use bluetooth (the quality argument doesn't really hold up with an OEM car set-up, it's not a high end audio set-up).

Surely you can see the irony in complaining that Toyota hasn't implemented technology when you are clinging onto technology that last saw a launch in 2014 and was realistically pretty much dead long before that.